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'Back At The Office'

Awakening

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Previous Story:
'Back At The Office'

Awakening

Next Story:
'Awakening Part 2'



Previous Story:
'Back At The Office'

Awakening

Next Story:
'Awakening Part 2'



Previous Story:
'Back At The Office'

Awakening

Next Story:
'Awakening Part 2'



Previous Story:
'Back At The Office'

Awakening

Next Story:
'Awakening Part 2'



Previous Story:
'Back At The Office'

Awakening

Next Story:
'Awakening Part 2'



Previous Story:
'Back At The Office'

Awakening

Next Story:
'Awakening Part 2'



P> Title: Awakening

Abstract: Glyniss, Devaine, and the drone Lydia return to Triad one last time. All the damage from the earlier conflict has been repaired, presumably by the three other drones that they meet. Flash ends up running away from the office, and Bida follows him, popping into the Triad shortly after the bridge is discovered, which does not make Devaine happy. Exploring a bit further, they come to the core of the ship, and preparations are set in motion to bring the ship back to life.

Rating: ***

[Flash_Guardian] Upon re-entering the first room of the Triad, the garage, there is something different ... a yellow, glowing rune of energy on the far wall depicting a computer circuit. Otherwise, save a couple missing boxes from the shelves, everything is as you remember.

[Flash_Guardian] The drone hovers into the room, peering around once, then heading back over to the rune. "Everything's quiet in here," she says.

Glyniss_McMasters flicks her stetson back further as she looks around the place limping away before turning and looking back...just to note where the exit is if needed later...nodding to the droid

Devaine_Hawk points the rifle at the rune , letting the analyzer do it’s job as he opens his mind and focuses his psychic senses . He stays alert and tense , eyes flashing with blue white sparks as he scans thre room while he waits for the results of both.

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Devaine_Hawk] Analysis complete ... nothing unusual. Some latent power signatures here and there, but that could be normal for an unpowered ship like this.

Devaine_Hawk walks to the rune and reaches to touch ti with one hand , holding Lucy at ready with the other a his eyes spark

[Flash_Guardian] The drone gestures to the rune on the wall with a tool arm. "This is new," she explains. "Looks like one of the other Gremlins' handiwork. I'll test it really quick."

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] Flash is running across the grasslands at a good 40 mph, making a beeline straight for the Triad. One of the perks of being an avatar ... you don't need to eat or sleep hardly at all. Nothing but the feeling of the world slipping past at incredible speeds ... the freedom brings a smile to Flash's face.

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida noticed Flash's disappearance, and immidiately took off out the door. Seeing him running, she spread her wings and flew after, calling out to him, "FLASH! STOP!!"

[Devaine_Hawk] “a computer circuit , could it mean to go back to the computer room , somehow , maybe the drones cleared the rubble , or Jester did .”

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] Flash looks back over his shoulder to see Bida flying after him, and gaining on him somewhat as she does. He does eventually begin to slow down, coming to a stop and leaning forward, hands on his knees and panting.

[Flash_Guardian] The drone says, "Let's hope for the former and not the latter." Without another word, she touches the rune with a tool-arm, disappearing in a blink.

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] lands next to Flash, her hands on her hips, "You weren't supposed to leave. You were supposed to stay back at Devaine's place, we're supposed to work on your memory."

Devaine_Hawk kisses the rifle and smirks , before touching the rune

Glyniss_McMasters limps over to where the rune seems to be....seeing Lydia disappearing just a glance of Dev before he persumminly goes too....awaiting her turn

[Flash_Guardian] Devaine blinks out of existence and, sure enough, finds himself in the computer room. Everything there has been completely repaired. The room is exactly as it was, with no trace of the other day's battle or the explosion.

Glyniss_McMasters hand reaches up as she feels it contact her flesh.....and...?

[Flash_Guardian] Same for Glyniss ... she has the sensation of being pulled forward ... and in a blink, she stands in the computer room next to Devaine and Lydia.

Devaine_Hawk sweeps the room and equipment with the rifle and his eyes , scanning with both . Looking back to where they appeared ,waiting for Glyniss ..

