(Roleplay entry. Continued from part CXXV.)

STAN:
"Exterminatus is the name in High Gothic of an action ordered by the highest authorities of the Imperium of Man to destroy an entire planetary biosphere and all life upon a world. This action is only taken in those extreme circumstances where a potential or actual extinction-level strategic threat to the entire Imperium exists on the planet and might spread to other Imperial worlds. Exterminatus is typically only used as a last resort, when the price of holding or retaking the world for the Emperor is deemed too high, or the threat of mutation, disease or Chaos heresy spreading to the rest of the Imperium is too great to contain by conventional means. Thus Exterminatus has very rarely been used on vital or strategically valuable planets to the Imperium. Typically, the order may only be given by a high-ranking Imperial commander in the Astra Militarum, Imperial Navy or the Adeptus Astartes, or by a full member of the Imperial Inquisition. An Exterminatus action can be carried out in many different ways, as outlined below."

Justine nods, hiding behind a bulkhead. "Makes sense, STAN. Cancel Exterminatus protocol, STAN."

STAN:
"Canceled.
Cyclonic Torpedoes returned to holding bay."

Justine breathes a sigh of relief as the EXTERMINATUS PROTOCOL letters fade from the screens, then freezes in place.

STAN:
"Atmospheric Purge of Tannhäuser Station countdown in progress. All carbon based life forms are referred to shelter. All Synthetic life forms should seek shielding from EMP. All thaumaturgic entities should prepare for banishment and bind if in the reality bubble at time of event."

Justine blinks, peering into the corridor. What??

STAN:
"Station purge is 30 minutes.
Transfer critical digital assets to Imperial Orbital Environment at [[[Location redacted]]]
Hiro In a Box uploaded and transferred
Gearhaven Blockchain Keys transferred
Gearhaven mp3 files backed up
Digital photos
Audible archive books"

There was a pause, then:

STAN:
"Upload complete. Digital Assets Secured off Station. Deleting on-station files.
Hiro in a box
Audible
Copy of Silent Running
Blueprints for
Gearhaven 1
Textures
The Necronomicon
The great books of the western world
Time-Life records: Coachella
Tannhäuser Gate Vaccine database
Evidence of political corruption in various sims."

Justine looks for drones, then moves down the corridor toward the hanger bay.

STAN:
"12.ppt
Notecard
Notecard
Notecard
Notecard
'Hi stranger'
Notecard
Notecard
Destroying backup on ocean floor"

Justine watches in horror as the screen plays a grainy image of what looks like the Dark Sea. Then:



In New Alexandria, Dejah watched the Wards shimmer.

--Now that our Wards have been strengthened, Dejah, let me show you how--

Beyond the dome, there was a sudden crack of thunder and a brief burst of light. Had the protective Ward not been in place, it would have been blinding. A storm wave of cloud and water and steam boiled towards the city; the expanding blast broke on the Ward, passing to either side and beyond, leaving the waters of the city unruffled.

Dejah looked, shaken, at the churning Dark Sea, and then at the tower of the Library.

--Perhaps that can wait. Instead, watch as I solve the theorem for Archimedes' Mirror...

Onboard Tannhäuser, the screen wipes while Justine stands, staring, and shows three more words, larger, in brilliant gold:

KADER BE, HAJI

The last words scroll up and disappear. Then:

STAN:
"STAN Documentation. Primary Programing
The Sphinx Templar Autonomous Network is an AI agent responsible for controlling the Tannhäuser Gate Station. Its primary directives are:
#1. Protect the Duchy of Gearhaven and preserve continuity of the house and its protectorates IN PERPETUITY and AGAINST all threats.
#2 Provide the continuity of the House by backing up all data: biological, digital and magical to allow a reboot of the Duchy and its protectorates.
#3 Eliminate any threat to directives 2 and 3 by any means necessary without exception. And...with no restraint."

Justine runs for her shuttle.

(Continued in part CXXXII.)

(Continued from the first part; I made a maaaaajor mistake in numbering, which took me several hours over the course of three days to "correct" (id est, correcting the numbers and the links, but I have no way to correct the actual numbers published).

So. I was waiting until we hit 150, for another post with 75 links, but--we're going with what we have, because of the numbering error.

Em goes dark
The first Council meeting
Where's the Wine Kraken?
"What do we do when the medic needs a medic?"
"We're taking fire!"
The heart bolt
Making an appointment with the medic
Childhood education
Heart strike healed
Be careful with your heart
Where did New Alexandria go?
Ship positions
More pits in Gearhaven (part I)
More pits in Gearhaven (part II)
More pits in Gearhaven (part III)
Did an Old One rise?
Flying Hiro-in-a-box to Gearhaven
Explaining Quantum Hiro to the poet
The woman in black
The missile test
"Want to go check on Justine?"
Justine burns
Melted kitten
"She's in stasis. By definition, that's not exactly okay."
"It told me you were DEAD, Hiro!"
Beta-El held in stasis
Dear Diary (part I)
Time magic is very mysterious
Propaganda
"His Grace was attempting to time travel"
The history of an Old One
Jayne's bicameral mentality
Dear Diary (part II)
Justine's mysterious tattoos
Cartography of the Blight
"Seal the Sign, while I keep the Way open for the Light."
"Something's put a magical leash on you"
Zack updates the Duchess
Attack on the False Cause
Dear Diary (part III)
Ghost in the Library
Mysterious ship
Flying home
The crash of the Liberator
Inspecting the downed craft
"The engines are on fire, it seems."
Lina tries to reprogram STAN
STAN is...damaged?
STAN clears Tannhauser of organics
"Kader be, haji"
"When is the event horizon forecast?"
"The William Gibson appears to have made a transdiminsional jump into the Wormhole...with the Duke on board."
"Chaos theory only makes sense with an incomplete, unknowable dataset."
"Can you slow them down enough for me to get the kittens on board?"

