Whoooo we're finally into space now for reals, now the fun can begin!
im kind of surprised that ive been able to keep up the weekly updates, but i'll take a break this next week to prepare myself, so see you all when it come up.
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Louise stepped up to the pod, and without any kind of instructions stepped over its edge and into it. The floor of the pod was oddly warm, and as she looked at the backside of it, an then touched it, found that it was soft and slighlty squishy.
"The pod is meant to be laid back in," Jarskat said helpfully as he held up some kind of rectangular decide in one od his spindly hands. "I can also cover the lower parts of your body with frosted glass, if you would like."
"Please do," Louise said as she turned around I nth pod and leaned back against it, finding her body sink in, yet be supported better than any bed she had ever laid in.
"understood," she then heard Jarskat say before silently the rounded glass came back out of the pods sides. But instead of covering the whole pod, it covered only from the neck down. And was impossible to see through.
"Okay, this feels, nice, but what happens next?" Louise asked, noticing that Montmorency still looked very uncertain.
"Simple. Once I turn the pod on, it will begin scanning your body . . .err, shining light across your body, and it will be able to tell me how healthy you are, as well as anything of issue or note, without touching you. It will take a while though, so while it is doing it, the Captain here can ask you his questions, and you your own I would gather."
"So its kind of like magic?" Louise asked.
"It is not magic, but I suppose that would be the best way to explain it to you, yes."
"Alright," Louise said as she looked to Montmorency. "It seems safe."
Montmorency seemed to get the picture and very nervously walked over to the other pod, took off her cloak with no lack of embarrassment, and stepped into the pod. Its frosted pane closed around her as she leaned back, and unexpectedly she found herself letting out a sigh of relief, her body resting in a way it hadn't in what felt like ages.
"Alright, I'm starting the pods, please do not stare into the light if at all possible." Jarskat said as he stepped up beside them and pressed a button, causing a grid work of beams of lights to seemingly come out of all over the lower section of the pod, covering their whole legs as it slowly worked its way upwards at a snails pace.
"Alright, now that that is begun, we can have our Q and A," Musashi said with a nod as he stepped over to the right side of the room and sat on a chair that looked to be made of little more than metal beams and rods. "I know you have many questions, and I will answer them, but I also have questions I must ask to be able to help you and fully understand the situation that transpired for you. So how about we alternate asking questions, and answer them as honestly and completely as we can? Does that sound fair?"
"It, does," Louise said warily.
"Good. Then I shall begin with a very simple question for us to start. Your names please, in full if possible."
Louise glanced over at Montmorency, who looked just as surprised, and surprised her further by going first. "My name is Montmorency Margarita La Fere De Montmorency, second daughter of the Montmorency County of Tristain."
"And I am Louise Francoise Le Blance De La Valliere, third daughter of the Valliere Duchy of Tristain"
" I see. Then it is a pleasure to meet you both," Musashi said with a nod. "It is your turn then."
"You, are human, right?" Louise asked. " I mean, you look human, but you have those odd, lines. Are they tattoos?"
Musashi let out a chuckle. " I thought id hear a far more direct question to start, but I guess my looks must seem strange to you. " I am not a human, but an Android, a product of human ingenuity brought to exist and having gained a soul of my own," He explained as he lifted an arm and squeezed a section of it, causing the sides of his bare arm to spring out on long thin rod of metal, reveling the under and inside of his arm to be a mess of sleek silvery metal, wires and glowing nodes. "To further answer your question I must ask another. I can tell you know of magic, so your world has it, but how advanced is your worlds technology? What is the most advanced thing that is not magical?"
Both girls looked at each other in momentary confusion. " Um, Watermills?" Montmorency suggested unsurely.
"No, I'd say the muskets that the musketeer squad uses are probably the moat advanced thing that doesn't rely on magic in any way," Louise countered earning a nod of realization from Montmorency.
