Fortunately, we can travel between ships in flight. The Keyhomes make it possible, as they make physical doors, which the ships move along with them. We go into them, then into the linked storage demiplane… and from there to any other ship.
I would cast a Mage’s Magnificent Mansion spell to make a meeting room with all the furnishings (and food, for anyone who’s hungry). They're great: The nature of a Mage’s Magnificent Mansion even gives it identity based security: Only those I designate can enter.
But I don't, for two reasons: First, it comes out neon pink everywhere, worse than a Barbie Doll Dreamhouse. Second, Stephanie can't attend if I do that, as her remote unit can't transmit off-plane. So instead, we're packed into an empty storage space inside of the Rustbucket… in which I've used Fabricate to make a round table and chairs suitable for the five of us. Why the Rustbucket and not Stephanie? Because it's NOT neon pink on the inside and it's docked with Stephanie (so it is in easy range of her remote). Sadly, the table and chairs are neon pink… I should have some real ones made: We have the UPB's to burn.
For now, though, this will do.
As much as I malign the Rustbucket (it was a ploy to keep Stephanie from integrating), it has the same luxury setup that Stephanie has… as does The Brute. So while we're sitting in a cargo bay, it looks like we have a view into space through windows between support struts… when really, it's just sensor data projected onto bulkheads painted white. The manual says we can even change it if we want, making it, say, a simulated view of an ocean, mountain, windswept plains, swamp, or something… live sensor data is merely the default to allow for people to recognize a problem (like enemy ships, a dangerous asteroid, a space monster, or whatever) easily…and letting passengers get a view of fun stellar phenomenon we pass (in the event of a cruise line).
Rooms can be changed individually if something else is desired, but you know what? That's a fine default setting.
I start by explaining the problem, “Allright, so… I really don’t like being hunted, especially by people with no regard for civilians; graveyard worlds are NOT fun for me.”
Cowbird shrugs, Stephanie and Euler nod, Linda chuckles. I continue, “But I'm being hunted because of my technology… which you're all under, heavily. I'd like thoughts on stopping people from hunting us… or at least getting them to avoid the massive collateral damage.”
Euler laughs, “Kill them all; or better yet, actively go after anyone who comes for us. Sooner or later people will realize hunting us is bad news.” Right. Super brave. Or maybe fearless… which is not the same thing.
Stephanie shakes her head, “Admiral Alex loaded the prisoner interviews into my memory banks… we’d be facing off against the Azlanti Star Empire.”
I step into the pause that gives everyone else in the room, “And ultimately, they're just one of the groups after my tech. There's at least three other stellar empires that wouldn't be above such tactics, and I've also had mafia thugs come after me… no offense intended, Linda.”
“None taken,” my actually mind-controlled minion answers, “I absolutely was a thug.”
I continue, “And that's not even getting into factions within primarily less thuggish organizations that wouldn't be above various forms of coercion. Best outcome I can hope for from conflict like that is convincing everyone that we're too expensive to attack… and the worst?” I shake my head, “Escalation is the sort of approach that can spiral out of control very quickly. We're already started on this route, mind you: I plan to hand the captured Azlanti offficers over to Absalom Station authorities when we get there.” What’s left of them, anyway, “If this doesn't work out… we're set up for long term independence, so we can go hide somewhere in The Vast for a few decades. But if ‘scare them off’ doesn't work out, I would like some alternatives to ‘all out war’ and ‘full retreat’, you know?”
“What about just going up the chain of command?” Stephanie asks, “Not quite all-out war.”
I consider… interview the captains under mind control to see who gave the orders, use Wish transport to kidnap the order givers into a barred Forcecage on a dead magic plane, Dominate Monster to put the mind whammy on them, interview to find out who's next up the chain, rinse and repeat. That would be frighteningly effective.
But… “I could, but there’s two big reasons I don't want to do that,” very big, they're H cups already, a good six and a half inches across each, and that’s not counting the space in my abdomen I wasn’t born with, the seat cushions I take everywhere, or the other personal side effects. “First, my power isn't actually free: There's a price I pay when I use it on people, and I don't like paying it.” I pause a moment, “Second, engaging in assassination - and that pretty much is what it would be - seldom ends well. We'll peg that just above all-out war, because I find it slightly less bad. Other suggestions?”
“Ah, come on, it’s not that bad…” Patricia whispers in my mind, “everyone you’ve applied it to enjoys it greatly. Don’t you want to find out why they all like having a nice, hard, meaty rod up their…” NO.
“How good is your power?” Linda speaks up, “Maybe take over the emperor’s mind, like I had you do with me?”
I shake my head, “That’s not particularly viable. Oh, I probably could locate the emperor,” or just bring him straight to me, and skip the problem of locating him, “put a mind-whammy on him, tell him to give certain orders, and then go about my day…” I pause, “But at the end of the day, the Emperor's only power is that there’s a lot of people who will choose to do as he says. Setting aside that mind-control is fairly easily discerned by anyone trained…”
“Oh, is that why some people tend to avoid me now?” Linda briefly interrupts.