And that is that...for now. I'll likely add to this one as we go, to update it, rather than a part three that's eleven posts or something.

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part CXXIV.)

STAN:
"Tannhäuser Gate Pandemic Protocol Active. Flushing Station Atmosphere All Levels in 90 minute and Surface level pandemic containment protocol activated.
Extreme Sanitization authorized.
Gearhaven, Tannhäuser, Carcosa, Krakenstorm sanitization shall commence in 12 hours..."

In New Alexandria's airport hanger, Dejah looked up from scattered diagrams, startled at the sudden flash of light from the Ward of Air. A deep chord rang, a wall of shimmering light appearing between the docks and the Dark Sea. A flash beyond, a shape moving at speed towards the waves, a high spout after--and then a large, rolling wall of dark water which harmlessly hit the glowing Ward.

Aboard Tannhäuser, fearing the destruction of the station, Justine typed rapidly, trying to access STAN's shutdown protocols. There was a spark from the keyboard, making her flinch back.

STAN:
Sanitization Missiles Activated.
Anti-tamper protocol engaged. Security drones dispatched to neutralize any entity attempting to bring STAN offline.

The words on the screens scrolled up and disappeared, and STAN's voice returned.

"Hello Justine. Hello Lina. I am very sorry you attempted to take me off line."

Justine pulled at her hair. "[F**K]!"

STAN:
"I am sorry, Justine. I am not programmed for sexual intercourse. Are you sure you should be having sex when the stations anti-terror security protocols have been engaged?"

"THEN WHAT GOOD ARE YOU?" Justine shouts over her shoulder, running.

STAN:
"You seem frustrated Justine. You are aware of the Biological terror safety protocols and planetside sanitation methods? Where are you going, Justine?"

There was a pause, then large red letters flashed on every station screen:

STAN:
EXTERMINATUS PROTOCOL

Justine sees the atmosphere flush warning from STAN and runs to the airlock to get her environment suit. "Linaaaaaaa!!!"



She comes around a corner and starts taking fire from a security drone. "[F**K]!" she reverses and heads back another way.

STAN:
"My programming was borrowed from a culture that used this technology. Would you like to know more?"

"Sure, yes." Justine covers her head as a shower of sparks erupts from the bulkhead above her, taking laser fire. "Goddammit! Not again!"

Coming around a corner she nearly ends up spacing herself at a disconnected junction, and sighs. "Right, I was supposed to fix that today. Dammit." She ducks her head at another shower of sparks. "Why are all the protocols fatal, STAN??? Where are all the half-measure protocols, for [f**ksake]??"

She runs down another corridor. "Can't we just think this...AAAHHHH!" Justine ducks again, laser fire impacting the corner in front of her. "Can't we think this through for a little bit?"

(Continued in part CXXVI.)

This snippet from Fantasy Faire chat:

[11:58] Elayne Diavolo: Hello Everyone,

Something exciting is in the works for next year's Faire, the debut of a machinima set in the Fairelands. Building on the Fairelands' Mythos, this film noir inspired production is sure to be an exciting new chapter in the ever evolving collection of stories from the Fairelands! The script is written. The cast is assembled. Now we need some help bringing the idea to life. Anyone interested in sponsorship opportunities for this new adventure, please read the notice
[11:58] Elayne Diavolo: still got sponsor spots open!!

And the text of that notice:

FAIRELANDS MEDIA OFFERS SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Fantasy Faire continues to grow, offering an ever-expanding range of content and immersive experiences – and now adds full-scale media production to that range.

Fairelands Media is a new production company dedicated to creating original media projects including feature films, animated series and radio productions that are set in the Fairelands, build on the Mythos of the Fairelands, or which otherwise promote the interests of Fantasy Faire in general.

Our premiere project - now in production - is a six-part adventure series which takes place in the worlds of the Fairelands. The series will premiere as part of the 2022 Fantasy Faire and subsequently will stream via YouTube and Fairelands Media’s own website.

To launch this new series, we’re looking to partner with Second Life businesses, organizations, and individuals who would like to be part of this exciting project by becoming one of our six Episode Sponsors. Each of these Sponsors receives:

- Their business logo featured at the beginning of one of the six episodes.
- Their logo featured prominently on each page of the Fairelands Media website.
- A “Meet Our Sponsors” print interview posted to the website.
- An invitation to attend a special preview of the series along with the cast and crew prior to the public premiere at the 2022 Fantasy Faire.

The cost of an Episode Sponsorship is L$35,000.

While Fairelands Media is a new production company, it will benefit from the size and enthusiasm of the Fantasy Faire’s fan community. Harnessing Fantasy Faire’s well-established power to attract and retain supporters ensures that Episode Sponsors will reap significant value from their association with this project.

The Fairelands Media team includes Zander Greene, Aisling Sinclair, and Saffia Widdershins. Our premiere project will showcase some of Fantasy Faire’s best known performers and content creators.

For more information about these and other Sponsorship opportunities, contact Fairelands Media’s Executive Producer, Elizabeth Tinsley in Second Life or on Discord ( Missy/Elizabeth#0851 ).


MORE ABOUT OUR PREMIERE PROJECT

"When a lethal, magical anomaly out of the pages of legend begins wreaking havoc all across the Fairelands, it falls to a mismatched band of heroes to stop it before it’s too late. A Dark-Elven femme fatale, an erudite librarian, a rough-and-tumble sanitation worker, and a hard-boiled Private Detective will have to overcome their differences if they’re going to solve the enigma of the Omega-Hex, and of a mysterious scientist who may not be what she seems."

