'Of Future Heroism' - Pt.2 Always The Outsider
By Mercenary (thanks again man!) and SilentWitness
It had only been a few weeks since I left the Paranid school and I still remember the excited jubilation during the rite of priesthood. Especially how the Priest Duke wept as his son received the EmproXeres the highest honour given to any student priest. Who also broke every rule in the book of commandments and pulled me up onto the dais to receive my award.
Particularly as my very presence in the temple was a testament to how they had come to trust me. The ceremony itself had been an expensive affair taking up a large proportion of the stations profit. I never realised how isolated I had become, or how much the Paranid care for their children outside the confines of the teaching habitat, the rest of the station was in a very tidy state of degradation.
Most of the trading stations cargo bay was empty due to the recent economic crash that had brought the Paranid Empire to its knees. But despite this everyone kept up the pretence of wealth, as if nothing had happened... I felt sad to leave such a proud people, but I had a long trip to reach Argon Prime and it had been a long time since I travelled outside the confines of the trading station.
I had forgotten how different I am and how people stare at me with a mixture of fear and disgust. My trip onboard the passenger transport was mostly uneventful as I tried my best to sleep for the entire journey.
As I stepped off the gantry I was immediately swept away by the bustling crowds of the Argon trading station. It was both frightening and exiting all at once with bright neon signs illuminating the entrances of the colourful shops and restaurants that dominated the promenade.
Suddenly I heard someone shouting my name "Tikerin!"
I turned to see a man dressed in a military uniform waving from the door just off the main thoroughfare. Squeezing my way through the crowd I made it through the door... "We're so glad you decided to come here and speak with us! Did you have a good trip?"
The door closed with a resonant clunk, "It's wonderful to be back, I can't believe how much everything has changed!" a confused look spread across the mans' face and suddenly I realised my mistake having replied in the Paranid language. Repeating my reply in Argon, "It's nice to be here!" He gave me an understanding smile and led me into a briefing room but I still felt embarrassed by my mistake. The room itself was cold and formally laid out with much of the illumination coming from spot lights overhead.
On the other side of the table sat a Boron, to my mind a strange creature, and it was like nothing I had ever seen before! It wore a black environment suit with what I can only describe as a fish bowl on its head. The liquid inside partially obscured its face. A speaker on the front of the bowl projected its voice into the room "Welcome, please sit! It's is an honour to have you here with us" I gave him a smile, as I tried to make out his face.
"Now let's get down to business! Her majesties government, being of sound judgement and firm beliefs, has asked me Oula Wou to act as a representative in these matters." Turning to the Argon who had sat down beside me I whispered, "When does he get to the point?"
He gave a wry smile and replied, "Oh not for a while yet!"
The Boron moved his head which stirred eddies of ammonia in the fluid making it look like a blizzard inside the bowl before responding. "I can see that my brief introduction is wasted on you so I'll get strait to the point!"
With that he moved the large stack of data boards to one side. "The Boron government wishes to procure your services in exchange for your expertise at obtaining information on the Split. Particularly with regards to their economic strength and credit reserves since the collapse of the..."
I tried not so sound skeptical with my reply but failed miserably, "So let me get this straight you want me to join the Boron secret service?" Oula Wou scowled at me and muttered something about the Split, which made my blood boil "well not so much as join Her Majesties Secret Service more." The Boron paused as he chose his words, "Liaise with us on a purely informal basis only."
The Argon turned and whispered in my ear, "He wants you to spy on the Split and see what they know about the Khaak".
"But why me?" The moment I said it I knew I shouldn't have opened my mouth...
Well now I'm working for the Boron and I couldn't help but smile to myself. Having never been able to pass myself convincingly off as wholly Argon, it amused me to wonder what ever made them think I would have any more luck being a Split.
The Boron had given me a ship. It was an Eel as one who had never flown before could not believe my luck in being given an M3. Even so they gave me a crash course in piloting the ship. The instructor strapped himself into the fight chair next to me. "Ok could you set your thrusters to neutral and start you're vehicle please"
The engines hummed into life as I looked through a small viewing window.
"Now with both hands on the wheel, request the release of the docking clamps and gently ease the ship forward."
The engines whined as the Eel moved forward and rapidly accelerated from zero to eighty in only a few seconds. The ship flew away from the docking bay like a bullet, and the instructor screamed desperately trying to apply the emergency stop.
The Split inside of me thinks differently.
So I opened the throttle again to feel the rush. Fortunately as I graze the substructure inside the docking bay I suddenly see the exit gateway appear and with only a twitch of my hand we shoot past Dolphin freighters at 147 mps.
The gate had little time to react but my own reactions were better and fly through the opening doors. With hardly enough space to let an Octopus through! In my inexperienced keenness and adrenaline rush I pushed the throttle further.
The ship responds disappointingly and a part of me begins to realise what I've just done. I glance at the Instructor, his tentacles firmly placed over his eyes inside the bowl.
"What's next?" I ask with an air of cheerful optimism.
The instructor screams, "AUTO DOCK!!!!!"
I hit the control, "docking computer active"
Eventually I mustered up an embarrassed smile to ask, "Did I pass?"
[STORY]: 'Of Future Heroism' - Pt.2 Always The Outsider
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silentWitness
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[STORY]: 'Of Future Heroism' - Pt.2 Always The Outsider
Last edited by silentWitness on Sat, 22. Feb 03, 19:43, edited 3 times in total.