I nod, “Probably, yes, it’ll give a lot of people the willies to know your mind isn’t entirely your own. Regardless… that aside, in my case it’ll be particularly obvious, because the side effects of my power…”
“I have a name, you know,” yes Patricia, but I don’t really want people to know I talk to myself and am partially possessed.
I take a breath, “... make physical changes, and when the emperor is suddenly and undeniably an empress, there’s going to be a lot less in terms of people obeying.”
“You could change your face, and not just your body, Mistress,” Cowbird is talking? Wait, what? “And all of ours, and probably the ships as well.”
I pause, “How do you know I do that?” I'm curious where I'm slipping up.
Cowbird gives a weak laugh, “Your power is amazing, Mistress, but it stops affecting your armor when you remove it. Those perky C's it looks like you are carrying are… much larger, based on your clothes once they're on the floor. You really don't need to hide who you are… but the Rustbucket has that Holographic Mantle, and everything's invisible otherwise, so if we all changed our names, you change our faces, we give the Rustbucket a makeover, and then we just don't dock Stephanie or the Brute when anyone's watching…” she pauses, “we could all be some anonymous traders, and leave the intrigue behind.” She considers again, “For as long as you can resist showing off, at least. If you did that, we'd all need to change names and faces again.”
That's… “Good idea, slave, I'm glad I thought of it,” I need to be ‘pointlessly’ cruel with her and devalue her, for her sake... and I really don’t like it, “So plan A, hope that blowing up three battleships, plus capturing and warping their highest ranking officers, will scare off the big fry. Plan B, change faces. Plan C, hide out until people forget, Plan D take out the emperor, Plan E planar kidnapping and interrogation tree, Plan F blow them to kingdom come.” I pause, “Any other ideas, and am I missing anything?”
I look around the room, locking eyes one at a time with everyone, and nobody seems to have further input. “All right then… Plan A is already in progress, so for now we just keep doing what we're doing. I'll see about handing the prisoners over to Absalom Station authorities when we arrive.”
We break up the actual meeting, Euler heading back to the Brute, Linda to the Rustbucket. I Disintegrate the tables and chairs, and have Cowbird sweep up the pink dust. Meanwhile, I take Stephanie's remote off to her quarters to give her a medical examination… I want to make sure the babies are healthy.
Not that I expect any particular complications that would show up in a medical text, because we are hilariously far off the books as it is.
Fortunately, we can travel between ships in flight. The Keyhomes make it possible, as they make physical doors, which the ships move along with them. We go into them, then into the linked storage demiplane… and from there to any other ship.
I would cast a Mage’s Magnificent Mansion spell to make a meeting room with all the furnishings (and food, for anyone who’s hungry). They're great: The nature of a Mage’s Magnificent Mansion even gives it identity based security: Only those I designate can enter.
But I don't, for two reasons: First, it comes out neon pink everywhere, worse than a Barbie Doll Dreamhouse. Second, Stephanie can't attend if I do that, as her remote unit can't transmit off-plane. So instead, we're packed into an empty storage space inside of the Rustbucket… in which I've used Fabricate to make a round table and chairs suitable for the five of us. Why the Rustbucket and not Stephanie? Because it's NOT neon pink on the inside and it's docked with Stephanie (so it is in easy range of her remote). Sadly, the table and chairs are neon pink… I should have some real ones made: We have the UPB's to burn.
For now, though, this will do.
As much as I malign the Rustbucket (it was a ploy to keep Stephanie from integrating), it has the same luxury setup that Stephanie has… as does The Brute. So while we're sitting in a cargo bay, it looks like we have a view into space through windows between support struts… when really, it's just sensor data projected onto bulkheads painted white. The manual says we can even change it if we want, making it, say, a simulated view of an ocean, mountain, windswept plains, swamp, or something… live sensor data is merely the default to allow for people to recognize a problem (like enemy ships, a dangerous asteroid, a space monster, or whatever) easily…and letting passengers get a view of fun stellar phenomenon we pass (in the event of a cruise line).
Rooms can be changed individually if something else is desired, but you know what? That's a fine default setting.
I start by explaining the problem, “Allright, so… I really don’t like being hunted, especially by people with no regard for civilians; graveyard worlds are NOT fun for me.”
Cowbird shrugs, Stephanie and Euler nod, Linda chuckles. I continue, “But I'm being hunted because of my technology… which you're all under, heavily. I'd like thoughts on stopping people from hunting us… or at least getting them to avoid the massive collateral damage.”
Euler laughs, “Kill them all; or better yet, actively go after anyone who comes for us. Sooner or later people will realize hunting us is bad news.” Right. Super brave. Or maybe fearless… which is not the same thing.
Stephanie shakes her head, “Admiral Alex loaded the prisoner interviews into my memory banks… we’d be facing off against the Azlanti Star Empire.”