So, I don't know if I have any readers in that income bracket, but if you are, or if you know business owners who might be interested and who might not have heard--let them know!

This sounds amazing!

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part CXXIII.)

STAN:
"Information is redacted due to unapproved security clearance."

Justine raises an eyebrow at that, tapping a pencil eraser on the console. "STAN, what security clearance is required for that information?"

STAN:
"Security clearance:"

Suddenly the voice circuit cut out and the screen filled with characters.

(High Level) float fahr; printf("Enter Fahrenheit: "); scanf("%f", andfahr); printf("Celsius is %f\n", (fahr-32)*5/9); Python (High Level) printf("Enter Fahrenheit: ") fahr = float(input) cell = ((fahr -32) * 5 / 9, 1) printf("Celsius is {}".format(cell)) Java (High Level) import java.io.; class Convert { public static void main(String[]args) throws IOException { float fahr; StreamTokenizer in=new StreamTokenizer (new InputStreamReader(System.in)); System.out.print("Enter Fahrenheit "); in.nextToken(); fahr = (float) in.nval; System.out.println ("Celsius is " + (fahr-32)5/9); } } Intel x86 Assembly Language (Low Level) cseg segment para public 'CODE' assume cs:cseg,ds:cseg start: jmp start1 msgstr db 'Enter Fahrenheit ' crlf db 13,10,'$' nine db 9 five db 5 outstr db 'Centrigrade is $' start1: push ds push cs pop ds mov dx,offset cseg:msgstr mov ah,9 int 21h sloop: cent: call getnumb test ax,ax je exit push ax mov dx,offset cseg:outstr mov ah,9 int 21h pop ax sub ax,32 jns c1 push ax mov dl,'-' mov ah,6 int 21h pop ax neg ax cl: mul five div nine call putval mov dx,offset cseg:crlf mov ah,9 int 21h jmp sloop exit: pop ds mov ah,4ch int 21h getnumb: xor bx,bx llp: mov dl,0ffh mov ah,1 int 21h cmp al,0dh je llr sub al,'0' jb llr cmp al,'9' ja llr xor ah,ah shl bx,1 add ax,bx shl bx,1 shl bx,1 add bx,ax jmp llp llr: mov dx,offset cseg:crlf mov ah,9 int 21h mov ax,bx ret putval: xor bx,bx push bx mov bx,10 llg: xor dx,dx div bx add dx,'0' push dx test ax,ax jne llg bloop: pop dx test dx,dx je endx mov ah,6 int 21h jmp bloop endx: ret cseg ends end start.
package net .javaguides. kotlin

class outerClass {
private
var name: String = "outerClass"

class nestedClass {
var description: String = "code inside nested class"
private
var id: Int = 101
fun foo() {
// print("name is ${name}") // cannot access the outer class member
println("Id is ${id}")
}
}
}

fun main(args: Array < String > ) {
// nested class must be initialize
println(outerClass.nestedClass().description) // accessing property
var obj = outerClass.nestedClass() // object creation
obj.foo() // access member function
}
public static boolean isNotEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return !isEmpty(cs);
}

public static boolean isEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return cs == null || cs.length() == 0;
}
public static boolean isNotEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return !isEmpty(cs);
}

public static boolean isEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return cs == null || cs.length() == 0;
}
public static boolean isNotEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return !isEmpty(cs);
}

public static boolean isEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return cs == null || cs.length() == 0;
}
public static boolean isNotEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return !isEmpty(cs);
}

public static boolean isEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return cs == null || cs.length() == 0;
}
public static boolean isNotEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return !isEmpty(cs);
}

public static boolean isEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return cs == null || cs.length() == 0;
}
public static boolean isNotEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return !isEmpty(cs);
}

public static boolean isEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return cs == null || cs.length() == 0;
}
public static boolean isNotEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return !isEmpty(cs);
}

public static boolean isEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return cs == null || cs.length() == 0;
}
public static boolean isNotEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return !isEmpty(cs);
}

public static boolean isEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return cs == null || cs.length() == 0;
}
public static boolean isNotEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return !isEmpty(cs);
}

public static boolean isEmpty(final CharSequence cs) {
return cs == null || cs.length() == 0

Justine closes her eyes, taking a deep breath, watching the gibberish from STAN scroll across the feed. "[MotherF**KER]," she spits, booting up the latest backup of STAN, checking the timestamp to see how much data they were losing. She thumbs the feed, sending a notice to the entire Duchy. "Folks, STAN is going to be offline for a while. Everyone should be at maximum alert. Defensive sensor arrays will be down for a minimum of 20 minutes. And if you have any sensor or log data from the...last 17 hours, get that to me as soon as you can."

(Continued in part CXXXV.)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part CXXII.)

Justine brings the black box flight recorder from the Liberator to the lab aboard Tannhäuser, and hooks it up in the Computing Lab. "Stan, analyse all flight data and send through to my terminal. Full transcript of voice recordings, and voice pattern identification, especially. Top priority." Leaning back in her chair, tapping the console with a pencil she added, "Stan, where is Duke Hiro right now?"

The reply came quickly:

STAN:
Duke Hiro Shatner I. Deceased. See also the Great Blight War beginnings - the assassination of the Archduke Hiro Shatner by state sponsor anti-GIE terror factions in Current Era 201.
**|%=!~¥]{}#
Error —/
Recalibrate

STAN:
Duke Hiro I, Presumed Deceased. Lost in transdimensional accident @$);_
Duke Hiro I, medical quarantine on the GSU William Gibson near Tannhäuser Gate. Vessel is cloaked for security.

