You are what you eat? Let's HOPE not.... [OPEN]
((OOC: Buyer beware--lots of narrative/introspection going on here. Click at your own risk, and be TL;DRed at.))
These past days--weeks, now? Time seemed to blur together disorientingly here--had been long ones. In spite of being alone--as alone as she ever could be, at least--, however, Edriss still felt she was making progress. To an inferior mind, it must have looked like she was doing nothing but reeling in shock at the sudden catastrophic change that had befallen her, wandering aimlessly and trying to adjust to the new life that had been given to her--but she knew better.
Every hour spent exploring the ship's layout, studying the voluminous backlog of messages on the Omnicomm system, or perusing the offerings of this Media Library was time well-invested in gathering knowledge suitable to this new environment. Every hour spent familiarizing herself with the Hub, the Medical Bay, the Sensoriums, the City.... all of it was vital intelligence to allow her to get where she needed as quickly and quietly as possible, should it become necessary. All of it was useful in establishing herself as a new crew member, lost and bewildered, overwhelmed, innocuous, benign. All of it served a purpose, even the seemingly useless and interminable time spent pacing along the endless catwalks to study the pods that still held people in stasis. The pods from which even she had emerged from, not so long ago. Any human, after all, would doubtless want to search for those they had once known and cared about. And though the effort had proved fruitless, she had thought that perhaps she might be able to look for the familiar and distinctly alien silhouettes of Hork-Bajir, Taxxons, or Gedds within them. (Or even, Heaven forbid, an Andalite. It was better to know one's enemy and be prepared, after all.)
When Essam came--perhaps even with Madra and Darwin? Bringing Lore with him seemed almost too much to hope for--she would be ready for him. She could set him to work immediately, if she were lucky.
Maybe his first order of business could be to find some alternate source of nourishment. The 'food' provided here was tolerable only for the sake of meeting all nutritional needs--even Kandrona! As distasteful as it was, that was something she needed to study and learn how to replicate, preferably in a more appetizing form. It would be extraordinarily useful once she was able to get back to working on Earth's conquest, being able to subtly nourish the reinforcements that would be sure to arrive for her, all without ever requiring them to leave their hosts or be dependent on staying close to the pools. This would break the chains that bound them far more surely than even portable Kandrona generators had. It would revolutionize their society, make her a hero, a genius, an innovator--
< If this is what you intend to kick off your catering business with, then a word of advice: don't quit your day job. You aren't seriously going to waste your time analyzing this stuff, are you? I don't think anyone would choose to eat this. >
Ridiculous. Mindless banter, probably good for nothing but to let her get a jab in. < I'm a conqueror, not a caterer. Once Essam comes and we have the time to spare for concerns so far in the future, then we will study it, and subordinates can easily be spared for its production. >
--But Allison's point was a valid one, that would only be if she could make sure it didn't still taste like a Taxxon's waste secretions after a particularly foul meal, or they would be the only creatures willing to use it at all. She knew that she deserved so much more than this sludge--she deserved at the very least to have proper human food, given the incredible predominance of them on this ship. She deserved to have her famil--her subordinate with her, and their children. Their hosts' children. Endeavors like these were easier with an assistant. With Essam here, her reach and capabilities would grow wider, and together they would be able to secure far more resources to pool. She deserved to have them, and the resources she needed, and a position of power and influence on this vessel.
< "We" will, hmm? Very good. > It was hard to tell if Allison was mocking her or not, but however sincere she was, she sounded pleased.
< Do you have something to say? > The words had gained an edge beyond their confidence.
< You sound like you don't doubt for a minute that he'll follow you here. You sound like you'll wait for him, Edriss. >
She could hear the smile, even if she couldn't see it, but it vaguely irritated her--less because it was there at all, and more because it was so difficult to grasp why it was there to begin with. Still, it was true--even if she sensibly admitted that there was no way to tell, the assumption that he should would be there for with for her as she required had remained. Edriss scoffed deliberately, silently through their mental link, though the words were softer than she had meant them. < He's my assistant; he's required to be here. I can't wait to start important work until he arrives, but less pressing concerns can be held in reserve for now. >
There was a long beat of silence, long enough that Edriss wondered if there would be any response at all. < They'll come, Edriss. >
Even if she was being addressed directly, the words sounded like they weren't meant for her at all. < What makes you so sure, then? Hmm? >
< I know. > One murmur of quiet certainty, of knowledge that sounded maddeningly like it should be immediately obvious, and the case was closed. Edriss bit back a sigh; they were agreeing, after all, even if the tone bothered her.
But this too would pass; all would come in good time. As much as she wished she could skip directly to making her ambitions a reality and all her wishes come true, she needed to focus on more directly and practically handling the here and now..... which meant taking care of herself and her immediate circumstances, not dwelling on things she couldn't understand or do anything about. Which meant, unfortunately, yet another serving of--given the ship's nature--what was probably regurgitated nutrients. (If they ate this, then what kind of fuel did Stacy function on? And what could possibly be capable of fueling a ship of this size while still providing nutrients for the entire crew?) Edriss gave the tray that was presented to her a look of silent distaste, before calmly moving to sit down at a table and start eating regardless. She wouldn't have minded so much if they at least had ready access to water to get the taste out of her mouth....