I step into the pause that gives everyone else in the room, “And ultimately, they're just one of the groups after my tech. There's at least three other stellar empires that wouldn't be above such tactics, and I've also had mafia thugs come after me… no offense intended, Linda.”
“None taken,” my actually mind-controlled minion answers, “I absolutely was a thug.”
I continue, “And that's not even getting into factions within primarily less thuggish organizations that wouldn't be above various forms of coercion. Best outcome I can hope for from conflict like that is convincing everyone that we're too expensive to attack… and the worst?” I shake my head, “Escalation is the sort of approach that can spiral out of control very quickly. We're already started on this route, mind you: I plan to hand the captured Azlanti offficers over to Absalom Station authorities when we get there.” What’s left of them, anyway, “If this doesn't work out… we're set up for long term independence, so we can go hide somewhere in The Vast for a few decades. But if ‘scare them off’ doesn't work out, I would like some alternatives to ‘all out war’ and ‘full retreat’, you know?”
“What about just going up the chain of command?” Stephanie asks, “Not quite all-out war.”
I consider… interview the captains under mind control to see who gave the orders, use Wish transport to kidnap the order givers into a barred Forcecage on a dead magic plane, Dominate Monster to put the mind whammy on them, interview to find out who's next up the chain, rinse and repeat. That would be frighteningly effective.
But… “I could, but there’s two big reasons I don't want to do that,” very big, they're H cups already, a good six and a half inches across each, and that’s not counting the space in my abdomen I wasn’t born with, the seat cushions I take everywhere, or the other personal side effects. “First, my power isn't actually free: There's a price I pay when I use it on people, and I don't like paying it.” I pause a moment, “Second, engaging in assassination - and that pretty much is what it would be - seldom ends well. We'll peg that just above all-out war, because I find it slightly less bad. Other suggestions?”
“Ah, come on, it’s not that bad…” Patricia whispers in my mind, “everyone you’ve applied it to enjoys it greatly. Don’t you want to find out why they all like having a nice, hard, meaty rod up their…” NO.
“How good is your power?” Linda speaks up, “Maybe take over the emperor’s mind, like I had you do with me?”
I shake my head, “That’s not particularly viable. Oh, I probably could locate the emperor,” or just bring him straight to me, and skip the problem of locating him, “put a mind-whammy on him, tell him to give certain orders, and then go about my day…” I pause, “But at the end of the day, the Emperor's only power is that there’s a lot of people who will choose to do as he says. Setting aside that mind-control is fairly easily discerned by anyone trained…”
“Oh, is that why some people tend to avoid me now?” Linda briefly interrupts.
I nod, “Probably, yes, it’ll give a lot of people the willies to know your mind isn’t entirely your own. Regardless… that aside, in my case it’ll be particularly obvious, because the side effects of my power…”
“I have a name, you know,” yes Patricia, but I don’t really want people to know I talk to myself and am partially possessed.
I take a breath, “... make physical changes, and when the emperor is suddenly and undeniably an empress, there’s going to be a lot less in terms of people obeying.”
“You could change your face, and not just your body, Mistress,” Cowbird is talking? Wait, what? “And all of ours, and probably the ships as well.”
I pause, “How do you know I do that?” I'm curious where I'm slipping up.
Cowbird gives a weak laugh, “Your power is amazing, Mistress, but it stops affecting your armor when you remove it. Those perky C's it looks like you are carrying are… much larger, based on your clothes once they're on the floor. You really don't need to hide who you are… but the Rustbucket has that Holographic Mantle, and everything's invisible otherwise, so if we all changed our names, you change our faces, we give the Rustbucket a makeover, and then we just don't dock Stephanie or the Brute when anyone's watching…” she pauses, “we could all be some anonymous traders, and leave the intrigue behind.” She considers again, “For as long as you can resist showing off, at least. If you did that, we'd all need to change names and faces again.”
That's… “Good idea, slave, I'm glad I thought of it,” I need to be ‘pointlessly’ cruel with her and devalue her, for her sake... and I really don’t like it, “So plan A, hope that blowing up three battleships, plus capturing and warping their highest ranking officers, will scare off the big fry. Plan B, change faces. Plan C, hide out until people forget, Plan D take out the emperor, Plan E planar kidnapping and interrogation tree, Plan F blow them to kingdom come.” I pause, “Any other ideas, and am I missing anything?”
I look around the room, locking eyes one at a time with everyone, and nobody seems to have further input. “All right then… Plan A is already in progress, so for now we just keep doing what we're doing. I'll see about handing the prisoners over to Absalom Station authorities when we arrive.”
We break up the actual meeting, Euler heading back to the Brute, Linda to the Rustbucket. I Disintegrate the tables and chairs, and have Cowbird sweep up the pink dust. Meanwhile, I take Stephanie's remote off to her quarters to give her a medical examination… I want to make sure the babies are healthy.
Not that I expect any particular complications that would show up in a medical text, because we are hilariously far off the books as it is.