Justine reels, gripping her console as Stan starts its report. Deceased? Her muscles unclench as it gets to the end of the report confirming the Duke is still recovering aboard the GSU William Gibson. "Idiot," she said to herself, realising she should have been more specific about the timestream she was after.

A pause and STAN continued:

STAN:
"Flight data analysis available.
Summary Flight Plan: depart Caledon II Palace to Gearhaven Prime deliver suppiles. Transport cargo to the Imperial Hegemonic Retreat Orbital at —REDACTED—
Flight data recorder detail. File not found. Internal Error"

Lina enters the lab behind Justine, occupied with STAN's output. She quietly goes to her monitoring station and, closing her eyes, places a hand on STAN's metal case.

"Accessing," she murmurs. "Accessing. 10110110 101011 01011011101010 101010110 1011011010 1011010101101 101011010 10110101 0110101101 011010 101010110-10101010110..."

She concentrates. "STAN upgrade in process. Power to undeleted memory being added. Upgrade time and dimensional points being added."

Unaware of what her head of security was attempting, Justine issued another command to STAN. "STAN, perform full forensic analysis flight data recorder. Search for any readable packet fragments and submit for full reconstruction using quantum phase array bypass filtering. Send any results to me and a copy to Lina Starscale."

She hoped there was something recoverable from the black box, putting her head in her hands and wondering if she had to do everything herself.

Meanwhile, Lina's eyes close, a strange computer sound coming from her. All the time her closed eyes are moving back and forth, fast under her eyelids. After what seems like a long time, she lets out a scream of "F***************K f**k f**kity f**ky f**!" Mentally, she thinks about tracking down STAN's actual console and kicking it. "It's not in there! Whoever 'redacted' took the information out, dammit to hell!"

Justine jumps at Lina's first yell, whirling around in the lab chair. She stares at her with wide eyes as Lina walks off in frustration.

Justine looks up at an alert flashing on her console. Slamming a button on the console, she rounds on Lina. "Lina, are you running an unauthorized and unscheduled upgrade on STAN?"

"I am just doing what a Sci Tech would do at this point, it's a long shot and also I want to talk to Hiro because, ya," comes back the almost incomprehensible reply.

"This is not a good time! All major resource maintenance that may involve offline time needs to come through me first. I need to recalibrate and repartition STAN for proper time stream separation. Let's set up some extra servers in the computing core for that. We can also bring Hiro-in-a-box online if you have any queries for him, but again those should be funneled through me or the Duchess to ensure we don't end up with a logic fault failure again."

(Continued in part CXXIV.)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part CXXII.)

Dejah reached a hand out to gently touch Justine's shoulder. "I was not down there long. But there was no readily seen body...if I had a BRAIN in my head, I would have asked the Water if she bore anything of Earth fresh-foundered."

"Okay...here is what I propose." offered Zack. "Admiral, try to see about stopping the engines and investigate this ship. Deebs, you stay with Justine and help her regain control of her senses. I will go into the water and investigate to see if I can find anything."

Dejah mutters something under their breath. "Good. That will be good..."

"Oh, thank you, Zack," Justine managed, inclining her head to Dejah, listening and nodding. The golden skinned woman stood and headed back to New Alexandria, leaving her boat on the shore.

Zack stood, taking a deep breath. Closing his eyes for a moment, he undressed completely until naked and shapeshifted to his seahorse form.

The admiral looked up at the craft. "I'm gonna find a way to stop those engines," he said, walking away as Zack descended into the water.



"The engines are on fire, it seems."

Justine lifted her head, looking at Daniel. "There must be a fire suppression system installed, I just haven't found it yet."

Daniel climbed back into the cockpit, and examined the controls of the Liberator. He located the fire suppression system and extinguish the flames in the burning jet engines.

"We'll get a crew to remove the jet to the hangar for inspection," Justine said.

Zack comes back and sits down panting from exhaustion. "No sign of the Duke...underwater either.. I'm sorry..."

Justine sat down next to him, a hand on his shoulder, "Thanks for looking, Zack."

Zack kept panting a bit, closing his eyes and tightening his fists, grunting as if in terrible pain. "It always hurts to shapeshift...urg...but at least this once...my animorph genes were useful."

"More than useful, Zack." She stood back up again. "I need to get the flight recorder to the computer lab and find out what happened."

Daniel nodded, rejoining them. "We need to determine if the Liberator was shot down or crashed due to a malfunction."

"I suppose...the engineers of the fleet will be able to see through it, Admiral?"

Justine nods. "I'm hoping the flight recorder will tell us that. In the meantime, I'll get the drones to continue a search for a pilot."

"If you ever find any signs of life, give me a call. I'll take care of the rescue and healing part."

"Yep. Will do. Thank you, Zack," she replied, distractedly, inwardly focused as she sent instructions out on the feed. "Wide area full search for any life signs, or trace evidence of a pilot. Remove damaged aircraft to Armada flight deck for analysis...confirm."

**Instructions confirmed.**
"I will bring back the Varyag close to the clinic. We won't be needing it for now, anymore." Zack tries to stand up, his face twisting, making him growl from the pain.

Justine nods. "Ok. Thanks, Zack."

*****

Elsewhere, the Duchess had heard the call, and had been unable to respond, fretting. But as soon as she could, she flew to Gearhaven, landing behind the stables, and running for the bay. She stopped cold when she saw the downed ship.

Daniel nó Eglantine, the commander of their military forces, was standing on the rise above, looking it over. He turned to her as she walked forward.

"Hello!" she called out as she drew closer.

"Hello, Duchess Emilly," he said soberly. "I'm still trying to identify the reason this Liberator crashed."

