Olthiss directs me through a maze of metal maintenance tunnels, keeping his gun trained on my back the whole way. Given that it's big enough that he needs power armor to carry it… I choose not to give him reason to discharge the thing. I glance back occasionally; Ayako is following, but I do get the impression she knows the area better than he does.
So when we finish winding through the tedious track (which takes maybe five minutes), we come to a small office next to what looks like a maintenance bay, where several suits identical to my captors’ stand in small booths, wires hooked into them, their backs open, giving something of an appearance of wings and a tail.
We're greeted by two blue uniformed human men, without power armor, whom Ayako greets, “Ah, Jason and Bart, which of you is taking my statement?”
The one on the left sighs, “I drew the short straw. This way…” and Ayako follows him into a small side office.
The other man smiles, “And I won. Right this way…” he directs me to a different office, where there's a small desk, two chairs, and a potted plant in the corner… no windows or seemingly anything else to break up the monotony of the white walls.
I take a seat, as does he. He starts, “Swordfish: Begin Recording.” Oddly, I hear dice. I wonder why?
A voice from the wall monotonously intones, “Recording in progress.”
The officer continues, “For the record, I am sergeant Bartholomew Brunswick. This interview is being recorded. You're not currently in trouble, but we do need to know a few things before we let you loose on the station… and as you're a not-currently-approved immigrant, we can just send you out the way you came in if we don't like your answers.” He smiles, “So: Let's start with your name and race.”
It's a good thing vacuum is just annoying… “I am Alex Abrams, human,” Essentially. Technically Hume now, but that’s just human with a few extra perks. Close enough.
Officer Brunswick nods, “And how did you come to be here, Mr. Abrams?”
I give the same technically true story as I gave to Ayako, “I was on a rock in The Drift with no ship, two guys in a wrecked ship landed on the same chunk of rock, I fixed their ship to get off that rock… and things got a little out of hand when I found out they worked for the Azlanti Star Empire… I can handle vacuum for a time, so leaving was the better choice. I haven’t been here before and knew nothing of proper entry procedures, so I found someone working outside, got her attention, and she led me in… which was very nice of Ayako. I presume she called ahead, as an armed and armored officer greeted us at the airlock and escorted us here.”
“And what became of those two guys you referenced?” He seems a bit concerned there.
“My last information on their plans was that they were headed to Croban-3. I have no reason to believe they're nearby.” And lots of reasons to believe they're not. It was quite a long trip from where we parted ways.
My interviewer continues, “And your plans while here?”
That's easy, “Find work, whether here on the station or on a ship. After recent events, I literally have just the clothes on my back, but I'm a competent technician.” I figure I'm employable, as I have Computers, Life Science, Diplomacy, Culture, and Engineering all at +10 or better, which is highly trained for level one.
Patricia whispers in my ear, “Here, please. Hmmm… there's a lot of energy for us just floating around… so tasty….”
So I should definitely get a job on a ship, then.
He asks a few other questions of little importance, and soon enough, he has me out waiting in the reception area, by the empty suits of power armor. That is so tempting. Which might be the point.
I ignore them well enough, as Jason and Bart let Ayako go and confer with each other in another conference room.
My Perception is actually good enough for me to listen in… mostly because these are cheap walls. They compare stories and make sure mine matches Ayako's, pretty boring overall….
There are a few interesting tidbits mixed in, though: “Jane says she got a solid read with Discern Lies: He's clean.”
Huh. I didn't even notice the casting… I'm going to need to work on my saves. Maybe that's why the dice earlier? I'll need to pay more attention to that….
Also: “His biometrics aren't in any criminal database… or any other. He should probably see a doctor, though… respiration is WAY down.”
When did they… I glance around the room. Ah. Now that I’m looking, this place is loaded with various sensors. My biometrics were probably captured when I entered the room, if not before. Great.
Finally, “Well, he qualifies for the castaway program. I never thought I'd actually see someone who ticked all the boxes, but here we are. His new ID should be printed up by now, even.”
Ah, good. I was wondering how that was going to work.
Eventually they come out and hand me a small bracelet. Jason speaks, “Good news: You qualify for the castaway program. This is your ID, and it doubles as a credstick, loaded with a hundred credits. It's not much, but it's something. Obviously, don't lose it. Keep your nose clean, and you're free to go.”
Best outcome I could have hoped for. “Thank you,” I reply as I grab my starting cash, “Any suggestions on what I should do?”
Bart takes that one with a shrug, “There are some workable shops on deck thirty-nine, arm Gamma, about a klick out from the core.” Did I mention this place is big? “I'd suggest a cheap personal comm unit, a change of clothes or two, and the basic tools of your trade. After that, look up apartments, find a cheap one, and start looking for work. Shouldn't be too hard, this place is booming.”
And Jason adds, “By the way… the exit is that way,” as he points to a different door than I used to enter.