These past days--weeks, now? Time seemed to blur together disorientingly here--had been long ones. In spite of being alone--as alone as she ever could be, at least--, however, Edriss still felt she was making progress. To an inferior mind, it must have looked like she was doing nothing but reeling in shock at the sudden catastrophic change that had befallen her, wandering aimlessly and trying to adjust to the new life that had been given to her--but she knew better.
Every hour spent exploring the ship's layout, studying the voluminous backlog of messages on the Omnicomm system, or perusing the offerings of this Media Library was time well-invested in gathering knowledge suitable to this new environment. Every hour spent familiarizing herself with the Hub, the Medical Bay, the Sensoriums, the City.... all of it was vital intelligence to allow her to get where she needed as quickly and quietly as possible, should it become necessary. All of it was useful in establishing herself as a new crew member, lost and bewildered, overwhelmed, innocuous, benign. All of it served a purpose, even the seemingly useless and interminable time spent pacing along the endless catwalks to study the pods that still held people in stasis. The pods from which even she had emerged from, not so long ago. Any human, after all, would doubtless want to search for those they had once known and cared about. And though the effort had proved fruitless, she had thought that perhaps she might be able to look for the familiar and distinctly alien silhouettes of Hork-Bajir, Taxxons, or Gedds within them. (Or even, Heaven forbid, an Andalite. It was better to know one's enemy and be prepared, after all.)
When Essam came--perhaps even with Madra and Darwin? Bringing Lore with him seemed almost too much to hope for--she would be ready for him. She could set him to work immediately, if she were lucky.
Maybe his first order of business could be to find some alternate source of nourishment. The 'food' provided here was tolerable only for the sake of meeting all nutritional needs--even Kandrona! As distasteful as it was, that was something she needed to study and learn how to replicate, preferably in a more appetizing form. It would be extraordinarily useful once she was able to get back to working on Earth's conquest, being able to subtly nourish the reinforcements that would be sure to arrive for her, all without ever requiring them to leave their hosts or be dependent on staying close to the pools. This would break the chains that bound them far more surely than even portable Kandrona generators had. It would revolutionize their society, make her a hero, a genius, an innovator--
< If this is what you intend to kick off your catering business with, then a word of advice: don't quit your day job. You aren't seriously going to waste your time analyzing this stuff, are you? I don't think anyone would choose to eat this. >
Ridiculous. Mindless banter, probably good for nothing but to let her get a jab in. < I'm a conqueror, not a caterer. Once Essam comes and we have the time to spare for concerns so far in the future, then we will study it, and subordinates can easily be spared for its production. >
--But Allison's point was a valid one, that would only be if she could make sure it didn't still taste like a Taxxon's waste secretions after a particularly foul meal, or they would be the only creatures willing to use it at all. She knew that she deserved so much more than this sludge--she deserved at the very least to have proper human food, given the incredible predominance of them on this ship. She deserved to have her famil--her subordinate with her, and their children. Their hosts' children. Endeavors like these were easier with an assistant. With Essam here, her reach and capabilities would grow wider, and together they would be able to secure far more resources to pool. She deserved to have them, and the resources she needed, and a position of power and influence on this vessel.
< "We" will, hmm? Very good. > It was hard to tell if Allison was mocking her or not, but however sincere she was, she sounded pleased.
< Do you have something to say? > The words had gained an edge beyond their confidence.
< You sound like you don't doubt for a minute that he'll follow you here. You sound like you'll wait for him, Edriss. >
She could hear the smile, even if she couldn't see it, but it vaguely irritated her--less because it was there at all, and more because it was so difficult to grasp why it was there to begin with. Still, it was true--even if she sensibly admitted that there was no way to tell, the assumption that he should would be there for with for her as she required had remained. Edriss scoffed deliberately, silently through their mental link, though the words were softer than she had meant them. < He's my assistant; he's required to be here. I can't wait to start important work until he arrives, but less pressing concerns can be held in reserve for now. >
There was a long beat of silence, long enough that Edriss wondered if there would be any response at all. < They'll come, Edriss. >
Even if she was being addressed directly, the words sounded like they weren't meant for her at all. < What makes you so sure, then? Hmm? >
< I know. > One murmur of quiet certainty, of knowledge that sounded maddeningly like it should be immediately obvious, and the case was closed. Edriss bit back a sigh; they were agreeing, after all, even if the tone bothered her.
But this too would pass; all would come in good time. As much as she wished she could skip directly to making her ambitions a reality and all her wishes come true, she needed to focus on more directly and practically handling the here and now..... which meant taking care of herself and her immediate circumstances, not dwelling on things she couldn't understand or do anything about. Which meant, unfortunately, yet another serving of--given the ship's nature--what was probably regurgitated nutrients. (If they ate this, then what kind of fuel did Stacy function on? And what could possibly be capable of fueling a ship of this size while still providing nutrients for the entire crew?) Edriss gave the tray that was presented to her a look of silent distaste, before calmly moving to sit down at a table and start eating regardless. She wouldn't have minded so much if they at least had ready access to water to get the taste out of her mouth....