[Flash_Guardian] The hatch is still open from the other day. Suddenly, a humming sound greets your ears from the workshop. Three drones, looking just like Lydia, light green and fully repaired, hover into view on the far side of the corridor. Lydia hovers a bit closer, extending her transmitter and reciever dishes across the hall, and the three other drones do likewise.

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] Flash just shakes his head. "My memory isn't going anywhere," he protests. "And ... I feel like I need to be there ... you know?" He is still panting. "Not just to help them. I feel like ... like maybe the answers are there, wherever they're going."

Glyniss_McMasters looks around quickly at the room " Wel' someon' or thin' is sur' her'..." letting the other two scan the room with the techno know how before taking a slow limping step forwards head tilted hearing the hum...stopping when she sees the droids approaching

[Devaine_Hawk] "you all ever get the feeling somone is dangling a carrot in front of our nose to lead us along ?" he asks He turns and levels the rifle at one of the drones as he sees them , leting the frequency analyzer register their energy signature and prepare an appropriate counter signature to disrupt it if need be .

[Flash_Guardian] Lydia speaks, "They've cleaned up the workshop and the hallway ... and repaired the computer room. The other drones are patrolling the other rooms of the ship. No sign of the Jester since the earlier day."

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida sighs, "alright, but promise me you'll be careful, and I can help you, I was a kick-ass assassin demon." she smiles

Glyniss_McMasters nods licking her lips lightly as she beckons Lydia over to her....close enough to whisper if possible

Devaine_Hawk reaches out with his psychic senses “ see old man , I bought her back as good as new to you, and I’m going to try and settle the score with Jester while I’m at it “ he thinks .

[Flash_Guardian] Lydia continues. "They've managed to wipe all traces of the Jester's tinkering from the computer systems in this room, but they haven't been able to check shipwide systems with the power off. They're worried that the computers here may have been too badly corrupted or damaged to recover, as they've gotten some anomalous errors while doing so." The dishes turn away, and the drone catches sight of Glyniss's summons, hovering close to her.

Devaine_Hawk notes the read out on the analyzer and makes sure the hard drive has all of the wave dynamics saved before lowering Lucy , seeing the drones are not hostile .

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] Flash grins up at Bida. "Something tells me I was pretty kick-ass myself," he says, smirking. "Follow me!" WIthout another word, he takes off at a full tilt run, twice the speed of an olympic sprinter.

[Flash_Guardian] One of the drones from the workshop approaches Devaine, looking up at him.

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida spreads her wings wide, and follows Flash. She is directly above him, hiding him in her shadow as her large white wings flap against the sky.

[Glyniss_McMasters whispers to Flash_Guardian] leaning close to Lydia whispering..." Wha' abou' ter core.....ho' tha' alookin'....woul' yer stil' be abl' ter conver' wit' whatcha' ge' alread'?"

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Devaine_Hawk] The voice of the old man speaks in Dev's mind ... 'Indeed, Lydia seems fine ... in fact, she seems a bit more capable than before, having the ability to speak.'

Devaine_Hawk looks down at the drone , and a smile plays across his lips “hello old man , that is you ,right ?”

Devaine_Hawk looks around the room , “do you know how to fix Flash or where Jester is , “ he asks the drone.

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Glyniss_McMasters] Lydia whispers back. "The core is offline ... apparently, the old powerstone shattered on impact, so we'll need a replacement. It's as we thought."

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Devaine_Hawk] 'Indeed, it is I from before. We have not seen any sign of the jester since the last time you two were here. And, I can assure you, we all desire the same thing. If you are after the Jester, then we shall help you.'

Glyniss_McMasters nods to Lydia a frown slipping over her features ...her eyes on Dev...before whispering back to the droid (lydia)

[Flash_Guardian] The lone drone continues to look up at Devaine, focussing on him intently.

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida calls down to Flash, "How much farther 'till the Triad?"

