“Stephanie, what's going on? Why won't the cloak engage?” I LIKE having nearly perfect stealth. It's safe. I'm pulling up the diagnostics as I'm talking.
“Insufficient power, captain,” okay, I can work with that….
The power core is producing like normal: Enough for all the systems we have … huh, okay, the light laser in the back is also offline… well, the excess drain isn't too bad; short term I can get the cloak up by dropping shields, but… I need to track this down. I make the changes (the cloak gives us much better protection than the shields ever did), and then get to the serious work.
The power core is running at nearly the maximum rated load… I run through the individual systems’ use… add them up… the total load from reporting systems isn't enough to explain the power core's usage. We're about fourteen PCU short. Given that the starship laser cannon can melt steel and is only five PCU, that's a lot of juice.
Well… the power junctions list what's going through them and which directions… which means I can narrow things down that way… there we go: There's one in the middle of the ship, lower deck, that has more going in than it reports going out, and by the missing amount.
Now, I could just cut that junction off - the ship has redundant power conduits and junctions to mitigate damage and allow for repairs while systems are in use - so it would be a simple matter to cut that one out of the system… but that would alert whatever power parasite is feeding on Stephanie that we're onto it. Better to catch it by surprise. So I just need to find that junction and start tracing conduit. Although… best to have contingencies. I set up a macro to cut power from that junction so Stephanie can trigger it if needed, cast Invisibility on myself, and start hunting.
One of the annoyances of what I did to Steven to make Stephanie: Every part of her insides are pink: NEON pink. Setting aside the constant color shock, it also causes a practical problem: All the color codes are gone, everything is just slightly different shades of neon pink. On the plus side, the blue, red, and purple veiny fleshy tendril coming up through the floor and attaching to the power junction? It sticks out like a sore thumb in so many ways.
At least it will be easy to follow.
A Gaseous Form spell so I can fit wherever (it turns the subject into a cloud-like version of themselves, good for fitting through tight spots), and a use of Fractured Dimension, and I'm on the other side of the floor: Some buffer space between the inner and outer hulls… which has expanded significantly.
Now, the visual elements of Stephanie Steel that make her look like a woman are mostly outer hull artifacts; the inner hull is mostly normal (extra narrow in some spots, extra wide in others, but it works out). Here, there's a good ten feet of clearance between the inner and outer hulls… because a somewhat glowing fleshy oblong object has pushed the outer hull out of place, which stretched to accommodate it. There's plenty of room here, so I dispel the Gaseous Form spell, cast Fly, and use Fractured Dimension to teleport to a spot just outside the hull, so I can inspect Stephanie.
And she's smooth. There's no indication of a penetration here. Looking around… okay, yes, there's a small bump, and on a woman I'd be… right about at her womb.
No way.
I teleport back into the hull gap, and take the minute needed to assign my flexible skill to “Medicine” (I already have Life Science, Physical Science, and Engineering normally). I then use the Conjurer's Toolbelt spell (it’s a third-party Pathfinder cantrip: It creates a mundane handheld tool of no more than one pound “appropriate to the campaign” - and this is a science fiction setting) to make a handheld sonogram. Which I immediately use on the object.
I look at the scanner, listen to my skills, and announce to Stephanie, “Congratulations, you're going to be a mothership.”
“I'm PREGNANT?!” she shouts through the com.
I'm so glad that's not in my ear, “Indeed. You're growing a little biomechanical starship. Would you like to know the base frame?”
“Sure, I guess…” that's… a surprisingly cool response. I guess the outburst earlier was shock?
Regardless, “Yes, you have a biomechanical frame growing here, specifically a fighter. That's where all the power is going: Building it.”
“How's it going to come out? That seems a little big for my bakery,” that's a practical concern.
Too practical. Patricia, thoughts on why she's so cold?
“Oh, that's simple. While the fantasy that spawned me includes impregnation… it doesn't otherwise include kids. She has exactly the same maternal instincts as Steven Steel did: None,” my pink partner replies, “Oh, and… the baby ship doesn't have a soul: It's just a machine. Thought you might want to know.”
Good to know… this is… OK, so: Starships - even minor ones - simply aren't available for sale. Starship tiers work much like levels: It's tied to the game mechanics, the party advances with them: They don't buy them or sell them. I've looked into it here… starships and their major systems are special ordered by governments and built by major corporations. A regular citizen of the galaxy simply can't buy one, they're not for sale. They can be stolen, they can be lent out, they can be given out as rewards, they can be traded as political tokens, they can be traded for other ships and components… but they're not bought or sold outside of the same circles that order them made. Players get them from doing missions, capturing parts from enemy starships, combing through wreckage, trading parts, and so on.
Stephanie growing one? That's HUGE. And apparently, she's not going to form an attachment to it. And without a soul… I can trade or sell them like anything else… well, for other starship components, anyway: Nobody's going to believe I want cash. And honestly… I don't want cash. I want to upgrade Stephanie: Faster engines, a stronger power core, better shields, maybe a better base frame… I'm torn between a tug (the only Small ship that comes with a turret, and a Heavy weapon mount on it at that) and an oma (the most durable ship that can be run by a single person: Any bigger, and I'll need a few people helping).