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Mercenary
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Reverend_Vader
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Re: [STORY]: 'Of Future Heroism' - Pt.2 Always The Outsider
silentWitness wrote:'Of Future Heroism' - Pt.2 Always The Outsider
By Mercenary (thanks again man!) and SilentWitness
It had only been a few weeks since I left the Paranid school and I still remember the excited jubilation during the rite of priesthood.
Especially how the Priest Duke wept as his son received the EmproXeres the highest honour given to any student priest. Who also broke every rule in the book of commandments and pulled me up onto the dais to receive my award.
Particularly as my very presence in the temple was a testament to how they had come to trust me. The ceremony itself had been an expensive affair taking up a large proportion of the stations profit.
I never realised how isolated I had become, or how much the Paranid care for their children outside the confines of the teaching habitat, the rest of the station was in a very tidy state of degradation.
Most of the trading stations cargo bay was empty due to the recent economic crash that had brought the Paranid Empire to its knees.
But despite this everyone kept up the pretence of wealth, as if nothing had happened... I felt sad to leave such a proud people, but I had a long trip to reach Argon Prime and it had been a long time since I travelled outside the confines of the trading station.
I had forgotten how different I am and how people stare at me with a mixture of fear and disgust. My trip onboard the passenger transport was mostly uneventful as I tried my best to sleep for the entire journey.
As I stepped off the gantry I was immediately swept away by the bustling crowds of the Argon trading station. It was both frightening and exiting all at once with bright neon signs illuminating the entrances of the colourful shops and restaurants that dominated the promenade.
Suddenly I heard someone shouting my name "Tikerin!"
I turned to see a man dressed in a military uniform waving from the door just off the main thoroughfare. Squeezing my way throughout the crowd I made it through the door...
"We're so glad you decided to come here and speak with us! Did you have a good trip?"
The door closed with a resonant clunk, "It's wonderful to be back, I can't believe how much everything has changed!" a confused look spread across the mans' face and suddenly I realised my mistake having replied in the Paranid language. Repeating my reply in Argon, "It's nice to be here!"
He gave me an understanding smile and led me into a briefing room but I still felt embarrassed by my mistake. The room itself was cold and formally laid out with much of the illumination coming from spot lights overhead.
On the other side of the table sat a Boron, to my mind a strange creature, and it was like nothing I had ever seen before! It wore a black environment suit with what I can only describe as a fish bowl on its head.
The liquid inside partially obscured its face.
A speaker on the front of the bowl projected its voice into the room "Welcome, please sit! It's is an honour to have you here with us"
I gave him a smile, as I tried to make out his face.
"Now let's get down to business! Her majesties government, being of sound judgement and firm beliefs, has asked me Oula Wou to act as a representative in these matters."
Turning to the Argon who had sat down beside me I whispered, "When does he get to the point?"
He gave a wry smile and replied, "Oh not for a while yet!"
The Boron moved his head which stirred eddies of ammonia in the fluid making it look like a blizzard inside the bowl before responding. "I can see that my brief introduction is wasted on you so I'll get strait to the point!"
With that he moved the large stack of data boards to one side. "The Boron government wishes to procure your services in exchange for your expertise at obtaining information on the Split. Particularly with regards to their economic strength and credit reserves since the collapse of the..."
I tried not so sound skeptical with my reply but failed miserably, "So let me get this straight you want me to join the Boron secret service?"
Oula Wou scowled at me and muttered something about the Split, which made my blood boil "well not so much as join Her Majesties Secret Service more." The Boron paused as he chose his words, "Liaise with us on a purely informal basis only."
The Argon turned and whispered in my ear, "He wants you to spy on the Split and see what they know about the Khaak".
"But why me?" The moment I said it I knew I shouldn't have opened my mouth...
Well now I'm working for the Boron and I couldn't help but smile to myself. Having never been able to pass myself convincingly off as wholly Argon, it amused me to wonder what ever made them think I would have any more luck being a Split.
The Boron had given me a ship. It was an Eel as one who had never flown before could not believe my luck in being given an M3. Even so they gave me a crash course in piloting the ship.
The instructor strapped himself into the fight chair next to me. "Ok could you set your thrusters to neutral and start you're vehicle please"
The engines hummed into life as I looked through a small viewing window.
"Now with both hands on the wheel, request the release of the docking clamps and gently ease the ship forward."
The engines whined as the Eel moved forward and rapidly accelerated from zero to eighty in only a few seconds. The ship flew away from the docking bay like a bullet, and the instructor screamed desperately trying to apply the emergency stop.
The Split inside of me thinks differently.
So I opened the throttle again to feel the rush. Fortunately as I graze the substructure inside the docking bay I suddenly see the exit gateway appear and with only a twitch of my hand we shoot past Dolphin freighters at 147 mps.
The gate had little time to react but my own reactions were better and fly through the opening doors. With hardly enough space to let an Octopus through! In my inexperienced keenness and adrenaline rush I pushed the throttle further.
The ship responds disappointingly and a part of me begins to realise what I've just done. I glance at the Instructor, his tentacles firmly placed over his eyes inside the bowl.
"What's next?" I ask with an air of cheerful optimism.
The instructor screams, "AUTO DOCK!!!!!"
I hit the control, "docking computer active"
Eventually I mustered up an embarrassed smile to ask, "Did I pass?"
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