[Glyniss_McMasters whispers to Flash_Guardian] "Tha' wha' yer wa' doin' in ter offic' las' nigh' righ'....ain' ter an' wa' yer coul' lin' up ter it yer own sel'?"

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] Flash is truly an incredible runner, going for great lengths and not really seeming to tire. "Only a few more hours, I think. It's that hill, way up over there," he says, indicating it with a finger as he sprints.

[Flash_Guardian] Lydia continues to whisper to Glyniss.

Devaine_Hawk stares back at the drone

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Glyniss_McMasters] "Not by myself ... but now that the other Gremlins are activated, we should be able to put forth a combined effort to re-engineer it. I'll talk to them and see."

[Devaine_Hawk] [[To the old man]] “how is it we talk like this , I’m not telepathic , at least not as far as I know , and the things I see or sense about people and things , how foes all that work?“

[Flash_Guardian] Eventually, Lydia breaks from Glyniss, orienting her transmitter and reciever on the other lone drone hovering by Devaine. The other drone follows suit, and soon Lydia is 'speaking' with the other drone once more.

Glyniss_McMasters sighs softly as she nods letting Lydia go for now....

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida, being an angel and one trained for endurance, can fly for very long distances, carrying up to 300 lbs at a time.

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] At long last, and after much climbing, Flash and Bida reach the entrance to the Triad outside. Flash leans up against the rock wall outside, taking a much needed break. That run took a lot out of him.

[Flash_Guardian] Lydia breaks contact with the other drone, and looks back at Glyniss. "Okay. Shall we keep going?"

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida lands next to Flash, her face flushed, but she looks as though she had just gone on a short jog. Barely out of breath, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

Devaine_Hawk glances to the center of the room where the chairs and harness are “maybe I could jack in and see how much more I can learn..” he ponders out loud .

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Devaine_Hawk] 'You are not telepathic, no ... but I am. I have chosen you to speak with because your mind has latent tendencies that make it easier for me to speak with you. As for your other questions, I will be more than happy to answer them in due time. For now, we have other business to attend to.'

Glyniss_McMasters nods......and blinks......emm chairs....harness???....up til then a smile was beginning to form " Sur' Lydia ifna yer thin' it' oka'"

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] "Not too bad," Flash replies, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Kinda nice, though ... being in the shade ... all that way," he tells Bida, beaming at her appreciatively. "Thank you for that."

Devaine_Hawk nods to the drone who had shown him attention , and start toward the computer in the center of the room .

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Devaine_Hawk] 'If you truly seek knowledge about the Triad, we can explain all that you might want to know. Or you can help us reactivate him and ask firsthand.'

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida smiles, "It was unintentional, but I neither wanted to fall behind, nor get too far ahead, so directly overhead seemed the best choice."

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida asks, "should we find them, then?"

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] Flash looks over at the door to the Triad, still open and waiting. He nods at Bida. "It's what we came here for, isn't it?"

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida nods, "right then. Shall we?" she holds one hand out for Flash to take.

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] Flash eagerly takes her hand, smiling, and walks inside with her. He gazes around at everything in wonder - clearly it is all new to him. "Wow ..."

[Devaine_Hawk whispers to Flash_Guardian] “ why was the Triad built , what went wrong , and what is the business you spoke of ?“ he asks the elven/drone

Glyniss_McMasters was in the process of limping after Lydia stopping dead as Dev speaks and moves....turning about limping to him...." Wher' yer thinkin' yer goin'?"

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Devaine_Hawk] 'Please follow us. I will have Lydia explain to you all on the way down.'

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida says to herself "What room? Not the garage, not the library, I'm sure. Where are they?"

[Flash_Guardian] Lydia and the other three drones proceed to hover into the computer room and over to the hatch, going down below one by one, disappearing into the next room.

Devaine_Hawk turns to answer her ,shrugging his shoulders “nowhere now , “ he taps his head , “the old man is patching straight through “

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] The first room they come to is the familiar garage ... but something is new. A yellow, glowing rune of energy on the far wall depicting a computer circuit. Otherwise, save a couple missing boxes from the shelves, everything is as you remember.

