Tag: veylani transport

#Lore 24 – Entry #95 – Sci-Fi Month II #4 – Robotic Security Drones

 

From the Personal Journal of Kiara Mizutani, Arcane Support Division, assigned UEF-04 Maharani Morgiana

All things considered I think the date went fine.  Nothing serious of course, just a little hook-up to pass the time before heading out, that kind of thing.  Martin was pleasant enough, a bit nervous after I showed up with a crop top, my new fancy shorts, a pair of those super-long slouchy socks I used to wear back at the Academy, and my super-sexy heels.  Apparently I did tell him, and he was totally okay with that, just didn’t think I would show up looking so hot.  He just couldn’t keep his eyes off the shorts.  I think I’ve got a winner with these!  Anyway, after he bought dinner we slipped off to his motel room for a little sexy time.  I think that was his first foot-job.  Pretty sure I blew his mind with that one 😉

I had to take care of some work stuff today, so I didn’t get to explore too much, not until I was given an updated list of items I was expected to have along for the expedition and realized I was missing a few things, so off to the Big Bazaar and the shopping modules for me!  But I wasn’t expecting that security alert at all!  I had my defensive ward up before I realized it!  I guess that’s a good thing, though?  I mean, it seems like a good thing to me, anyway.  I guess there was some criminal or something like that got spotted or tried to rob someone or something, I never could get a straight answer, but I did not expect that kind of security!  Like, robotic drones!

But not the ones I’m used to, like, nothing of the sort!  There were several of the flying camera drones you see everywhere, yeah, but these, I thought they were big guys in heavy armor, but these were robots!  Humanoid robotic drones!  Turns out, I’d seen them before, just standing around here and there when I was exploring, but they never moved, so I thought they were some kind of fancy statues or something for decoration.  Nope!  These things kind of put me in mind of old-style armored knights in a way, like a bit on the bulky side, and with heads that were a bit too squashed to fit a standard humanoid, with some angular antennas on the head and glowing red monoeye scanners.  They even had the shields too, but were using stun batons instead of swords.  They had stun guns, too, and I think some other weapons for restraining targets, but I didn’t get to see them in action.  The group of them just came through the street, scanning all over, and then continued on, followed by some regular meaty security and some technician I think.

I had to kill some time waiting for the module lockdown to end, but once I got back to the office I asked around about them.  Turns out they’re pretty new, still a little experimental even.  I really have to give it to the company head!  Ms. Veylani isn’t the least bit afraid to push the envelope and try new things!  Apparently there was this little startup company who wanted to test these new style drones out here in the Demon Sector since so many places back across the Barrier are against the idea, but once she’d found out about it last year, she totally jumped on the idea!  There are even some experiments going on relating to arcane enhancements and golemcraft, but I couldn’t get much on that; top secret company stuff, so yeah, a newbie like me just isn’t going to have that kind of clearance.

Still, pretty neat!  I wonder if we’ll have any of these onboard the Morgiana for our big trip?  Apparently since VTC partnered with the SealTech people, these things even carry some kind of proprietary restraint tech, too.  Like, some kind of “goop” grenades to immobilize several people at once and some are equipped with guns that shoot bullets made of the same stuff.  I guess they won’t give them actual lethal weaponry.  Not that I’d expect something like that on a station, of course.  I mean, what if one of these things went crazy and started shooting up the place?  There are supposedly precautions in place to stop that kind of thing, but you know…robotics haven’t really developed much for reasons…but I guess that would make sense why they’re looking at ancient golemcraft then, wouldn’t it?

#Lore 24 – Entry #94 – Sci-Fi Month II #3 – Aphelion Station

 

From the Personal Journal of Kiara Mizutani, Arcane Support Division, assigned UEF-04 Maharani Morgiana

Wow!  Just…wow!  I knew heading to the Demon Sector was like, the thing to do these days, but I didn’t think it was this popular.  There were hours-long lines waiting at Perihelion Station just to get registered to take one of those super-huge transports through the Barrier.  Thank Saressh I was already fast-tracked through on a Veylani company ship, or I’d still be there!

