Across a Second Sea, Episode 1: The War to End All Wars

[the red soldier]

At first he didn't move, simply staying put like a statue like it did for the past 30 minutes or so. Suddenly turning on his sextant, the creature went through files after files for this "tag" word. Much of this didn't make much sense until he came across a document on it. A sort of game where children would poke each other and flee for dear life. It was like hunting a prey that knew of your presence, without the killing part.

That's when it happened, his exoskeleton suddenly matched the color pattern around him (To the best of its abilities) as he dropped on all six (Four legs and two pincer arms). His head spinning in circles, looking frantically for the little poking fellow. Bolting from his spot at a blinding speed, it elegantly flowed through the crowd, bumping into some people here and there but considering the speed he was going and how much the room was packed, it was rather impressive.

It didn't take long for the predator to find its prey. Still running for what seemed like dear life, the mantis sprouted two pair of glass like wings from his back (Look at the pic, he actually has a pair of wings on his lower back, kinda looks like a robe in the pic) and seemingly burst high up into the air, landing right in front of the little creature. In one menacing move, he poked the creature on its head, proclaiming quite proudly that the little guy was now "it". If the mantis could laugh it would have but it suddenly scurried off towards the command deck of the ship when it realized everyone else was going to there job postings.

[MrFlyingAmoeba]

Alicia nodded her affirmations to the Admiral as he spoke, not feeling the need to speak. With his final line, she briskly saluted with a "Yes, sir!" Something she typically neglected to do around the Admiral, she had grown too casual with him. For a moment she wondered if it was a good or bad thing.

She had been almost rudely reminded that the they were technically under surveillance when Jenna had interjected. She wasn't about to act so casual when on-duty again any time soon. With a light sigh, she turned to leave the office.

Jenna interrupted her egress, having said her farewells to the Admiral. "Captain. Might I discuss a matter of importance in private here?"

Alicia paused, no more than two feet from the door. She almost wanted to say no. Not because of anything against the AI, just that time was getting short. In fact, she knew several people who would. None aboard this ship, though. Turning back, towards the desk, she spoke.

"Certainly. But make it quick, we're running low on time."

"I request formal permission to screen all information to and from the Feynman for security purposes. I will not personally intervene without first consulting at least you extensively, nor will I do anything more than act as a screen for security concerns. As an impersonal AI, I would be unlikely to pursue any form of voyeurism nor personal grudges."

The Captain frowned thoughtfully. "Why do you want that? I would think everyone on board has been screened enough."

"It is merely a precaution. While normally I would only bring this to your attention if we took on a diplomatic envoy or additional crew, I feel that safety takes precedence over concerns of privacy.

The beings aboard this ship are unusually diverse, and unsavory interests may be aboard, or develop over time. If they were unaware of my vigil, I could potentially catch issues before they became critical. I would also like full access to communication on the Feynman between Sextants, for the same reasons."

"Hm... I suppose that's acceptable." She mused.

"However, Sextant-to-Sextant communications are off-limits. If you find something suspicious from someone I'll give you permission to monitor their Sextants. Also, I'd appreciate it if you "forgot" anything that isn't suspicious."

"As you wish, although I protest the decision." Jenna's 'protest' sounded completely unruffled. "I would prefer it if I was not ordered to delete memories of non-suspicious data. It might provide helpful context in the future."

"True, but that is still personal information. Call me crazy, but I'm uncomfortable with the idea of the AI having everyone's personal info locked away on a hard drive somewhere."

"I am incapable of malice, Captain. Everything I do is to serve the Feynman and its crew. If I do nothing with this information except inform you of worrisome security issues, it is inert."

"Nng, alright. Just don't mention anything unnecessary to anyone." It's not that Alicia had a weak will, she just couldn't think of any reason not to allow the AI access. Her only true reason for that request in the first place was for her own privacy, but it was an unlikely event she'd be talking with someone about something she wanted to keep hidden anyways.

"Of course, Captain. It is unlikely that I will bring this up even with yourself." There was a slight pause.

"Farewell for the moment, Captain." There was no real way to tell if the AI had 'left' the room, but the conversation seemed over.

Alicia left the room, heading towards the Bridge.