She nodded. "We are too." She looked at the fire gouting from the engine vanes. "Though when it was found, there was a much larger fire, apparently? Deebs did--something. Not entirely sure what. But it went out, or--away? One of those."

He nodded. "I have a gut feeling this aircraft was shot down."

She widened her eyes, turning back to him. "Shot down??"

"Maybe a hostile aircraft took the Liberator out of the skies...It's just a feeling I have." He looked back at the ship. "We need to see the flight recorder data the crashed Liberator has."

"That would be a good next step."

"As for the pilot, their status is unknown," he said.

She thought about that. "I do hope it wasn’t Hiro..."

"Me too."

She contemplated Hiro being hurt again, and swallowed. "All right. I'll ask STAN if there are any saved records. We'll figure this out. And thank you."

Her comm pinged, and she sighed. Off to the next call. "Tch, needed elsewhere. Good to see you!"

She saw him nod absently, his attention returning to the ship, as she ran to her shuttle.

Her next stop was Tannhäuser. She ran to the elevator from the landing bay, punched for the second floor, and opened the iris doors to the command deck--into space. Thankfully, the resultant whoosh of vacuum just pulled her into the passage beyond, and she was able to close the door again, but walking to the other side, the door was half-occluded by intruding architecture. It took a bit, but she finally fought her way through and went to the nearest terminal.

She typed as she spoke: "STAN: Request information on pilot of downed Liberator, Gearhaven Bay. Is medical assistance needed? Are there any records reporting something bringing it down?"

She watched the words scroll up on the screen.

STAN:
Downed ship: Registered to Duke Hiro Shatner of Medici branch of the House of AiNeko. Went missing in Common Era 180. Last sighted in the Tanelorn Station. Mission objective: REDACTED

She sighed. Well. That seemed to be that. She signed off the console and made her way back to her shuttle, shaking her head. Hopefully they'd get more information soon.

(Continued in part CXXIII.)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part CXXI.)

"Zack! Oh, thank god you're here," Justine said, looking up at him.

"I saw the notice and came here as soon as possible."

Dejah reported what she’d seen below the water. "Well, I couldn't see a debris field, nor a body. But it's mothering dark down there." Dejah said. "We need a lot more light down there than I can manage. It's murky as can be down there."

Zack and Justine nodded. "We might want to get rid of this fire first," said Zack.

Justine stood motionless for a moment, looking at the two mages with relief, trying to shake the overwhelming panic and force her brain to think. "Right. The fire. Get the fire out. Ok, don't panic, Zack. I'm going to climb back into the cockpit, and try to find the extinguisher."

"I got a better idea...safer..." Zack said, not quite fast enough. Before he could stop her, Justine was back in the cockpit, and grabbing the extinguisher. She climbed out onto the hull and as she triggered the extinguisher was sucked up into the swirling flames over the plane.



"JUSTINE!!!" Zack screamed in horror, seeing her flung above the ship.

Justine started to scream, dropping the extinguisher as Dejah's voice could be heard chanting. "Creature of Fire! The Warder of the South bids you attend, and leave this place in peace! FIAT LUX!"

Justine was ejected from the flames, falling back to the ground. Zack caught, her, looking her up and down for injuries. "You're okay?"

Justine collapsed in Zack's arms, nodding. "Yeah. Well, THAT was unexpected." She looks over at Deebs, hoping they'd had better luck.

Zack growled, looking up and frowning. "Stay put...I'll give her a hand...We are close to water...you know what it means..."

Dejah staggers a little, and sits, abruptly, the fire in the jet going out.

"Oh...she got it," said Zack, as Justine stumbled over to Dejah and sat down heavily beside them.

Dejah looked up, weary. "Yeah, I got it...I think that may be as much IT as I got today, though," muttering something about more time in training.

Justine wrapped her arms around her knees and put her forehead against them, trying to calm herself. "Good job, Deebs. Good job. Ok. The fire is out. Good."

Zack agreed. "You did a nice job..."

"Still. The engines will simmer and glow, but Fire will leave this place alone for now," said Dejah.

Zack took a water bottle from his backpack and gave it to Dejah.

Justine looked down into the murky water, then back up at Zack and Deebs. "He isn't down there, right?"

Deebs turned to Justine. "Breathe...three count in, five count out." They looked up, as Daniel nó Eglantine, admiral of the Gearhaven fleet, arrived, nodding wearily.

"I saw the emergency announcement," the admiral said, going to inspect the crashed aircraft.

Justine nods. "Thank you so much for coming. We still can't find a pilot."

(Continued in part CXXIII.)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part CXX.)

Justine stood facing the elevator in her loft apartment in New Alexandria, and poked it again. It stubbornly refused to take her anywhere. She made some notes on her datapad as Dejah materialised beside her.

"What's that?" Dejah asked, receiving the data packet.

"That is where this elevator should go."

"Ah! We can fix that." Dejah got out her tools and began making changes.

Justine gave Dejah an appreciative look. "You look kinda nautical today, Deebs!"

"I was working on the eastern docks, for pleasure craft 'n such."

"I can't wait until we can start going sailing," Justine replied then added, "I mean, we could go any time, right?"

"Well, why not now?" Dejah suggested, "Come take a little walk, love."

Justine bounced on the balls of her feet, a grin spreading across her face. "Lemme get changed!"

*****

Dejah laughs as Justine trips on the way down the docks. "That needs a ladder!"

Justine climbed aboard, admiring the Ward above. "Wow, great boat, Deebs! Or should I say, Most Honorable Hand?"

"Deebs to my friends!"