"I see, without a greater technological base, I would not be able to explain my existence easily . . . but I suppose you could think of me as a, autonomous Golem with a soul, if that makes sense."
"It does, I think," Louise said as she looked at Musashi, and quickly realized it was her turn to ask a question. "Where are we? All I saw out between these things, was the night sky, but the moons were gone."
"Ah . . .that is, likely something that will be difficult to hear," Musashi said with a sigh. "We are in space, the empty void between worlds and stars."
"But there is nothing in the sky but the stars," Montmorency said in confusion,
"No its . . .the sun that warms your world it is a star, and each, in the sky has the potential to warm other worlds, to give life to them. And between these stars are vast distances with very little in them, the areas we call space."
"But, but how would anyone reach it?" Montmorency asked in confusion. "Even the best dragons eventually faint from going to high in the sky, none can reach the night sky!"
"it is done through advanced technology, and sometimes supremely powerful advanced magic, but it can indeed be done, as that is where we are," Musashi stated in a final sort of way that was oddly not rude in the way he said it. " Now then, my next question. What is your world called?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your world, the place your lands reside upon, what is it called."
"I, don't understand what you mean," Louise said simply. "Tristain is part of Halkeginia, and to the east are the Elven lands, and the south the great sea and the lost deserts."
"There is also Rub Al Khali to the south east, south of the elven holy lands," Montmorency added.
"So your world as a whole, does not have a name?"
"Not that I have ever heard of," Montmorency stated. "Why name what is unseen or not worth mentioning?"
"Strange, that will complicate matters," Musashi said with a sigh. "Alright, your questions then."
"How, are we going to get home?" Louise asked slowly.
"That, is a long arduous journey," Musashi said slowly. "Grays are known to often use long distance busts of Drift travel through unknown means, so we will need to first need to find out what the world you are from is called. Once we know we can bring you home. But it will mean we likely will first need to bring you to Absolom station, the Hub of the Pact worlds, to use their systems to help locate your world."
"And that takes a long time?" Montmorency asked on reflex.
Musashi nodded, seeming not to care about her asking another question. "Correct. It will take us another two days to reach absolom station, and once there are a number of legal proceedings that we will need to do as you both are from non spacefaring cultures. Then we'll be able to speak to the ones who can assist us in finding your world. Then, if we can quickly find it, then we have to return you to it, which will take time as well."
"So, it will be a while till we can get home," Montmorency said in a very saddened tone.
"Yes," Musashi answer with a solemn nod. "However I promise that as long as I am able, I will return you both to your world should you at that time still wish to return."
"Why shouldn't we?" Louise then asked, concerned by Musashi's tone.
"Sometimes, those from other worlds not yet knowing of the galaxy, find themselves liking it and choosing to stay."
"That sounds strange," Montmorency commented off handily.
"to some yes, but-" Musashi began to say until a beeping came from the pods. "I take it that means the pods are done, Jarskat?"
"It does, yes,"Jarskat said as he looked over a console and began making and sound like a bugs thrumming from his throat. "It seems the Grey's took the usual blood, marrow, and skin samples. And they installed a Cortex Translator to . . . oh. That is unusual."
"What?" Musashi demanded sternly. "Do not worry these girls."
"Sorry. The Greys installed a MK19 Premium Torenascu type Cortex Translator into both of the girls,"
"Is that bad?" Louise asked carefully.
"No, it is just a very rare Cortex Translator," Musashi said in a mixed tone. "It can explain that later, but now that the health check is over, would you girls like to continue speaking, or would you prefer to have a rest? Jarskat can set the tubes to sleep and heal and they will help you sleep soundly if you would like?"
"Will we be safe?" Louise asked instantly."
"You will. I promise."
"Alright, I think, some rest could do us well." She said with a nod as she looked to Montmorency and nodded again.
Montmorency nodded slowly in return.
"Alright, then Jarskat, if you would,"Musashi said before looking at the girls." Good night, and rest well ladies. We can speak when you wake up in a few hours."