[unsteddyPhoenix]

Cano checked his sextant. Security positions, fine. Time...better go to my office now. he told himself and turned to leave the dock. He had chatted to a few people. Mostly friends of his father that he knew by association, they were sated by the usual banter; he knew the drill. Suddenly something flashed past his waist and pushed him off balance. He spun around immediately and managed to catch a glimpse barely visible alien bumping some people before disappearing through the crowd. (Geez. Can't have invisible aliens running around terrorizing the ship. I'll have to warn it the next time I see it...what aliens can camouflage?) he pondered to himself as he left the dock and turned down a large corridor. He considered asking Jenna, but he preferred not to rely on others, so he just made a mental note to check when he arrived at his quarters.

[isstmich]

Rinslet stood there, after being tagged. he was confused a bit, the bug had tagged him then left for work, he didnt even get a chance to tag him back. Rinselt continued to stand there thinking until Hugo caught up to him. "he caught you did he?"

Rinslet stuck his hand into his communicator and clicked out a response."Bug cheat Rinslet" Hugo responded with an uproar of laughter, as he scooped Rinslet up and put him on his shoulders. Hugo started walking to the Engineering bay because if he had to wait for Rinslet to finish the conversation they would surly be late. Rinslet wasnt very good at multitasking.

"Im sure the Krag cheated Rinslet" he said as he scooped him up. "but your half his size and the Krag are natural predators."

"Hugo, bug name." The Woman's voice in his communicator spoke softly.

"i dont know his name Rinslet, but i can search it up. there shouldn't be too many Krag on the ship."Hugo lifted his arm to his mouth and spoke into his sextant clearly. it searched for a moment then showed the results. Hugo was right there were not many on the ship. He scrolls through the names and pictures and stops on one. The Krag on his sextant was the Chief tactical officer Neekrak Zeska kur. "Your new friend is known as Neekrak Zeska kur, Rinslet" He felt Rinslet shift on his shoulders, Hugo lifted his sextant clad hand and righted him.

"Neekrak Zeska kur long, Rinslet call bug Bug." Rinslet shifted more and was able to wriggle his way out of Hugo's hands and flipped off his shoulders. when he landed he walked up besides hugo, it was obvious he had nothing more to say for the time being. He busied himself with thoughts about the Krag. he was going to get that cheater, This ship was going to be the stage of the greatest game of tag ever played.

The walk to engineering was much longer then usual the silence was making it seem like hours but soon enough Rinslet and Hugo arrived at engineering "ok Rinslet your at your job now, so get to work." Hugo moved around and found a place for him to get comfortable while Rinslet set about his duties.

Rinslet cracked the knuckles in his ghoulishly long fingers and dash off to work. he stood in the center of a large room he just remembered he was still wearing his Visual display face plate. he undid the points of attachment and rushed the cowl he was wearing with the plate over to Hugo. Hugo smirked when he saw Rinselt walking up to him without his cowl on. "i wonder how many of your co-workers are gonna freak out at you." he muttered to himself but with his massive ears Rinslet heard him. He took the cowl and Rinslet rush back to the center of the room.

The Boreas stood in the room his ears focusing in on all the sounds of the machines in the room. everything sounded normal for the moment but then again all the machinery was in a standby state. Rinslet sat down and reflected on his thoughts waiting for the ship to come alive.

[Twippit]

Mullen clasped his mandibles together politely and bowed in return as the Ambassador left. He turned and walked briskly through the crowd. He only reached about shoulder height or less on most of the other passengers, but he managed to avoid getting trampled for the mos-
Just then, a large blur of exoskeleton and camouflage rushed past Mullen, completely knocking him over. The thing brushed against his antennae, and despite the fact that they were tucked away in his hood, he still felt the definite signature of a Krag. Worse yet, it had been a master cast, judging from the size.
Krag? Here?! His mind whirled in a thousand different directions, panic flooding his head and clogging his thoughts.
Primal sub-routines activated in his head. Mullen clambered to his feet and darted off in a direction, any direction. Away from the predator.
Mullen ducked and weaved back through the crowd in the way he came. He ran and ran until he crashed into a tall Seidara with dark blue hair close to a hallway leading away from the plaza. They both tumbled to the ground, and Mullen locked eye with the woman, a mask of terror contorting his face. If she said anything, he didn't hear. Mullen clambered up and started running again, only a bit more controlled this time.
Mullen ran a while longer, then slowed to a brisk walk and composed himself. He was a civilized dromite, not some mangy quilber, springing away at the first sight of danger. He knew better than that. Mullen chided himself for being so skittish, reassuring himself that it was nothing, that of course there was no Krag on board, and that he was being foolish.
Humming to himself with only the barest hints of nervousness in his voice, Mullen retrieved his sextant from his shoulder and opened the schematics of the ship. From this, he found the shortest route to the labs where he'd been stationed as Director. It sent him back through the plaza, though, back the way he came and past where he knocked over that girl... Mullen flushed with shame. He could not bear facing those people again, so soon after he had disgraced himself... He quickly recalculated a new -albeit slightly longer and slower- route that avoided the said points of interest. Continuing down the hallway, Mullen walked quickly and avoided eye-contact with any passers-by until he reached the labs.