Devaine_Hawk follows the drones down the hatch, letting Glynnss go in front of him . He keeps Lucy at the redy in one hand .

Glyniss_McMasters nods glancing after the droids..." The' yer bette' ge' a mov' on fer we ge' lef' behin'..." limping over to the hatch lowering herself into it and in the next room

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Glyniss_McMasters] This room, dark and lifeless as it may be, appears to be some sort of command center. The rear of the room is a rectangular upper deck, with left, right, and rear metal doors embedded in a back wall that consists of an assortment of glassy panels framed in metal. Along the railing which divides the upper and lower deck are four one-man stations, each containing a different setup: a shrine, it's stand devoid of a religious idol; a crystal ball resting upon a velvet stand, with protective and empowering wards on the floor and ceiling; a virtual reality chair much like the one in the previous room; a comfortable grey chair with copper hand-rests. To either side are a pair of metallic doors, and in the center. The front of the room drops down a couple feet to an oval-shaped lower deck, accessible by a pair of short steps on either side, its far wall dominated by a wall-spanning pane of glass that runs from almost floor to ceiling, curving inward slightly towards the ceiling.

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Glyniss_McMasters] At its near side, three grey chairs sit with their backs to the wall, facing the large, darkened glass window. In the center, to the left and right are another pair of stations, grey chairs tucked beneath arching displays, one of which is a dormant and flat glass panel, the other consisting of various knobs, levers, and analog gauges. All the sentient energy of this place seems to be focussed entirely toward this room, as if this is the beginning and end of a great mental loop.

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida walks to the Rune, and reaches her hand to it, but not touching it. "I think that this is where they went. What do you think?" she asked Flash.

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] Flash is not so meager about it ... he straight up reaches out a hand and touches the rune. Flash immediately winks out of existence.

[Devaine_Hawk whispers to Flash_Guardian] “Lydia, the old man said to ask you about the Triad and what happened to it , he said something about business to “

[Flash_Guardian] Lydia stops and turns back to Devaine and Glyniss, speaking in awe, "Flash? Here?"

[Bida whispers to Flash_Guardian] Bida is surprised, but immidiately touches the rune after Flash

Glyniss_McMasters lets out a slow breathe..." Lydia.....i'...i' thi' ter plac'..?"

[Flash_Guardian] Flash's voice is heard from above. "Wow!"

Devaine_Hawk looks around the room “this is the bridge , I think this ship is or was sentient , “ he whispers in awe , “I can almost hear it thinking “

Glyniss_McMasters jumps not expecting to hear Flash's voice.." Wha'!"

Devaine_Hawk glances back to the hatch , “well Jester didn’t kill him but I might , “ he growls “Flash what the hell are you doing here ?” he yells

Bida walks in after Flash and looks around, "wow is right."

[Flash_Guardian] The drones in the room with Glyniss and Devaine all turn on their lights, shining them around the place to better illuminate everything for their benefit.

Bida looks at Devaine, "He ran out of your place when I wasn't looking, He had to come."

Glyniss_McMasters limps over to the one the grey chairs...running her fingers lightly over its surface as she looks in the direction they would be pointed at

Flash_Guardian calls down after Devaine. "I told you before, I think this is where I need to be," he says, looking around and down the hatch.

Devaine_Hawk lets his gaze roam across the group , “when I speak , do you all actualy hear what I say, or is it just more like the teacher off Charlie Brown , wahwahwaha?”

[Flash_Guardian] Lydia speaks up for everyone's benefit. "Welcome to the bridge of the Triad. Six chairs for six different craftsmen and women, the most skilled from each of the six guilds. And three chair for the captain, commander, and lieutenant-commander."

Glyniss_McMasters puts her hand up " Bag' I Snoop' kind' lik' tha' littl' fello'"

Flash_Guardian blinks. "Charlie who?"

Bida looks at Devaine, "You don't understand, I don't understand, but I'm sure that he does, somewhere inside of him, he knows what he has to do."