But if I thought the lines were bad outside the Barrier, was I ever in for a surprise!  Even though Aphelion Station is bigger than its sister, I think it’s even more crowded!  I guess it’s not called the “Gateway to the Demon Sector” for nothing!  Even the company docking module was packed, people coming and going.  Once I’d checked in, I found that the ship I’ve been assigned to, Maharani Morgiana, was headed to the Valefar system for some tests, so I had some time to explore, seeing as my supervising arcanist was along for the ride.  I wonder what she’s like?  I tried to look up some information on her during the trip here, but didn’t really find much; guess she’s not a very outgoing kind of person?  She did look a little grumpy in her employee ID photo, but everyone has a bad day, I guess! 

Anyway, the station…just…it’s so overwhelming!  There are so many people and races and cultures all mixed together here, like one big bazaar!  Well, I guess that could be a little confusing, considering that there is a module here actually called the “Big Bazaar”, where all the smaller merchants are housed.  I just wanted to take a little stroll through there, but I wound up spending almost the whole day there!  Even Arcavarlon during its new year festival season was nothing like this!  There was so much stuff for sale there, and most of it was found or made in the colonies that have already started up in the Demon Sector.  I got to try actual food from Valefar, real food from the Demon Sector!  It was some kind of big bird or something like that; I didn’t want to ask too many details, but it smelled so tasty!  It was pretty good, but it was really hot, like, spicy hot, but the rattenvolk vendor assured me that was all natural.  Something with the local wildlife, I think he said?  I’ll have to look into it later, maybe.

Other than that, I think I was pretty responsible!  I’m getting a good paycheck and all from the company, but no sense spending all my money just yet, right?  I only bought like a dozen or so little souvenirs, and half of those are jewelry, so memorable and functional!  Those earrings I got really set off my eyes, I think!

This morning I took a trip to the entertainment sector.  Just…wow!  I don’t think this station sleeps at all, especially not in those modules!  There are plenty of fancier restaurants and bars there, gambling and betting parlors, theaters, sports facilities, gosh, just everything!  There were a lot, like, a huge amount of sex clubs there too.  I got a lot of offers to stop in for some playtime and for some serious work, and the looks I kept getting from passersby…if this job with Veylani falls through, I’ve got options, I guess!

There are lots of places to shop, too, selling the kinds of things you can find across the Barrier, like name brands and the latest releases and stuff!  Guess that kinda makes sense, given all the corporate representation here, and the fact that the shops are right off the main passenger offloading areas.  Total tourist trap!  By the way, I just had to get this sexy little pair of pink booty shorts I found in one of the stores there, even if I might’ve spent a little too much on them.  I mean, next payday is just a couple days from now, so I should be fine… Gods, they are so cute! And they fit purrfectly!  Not even a bit pinchy, not even around my tail, and just a bit squeaky, but in a sexy way!  And that pocket for my man-bits has like the most comfortable snugness ever!  I just had to change into them right then and there, and I’ve been wearing them since!  Kind of wish I hadn’t worn a skirt today so I could show them off, actually…but my top wouldn’t match, and I’m trying to be responsible with my spending here!  I’d heard about these SexyTech clothes but hadn’t seen a lot of them around, and these were on sale (still super expensive, though!).  Guess maybe that’s that whole bad reputation thing at work since they’re from the same parent company that makes SealTech?  I mean, if this stuff is good enough for the head of Veylani to wear, then it can’t be that bad, right?  Hmmm…maybe I should look into getting a loan so I can get a full outfit?  The sales clerk did mention financing was available, for any financial bracket, after all… I mean, this stuff is self-cleaning, or it’s supposed to be, and the more expensive versions have color changing and shapeshifting properties, so maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea?  I mean, having a whole wardrobe in one outfit would be super handy!  We are going off into the unknown for a few years, and that means I’d have a lot less laundry to do… But maybe it’d be a bad idea, too?  I am feeling a little horny wearing these shorts, but maybe that’s just those delicious little oysters I had for lunch at work? 

Oh, so, after that, I just had to go visit the gardens.  As expected of a place managed by the Greenwhiskers, they were beautiful!  Like, so peaceful and calm, and located at the uppermost level, so mostly above the hundreds of ships and the bulk of the station.  Somehow the Barrier from this side seems a bit less threatening, maybe a little calmer, even.  Pretty neat!  And not very crowded, so that’s a good thing! 