*****

Fifteen minutes later, Mullen stood in his lab. His lab. Mullen smiled inwardly. Here he was, at the top. It felt good. The years of training had finally paid off.
Several fresh lab assistants scurried about, tying down equipment and hazardous materials for launch. Lift-offs tended to be rather uneventful nowadays, but Mullen had always subscribed to the idea that it was better to be safe than to be sorry. It was also a chance to do a final check-list on inventory... The high-speed protoviscomiter, a delicate machine that could take an unknown substance and simulate the results of mixing the substance with other known, common substances, which was handy if one did not have enough of a substance to run normal identification tests; the 12 kilos of ectocillanth digromothide, a substance of high toxicity to most silicon-based life-forms, but really useful in the creation of ship fuel; four octovalve autoionizers, devices for holding gasses in stasis; the delton-plates, small, lightweight and convenient replacements for microscopes in the shape of a pair of spectecals, but extraordinarily fragile... All these items and more were being secured. Mullen looked at his wrist chrono. Right on schedule.
Mullen moved to a wall communicator. He smiled. All was well. "Bridge, this is Director Mullen. We are prepared for take-off."

[the red soldier]

Whizzing through through the corridors at a moderate pace, which was rather fast for two legged creatures, Neek managed to make his way to the command deck rather quickly. Standing about 30 seconds, just taking in the view, the Krag was memorizing every little detail he could see in front of him. One thing was certain, the deck was far more organized and well balanced then a typical Krag command deck, which was just a mess of control panels and wires most of the time.

Scurrying to his post, the Chief Tactical Officer quickly went to work, analyzing the weapons of the ship as well as there current status, all perfect condition, which was odd, Krag ships always had something malfunctioning. Considering himself lucky, he started to look around, watching and analyzing the ones with him in the room. The first creature he noticed was a strange animal with a human shape to it. (Corvus) Noting to himself that it was somewhat more dangerous then a normal human, sharper teeth and all, however being half asleep made him pretty vulnerable.

The other one he noticed was a rather average height human (Clarke). He was rather... average looking, humans all looked the same to Neek. He didn't see him as much of a threat physically. No one else was here for now but Neek wanted to know who he was going to deal with on a regular basis. Calling up the AI, not even bothering for the hologram to show up, Neek started demanding things. "Glowing female. Neek demands the names of the Master crew of this vessel." Of course, he was referring to the command crew. For a Krag, the word Command and Master where often one and the same sense only master's could command.

[MrFlyingAmoeba]

No hologram appeared to greet the Krag. Jenna was on duty. "You should have full access to the crew on your Sextant, Officer Kurr. Is there anything else I can do?"

Neek shook his mandibles a bit, staring straight ahead, he didn't expect to be answered in such a manner. "Neek did not ask... Neek Demanded." His tone of voice seemed to stay in the same monotone pitch as he continued to blankly stare at a random wall.

She sounded unruffled at the command. "Very well, Officer Kurr. The list will be to your left." A holographic display opened up on a nearby panel, showing a list of the command crew with links to more detailed dossiers. "Would you prefer I read them to you?"

As soon as the name popped up on one of the screens in front of him, Neek didn't even bother answering the AI as he sped through the files. He seemed to be looking for someone in particular and then suddenly stopped at a name. "Alicia Merril... Captain... human Master of Master caste..." Truth be told, Neek was a bit impatient to meet his superior.

He didn't even try to comprehend how someone so smallish physically could command someone like, say, Neek himself, deciding just to go along with it. In Krag society she'd probably be replaced by the strongest on the ship but these Hyades preferred a system of promotions and "merrits". "Glowing Female..." Neek addressed the AI again. "What is to be expected of this Alicia Merril?"

"Captain Alicia Merril. Noted leader, tactician, and gamer. Captain Merril served as an adviser during the Feynman's construction. I have talked with her during this time, and she displayed high competence. Further analysis will be available upon permission from the Captain."