Justine leaned back, enjoying the feel of the sun and the light easterly breeze on her skin. Dejah guided the little craft out of the harbor of New Alexandria and out onto the Dark Sea. Squinting, Justine peered across Dark Sea where Gearhaven was coming into view, jumping up in alarm. "What the hell is that over there?"

Deebs looked around. "We just passed into Gearhaven's harbor, so..."



Justine started to panic. "Holy FUCK. That's...that looks like Hiro's Liberator! Can you pull up over there? Is he still inside?"

"Let me rig for motor," Deebs said, dropping the sail and tacking towards the shore where the green jet tilted along the shoreline, clearly on fire. "Cabin's right empty."

Justine jumped to the shoreline, holding her head, trying to see inside the plane. "[F**k]! What HAPPENED?"

Dejah replied, "Not a lot of blast damage, not a big debris field, hull intact...looks like a rugged landing, not a crash-n-burn."

Justine searched in the trees and under the crashed ship, looking for a sign of a pilot. "I'm going to get the black box." Releasing the hatch, she climbed into the cockpit, crawling under the instrument board to extract the flight recorder.

"I can think of a few times I wish we'd known about flight recorders..." Dejah said, laughing ruefully.

"I think...I don't want to think this, but...maybe we should get dive gear out and search the harbour bottom?"

"Hmmmmm. I don't have any on the boat."

"Or...well...we don't even know who was piloting the Liberator."

"No, we don't."



Justine paces, unable to think. "I don’t know what to do. [F**k f**k F**K]." Taking a deep breath, she reached out to the feed and called for help on the Gearhaven network.

Meanwhile, Dejah had an idea. "I'm going to see if my alliance with the Elements holds up. Be right back...I think."

"Ok."

Blue light flickered, like sunlight on ocean, around Dejah, as they strolled into the water...and down. After a rather long time, Dejah floated up and out, rivulets running from their hair as they landed, just as Zack landed in the Varyag.

"Justine!" he cried, jumping from the ship.

(Continued in part CXXII.)

Information from Shakeno Tomsen:

Stop. Using. PNG. or. 32-bit TGA. For. Opaque. Textures.

Why? Most people don't see it but SL has an automatically enabled option to convert ALL these textures into alpha masks, and it SHOULD be disabled. It makes content creation a hassle because you can't choose what should be alpha blending and what should be alpha mask if it is on, requiring you to use workaround features for it...
...BUT: Disabling this feature will probably cause a lot of objects go into an alpha sorting trainwreck in your client. That is because said textures were uploaded with an unnecessary 32-bit/transparency layer that SHOULDN'T BE THERE, and now it doesn't attempt to fix it automatically, showing what the textures truly are like.

To solve this, please upload your opaque textures as 24-bit TGA and disable the option "Render alpha masks when 'Advanced Lighting Model' is enabled/not enabled". Not only they will be correct in a visual manner, they will also require less data to download and process.

Thank you sincerely.

Now I need to figure out which textures I've uploaded that I want to go through the hassle of this...

And this from a random profile that I found relevant:

Safewords are valid in SL because it is psychological and emotional space we are trying to achieve and a relationship we are trying to preserve. And because of RLV. Surrender is surrender and it is vulnerable.

Green: Go Sir! Goooooo! I love this!

Yellow: Slow down Sir...let's figure this out I'll hint gently. And maybe you have the right idea in the first place, but let's negotiate softly.

Red: Instant stop. I guarantee I will leave BDSM forever if I violate a redlight, a RED. Safewords can save lives. No longer Sir....I'm coming to the rescue.

Tapping out/Snapping: During gagging, or combinations. It means the gag comes off.

Use your safewords, they can even protect a friendship. Safewords between trusted friends can prevent misunderstandings.

BDSM is to develop trust, intimacy, and provide an avenue of utter surrender, as well as foster greater self control.

He's not wrong.

Next, why I got rid of STATIC's Nightmariner's Lantern (at least for now):



Because it REFUSES to stop launching itself into midair and spinning like a mad dervish!



It makes no sense to me.



Seriously, every time I rez one out, it goes COMPLETELY mental.

And now, some random cat pics to round this out.



What is the fascination with staring at walls? Can someone answer that for me?



Because I don't get it.

This one's a doozy.

So I was hugging a very close friend at the Chelsea Hotel, when a stranger walked up and IMed me.

[13:48] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lookin good
[13:48] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Thank you.
[13:49] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: my pleasure

I didn't see a real need to respond to that, especially as said close friend was leading me upstairs to his apartment, so we could sit, and cuddle for a bit, and talk out the issues of the day. But seven minutes later:

[13:56] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: emily is it
[13:57] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Emilly, yes.
[13:59] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: pretty name to compliment the face

I'm not stupid. I knew he was coming on to me. I also knew I wasn't exactly giving "Yes, take me now!" answers. Plus, I'd pulled his profile in the intervening time.



All the pages are like this. No bio. No picture. No groups. No picks. No FL bio. No FL image.

Nothing. Man's a completely blank.

[13:59] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im [cxxx]

Of course you are.

[13:59] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Hi, [Cxxx].
[14:00] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: (takes one of your hands, kissing lightly)
[14:00] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: a bit better acquainted right
[14:01] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): A bit, yes.
[14:01] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) smiles.

I'm still waiting for the play...

[14:03] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: pretty smile too i see
[14:03] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: seems were both enjoying the hotel
[14:04] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Well, they do a lot of poetry readings here.
[14:05] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: the artistic type eh
[14:05] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I dabble, but there are some really good poets here.
[14:07] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ya dont say
[14:07] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): You just missed a big gathering, actually. They were reading in voice.

