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[shipmaster]

Threads, continuations and TDM INSIDE

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[shipmaster]

[ They frown at the door and back away, wasting several long, hard moments staring at the fused surface. Silence is never a good thing, they always prefered panic and disarray when dealing with an enemy. They kept the plasma arc to hand as they scoured the rest of the room.

They had little leisure to explore the potential-weapons, though they dearly wished. Bel's hands practically itched for having something new and deadly to experiment with, but the chances they were remote control were high and not particularly comforting.

The device though... The case? Locked. Bel strips their suit jacket a moment, wraps it around a fist and breaks the face of the case with a smart blow to the front. Not bulletproof, at least. ]

Admiral! You might want a shot of this... [ As much as the indecipherable and dizzying amount of controls were certainly a boon for science.... This they could sell to StarkTech. ]

[dendarii]

[ Now there's something interesting. Miles brightens instantly, coming over to peer at the strange object. And, of course, snap pictures of it too. ]

Theft is probably too dangerous, alas. [ He murmurs, but his eyes are still wicked bright. ] Take it out anyway. I want to get a better angle.

[ Sell to Starktech and get a duplicate made, surely. Behind them, the Porter's hum is increasing in pitch - a stark contrast to the quiet outside their door. ]

What do you suppose it does?

[shipmaster]

Makes the army sandwiches for all I could know. [ They murmur back, an ironic uptwist to their lips.

Like all good Dendari, there was no hesitation reaching immediately after the order was given in full. It reacts immediately to Bel's touch, the lights within beginning to swirl - at the same tempo of the revving Porter defences.

Visible to Miles, a bit of that color seems to seep out of the orb and travel down Bel's arm in a strangely viscous manner. ]

[dendarii]

[ Bless Bel for being Dendarii through and through. Though Miles leans in with some alarm when he sees Bel start to turn colors along their arm. ]

That doesn't look like sandwiches. Does it hurt?

[ He puts his own hand on the orb too just to find out. ]

1/3

[shipmaster]

[ Bel is certainly struck with more fascination than horror. (Curiosity was and will forever be their downfall.) ]

No, it's more cold th- Miles! [ Now there's horror, mostly at Miles putting himself in danger. There's a pause, the lights quickly engulf both of them, set in those odd patterns and sense distortion they both find familiar as a jump...

And the world goes dark. ]

[shipmaster]

My Word, isn't this peculiar? Well, in honor of your particularly amazing decision making, I suppose we can work out the terms.

[shipmaster]

[ When the Blank that used to be Miles awakens, he's in a small, near barren room. A small table sits next to the simple bed, a telescope like device is perched upon it.

Dressed in a green tunic and green pants, an extra uniform cut to his particular size and measurements sits folded on the bed. On his arm is a bracer with a lizard curling upon it. No other clues of where he is, how he got there, or who he is can be found in this barren, cold place. ]

[dendarii]

[ He was - he was just -

It all fades in an instant, like foam on the tide. One moment, he's staring at that glowing orb in their hands. The next ... Stone. It's always been stone, hasn't it? He can't remember anything else, so it has to have been stone only, stone forever, stone just like ...

(No, it passes too. He doesn't think of Beta Colony's warrens or his father's rocky telepathic terrain.)

With a groan, he levers himself out of bed. Turns his wrist over, pries at the bracer a moment. Returns to the telescope but doesn't look yet; instead, he grips it one hand as he heads out the door of his room. Ready to use it in case he encounters someone less friendly. ]

Hello? Anyone there?

[shipmaster]

[ The herm's first response hadn't been fight or flight, no weapon brought out, they'd watched their image more than once, trying to determine who it was, and why it was important. Stripped the bedding, moved the bed, nearly broken the night stand and took apart anything else they could find to examine for some sort of sign.

Thus, when the blank edges his way out into the common room, someone else is already out there, fingers running along the carved message on the wall...

Thou art a Blank slate, unburdened from thy past.

Thou shalt fight in the Judges' games, to reclaim thy past.

Thou shalt honor the rule of the Judges above all else here and know no other patrons.

Who was once thy friends and allies mattereth not to a Blank. Thy unit is thy family here. None other can thou trust.

Thou hast entered this place willingly. ]

Someone is, I'm sorry if I can't be more specific... I don't suppose you know?

[dendarii]

[ He stops short, still gripping the telescope, but - all right, this person isn't quite what what he was expecting. Not that he knows what he was expecting. Just ... something more dangerous than a person standing there, reading the wall.

He cautiously moves to one side of them and stares up. ]

No. No idea. [ A beat. ] But you're tall.

[shipmaster]

[ The herm considers the shorter stranger, after a moment, touching their own neck briefly. ]

And you're crooked. I wonder which one of us is stranger. [ It's said brightly, almost lightly, fingers dropping to alight on his face. ] Or if there is anyone else at all.

[dendarii]

[ Miles jolts a little at the hand on his face. Not ... sure if he likes that?? Mostly he's frazzled as his mind flails wildly, trying to latch onto anything it can. ]

There has to be. I mean, there's games, right? And Judges? That sounds like people.

[shipmaster]

[ They pull back, hand dropping to their side. ]

Do they count? It says they aren't to be trusted.

[dendarii]

Even people we can't trust are still people. Probably.

[ He's reasonably certain of that, anyway. ]

Anyway, we're in the same colors, so bet that means we can trust each other.

[shipmaster]

[ They answer that with a rolling shrug, either way is fine. ]

There is that... I'm not sure what I should call you.

[dendarii]

[ Miles flashes them a brilliant grin. ]

Handsome, maybe? Interesting?

[shipmaster]

[ Again, that moment of thought and nearly feline regard before they break into a laugh. ]

Yes, certainly that.

[dendarii]

[ He rather likes both of those things, he thinks. And he's instantly fascinated by watching them play out on his other person's face. ]

Maybe a bit more towards beautiful for you. You have a lovely face.

[shipmaster]

[ They reach up and slide their own fingers across their own face as if they could map out what lovely or beautiful wa- Ah! They look up with a sudden thought, and push their telescope towards Miles. ]

Here, look at this. Tell me if it is me. [ It had and hadn't sounded like them, in that odd way recordings do. Enough to be suspicious and enough to doubt. ]

[dendarii]

What, in here?

[ He blinks down at the device, but -- all right, he's game. He sets his own down on the floor in favor of looking into theirs. ]

[shipmaster]

In there, it's the most unique thing so f-

[ Their enthusiastic answer is cut off as his world is overtaken by sight and sound. The herm is standing, cocksure and with an odd trace of dark humor, dressed in some brilliantly colorful formalwear showing off male and female traits.

"As far as sacrifices go, it'll be worth it." Here their smile turns ironic. "I do this willingly." ]

[dendarii]

[ The clothes are different but the rest match well enough. Miles looks between the two carefully. ]

It's you all right. Talking about sacrifices. Which isn't the most comforting thing I've ever heard.

[shipmaster]

That's me, then?

[ They exhale at that confirmation. The other blank taps a finger against their lips. ]

No, it really isn't. None of this is. I think the only thing comforting so far is the arrival of company. [ Not that they seem particularly dampened by it either. ]

[dendarii]

[ There is something electrifying about the possibility of danger. He can feel it too, thrumming in his bones. ]

Well, I'm glad to have you too. And if you're in yours, I assume I'm in mine.

[ He indicates his own telescope. ]

[shipmaster]

You haven't looked? Mind if I...?