Devaine_Hawk walks to the center most chair on what he perceives to be the bridge and sits down , grumbling under his breath . “Captains Log , “ he jokes with him self , “crew refuses to listen to anything I say” under his breath.

Flash_Guardian shakes his head, his gaze coming to rest on one of the [computer interface] chairs. He eyes it curiously, almost mesmerized, and takes a step towards it, head tilted to one side.

Bida touches Devaine's arm, "Please, let him stay. He may begin to remember."

Devaine_Hawk shrugs his shoulders “ sure might as well , he listens anyway , so well “

Flash_Guardian is still in the computer room, staring at one of the chairs and harnesses. He reaches out to touch one, then suddenly recoils and cries out, as if he had just touched a hot iron.

Glyniss_McMasters chuckles softly at Dev somewhat pleased his still got a joke in him...head turning to look at Flash as he comes closer..stepping away limping over to the crystal ball gazing into it a sec or two studying it somewhat

Devaine_Hawk runs a hand along the chair arms trying to pick up psychic impressions left on it by the people who sat there before him .

Bida turns and rushes to Flash's side, "What happened?! are you ok?"

Flash_Guardian is staring at the chair in utter horror, his breathing fast and loud. "What ... what happened here?!"

Bida shakes her head, "I don't know, I. . . I don't know."

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Devaine_Hawk] Dev begins to hear frantic echoes of voices in his head. "... red alert, all men to their posts ..." "... they're coming around for another pass ..." "... sir, that function hasn't been test-" "Just do it, Ranashe! That's an order!" "... keep that bearing straight, we can't afford to lose ..." "... back in time, they won't be able to follow us there ..." "... coming in too fast! Sensors aren't reading ..." "... bring the cloaking and phasing devices online, now! ..." "... god help us all ..."

Flash_Guardian looks around the room, thoroughly unnerved. "I don't think I want to be in here anymore," he says, at last climbing down the ladder and onto the bridge.

Bida follows, "Flash? What happened? Did you see something?"

[Devaine_Hawk] \he snaps his head up .clutching it with his free hand "they crashesd , " he whispers .

[Flash_Guardian] The drones just look around once more, then turn and head for the rear door of the bridge. Lydia informs everyone, "We're heading into the engine room now ... you can join us whenever you're ready." With that, the lead drone pushes the door open and they all move down a short corridor and into the room beyond.

Glyniss_McMasters pulls her attention from the crystal ...with a gentle sigh....turns and limps after the droids...this wasnt where she wanted to be...

Flash_Guardian shakes his head, wincing and holding his forehead as he leans on the railing dividing the upper and lower decks. "I saw ... a face. It was ... grinning at me. Some horrible pointed nose and chin ... and red, sinister glowing eyes ..." He shudders, closing his eyes and straightening. "I don't want to think about it."

[Flash_Guardian] This room is modestly large, taking the shape of a hollow pyramid with a high-peaked ceiling. At the room's center, laying in a depression in the floor, is a massive triangular gridwork of hollow glass tubes connected by metallic spheres, divided from the rest of the room by an elaborate metal fence with varnished wooden railing, bypassable only by three hinged gates that are currently latched shut, creating a raised walkway that surrounds the room. The triangular network is arranged as a series of four spheres and tubes connected in a pyramid shape, each of which is isolated from the next. Each triangular conglomerate of glass and metal rests on the floor just inside the next one, the largest of these on the very outside, with each progressively growing smaller and smaller, though the size of the metal spheres and thickness of the glass pipes does not change. At the heart of the arrangement is the smallest pyramid, only one or two feet on a side.

[Flash_Guardian] All the magical resonance of this place seems to be focussed entirely toward this room, as if this is the beginning and end of a great magical loop.

Devaine_Hawk stands and walks to the station with the shrine , studying it ,before laying his hand on it .He figures the drones can protect them while he’s in a trance ,sensing the past of the shrine .

Bida puts her hand on Flash's shoulder, "That was the Jester."

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Devaine_Hawk] He sees a vision of a man in long white robes, shaved head and long, flowing mustache, kneeling before the shrine and praying reverently.