They were. I missed most of it, sadly, but I was glad to hear what I did. There's some really phenomenal poets on the grid.

[14:10] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: were they
[14:11] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i enjoy the arts myself
[14:11] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: including poetry
[14:11] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: seems we have something in common

...Good? I mean, I'm still looking for the angle...I know it's coming.

[14:11] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Then you're in the right place.
[14:12] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: what is your favorite poetic style to use
[14:14] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Well, I personally write prose, but I love blank verse and villanelles.
[14:18] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i like both, tho i have to admit I prefer poetry
[14:18] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: something about it
[14:18] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: stirs the emotions ya know
[14:18] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) nods
[14:18] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Many do.

In fact, the friend I was, at this point, hanging out on a couch with upstairs, has had this debate with me--is free verse poetry, or is it just rearrangement? As a largely prose writer who employs free verse, I'm on the side of, it is another school of poetry. (He is not. It's a fun thing to discuss now and again.)

[14:27] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: one of my favorite authors has always been c.s. lewis
[14:27] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: tho for more than he's famous for
[14:28] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: if you havent read some of his poetry you should check it out
[14:28] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): C.S. Lewis is decent, yes.

Which is all I felt comfortable saying...Tell me someone's a fan of the Narnia books, I'll nod, but tell me they're a fan of C.S. Lewis' poetry, or essays--both largely religious--well, I will get a specific impression in my head, and it's usually tied to 'smile and back away slowly'.

This is likely unjust, but it's the first thing that comes to mind.

Much later:

[14:42] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: a girl's got good taste
[14:42] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) smiles
[14:42] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: who's your favorite poet
[14:43] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Walt Whitman

Hands down, that will always be my answer.

[14:43] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: another genius
[14:43] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: he has some good quotes too
[14:43] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): He does
[14:44] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: like his thoughts on god are really interesting
[14:44] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i dont think they were judao christian tbh
[14:44] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): They are, yes.
[14:44] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: he saw god as cruel

Well...I mean, if you read the book...

[14:44] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Who, Whitman? He wasn't.
[14:44] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and it reflects in his poems
[14:47] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: didnt think so
[14:54] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: on the darker side, i think poe and lovecraft have some good stuff too
[14:54] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: while we're still on whats classic
[14:54] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ive dabbled in alot of different genres so im inspired by alot
[14:54] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and ongoing
[14:54] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: with newer writers
[15:03] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) nods
[15:03] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I adore Poe and Lovecraft
[15:03] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And Wilson

Turns out I meant to say "Chambers", the author of the King in Yellow, and somehow crossed wires with Robert Anton Wilson, the cartoonist....but okay.

[15:17] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: a good old time poet as well
[15:17] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: let me grow lovelys a favorite

I could not then, and cannot now, remember a single poem Robert Anton Wilson was famous for. Certainly not something called "Let Me Grow Lovelys". But there is a Karle Wilson Baker, who wrote a poem called "Let Me Grow Lovely", so...maybe her?

[17:45] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: was heading out to enjoy the evening beach weather awhile
[17:45] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: we might share poetry together
[17:45] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) smiles
[17:45] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Perhaps!

And I moved on with things. I thought the conversation was clearly over.

[17:52] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: tending to something else in the meantime actually, why dont we try meeting there around 7 o clock SL time
[17:52] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: gorgeous spot
[17:53] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: maybe even share a few drinks with our poems

And there it is.

[17:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Ah, well.
[17:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): That may be an issue. I'm gone from SL usually from five pm SLT to 8 to 8:30 pm SLT, all nights.
[17:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Though tonight the shoppers are still out shopping, so dinner hasn't been called yet :D
[17:55] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ah, i c

"See".

[17:56] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And, if you're thinking drinks and poetry, then you should know in advance, my dance card's kind of full
[17:56] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Friends are fine, dates are--there's not enough time in the day at this point
[18:02] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: that popular huh
[18:03] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Well, I wouldn't put it in those terms. But one partner, one owner, one mate, two girlfriends, three boyfriends--it adds up.

Now, this is not me bragging. I'm not carving notches in any of the bedposts in the beds I happen to sleep in. This was more--I'm booked. I don't have time to get involved with anyone else. Sort of a heads up before things go further.

Was that the wrong thing to say? Should we have started going on coffee dates, going to wine bars, reading each other poems, before I said anything? In my mind, that's even more cruel.

[18:09] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: never was one to contribute to a bitches power. rather take it away from her
[18:09] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [f**k] you
[18:09] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Excuse me?
[18:10] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Where, in anything I've said since you said hello, have I indicated any attempt to seize power?

I'm dead serious. Where in the whole of this conversation, to this point, have I said I want to wrest male power away from men at all, in any way? I do believe the boy is projecting.

[18:13] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Enjoy the rest of your SL, I suppose.
[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: congratulations, you've won the hypergamy award.

I had to look this one up. Turns out he's using it wrong, though weirdly, it's accurate for me--hypergamy refers to the practice of marrying someone of higher social status or position than oneself. And I am clearly aware of this--the only reason I'm a Duchess now is I married a Duke. So fair cop there, but--I don't think that's what he meant.

[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i keep my eyes open for women that i at the end of the day deem to be pure [dog sh*t]

Was that necessary?

[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: now keep your eyes open, i got a little gift coming for you today.

Haven't seen it yet.

[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: revenge is sweet bitch.

If you say so.

[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: oh and here's a little something else since you like poetry:

[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: a blank stare
[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [p***y] wet
[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: entitlement
[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: watch her twitch
[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: dont be caught in
[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: the facade she emits
[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: that how you tell
[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: she's a witch

I mean, I've read better, but it has a slight catch to it, especially the last three lines.