Of course, depending on how well equipped her “child” is… I may be able to harvest components directly from it.
“Captain?” Oh, right. Stephanie asked a question.
“Sorry, I'm just thinking. It's a biomechanical ship, so it's possible we'll be able to get it out before it gets too big, and attach it to your milk makers for the final growth. Otherwise… we're looking at a cesarean,” a very, very big cesarean. Even the smallest of Tiny starships are twenty feet long… and they get up to sixty before they're Small. Stephanie is just a hundred feet long, “I expect this will be easier after I can upgrade you to a larger frame.”
“That sounds unpleasant, either way…” yes Stephanie, childbirth is painful for humans.
“If you want,” I offer, “I could take you offline for the birth. I have physical access to the computer that functions as your brain, so it wouldn't be hard.”
“That sounds good, yes please…” she agrees easily, “who is going to raise the little monster?”
Ah, that, “It won't be needed. You have a soul: The ship growing within you doesn't. It is simply a thing. Honestly, I was considering trading it off for upgrades to you… what are your thoughts on the matter?”
“Good riddance,” she begins, “if I can sell the little brat out for some self-improvement, I'm all for it.”
Okay then, “Sounds like a plan. In the meantime… we have a job to do.”
I head back inside, and we get going… skipping shields works for the moment, but I'm going to have to fix the power problem… maybe a core upgrade? I can trade out the laser cannon, we've yet to fire it… get an Abysium upgrade to our power core, I don't care about the radiation… cuts power usage by five PCU, and will add thirty to the supply. That should do the job, and the books have those trades at the same price tag in build points… should be viable.
Regardless… we engage the drift engine, and head to our current destination. We bump into a pocket of air (literally; it's apparently a chunk of the Elemental Plane of Air, ripped out by a drift engine and deposited here), which causes us to go topsy-turvy for a little while (and ruins my bath) due to the sudden re-entry to an atmosphere and some changes to how gravity works… but is ultimately just a brief annoyance. We make our delivery planetside (and no, Stephanie's reaction still hasn't gotten old), get a gig, load her back up, and head into a station to drop off the goods… and make some trades of systems components.
I am very, very careful to switch cleanly to station power when upgrading Stephanie's power core, and back again after. I don’t want to disrupt power to the ‘baby’, as that might cause problems for the development.
I don't want to break the golden egg, after all.
“Stephanie, what's going on? Why won't the cloak engage?” I LIKE having nearly perfect stealth. It's safe. I'm pulling up the diagnostics as I'm talking.
“Insufficient power, captain,” okay, I can work with that….
The power core is producing like normal: Enough for all the systems we have … huh, okay, the light laser in the back is also offline… well, the excess drain isn't too bad; short term I can get the cloak up by dropping shields, but… I need to track this down. I make the changes (the cloak gives us much better protection than the shields ever did), and then get to the serious work.
The power core is running at nearly the maximum rated load… I run through the individual systems’ use… add them up… the total load from reporting systems isn't enough to explain the power core's usage. We're about fourteen PCU short. Given that the starship laser cannon can melt steel and is only five PCU, that's a lot of juice.
Well… the power junctions list what's going through them and which directions… which means I can narrow things down that way… there we go: There's one in the middle of the ship, lower deck, that has more going in than it reports going out, and by the missing amount.
Now, I could just cut that junction off - the ship has redundant power conduits and junctions to mitigate damage and allow for repairs while systems are in use - so it would be a simple matter to cut that one out of the system… but that would alert whatever power parasite is feeding on Stephanie that we're onto it. Better to catch it by surprise. So I just need to find that junction and start tracing conduit. Although… best to have contingencies. I set up a macro to cut power from that junction so Stephanie can trigger it if needed, cast Invisibility on myself, and start hunting.
One of the annoyances of what I did to Steven to make Stephanie: Every part of her insides are pink: NEON pink. Setting aside the constant color shock, it also causes a practical problem: All the color codes are gone, everything is just slightly different shades of neon pink. On the plus side, the blue, red, and purple veiny fleshy tendril coming up through the floor and attaching to the power junction? It sticks out like a sore thumb in so many ways.
At least it will be easy to follow.
A Gaseous Form spell so I can fit wherever (it turns the subject into a cloud-like version of themselves, good for fitting through tight spots), and a use of Fractured Dimension, and I'm on the other side of the floor: Some buffer space between the inner and outer hulls… which has expanded significantly.
Now, the visual elements of Stephanie Steel that make her look like a woman are mostly outer hull artifacts; the inner hull is mostly normal (extra narrow in some spots, extra wide in others, but it works out). Here, there's a good ten feet of clearance between the inner and outer hulls… because a somewhat glowing fleshy oblong object has pushed the outer hull out of place, which stretched to accommodate it. There's plenty of room here, so I dispel the Gaseous Form spell, cast Fly, and use Fractured Dimension to teleport to a spot just outside the hull, so I can inspect Stephanie.
