February 8th, OE 102
2:50 PM DST
Lunar Orbit
Arm Stora Finis Class "Clementia" Bridge
High above Luna, far from the range of any sensor, a dark form loomed against the cosmos. The twin-horned silhouette of an Arm Stora Finis Class battleship hovered in the void, dark and silent, a mere observer in the goings-on below... For now.
On the bridge, it was an entirely different picture. Various holograms and infographs jostled for attention, trying to analyze every single thing that was going on. Without the help of Opus units, which it had turned out were unable to completely avoid detection, they had been forced into making use of the battleship's sensor arrays instead. Different voices spoke in rapid succession at great speed amidst the dizzying whirl of information.
"Status update on temporal shifts."
"It's over 14.83% above the standard deviation."
"A little too high for my tastes."
"Are you suggesting we should send in Scientia? Glass the whole surface?"
"We have an upper limit of 20% for a reason-."
On and on it went. Yet at the center of the mass, a lone figure watched, his arms folded. A sleek blue pilot suit covered his body, and a dark helmet that wrapped around his features, concealing them from view. That, he was grateful for - not only because the technology packed into its surface was cutting edge, even by his standards, but that it hid the disgust that was clear upon his features. Not even the residue of so-called "Super Civilizations", he thought, were safe from the dull chattering of bureaucrats.
"Feeling nostalgic, Virtus?" Asked a voice to his right. He didn't even look away,
"I know a loaded question when I hear it, Aristarch."
It was a blunt reply, but the hologram shrugged it off with a laugh. Intriguing, thought the masked man mildly, how these things even adopted human mannerisms to conceal their abhorrent nature.
"We selected you for your honesty. I am pleased to see you're adjusting well."
Virtus raised a hidden eyebrow, but said nothing further. He had his own doubts about this "arrangement"... but, it was what he "deserved". This... He knew, in the depths of his heart, to be true. Before the Aristarch could continue, there was the polite chime of a proximity alarm - more mild than any he'd heard previously, at least.
"Heat source approaching. Size and generator indicate it's the Lunarian Special, Giganscudo. Advised course of action: Interception."
The masked man immediately turned on his heel, beginning to make his way purposefully toward the hangar - but stopped, as the hologram called out to him.
"No hesitation, then?"
"...That is why I am here, isn't it?"
"Might I suggest the Valarm? It's about time someone put it through its paces-"
Virtus held up a weary hand, stopping the man in mid sentence, voice full of exasperation.
"Please." He said.
As the doors to the rear of the vessel slipped open, the "hangar" as it were was noticeably empty. After all, when you could simply transport whatever you needed in directly from the source, there was no need to keep machines on hand except in case of emergencies-
But, he was just a little... Old fashioned.
Standing in its own maintenance berth, massive, orbiting 3D-Printers putting the finishing touches on its gleaming, knightly form, was a figure that was unmistakable to any Lunarian, from its broad shoulder paldrons, to the heavy-set drill-lance held attentively between his hands. An imitation, admittedly, he thought... But it would suffice.
2:50 PM DST
Lunar Orbit
Arm Stora Finis Class "Clementia" Bridge
High above Luna, far from the range of any sensor, a dark form loomed against the cosmos. The twin-horned silhouette of an Arm Stora Finis Class battleship hovered in the void, dark and silent, a mere observer in the goings-on below... For now.
On the bridge, it was an entirely different picture. Various holograms and infographs jostled for attention, trying to analyze every single thing that was going on. Without the help of Opus units, which it had turned out were unable to completely avoid detection, they had been forced into making use of the battleship's sensor arrays instead. Different voices spoke in rapid succession at great speed amidst the dizzying whirl of information.
"Status update on temporal shifts."
"It's over 14.83% above the standard deviation."
"A little too high for my tastes."
"Are you suggesting we should send in Scientia? Glass the whole surface?"
"We have an upper limit of 20% for a reason-."
On and on it went. Yet at the center of the mass, a lone figure watched, his arms folded. A sleek blue pilot suit covered his body, and a dark helmet that wrapped around his features, concealing them from view. That, he was grateful for - not only because the technology packed into its surface was cutting edge, even by his standards, but that it hid the disgust that was clear upon his features. Not even the residue of so-called "Super Civilizations", he thought, were safe from the dull chattering of bureaucrats.
"Feeling nostalgic, Virtus?" Asked a voice to his right. He didn't even look away,
"I know a loaded question when I hear it, Aristarch."
It was a blunt reply, but the hologram shrugged it off with a laugh. Intriguing, thought the masked man mildly, how these things even adopted human mannerisms to conceal their abhorrent nature.
"We selected you for your honesty. I am pleased to see you're adjusting well."
Virtus raised a hidden eyebrow, but said nothing further. He had his own doubts about this "arrangement"... but, it was what he "deserved". This... He knew, in the depths of his heart, to be true. Before the Aristarch could continue, there was the polite chime of a proximity alarm - more mild than any he'd heard previously, at least.
"Heat source approaching. Size and generator indicate it's the Lunarian Special, Giganscudo. Advised course of action: Interception."
The masked man immediately turned on his heel, beginning to make his way purposefully toward the hangar - but stopped, as the hologram called out to him.
"No hesitation, then?"
"...That is why I am here, isn't it?"
"Might I suggest the Valarm? It's about time someone put it through its paces-"
Virtus held up a weary hand, stopping the man in mid sentence, voice full of exasperation.
"Please." He said.
As the doors to the rear of the vessel slipped open, the "hangar" as it were was noticeably empty. After all, when you could simply transport whatever you needed in directly from the source, there was no need to keep machines on hand except in case of emergencies-
But, he was just a little... Old fashioned.
Standing in its own maintenance berth, massive, orbiting 3D-Printers putting the finishing touches on its gleaming, knightly form, was a figure that was unmistakable to any Lunarian, from its broad shoulder paldrons, to the heavy-set drill-lance held attentively between his hands. An imitation, admittedly, he thought... But it would suffice.
"Allow me to maintain some small measure of my humanity."