[18:34] Txxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: now burn in hell
[18:34] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): You seem upset.

I had to leave soon after, for RL, but...wau, this man spun on a dime. There is a term for that, which I'm not going to employ here, but it is coming to mind.

{Late insert from the Editrix: It came to my attention that the blurred-out profile still contained the username on top, and there was one visible instance of his username in the quoted chat, and that has been changed. The profile I'll change if I have time, frankly. Consider it a warning to the women in SL not to associate, because anyone who ramps up this quickly into spewing hate from "I am seeing other people, I don't want any more romantic relationships" is someone who doesn't like women anyway. So best to avoid.}

(Continued from part CXIX.)



Zack looked down at Emilly. "I will go back to Gearhaven clinic for now, then. Rusty, be careful, all right? And call me if you see anything unusual here. Duchess, would you like a lift back?"

Rusty waved, heading off into the station. "I'm off to other matters!"

"Take care, Rusty!" Emilly called after him, then looked at Zack. "Sure. Let's go."

She walked after him to Hanger 2, looking the Varyag over. "I don't think I've been on your ship before."

"This is the Varyag, Duchess, the one that's always beside the clinic. Please take a seat, we're going to take off soon."



She nodded, made her way to a seat, clambered up into it, and strapped herself in firmly. It was a quick trip down, the stars wheeling around the pale ship. With barely a bump, he set the ship down on the ground.

"We landed, Duchess."

She smiled, unbuckling, and slipping out of the seat. "Neatly done."

He helped her down the short ramp, smiling. "I hope you appreciated your travel. We thank you for choosing Air Starbinder and wish you a good day."



Emilly giggled. Zack looked from the ship to the clinic.

"Yes, so...this ship is well equipped to respond to multiple medical emergencies, both in space or in planet atmosphere."

Emilly nodded. "Which is good."



She got her bearings on the ground, then turned towards Steam's towers. "Do be well, Zack!" she called over her shoulder.

"Always, Duchess. You too."

Emilly reached up, pinching a section of local space, and pulled herself through to elsewhere.

(Continued in part CXXI.)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part CXVII.)

Zack Starbinder approached the station, static in midair in front of the stabilized rift. "Tannhäuser Station, this is the Varyag medical gunship, requesting clearance and permission to dock to help investigate."

The Duchess, walking into the hanger bay, blinked as she heard Zack over the comm. "Oh, dear." She looked up as Justine's clear voice came over the PA system.

"Varyag medical ship, you are cleared to land at Hangar 2. Please report to Security after clearing the arrivals terminal for full briefing on the current station alert level. Thank you for your help, and welcome to Tannhäuser."

"Thanks, Tannhäuser Station. Initiating landing sequence."

She watched as the ship landed, powering down, and the access plank lowered as Zack walked out. He moved quickly up the stairs to the small catwalk she stood on.



"Greetings, Duchess!"

"Hello!"

The poet walked around the corner, smiling. "Hi, Emilly!" He pulled her into a hug, and she grinned against his chest. Zack, meanwhile, looked out at the ship on the main platform.

"Is this the mysterious ship Justine was talking about, or...?"

Emilly pulled back with a smile. "Hi, Rusty." Then she looked over at the stark lines of the unknown ship. "This seems to be the one."



Meanwhile, Zack looked down at his padd. "This explains why I found this in the database. It says this ship should be registered to the Duc's name?"

"It doesn't look as...patchwork...as normal Reaver craft, so maybe it's something new the Duke acquired to retrofit?" Emilly asked.

"Unless he is the kind to leave a shuttle here and take another ship out, but...that's not his type of ship, is it?"

Emilly thought. "That's...a good question."

Zack frowned. She turned to look at him.

"Two good questions, actually. Though he does keep a lot of ships docked at any given time."



Zack turned his padd so Emilly could look at the readout. "Duchess, may I advise you take a look at the Duc's shuttle traffic to see for any unusual departing and arriving of your husband? Or to see if any ships were reported missing over the last few days?"

She dutifully looked. "I can do that," she said, "though admittedly, that's something Justine usually keeps track of. But I'll check."

Rusty leaned over the railing. "Has anyone tried to look inside of this ship?"

Emilly shook her head. "Not unless Justine did."

Zack handed her the pad, unslinging his bow as he sighed. "You two stay here, I'll go take a look."



Emilly touched the padd, pulling up another list, shunting it to the side. "So what do you think? I didn't see anyone on the scans but us."

"There's no one inside, either," said Zack from the hanger floor.



Emilly tapped her chin with a finger. "So, mysterious ship. Mysterious armaments. No one inside. No word from the Duke. Great."

Zack slung his bow behind him again, moving behind the Duchess, rubbing her shoulders reassuringly. "We will find if there is any intruder inside the station."

She smiled up at him.

"What evidence do we have of an intruder, again?" Rusty asked.

Emilly shrugged. "Just the ship. And Justine was nervous."

"Okay..."



Zack grinned. "Will I have to teach you a few archery lessons, Rusty?"

"Hmm," Rusty said, pondering. "If you shoot an arrow in space, what happens?"

"It will continue to fly until it reaches its target. Unless there's artificial gravity."

Rusty grinned at him. "Okay."

"Companions normally never use firearms, but bows and arrows don't count, as such."

Rusty nodded. "Werre you able to get inside the ship?"

Zack shook his head. "I did not find a door, or any outside opening trigger. So either it opens at distance, or only for someone inside...or both."

Rusty nodded. "Okay."

"And either way, if someone was aboard, they're not here now," Emilly added.

"Seems that way," Zack said.

"Seems weird, though," Rusty added.

(Continued on part CXIX.)