And she's smooth. There's no indication of a penetration here. Looking around… okay, yes, there's a small bump, and on a woman I'd be… right about at her womb.
No way.
I teleport back into the hull gap, and take the minute needed to assign my flexible skill to “Medicine” (I already have Life Science, Physical Science, and Engineering normally). I then use the Conjurer's Toolbelt spell (it’s a third-party Pathfinder cantrip: It creates a mundane handheld tool of no more than one pound “appropriate to the campaign” - and this is a science fiction setting) to make a handheld sonogram. Which I immediately use on the object.
I look at the scanner, listen to my skills, and announce to Stephanie, “Congratulations, you're going to be a mothership.”
“I'm PREGNANT?!” she shouts through the com.
I'm so glad that's not in my ear, “Indeed. You're growing a little biomechanical starship. Would you like to know the base frame?”
“Sure, I guess…” that's… a surprisingly cool response. I guess the outburst earlier was shock?
Regardless, “Yes, you have a biomechanical frame growing here, specifically a fighter. That's where all the power is going: Building it.”
“How's it going to come out? That seems a little big for my bakery,” that's a practical concern.
Too practical. Patricia, thoughts on why she's so cold?
“Oh, that's simple. While the fantasy that spawned me includes impregnation… it doesn't otherwise include kids. She has exactly the same maternal instincts as Steven Steel did: None,” my pink partner replies, “Oh, and… the baby ship doesn't have a soul: It's just a machine. Thought you might want to know.”
Good to know… this is… OK, so: Starships - even minor ones - simply aren't available for sale. Starship tiers work much like levels: It's tied to the game mechanics, the party advances with them: They don't buy them or sell them. I've looked into it here… starships and their major systems are special ordered by governments and built by major corporations. A regular citizen of the galaxy simply can't buy one, they're not for sale. They can be stolen, they can be lent out, they can be given out as rewards, they can be traded as political tokens, they can be traded for other ships and components… but they're not bought or sold outside of the same circles that order them made. Players get them from doing missions, capturing parts from enemy starships, combing through wreckage, trading parts, and so on.
Stephanie growing one? That's HUGE. And apparently, she's not going to form an attachment to it. And without a soul… I can trade or sell them like anything else… well, for other starship components, anyway: Nobody's going to believe I want cash. And honestly… I don't want cash. I want to upgrade Stephanie: Faster engines, a stronger power core, better shields, maybe a better base frame… I'm torn between a tug (the only Small ship that comes with a turret, and a Heavy weapon mount on it at that) and an oma (the most durable ship that can be run by a single person: Any bigger, and I'll need a few people helping).
Of course, depending on how well equipped her “child” is… I may be able to harvest components directly from it.
“Captain?” Oh, right. Stephanie asked a question.
“Sorry, I'm just thinking. It's a biomechanical ship, so it's possible we'll be able to get it out before it gets too big, and attach it to your milk makers for the final growth. Otherwise… we're looking at a cesarean,” a very, very big cesarean. Even the smallest of Tiny starships are twenty feet long… and they get up to sixty before they're Small. Stephanie is just a hundred feet long, “I expect this will be easier after I can upgrade you to a larger frame.”
“That sounds unpleasant, either way…” yes Stephanie, childbirth is painful for humans.
“If you want,” I offer, “I could take you offline for the birth. I have physical access to the computer that functions as your brain, so it wouldn't be hard.”
“That sounds good, yes please…” she agrees easily, “who is going to raise the little monster?”
Ah, that, “It won't be needed. You have a soul: The ship growing within you doesn't. It is simply a thing. Honestly, I was considering trading it off for upgrades to you… what are your thoughts on the matter?”
“Good riddance,” she begins, “if I can sell the little brat out for some self-improvement, I'm all for it.”
Okay then, “Sounds like a plan. In the meantime… we have a job to do.”
I head back inside, and we get going… skipping shields works for the moment, but I'm going to have to fix the power problem… maybe a core upgrade? I can trade out the laser cannon, we've yet to fire it… get an Abysium upgrade to our power core, I don't care about the radiation… cuts power usage by five PCU, and will add thirty to the supply. That should do the job, and the books have those trades at the same price tag in build points… should be viable.
Regardless… we engage the drift engine, and head to our current destination. We bump into a pocket of air (literally; it's apparently a chunk of the Elemental Plane of Air, ripped out by a drift engine and deposited here), which causes us to go topsy-turvy for a little while (and ruins my bath) due to the sudden re-entry to an atmosphere and some changes to how gravity works… but is ultimately just a brief annoyance. We make our delivery planetside (and no, Stephanie's reaction still hasn't gotten old), get a gig, load her back up, and head into a station to drop off the goods… and make some trades of systems components.
I am very, very careful to switch cleanly to station power when upgrading Stephanie's power core, and back again after. I don’t want to disrupt power to the ‘baby’, as that might cause problems for the development.
I don't want to break the golden egg, after all.
