[video]

[weeabhoo]

[OOC: This is a joint post. Jinto's dialog is in dark grey, Lafiel's in blue. Replies may be from either of them or both.]

[Closeup on Jinto and Lafiel next to an observation window. Jinto, as usual, is nervously smiling, knowing he's addressing potentially thousands. Lafiel on the other hand, looks calm and professional -- and a bit annoyed -- as if this is a necessary yet slightly unpleasant task to accomplish.]

Ah, hello everyone. I'm Front Wing Flyer Jinto Lynn, part of the Abh space navy and also on loan to the fleet while I'm here. This is my captain, Deca Commander Lafiel Abriel.

[Lafiel nods at the introduction]

In addition to Front Wing Flyer Lynn and myself, our ship, the Basroil, was also brought in the accident.

[Pan to a ship, floating outside the window. Then back to them.]

It's a destroyer, hundreds of meters long, armed with several point defense guns and one large antiproton main gun, embedded within the body. Normally it requires a crew of 20 to operate. It could be a valuable asset to the fleet. Only there's a small problem with the controls...

Abh warships use an interface that requires both a user with frosh -- the spacio-sensory organ that genetic Abh possess -- and an alpha which connects to the ship's sensors to allow piloting and targeting of weapons.

[Lafiel had paused at 'frosh', as if she had to remember to explain herself. She also gestured to her tiara at the word 'alpha', indicating that was the device in question.]

Obviously, I can pilot Basroil with the existing controls, but I am the only genetic Abh currently present. Thus, the weapons are inoperative using their existing interface.

That means the Basroil can move and fire but not do both at the same time. While most of the crew positions do not require the frosh interface, there are several on the bridge that do, as does piloting the included shuttle.

That's why we need your help. In order to make this ship functional for the fleet's use, we need to either modify the controls to allow for manual control by a genetically unmodified human...oid. Or find volunteers who have interfaces that may be compatible.

Of course, we will be interviewing people before allowing them to use or modify Basroil's controls.

[Which might provide some insight into Lafiel's mood. Someone was a bit territorial about letting strange foreigners on her ship, even if she had obviously acknowledged she needed to. Such "face work" is, of course, Jinto's responsibility. Oh stars Lafiel, please don't scare anyone away, he thinks.]

We can't offer much more than a token compensation. But our gratitude will be considerable. Thank you very much.

[He looks over at Lafiel. Thank them, Captain. People like feeling appreciated.]

Thank you for your attention.

Comments

Switch to action?

[weeabhoo]

Yes, thank you, doctor.

[Off camera:]

Should we go now?

Re: Switch to action?

[ungrounded]

Yes. I don't have anything else planned today.

[weeabhoo]

Jinto leads them to the hangar. The smell of fuel exhaust, the sound of space vehicles moving about, engines burning as they settle in or take off, shouted orders...It's a lot more chaotic than an Abh hangar but still comfortingly familiar.

"Doctor Shirakawa, it's a pleasure to meet you."

[ungrounded]

Lafiel was also resting easier in the hanger. She knew ships and crews, even strange ones. She nodded. "A pleasure." She echoed.

[plotblackhole]

Shu looked up from his work, all of which took place by his own machine. Simple diagnostics and tweaking of the power systems to handle the differences in locations, really. He'd done enough traveling to know to compensate for certain things. "Greetings. You made it over rather quickly."

[weeabhoo]

Jinto craned his head to look up at the mecha. An utterly mad idea, he thinks, in space, full of space-time mines. But perhaps they had a tactical approach that made it workable, or used them mainly on land. "And I'm glad we did. This is an impressive looking machine. What is it capable of?"

[ungrounded]

"And can you demonstrate it?" Lafiel said. She was aware that the locals used humanoid craft as well, and wanted to know what their approach was, besides the utility for ground warfare (a subject Lafiel was only passingly familiar with).

[plotblackhole]

"Is that something you really wish to delve in? It's capable of quite a few things, controlling gravity being its primary function." It was a simple answer. "It can't be demonstrated in here unless you would like this entire ship to be destroyed and us to become renegades for doing it."

[weeabhoo]

"Maybe just...moving it around a bit?" Jinto didn't want to become space dust either, but he did want to see the machine in action. "What is it called anyway?"

[ungrounded]

Lafiel nodded. "I imagine that traffic control would like some advance notice if you were to proceed outside for a fuller demonstration. Whatever you may safely demonstrate here."

She wasn't excluding a fuller demo, but operations could be tricky if they were underway, and she's out of the loop.

[plotblackhole]

"I call it the Granzon." Hitting a button, a hatch high up opened and he pulled a ladder over. Thankfully, the gravity here was light enough to do that with ease and made climbing it even easier. "You may as well follow me up. The cockpit will comfortably hold three people."

[ungrounded]

Lafiel nodded, following him up the ladder with ease. "Thank you."

[weeabhoo]

Jinto also followed. He let out an appreciative whistle at the cockpit when he got to the top.

[plotblackhole]

Shu jumped in first and took the seat, activating the electronics inside. The screen turned on and it covered most of the entire wall, granting an almost 360 degree field of view, blocked mostly by the chair and the controls. To either side of Shu was plenty of room to stand, unlike quite a few mecha cockpits. "This is what you wanted to see, yes?"

[weeabhoo]

"I see. The sensors must be projected onto these walls...Almost like the way you see with a froce." He cleared his throat. Better to concede to Abriel/Abh pride. "Although not as precise and the input only goes one way. Would it be alright if I tried on that control helmet?"

[ungrounded]

"It would be distracting for a larger warship," Lafiel noted, "but for a single-person craft, it is well enough as a display." Which is her being diplomatic as she can manage, because having someone familiar with the concept of a wide-field display was better than she'd expected.

She was willing to let Jinto take the controls, Shu permitting, since a helmet designed for a lander probably would be uncomfortable for an Abh.

[plotblackhole]

"No, you cannot. For two reasons. Mainly, it's controlled through the use of two large sticks, not a helmet. Second, much like you say your systems are linked via genetics, mine are linked to me through another method." Namely, magic. He wasn't going to let people jack his machine so it's stuck recognizing him through his own magical signature.

[weeabhoo]

"I see. Sorry." He'd known that kind of reply was a possibility of course, but the potential to see it for himself was just too tempting.

[ungrounded]

"That is useful for security purposes, if inconvenient now," Lafiel noted. Because one of the hidden benefits of the Basroil's controls was that no one else in the fleet could fly it at the moment -- at best, they could tow it along. Of course, that wouldn't be the case at home, but Lafiel trusted the Abh military more than the fleet to keep unauthorized personnel away.

[plotblackhole]

"I'm not part of any faction and I prefer to work for myself. So there are no real downsides, unlike on your end." Running ships took more than running mechs anyway.