Pondering a bit to himself, Neek suddenly had some respect for the Captain. people who participated in the building of a ship are seen in High regards to the Krags, mainly a Krag ship is seen as the pinnacle of the races potential and saw the same of this ship. Thats all he wanted to know for now though. Not bothering to wave the AI off (Krag's don't say goodbye, conversions just end abruptly), Neek suddenly turned back to the ships weapons controls and continued his analysis, making sure he would be ready in case of any nastiness to come.

[Lief]

Alicia was mildly surprised to see most people at their stations already. Especially the bridge personnel, she didn't think she would be the last to arrive. Though upon approaching her station she noticed something wrong.

"Corvus!" She turned, facing the sleeping Deterrian with her arms crossed, "No sleeping on the job. The admiral hand-picked everyone in this room, and even a few outside it. You better live up to his expectations." The last part wasn't intended as a threat, just a warning.

Without waiting for a response, she continued to her chair, taking a seat and looking around the room. It was much different than the last ship she captained. As an afterthought, she tapped a button on her Sextant, bringing up a "direct" com link to Jenna.

"Jenna. You mind keeping people from sleeping on the job?" She whispered, the mic for her earpiece having extended to be in front of her mouth, ensuring she would be heard.

"I will resolve future cases discreetly and quickly, Captain."

"Good." With that, she cut the com link.

Tapping another few buttons on her Sextant, she activated the intercom.

"Good evening, crew and passengers of the Feynman. This is your Captain speaking. All preparations are complete, we'll be heading out as soon as the engines warm up. I suggest any crew members not at their station get there before takeoff, else there be repercussions." Once done speaking, she deactivated it.

"Clarke, you should have the coords for our destination. Punch 'em in and let's get going." Alicia sighed inwardly. It had been a long day thusfar, and it was just getting started...

[y7h65]

Pulling herself back onto her feet, Reilea muttered a quiet curse as she started dusting herself off. One minute she had been standing, searching around for someone interesting to talk with and the next minute, she was on the ground after having been bowled over by some giant bug thing. Needless to say, it had caught her by surprise. Hell, she didn't even know the CSH had huge alien insect monsters as members.

Unfortunately it seemed that whatever the thing was, it was long gone by now. It was likely she would never see it again either so whatever. She was sure it was an accident anyways, no point in chasing the guy down for this. With a shrug she pulled herself off the ground and started making her way toward the pilot's living quarters, being mindful to avoid the people who were still here, when yet another insect crashed into her and knocked her to the ground. Who then proceeded to run away from her, again. With a sigh she brought up the connection to Jenna again.

"Sooooooooooo, Jenna," Reilea started, a hint of slight amusement and annoyance audible. "I've got a weird question. Those last two fellows that knocked me over? They were both bug things, right? So, uh, do I resemble a monster or something from their mythos or something? Or is there another reason they keep knocking me over and running away."

"The two crew who recently passed by were Science Director Jar-Re Mullen and Chief Tactical Officer Neekrak Zeska Kurr. I am unaware of any resemble you have to their mythology. Both members did not appear to knock you down intentionally. I will inform them of your displeasure if it is desirable and possible."

"Right, right don't worry about it too much." Reilea sighed. "It's fine, just remind them that they should really be more careful in the future. Others might not take it so well, right?"

Standing up and dusting herself for the second time in five minutes, Reilea looked around and made sure that there wasn't anything or anyone else that wanted to knock her over again before continuing on her way towards the barracks before another passing thought crossed her mind. A ship of this size must have more then a few quality restaurants right? She couldn't actually remember the last time she had food that wasn't in anyway military grade. The ship probably wasn't leaving for a bit and a ship of this size would probably enter hyperspace fairly smoothly. Hell she had enough time to grab a quick bite before she had to go on duty.

With a shrug, she accessed her map again and marked a small cafe that was on the way, making an order so that she could just drop by, grab the food, and continue eating on her way to the barrack. With the thought of food on her mind, Reilea continued walking towards the barracks at a slightly faster pace. It'd be a tragedy for her first proper meal in ages to be cold.