Flash_Guardian puts a hand on top of Bida's. "I don't think I like the jester," he says timidly, a hint of fear to his voice.

Glyniss_McMasters looks around this new room....hands resting on the fence a slow smile appearing the more she looked and saw.....this is where she wanted to be...a soft intake of breathe let out slowly taking in the wonder of the place

Bida shakes her head, "not many people do. He's the one that made you lose your memory."

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Devaine_Hawk] THe only religious symbol that Devaine can make out is that of a sledge style hammer, head up.

Devaine_Hawk lets go of the shrine , and walks to the set of doors to the left of the ones leading to the engine room and looks for a means to open it , when he finds one he does .

Glyniss_McMasters head turns as she's pulled out of the wonder of the room noticing the latched shut gates she limps over to them...the metal clicks of metal upon metal resounding in this place

[Flash_Guardian] Devaine pushes the lever to open the door, which swings outward, opening to reveal ... solid wall? What on earth?

[Flash_Guardian] The drones hover high up in the air, performing whatever work or scans as they must, obviously busy.

Flash_Guardian nods in understanding, looking back up into Bida's face. "Maybe they're right, maybe I shouldn't have come here ..."

Devaine_Hawk glares at the wall and mutters “cute ,” before walking over to the right hand set of doors , and repeating the process

[Flash_Guardian] The door swings out, and once more only solid wall is behind it.

Glyniss_McMasters reaches one of the gates...studying it a moment to see if theres an obvoius way of unlocking it....eyes lifting to scan for Lydia....her voice rising just a tad " Lydia....wha' I nee' ter do?"

Devaine_Hawk shuts his eyes for a second and wishes he had that sledge hammer in his vision from the altar

Devaine_Hawk joins the others in the engine room , looking a round and whistling , “I have no idea how it works , but I’ll try to help to , “ he says in awe

[Flash_Guardian] The gate is latched on its side, easily unlatched by a hand if one reaches around to the other side of the gate and lifts. One of the drones floats down slowly to Glyniss's level, obviously identified as Lydia after it speaks. "Try and make your way to the center of the array, if you can. We'll try to get a resonance reading from the vocal feedback so we'll better know how to adjust."

Flash_Guardian watches the other two, and moves into the engine room also, looking back once to Bida, hoping she will follow.

Bida follows Flash, still looking around. Her eyes seemed to search everywhere for anything out of the ordinary.

Devaine_Hawk glances from the drones to flash and Bida , then over to Glyniss “any of you all know a deity with a sledge hammer , head up as his or her symbol ?” he asks

Bida shrugs "No clue. I should know, but I don't. Sorry."

[Flash_Guardian] The drones all float away from each other, each one positioning itself at a far corner of the largest of the pyramid-shaped arrays. Four corners, four drones. As they wait for Glyniss, Devaine gets his question answered by Lydia. "Chalshof, god of the forge. That's his symbol. Tamoril tells me that's his deity."

Glyniss_McMasters nods to Lydia as she reaches her arm over fingers searching sighing as she feels the latch lifting it up....arm coming back as she pushes the gate open...looking around before limping her way down...towards the glass array of crystals..

Flash_Guardian just stays close to Bida and watches, still holding her hand and staying close to her for security.

Devaine_Hawk nods and looks the room over again , “ok , and is there anything you need me to do here , or should I just take guard duty while Glyniss does her thing ?” he ask .

Bida looks at everything around her, almost afraid to touch anything.

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] She can certainly feel something magical about this place ... not that it is full of magic, but if it were ... it's sort of a gathering place for magic and energy.

Glyniss_McMasters studies the arrangement of rods....slowly limping over to where the smallest group are

[Flash_Guardian whispers to Bida] Searching amidst the triangular network proves a bit difficult due to the somewhat tight spaces between each of the glass tubes. Eventually a small glimmer of light catches your eye near one of the far corners, just underneath one of the tubes. It's a large, fist-sized crystal in the shape of an octahedron ... shattered into three pieces and laying on the floor.