Gosh, look at the time!  I have to get going; I’ve got a date tonight!  Did I mention I met this really cute human guy fresh out of the Barrier today?  Well, I did, and since we’re both new here and we kind of hit it off, I figured what the heck, why not give it a shot, even if it’s just a quick little hookup?  He’s outbound on a cargo transport in a couple days, I think he said, but I can’t remember where he said he was going.  He might not know I’m a guy, though…I don’t think I mentioned it?  Maybe I did?  I might’ve been thinking with my other head at the time; I’m still feeling pretty horny, and I’m really feeling the tightness of the bulge in these shorts right now… Oh well, it’s a chance at a free meal, so I’ll take it!

 

#Lore 24 – Entry #93 – Sci-Fi Month II #2 – UEF-04 – Maharani Morgiana

 

From the Personal Logs of Captain Durgen Silvercask, translated from Dwarven Script:

For all the ridiculous things those idiot engineers have done to this ship, at least they weren’t daft enough to rename her.  This mission has enough bad luck piled onto it already, we didn’t need that to deal with too. 

In spite of all the issues I have with Veylani’s current leadership (who in their right mind wouldn’t have problems with a child running a megacorporation?  I don’t care if she’s an adult by human standards, she needs a good forty or fifty years of experience before tackling something like that!), I will have to admit that Veylani has certainly proven that their modular design philosophy actually works, at least as far as this refit is concerned, anyway. 

The Morgiana herself has a respectable enough service record, having served well in her role as a carrier for over a century, and has flown under three separate flags in her time, only suffering fairly minor damage in her various engagements, the worst being from a fighter that crashed into one of her launch bays and took another half dozen fighters with it, but the main structure of the ship itself wasn’t harmed.  It seems that her list of mostly human commanders hasn’t abused her, though I suspect that’s more due to proper maintenance, and that’s been mostly dwarf and rattenvolk teams.  Since all eyes are on the Demon Sector these days, and nobody has decided to start up another conflict just yet, she was selected to be designated as UEF-04, fourth in the line to lead an expeditionary force into the unknown.

She was already a formidable carrier at a thousand meters, but now she’s become something else entirely.  “Super-carrier” doesn’t seem to do her justice.  Those Releana-class ships that ferry people and their vessels across the Barrier are super-carriers (figures that little twat running the company would name the first new class of ships after herself); these UEF motherships aren’t even space stations, more like mobile space colonies!  She’s been expanded to a mind-boggling 7500 meters and loaded with habitation, research, cargo, manufacturing, garden, docking, and power generation modules.  I might as well have taken a boulder straight to the head when I first laid eyes upon her; I thought she was just another part of Aphelion Station.  And that engine block! Gods, I can barely fathom how much power is in there, and just how large a TK-drive it takes to propel her into hyperspace! 

I’m not certain they’ve even fully calculated her maximum carrying capacity yet, and here we are in her final shakedown before she’s loaded up and sent off into the unknown.  She’s currently packing a hundred starfighters and probably as many troop transports.  Hells, she’s even been fitted with an outer docking frame that will let her support ships connect up with her and travel through hyperspace as one large unit.  This seems ludicrous to me, but somehow it’s working; I’m looking out at the Wyvern’s Fang from my cabin window right now, and there are four other battleships just like her around the superstructure, and we’re maintaining a constant velocity through hyperspace on the way to the Valefor system.

I have my reservations about this mission, as I’ve mentioned before, and as far as I’m concerned, the Morgiana, while at her core is a time-tested vessel, her new incarnation is unproven and dangerous.  As I look at the internal sensor readouts, I’m seeing everything within expected ranges, but she’s not had enough time to grow into her new form.  Who knows when some poorly connected module is going to break loose, or when one of these skyscraper-sized engines is going to develop a fatal flaw and explode?  There should be months if not years of further testing on her before she’s ready to face what might be waiting out there in the Marchosias system. 

And yet, here I am, already resolved to see her into the unknown, untested, and highly experimental, with thousands of lives riding on my decisions.  Somehow, though, even with all the personnel issues and this unproven vessel, I have to admit that I am…excited to go out there, into the void.  This will be the greatest challenge I’ve ever faced, and for all I know, I’ll never see home again.  I won’t say I can feel something calling me, but it’s almost like that, that sense of knowing something is out there that will make all this worth it in the end.