[LuckyMudman]

Clarke was looking around the bridge, boring himself when the Krag entered the bridge and just stood there, observing the bridge. Wow, I've never seen a Krag before. How'd he fit through that door? Clarke kept his thoughts to himself, getting on a bad side of something so big wasn't on his to-do list so he spun back to his station, going through his messages. There were a couple of congratulations messages from his friends for his new posting, a confirmation from the bank that he was refunded the scrap value for his old freighter and a message from his brother, curious, he opened it and started reading.
----------------------------------
Clarke,

I'm sorry to bother you at this time, but I need your help. The CSH have me and my crewmates in custody for, get this, commandeering a civilian ship. Not that we stole a ship on purpose, we were scouring the mining colonies and found a drifting ship, we reeled it in, boarded and checked for any sign of crew, not finding any we brought the ship back to dock as salvage and then a rather scared mantis looking guy showed up out of nowhere, complaining to the authorities. Next thing I know, we're all under arrest, our captain is threating to rip off someone's head, and I don't have enough money for a release fee.

Jason
----------------------------------
Clarke sighed and shook his head, his brother always seemed to get in trouble with his salvaging business. Attached was an arrest report, along with how much it would set him back to have his brother released from jail, but kept grounded on the station. He sent him a response, saying that this was the last time he'd bust him out like that. Of course, Clarke knew that was a blatant lie, no matter how much his brother screws up, Clarke wouldn't be at peace with himself if he didn't help him. As he was finished sending the authorities a filled out form and payment, the captain arrived at the bridge with the order to get ready for departure.

"Understood Captain." He brought his cockpit back up, slowly powering up the drive engines and hoping that the engineering wasn't asleep. He checked the traffic around the dock just to find it surprisingly empty, the traffic control docked all ships in the vicinity for the Feynman's departure. "Wow, they really are making a big deal out of this." Gliding out of dock, he positioned the Feynman into the open, powered up the tug drive and set the coordinates for Urosa IV's moon. Once the clock on his sextant showed four zeros, he engaged the ship's tug drive. "Happy new millenia."

[isstmich]

Rinslet st in the center of the engine his mind focused on mentally rehearsing the ancient language. The old ones as they are called by Rinslet's people were unable to read minds as his kind does today. Before they had to communicate the only way they could though hand to hand combat. it was a language very few sought to learn since the development of the pseudo-mind reading they are able to do now, but there are some who are versed in the old ways. It is however a language Rinslet is almost never allowed to use because he does not know many people who know it as well, on top of which most races look at it as a barbaric display.

His thoughts extended beyond himself as his awareness expanded, he was aware of all the machines in the room more so then he was when he did his initial scan. he heard the machinations of the engine room when suddenly The Pa system clicked from off to static, momentarily breaking Rinslet's concentration as he folded his ears down. It was the captain and she was preparing the crew for launch. When the intercom clicked back to off Rinselt unfolded his ears redoubled his mental exercises and soon after the sound of many feet walking down a hall rang into his ears. His staff would be on duty soon. The door opened up and a wave of men an women in suits rolled in, Hugo saw this and closed the Virtual book he had been reading and got up ready to cross the room to Rinslet and address the staff.

Rinslet stood and turned to face his staff and walked into what looked like his rightful place at Hugo's Side. the Staff was casualy talking and joking when one of the men took notice to Rinslet and Cried out "HOLY [censored]! wheres that kids skin!" with a point Directly at the little Boreas. the rest of the staff was startled out the outburst and soon learned why. their faces were a twist of horror and interest as they looked at the Rinslet, one of the women look more then a touch nauseous. it was then that Hugo spoke and demanded Attention.

"Listen up!" he barked. "my name is Hugo Frost and the little guy standing next to me that you all find so disgusting is Rinslet. Your Boss" he added firmly!" Rinslet is a Boreas they are fairly new species and thats probably why you all know so little about them, but let me clue you in on Boreas 101." Hugo held up his hand and pointed to one raised finger. "ONE! their skin is transparent, so you can see their muscles contracting, their bones rotating, the blood circulating and their organs moving. Rinslet is in his body suit so you all wont be forced to look at all that but you will see his face. if anyone here cant handle that sight you better request a transfer to another area of engineering." he held up a second finger and point to it now "TWO! Rinslet like all the Boreas can read minds. Rinslet is still very young by his peoples standard so he cant do it very well but he still can." he held up a third finger and pointed to it firmly. "AND THREE! The Boreas are by nature a small people. Rinslet is as tall as he is gonna get, but that being said he is also Physically older then anyone of you. on top of which Rinslet is as i said eariler still considered a child to his people a young child if i were to compare Rinslet here to a human child Rinslet is less then 7 years old, But under no circumstance are anyone of you to let his age or small size fool you. Rinslet is faster and stronger then anyone in this room. That is unless some of you have very top of the line cybernetic enhancements. Hugo looked down to Rinslet and asked "anything you want to add?"