Locations! Great. “Thank you.” I make my way out. Okay… “Gamma” arm, deck thirty-nine, a klick … what’s a klick… ah, kilometer, military style… from the core. And… yep.
As I walk out of the security office, it quickly becomes obvious that I was deliberately taken by maintenance tunnels, and not the main paths - which explains why I didn’t run into anyone on the way. Because honestly, this place is pretty crowded. Not quite “mall on Christmas Eve” crowded, but… yes, crowded. Lots of people. You know, using “people” to mean “thinking, feeling beings”. Yes, there’s humans. There’s also elves (basically taller, thinner humans with pointy ears and really long lifespans), dwarves (pretty much short, stocky humans), halflings (who could be considered half-sized humans with full-sized heads), gnomes (you can look at them as fat half-sized humans if you were so inclined), half-orcs (which seem much like stocky humans with slightly greenish skin and minor tusks), androids (robots designed to look like humans that have tattoo-like circuits on their skin), Kasatha (four armed human-like people with gray skin and no noses), lashuntas (take a wild guess: humans with antennae)... and more. But yeah, while they all have their own histories and origins… everyone’s basically human, plus or minus. Where I came from, that’s because of game balance and game design reasons - the game largely assumes “human”, so every playable race is human with some minor differences. Here? I imagine the reason is something like “the humanoid form is evolutionarily efficient” or some such handwave. ”It takes a lot of energy to grow limbs, and after two arms, two legs, and two eyes the benefits don’t outweigh the costs during lean times” kind of thing. I’ll have to look it up once I have a phone.
At least the main hallways are clearly labeled. I’m apparently on arm Zulu, deck sixty, and three kilometers from the core. Getting lost before I have a map would be bad… also, I don’t have much money, and I don’t have a timeline, so I eschew any form of paid transport, sticking to sidewalks and stairs. Frankly, though: Being immune to fatigue really helps out with that.
And yes, sidewalks. This place is big enough that there is actual traffic, although the cars aren't exactly what I'd call such: A lot of them don't have wheels, a lot of them aren't enclosed, some are flying… some don't even have drivers! But in terms of how they're being used? Yes, they're cars, trucks, buses, and motorcycles, shuffling people and goods from place to place in varying quantities. The rules of the road aren't too far separated from what I'm used to… although it does take me a little while to sort out the logic of the traffic lights. Fortunately, there's enough of a crowd going the same way I am that I can just choose which flow to go with, and that's how I learn how the lights work here.
So soon enough, I'm at the shopping center….
Olthiss directs me through a maze of metal maintenance tunnels, keeping his gun trained on my back the whole way. Given that it's big enough that he needs power armor to carry it… I choose not to give him reason to discharge the thing. I glance back occasionally; Ayako is following, but I do get the impression she knows the area better than he does.
So when we finish winding through the tedious track (which takes maybe five minutes), we come to a small office next to what looks like a maintenance bay, where several suits identical to my captors’ stand in small booths, wires hooked into them, their backs open, giving something of an appearance of wings and a tail.
We're greeted by two blue uniformed human men, without power armor, whom Ayako greets, “Ah, Jason and Bart, which of you is taking my statement?”
The one on the left sighs, “I drew the short straw. This way…” and Ayako follows him into a small side office.
The other man smiles, “And I won. Right this way…” he directs me to a different office, where there's a small desk, two chairs, and a potted plant in the corner… no windows or seemingly anything else to break up the monotony of the white walls.
I take a seat, as does he. He starts, “Swordfish: Begin Recording.” Oddly, I hear dice. I wonder why?
A voice from the wall monotonously intones, “Recording in progress.”
The officer continues, “For the record, I am sergeant Bartholomew Brunswick. This interview is being recorded. You're not currently in trouble, but we do need to know a few things before we let you loose on the station… and as you're a not-currently-approved immigrant, we can just send you out the way you came in if we don't like your answers.” He smiles, “So: Let's start with your name and race.”
It's a good thing vacuum is just annoying… “I am Alex Abrams, human,” Essentially. Technically Hume now, but that’s just human with a few extra perks. Close enough.
Officer Brunswick nods, “And how did you come to be here, Mr. Abrams?”
I give the same technically true story as I gave to Ayako, “I was on a rock in The Drift with no ship, two guys in a wrecked ship landed on the same chunk of rock, I fixed their ship to get off that rock… and things got a little out of hand when I found out they worked for the Azlanti Star Empire… I can handle vacuum for a time, so leaving was the better choice. I haven’t been here before and knew nothing of proper entry procedures, so I found someone working outside, got her attention, and she led me in… which was very nice of Ayako. I presume she called ahead, as an armed and armored officer greeted us at the airlock and escorted us here.”
“And what became of those two guys you referenced?” He seems a bit concerned there.
“My last information on their plans was that they were headed to Croban-3. I have no reason to believe they're nearby.” And lots of reasons to believe they're not. It was quite a long trip from where we parted ways.