Gods, I’m a damned a fool!  May the Greatfather watch over me!

 

LORE24 ENTRY #28 – 1st Annual Aphelion Station Grand Ball

Category – Event

A year after the massively successful creation of Aphelion Station on the far side of the Demon Barrier, the alliance of corporations that funded and created the ever-expanding station, led by Veylani Transport, held a massive gala event to celebrate the occasion, showing that they were not worried in the least about the rumors of poor planning, dangerous working conditions, and sabotage that swirled about the entire operation.  Veylani Transport’s head, Releana Veylani, was widely known to be attending the event herself to further bolster confidence in the operation that she had so vehemently pursued.

The Grand Ball itself was open by invitation only, and these were extended mostly to representatives of corporations, governments, and other powerful groups, with a healthy mix of celebrities and entertainers.  Perhaps in honor of the wild frontier that had been opened, the event was a costume party with an animal theme, and as one might expect of the rich and powerful, there was plenty of alcohol-fueled debauchery to be found, with many of the attendees showing up in racy, fetish-heavy costume designs with plenty of leather and latex to be seen amidst this highly BDSM-themed event, which supposedly had the blessing of Yurisaya herself.

The event did not go off without unplanned excitement, though.  The famous orc artist, known only as Rhoghor, and known for his appropriately kinky masterpiece paintings, had been brought in to reveal his most recent collection that he had created, known as the “Visages of the Starway Maiden”.  According to him, he had been inspired the moment Lila Darius had penetrated the Demon Barrier and laid open the Demon Sector, and had spent the previous year working on his masterpieces.  When the paintings were revealed, they showed a beautiful blond human woman, either nude or scantly clad, in various states of restraint, but always with her back visible, for upon her back was a brilliant tattoo of a copper-scaled dragon, its eyes seemingly glowing with an unnatural intensity as they followed the viewer, the dragon’s body seeming to move of its own accord.  The reaction of the crowd was immediately positive, though for whatever reason, the representative from DSM, one Saida Entoris of the Arcane Research and Development group, caused a stir following the reveal as she and her bodyguard attempted to detain Rhoghor, though further chaos seemed to erupt at this very moment, leading to a wild finish for the event.

Still, by all accounts, the ball was mostly a success, and those involved are looking forward to the next one, already making plans for something that will be even more memorable. 

 

LORE24 ENTRY #13 – Demon Sector

Category – Place

The Demon Sector, as it is known, is actually a region of space that is far larger than what is typically defined as a sector, though it was discovered and thusly named in the early days of space exploration, and the name stuck.  The region is surrounded by an unnatural, and as yet unexplained, energy barrier known as the Demon Barrier which prevents any ships from entering this region of space.  

The name ‘Demon Sector’ was originally given during the first studies of the region using long-range telescopes and probes (all of which were destroyed immediately upon entry, and any ships that tried to enter were severely damaged, if not outright destroyed), in the days when only 72 stars were detected (since, many more, comparable with regions of known space, have been discovered), with a particularly large cluster near the center of the region consisting of a singular large central star surrounded by a half dozen slightly less intense stars.  The lead researcher on what would become the Demon Sector Research Project, an elf by the name of Faeranduil Quivernelle, being familiar with the historical records of the ancient times when demons were common, thought it appropriate to name the central star Bael, and proceeded to name the rest of the stars after other powerful demons.  There was some pushback on this, but given the nature of the barrier and the lack of ability to penetrate it, and the number of ships damaged in the attempts to pass through, the names stuck.

In the modern era, after thousands of years of waiting, the Demon Sector was finally breached in a completely unexpected manner by an unexpected source, namely the kerryn explorer Lila Darius the 34th and her crew.  With the aid of her friend, Releana Veylani and her company, Veylani Transport, Darius had somehow managed to develop a new iteration of the TK-Drive that would become known as the Advanced TK-Drive, or A-TK, which would combine modern technology with what was, until this event, powerful, lost magic that would allow them to successfully traverse the Demon Barrier and come out in one piece on the far side.  Since then, thousands have rushed to the region and began exploring the nearest systems, and the first permanent settlements have been created in the Valefar system, the nearest of the Demon Sector stars to the Barrier and the nearest world, Sentinel Prime.