Glyniss_McMasters swallows softly as she looks over to Lydia....nodding to the spot in the centre of the triangle..." Gotta be ter I tak' it"

Bida sees three crystals on the floor in a back corner. Walking closer she sees that it is actually three pieces of the same crystal, "What is this for?" she asks no one in particular.

[Flash_Guardian] Lydia calls out to Glyniss, the speaker straining at the required volume. "Alright, we're ready on our end. Just give us an easy note and hold it as long as you can, I guess."

Harlequinn melds down from the ceiling, head first, and sits, cross-legged on it, above everyone's head, a big grin on her face.

Flash_Guardian looks at the crystal Bida found. "It looks broken ..."

Bida asks, "can it be fixed? What was it used for?"

[Flash_Guardian] Lydia speaks up once more. "That was our old powerstone ... we think it got knocked out of place and shattered when we crashed here years ago."

Harlequinn drops down and says, "Naughty-Naughty." Then vanishes into the floor, same as she did from the ceiling

Glyniss_McMasters nods slowly her mouth opening just a little...emmitting a soft resounding hum much as she had before keeping it at a constant pitch....standing at an easy poise..letting the hum gently spread from her being outwards as it begins to rise hitting the furnishings here bouncing off the walls and ceiling

Bida asks Lydia, "can it be repaired, or do you need a new one?"

[Flash_Guardian] The drones appear to be busy monitoring something, unable to reply. Glyniss's voice begins to have a reaction with the smallest triangular array ... as she sings, it lifts off the floor slightly, the glass connecting rods lighting up as sparkling motes of energy begin to flow along them. The triangle gets a good four or five inches off the ground, then stops, holding its position there for as long as Glyniss holds her note.

[Flash_Guardian] And the acoustics are pretty cool, too ... an ominous, overwhelming sort of reverberation off the walls.

Bida smiles slightly at Glyniss's control over her lovely voice.

[Flash_Guardian] There is also a faint stirring of the air at the center of the smallest array. After what seems like almost half a minute, Lydia finally calls back, "Okay! We've got the frequency! This won't be hard at all! You can stop now, Glyniss."

Flash_Guardian just cocks his head to one side, seeming to be caught up in Glyniss's voice, smiling also.

Glyniss_McMasters keeps the humming ptich not altering it at all...closing her eyes knowing that to complete this she will need all her concentration no matter what is going on around her...only her head giving away anything as it tilts slightly as if listening to herself....shifting as she hears Lydia's voice once more bringing it slowly to a stop...the humming dying out eventually....eyes opening as she looks over at Lydia having expecting it to be a lot harder

[Flash_Guardian] The central triangular array slowly falls back to the ground, the sparkling lights inside fading away as it touches back down. The four drones suddenly break formation, zooming out of the room to the bridge. Two bank left, the other two bank right, moving rapidly out of sight.

[Flash_Guardian] Flash watches the drones zip past, eyes wide. "Whoa ... they seem to be in a hurry ..."

Bida takes a step in the direction of the drones, "I wonder where they are headed. . ."

Bida suddenly remembers the bead she stuck back in her pocket. Taking it out, she hands a small red glass bead to Flash, "Do you remember this?"

Glyniss_McMasters rises a brow watching the droids zip off elsewhere.......hand reaching up as a finger flicks back the brim of the stetson.....standing and waiting guessing this isnt the finish

[Flash_Guardian] In a few minutes, a hammering noise can be heard coming from somewhere else in the ship, the sound of metal ringing on metal floating in through the still open doorway. Flash gingerly takes the small red bead, rolling it between his hands and staring at it curiously. "Not really ... what is it?"

Bida says, "it was a gift. From you. Whenever I missed you, I could hold it, and you would know and You'd be there." She then asks, "do you have a small silver flute with you?"

Flash_Guardian looks himself over, trying to find where he would keep such a thing. Eventually he spies the belt pouch at his side, undoing the drawstrings and poking a couple fingers into it to fish around. And indeed, shortly afterward, he pulls out a small silver flute. "Hey, how about that?" He beams, looking at it in awe. "That wasn't there before!"