My interviewer continues, “And your plans while here?”
That's easy, “Find work, whether here on the station or on a ship. After recent events, I literally have just the clothes on my back, but I'm a competent technician.” I figure I'm employable, as I have Computers, Life Science, Diplomacy, Culture, and Engineering all at +10 or better, which is highly trained for level one.
Patricia whispers in my ear, “Here, please. Hmmm… there's a lot of energy for us just floating around… so tasty….”
So I should definitely get a job on a ship, then.
He asks a few other questions of little importance, and soon enough, he has me out waiting in the reception area, by the empty suits of power armor. That is so tempting. Which might be the point.
I ignore them well enough, as Jason and Bart let Ayako go and confer with each other in another conference room.
My Perception is actually good enough for me to listen in… mostly because these are cheap walls. They compare stories and make sure mine matches Ayako's, pretty boring overall….
There are a few interesting tidbits mixed in, though: “Jane says she got a solid read with Discern Lies: He's clean.”
Huh. I didn't even notice the casting… I'm going to need to work on my saves. Maybe that's why the dice earlier? I'll need to pay more attention to that….
Also: “His biometrics aren't in any criminal database… or any other. He should probably see a doctor, though… respiration is WAY down.”
When did they… I glance around the room. Ah. Now that I’m looking, this place is loaded with various sensors. My biometrics were probably captured when I entered the room, if not before. Great.
Finally, “Well, he qualifies for the castaway program. I never thought I'd actually see someone who ticked all the boxes, but here we are. His new ID should be printed up by now, even.”
Ah, good. I was wondering how that was going to work.
Eventually they come out and hand me a small bracelet. Jason speaks, “Good news: You qualify for the castaway program. This is your ID, and it doubles as a credstick, loaded with a hundred credits. It's not much, but it's something. Obviously, don't lose it. Keep your nose clean, and you're free to go.”
Best outcome I could have hoped for. “Thank you,” I reply as I grab my starting cash, “Any suggestions on what I should do?”
Bart takes that one with a shrug, “There are some workable shops on deck thirty-nine, arm Gamma, about a klick out from the core.” Did I mention this place is big? “I'd suggest a cheap personal comm unit, a change of clothes or two, and the basic tools of your trade. After that, look up apartments, find a cheap one, and start looking for work. Shouldn't be too hard, this place is booming.”
And Jason adds, “By the way… the exit is that way,” as he points to a different door than I used to enter.
Locations! Great. “Thank you.” I make my way out. Okay… “Gamma” arm, deck thirty-nine, a klick … what’s a klick… ah, kilometer, military style… from the core. And… yep.
As I walk out of the security office, it quickly becomes obvious that I was deliberately taken by maintenance tunnels, and not the main paths - which explains why I didn’t run into anyone on the way. Because honestly, this place is pretty crowded. Not quite “mall on Christmas Eve” crowded, but… yes, crowded. Lots of people. You know, using “people” to mean “thinking, feeling beings”. Yes, there’s humans. There’s also elves (basically taller, thinner humans with pointy ears and really long lifespans), dwarves (pretty much short, stocky humans), halflings (who could be considered half-sized humans with full-sized heads), gnomes (you can look at them as fat half-sized humans if you were so inclined), half-orcs (which seem much like stocky humans with slightly greenish skin and minor tusks), androids (robots designed to look like humans that have tattoo-like circuits on their skin), Kasatha (four armed human-like people with gray skin and no noses), lashuntas (take a wild guess: humans with antennae)... and more. But yeah, while they all have their own histories and origins… everyone’s basically human, plus or minus. Where I came from, that’s because of game balance and game design reasons - the game largely assumes “human”, so every playable race is human with some minor differences. Here? I imagine the reason is something like “the humanoid form is evolutionarily efficient” or some such handwave. ”It takes a lot of energy to grow limbs, and after two arms, two legs, and two eyes the benefits don’t outweigh the costs during lean times” kind of thing. I’ll have to look it up once I have a phone.
At least the main hallways are clearly labeled. I’m apparently on arm Zulu, deck sixty, and three kilometers from the core. Getting lost before I have a map would be bad… also, I don’t have much money, and I don’t have a timeline, so I eschew any form of paid transport, sticking to sidewalks and stairs. Frankly, though: Being immune to fatigue really helps out with that.
And yes, sidewalks. This place is big enough that there is actual traffic, although the cars aren't exactly what I'd call such: A lot of them don't have wheels, a lot of them aren't enclosed, some are flying… some don't even have drivers! But in terms of how they're being used? Yes, they're cars, trucks, buses, and motorcycles, shuffling people and goods from place to place in varying quantities. The rules of the road aren't too far separated from what I'm used to… although it does take me a little while to sort out the logic of the traffic lights. Fortunately, there's enough of a crowd going the same way I am that I can just choose which flow to go with, and that's how I learn how the lights work here.
So soon enough, I'm at the shopping center….
