tushanshu | Video 001

[Amelia is sitting straight up, looking directly at the screen. Hands folded in front of her, the very pose exudes authority; this is a woman who knows she is of rank.]

I am Captain Amelia of the Terran Royal Navy, lately returned from an expedition to locate the lost trove of the infamous pirate Nathaniel Flint, and more recently rather unceremoniously drenched in a tub of water and informed that I am to be engaging in a conflict against a malevolent entity of which I have not heard until today.

[A measured pause. Her tone indicates she is more irritated by the idea of fighting someone else’s war, rather than the prospect of combat itself. Or perhaps it is the drenching she is cross about.]

I do not care for being brought here against my will, especially if I do not know the how of it. These kedan are maddeningly unhelpful when questioned on such topics. They tell me that time has been stopped in my universe, which, if true - highly doubtful, of course - is of some relief. But if I am to stay here for an extended tenure, there are important questions that I must have answered. This…

[and here she pauses for a moment to pick her words. Amelia is not given to superstitions regarding the summoning of a monstrous being simply by speaking his name, but the kedan were very adamant about not saying it, and this has been a rather strange day. Best to not risk it, then.]

...M-fellow. I'd like to know more about him. If I have indeed been brought here to fight a war, then it is imperative that I know what I shall be dealing with. In addition, is it true we are riding on the back of a giant turtle?

[This last question is accompanied by nearly palpable disbelief.]

[The next pause is not one of calculation or thought, but of expectancy. Amelia’s waiting for her answers, and it’s only after the silence has gone on for a few seconds that she realizes replies will not be instantaneous.]

That’ll do, for the moment, so as not to overwhelm you.

[It’s a save, but she says it like it was always planned that way. She nods her head once at the screen, just ever so slightly.]

That is all.

[end transmission]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Then you're one of the lucky ones, Captain. [The bitterness about being yanked out in the middle of the most important thing he has ever done in his life is almost gone from his tone! Almost. A couple of months is still not enough to dull the pain.]

So, I'm curious now. Did you find the treasure?

'Lucky' in a certain sense of the word, I suppose. [She still doesn't see what's so lucky about being brought here in the first place.]

[The treasure again. She's just been dealing with a very upset dragon regarding this subject, and is not inclined to go over it again in detail.]

Yes and no. We did indeed find it, but the trove was booby-trapped and ultimately was destroyed, as well as the planet it lay within.

[He smiles, and it even looks genuine.] As lucky as any of us foreigners get, anyway.

[Well, shucks and fiddle dee dee. Oh, well, it would have been cool to hear about a whole planet full of shiny-- wait a minute did you say planet]

An entire planet full of treasure? That's a shame.

Flint was a rather prolific pirate. [It's said bitterly. Amelia is not a fan of pirates.] And it was not the whole planet, but merely the core where the treasure was buried.

[Clearly he needs to brush up on how in the hell planets work, because last time he checked that was...impossible...? Then again, a few months ago he would have said that a giant turtle was impossible, and that is clearly not the case. So instead he wants to learn more about this pirate-hating spacefaring cat lady. 'Cause knowledge is power.]

I take it you don't hold with piracy, as a naval officer. Are pirates a common problem where you come from?

As a naval officer it is part of my duty to bring the rogues to justice. [She's still smarting over the mutiny, and it shows a little in her tone. Also John Silver managing to slip away stings somewhat too, although she has her suspicions about how that came to pass.] Not as common as they once were, due to the efforts of the Royal Navy. But they are still a danger to frontier worlds and isolated merchant fleets.

[Rogues? Justice? Okay, mark this one down as a goody-two-shoes. Though surely she could be persuaded of the greater good, if it ever came down to it. She seems to be a sensible type, and since pirates and other assorted rogues are symptoms of the disease of a chaotic universe, ridding the 'verse of chaos would fix that little problem. Boom. Potential ally.]

Sounds like a thankless task. But worth it, I guess.

Not as thankless as you might believe. [Sailing the galaxy is a great part of her job, and despite the risks it is something she truly loves.]

What is it that you do, mister...? [She trails off, expecting him to fill in his name.]

Gene Khan. It's good to meet you, Captain.

A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Khan.

Video 001

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