Bida smiles at the new-found flute. "Whenever you need me, just play it, play anything, and I'll be at your side as fast as I can."

Glyniss_McMasters smiles as she catches the echoing sound of Bida's and Flash's conversation

Flash_Guardian gives Bida a wondrous grin, clasping the flute in one hand. "I'll remember that," he says brightly. Then terrible realization floods his face, and he looks back at the flute. "But I don't know how to play!"

Bida smiles, "That doesn't matter. Just blow any few notes, and I'll come. You'll remember how to play, and I can even give you a few lessons later on."

Bida hugs Glyniss, then Flash, "It has been a pleasure, and I'll try to see you guys again."

Flash_Guardian hugs Bida back. "I hope to see you soon, then," he says, smiling.

Bida smiles, "You will."

[Flash_Guardian] After a few moments, Lydia hovers back into the room, a bit more slowly this time. "I'm afraid I have some bad news ... it's going to take us a little longer to finish crafting this than we thought. We'll need to synthesize a bit more of the right kind of metal and experiment with some different shapes ... we should probably have something ready by tomorrow. If you'd like, we can arrange some sleeping quarters for you in here ... won't be anything fancy, but it'll be better than a hard floor at least."

Glyniss_McMasters is kinda waiting for the droids....eyes up as she watches where they had disappeared

Glyniss_McMasters glances around at the others before noding..." I' astayin' at leas'......an' I'm sur' Dev wil' too...jus' no' too clos' tergethe' oka'" she grins broadly as she looks qucikly over to the back of Dev busy guiding an entrance

Flash_Guardian agrees. "I'll be alright with staying here ... just as long as it's down here, not in that computer room upstairs," he says, looking up through the ceiling fearfully. Lydia speaks at them kindly, playing the hostess very well. "Alright, we'll get some matresses thrown together for you three, and some blankets. And don't worry, we still have a dozen or so drones on patrol around the ship. The core is the easiest position to defend, so you shouldn't need to fear for your safety."

Glyniss_McMasters nods "Tha' ado fin'.....shoo' Flas' no on' her' le' yer ge' har'......" she smiles " w' al' lov' yer to' all fire' muc'"

Glyniss_McMasters looks around for suitable places to lay materess's down.....clearing any places if there arent none....limping about as she does the soft echo of her brace making its presence known

[Flash_Guardian] Lydia beeps positively, then flies off. Flash takes a seat and begins to experiment with Bida's silver flute, trying to get sound to come out of it. There is plenty of flat, empty floor space on the walkway that surrounds the room, between the railing and the walls. After a few minutes, three drones return, all of which are carrying twin sized mattresses with their rippling grey tractor beams. They set the mattresses on the floor as directed, then leave quickly again, only to return with three blankets in a similar manner, laying them on the mattresses. Two of the drones exit the engine room, leaving Lydia still hovering overhead. "I'll just hang around a bit, if you don't mind. Sooo ... have a good night's sleep, then."

Glyniss_McMasters scratches her temple wondering just which pair is supposed to be sharing.....looking over seeing Dev almost falling asleep already she makes his bed quick....and kinda guidesz him to it....before looking over at Flash and Bida

[Flash_Guardian] ((Three mattresses was assuming Bida had left and was no longer present ... if Bida is in fact still here, there will be four mattresses.))

Glyniss_McMasters nods wellll....now that sorted out she grabs a blancket....lays on a matress and rolls up in the woollen cover...." Nigh' yer a'.....don' le' ter be' bug' bit'...." muttering a little as she hums barely drifting off to sleep

[Flash_Guardian] Sleep comes somewhat easily ... assuming nobody here snores. But what really is unnerving is the dreams that come with sleep in this place ... a sort of dream within a dream, where you are laying on your back surrounded by darkness. You feel as if someone or something is behind you, and hear a child's laugher, so you turn to look ... and suddenly you are back home, in the place of your own childhood. Memories of your childhood flit throughout your dreams, but the interesting thing that you don't fully realize until you wake is that there was another child among your dreams, one that you don't remember from your childhood. But it seemed so real ...

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