Rinslet shook his head from side to side and the blood in his face could be seen sloshing as he did it.

"ok then. POST UP this ship is going hot any second now!" Hugo hollered. after his little speech he went back to his chair and plopped back down. his sextant flickered up as he resumed reading his book.

Shortly after the engine room roared to life. Someone on the command deck was pulling them out of port. Rinslet were he able to smile would have. This was going to be fun, He thought

[MeaCulpa, S.C.M.]

The Admiral thought, vaguely, that the engine should have roared as the massive ship rolled out of harbor. Though impossible in the immutable silence of space, he imagined a mighty growl that bellowed into a roar, just before the ship's warp drive tugged the heavens to its design.

He imagined this as it was all carried out in calm, dutiful silence. He checked his watch and wondered how many stars the ship past each click of the second hand.

--

Semi-OOC:

The warp drive is ACTIVE. The Navigator must stay on the bridge, but he can still communicate with other people through his Sextant if necessary (or in person, if they too are on the bridge.) The other bridge members may leave for duties elsewhere or to do in-person inspections (i.e., run around the ship and slack off). The plot will advance much more quickly next time; expect a post this weekend.

[MrFlyingAmoeba]

Jenna's voice suddenly addressed Officer Kurr through his Sextant, relatively quiet so that only the large Krag would hear her, especially since his Sextant was so close to his hearing canal. "Officer Kurr, Pilot Reilea Basarius requested that I relay some advice to you concerning a recent event wherein you accidentally knocked her to the floor, specifically that it would be wise to be more careful in the future, as certain crew or civilians might take greater offense. Would you like to reply, or shall I leave you to your work?"

The giant insect seemed to stand still for a moment, processing his own response. He didn't know how to explain the situation that led to him knocking the pilot off her feet so he simply muttered a few words instead. "Neek... was... tagged?" Of course, he didn't know if it was a valid excuse or not.

"Understood, Officer Kurr. Please consider Pilot Basarius's advice at your leisure to further amiable relations between yourself and others. Is there anything else I can do for you at this time?

Neek no longer had use of the AI so, much like last time, simply ignored the AI. It had been around 2 to 3 minutes though before he realized he was just sitting there doing nothing. CSH ships where always so clean, so perfect, so... boring. Nothing made things more exciting then a hull breach on a Krag ship! Shrugging off his desire to see a living thing get spaced, Neek started walking out of the command deck. "Glowing Female..." Neek seemed to growl. "Neek desires a pre planned route to tour this vessels more important quarters. Neek also desires to meet this vessels weapons technicians." Simply on a whim, Neek had decided to do a personal tour of the ship. He didn't need the AI exactly but he did want someone else to plan a good route for him through the ship itself.

(OOC[From TheRedSoldier]-Anyone can decide to meet him while he simply walks around the ship)

[deathwatch]

Corvus stood up and stretched, cutting the sound from his earpiece he picked up his cap that he had left on the seat, placed it on his head and fixed it so it was straight. If there was one thing that he took to heart from his training it was discipline, that's why his uniform was always perfectly done, every morning; every night he would iron them along with polishing his boots to the point where they were like mirrors. He noticed the oversized arthropod that was the Chief Tactical Officer, Corvus tried to remember the Krag's name, something with an N... Neekrak, that was it. He clasped his hands behind his back and turned to the Captain.
"Captain, I am departing the bridge to inspect the ship; never really got a chance beforehand."
Corvus turned and walked off of the bridge, coming upon a map attached to the wall he ran his gloved finger across it, stopping when he found the ships crew quarters.
Guess I could always check in on the crew. He said quietly to himself before wandering off to find an elevator that would take him to the port side of the ship.

[unsteddyPhoenix]

(I wonder if you can concentrate on something properly and still be bored...) Cano pondered as his subordinates presented each of their takeoff reports. Standard procedure, but nothing important happened during takeoffs. At least, nothing that didn't always happen in every damn vessel: A few wild accusations (all false), thirteen minor grievances reported, eight of which were related to the krag (one complainer had helpfully identified the aliens species for him) that bumped into him before. (Well. Putting the Krag aside, no action is needed. Just self-important people complaining about nothing. Standard stuff. Boring stuff. There's never-) Cano interrupted his own line of thought as the last of his subordinates stepped up to present their reports. What had surprised him was the person in particular. It was a woman ten years older than him named Beta Carinae; she was, in fact, the very woman he knew everyone had expected to be leading this vessel instead of him. Only the newer staff or inexperienced staff delivered these inconsequential reports, the fact that this woman was here meant something more serious had happened. Before he could begin to speculate, Carinae began to speak. Sir. We've just received a report that the IARB's duty roster has been tampered with, in the form of the increased working hours of one Hugo Frost. Frost works in inter-alien relations and doubled as a handler for the Chief Engineer, Rinslet.

Cano relaxed slightly. When she had mentioned adjustments to the roster he had expected something more...dramatic. Changing the hours of a low-ranking worker? Why would someone go to the trouble for something so inconsequential? The fact that he was related to the Chief Engineer of the vessel however...he fidgeted absentmindedly as she continued The job was done well, the only reason we discovered the tampering at all is someone had been browsing related files at the time. They reported it directly to us and therefore it has not yet been reported tot he IARB. Carinae continued, glowing down at him from his seated position. Cano looked back up at her and she looked away quickly. Cano pondered what to do. The obvious choice was to report this to the IARB and be done with it, but that would be a lazy way to deal with the problem. He always preferred to retrieve answers himself after all, and enjoyed the investigative side to his job. This could give him something to do for a while. Very well. said Cano in his most commanding voice You are all dismissed, I will deal with the latter issue myself for now. After they had all exited the room, he thought about the next step. It came to him almost immediately; gather information and begin with the obvious source. He tapped the communicator on his ear and connected to Jenna. Jenna. Has there been any unauthorized changes in the duty roster algorithms?

"Yes, Officer Hawkins. Hugo Frost has been given top priority as Chief Engineer Rinslet's handler of choice, as per his request. I initially disagreed with his request, but acquiesced when it became apparent that his efficiency would otherwise be impaired." Jenna replied tonelessly.

"I had intended to bring this to your attention within the hour, and apologize if you disagree with the change. Your authority in this matter succeeds Chief Engineer Rinslet's, thus I will correct the tampering if required; however, in the interest of maintaining maximum crew comfort, I suggest that you allow this alteration to remain without informing the IARB."

Cano blinked. You...you did this yourself? he asked uncertainly. He had assumed...well, he didn't know what he had assumed. Jenna was coerced to change her own coding? It didn't seem possible, but then, Jennas code was incomprehensible to him. What did he know about what she was capable of? Devon felt a slight chill go up his spine as he spoke again. Well, in future please refrain from making such decisions by yourself. Even though your intentions were...logical, it's not within your authority to adjust the duty rosters. Understood?

Cano was slightly mistaken. Jenna had not changed her own coding that dictated her actions, but simply the algorithms that adjusted the rosters for Rinslet. The potential for such things had always existed, since she was not technically defying the orders of her superiors and as such was not 'mentally' restricted from doing this. "Understood, Officer Hawkins. I apologize for overstepping my boundaries." She said, internally adjusting her own coding.

"It will not happen again. Is there anything else I might do for you?"

Cano thought for a bit. Actually, yes. I've received multiple reports about a Krag that ran around on the spacedock earlier today. Are you aware of this?

"Yes. Chief Tactical Officer Neekrak Zeska Kurr. I have already spoken to him about the indiscretion, although I cannot be sure whether or not he will be more careful. I believe he is currently exploring the ship. If you wish, I could direct you to his location."

No. If he has been warned then that will suffice. That will be all Jenna. with that, Cano terminated the connection. He leaned back, mulling over what he had learnt. ("Reduced efficiency" was what she had said. Was that truly the only reason? Was the change truly as inconsequential as it seemed? Did Jenna...) Cano smiled and shook his head. For some reason, he had been treating Jenna as a person, a lesson in futility if he ever saw one. She-it is an incredibly sophisticated AI. Perfect in design and therefore above suspicion, not that there was anything to suspect. Still he should have a talk with this Rinselt at some point, he was interested to know what had changed Jennas "mind". (For now, I could use a distraction.) he decided, and opened a holographic chess match from his sextant. As he initiated a game against the artificial opponent, he absently pondered that if placed side-by-side between the two extremes of a human and this simple AI, which would Jenna be more similar to.