001 | Video

[skeletonenigma]

[To be honest, he would have preferred text, but this is a perfect opportunity to test out the console. The keyboard is self-explanatory. The video function isn't. One of the kedan had offered to show Skulduggery how it worked, but he’d politely declined. He didn’t particularly feel like being saddled with a guide for the entirety of his time here.]

Ah, there we go. Excellent.

[This does, of course, mean that he can now be seen. He was a little concerned about that when all of this was first being explained to him, but then he saw someone walking around in the city with blue skin and two heads. He’s rather less concerned now.

... He doesn't really have anything to ask, though, now that he’s thinking about it.]

Thank you. Carry on.

[Yes, that was a skull talking just then, Irish accent and moving jaw and all. Why do you ask?]

Comments

[skeletonenigma]

Oh, they probably have. But I've learned over the years never to underestimate people who have more power than I do.

[That, and an alternative theory would be that whatever brought them here only uses universes markedly similar to each other in some fashion, either to cut down on foreigner confusion or simply because that's the limit of their power. Skulduggery doesn't mention this out loud for two reasons - first, he's still not fully confident of who he can trust. Second, Amelia seems very attached to her appearance. Far be it from him to continue frustrating her with potential truths about individual perception when he doesn't have to.

She's probably right, after all.]

[loquaciouslyfeline]

If it's bothering you that much, you could ask the Emperor at his next hearing. They are held every so often. I've yet to go myself, but I'll be attending the next one.

[She has... questions regarding the selection process. To put it lightly.]

[skeletonenigma]

Good idea. When is the next one?

[loquaciouslyfeline]

Unfortunately, it hasn't been announced yet. We'll both have to wait until Evandau decides he'll welcome our company.

[Amelia is still intrigued by simply communicating with a talking skeleton. The entire affair is quite amusing to her, and she can't deny an interest in a world where this sort of thing happens.]

If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Pleasant, is your... condition common where you come from?

[skeletonenigma]

Unfortunately, no. Grace, balance, and intelligence are sadly difficult to come by.

[loquaciouslyfeline]

[That wasn't what she meant, of course, but it's unexpected enough to get a small chuckle out of her.]

Indeed they are. We are equals in that regard, then.

[Oh, she'll indulge in a little self-flattery every now and then.]

So how does one come about being nothing but bones?

[skeletonenigma]

Dying, usually. Being flayed alive.

[And now he's had his fun and he'll grow a little more serious. He already respects Amelia enough for that.]

That wasn't what happened to me, thankfully. I was murdered, and then my body was burned on a pike as a warning. I was quite dead at the time. No recollection of what it felt like.

[loquaciouslyfeline]

Ah, yes, that would do it.

[But finally Skulduggery comes forward with a straight answer.]

I'm sorry to hear that. [A sincere response; murder is not something to be taken lightly, nor is post-mortem desecration.] It does not seem to have kept in your case, though.

[skeletonenigma]

My consciousness reattached itself to my skeleton, after about a year.

[And a few years ago, that would have been all he could say on the subject. That was all he knew. Now, he can go into further detail about how and why it was done, knowledge he'd been searching for most of his life. But he won't. Now that he has that knowledge, he wishes he didn't.]

Naturally, I decided to wait until my bones had been stuffed in a bag and tossed in a river. That was a marvellous new experience right there.

[loquaciouslyfeline]

That sounds wholly unpleasant.

[She can't even imagine what that must have been like. Reawakening in a bag in a river.

Now that she's had a bit of time to process, of course, something he had already mentioned stuck out.]

Burned on a pike? Sounds quite medieval, if you don't mind my saying.

[skeletonenigma]

It was around the turn of the 18th century. Not quite medieval, but probably close enough for your purposes.

[loquaciouslyfeline]

[18th century would place his death centuries ago in her own world.]

For my purposes, yes, it is. Have you been like this long? [She has no time reference for Skulduggery's world, so it's a valid question, in her mind. This entire discussion is quite fascinating!]

[skeletonenigma]

Oh, a little over four hundred years.

[That's nothing for sorcerers. It's not even half their lifespan.]

While we're on the subject of unusual aging, how old are you?

[loquaciouslyfeline]

That's quite a while. [She's actually a bit impressed at that age.] I've not heard of any species living that long before, but I suppose exceptions are to be made for those who have passed and returned.

[An undead being really throws the wrench in traditional lifespans.]

I turned thirty-two this past year. Not exactly unusual, sadly, but there you are.

[skeletonenigma]

[She certainly doesn't age in cat-years, then. Curiouser and curiouser.]

You said you're a captain of the Terran Royal Navy. I assume that, in a universe which has achieved space travel, that doesn't mean precisely what I think it means.

[loquaciouslyfeline]

I suppose that would depend entirely on your definition of space travel. [As if it could mean anything besides the obvious.]

[skeletonenigma]

I've never been to outer space. Let's pretend, for one wild moment, that when I hear 'Navy,' I think of water.

[loquaciouslyfeline]

It's not terribly different from the planet-bound navies of old. Larger, yes, and with much more area to cover, but the structure is fundamentally the same.

[She's clearly amused by - in her eyes - Skulduggery's quaint naiveté regarding matters of space travel. Really, it's not that difficult to grasp.]

[skeletonenigma]

It can't be. Sea Navy ships tend to be open to the air, with sails to catch the wind.

[He should know. He once hitched a ride with pirates and set one of their sails on fire. And granted, he knows nothing about space, but he's pretty sure he heard that it was a vacuum.]

[loquaciouslyfeline]

Solar sails mostly serve to collect energy to power the thrusters of the ships nowadays, though they can be used to catch the winds of the Aetherium when in a pinch. It's not very efficient, though.

[skeletonenigma]

Solar sails?

[Who is he to judge? He knows nothing about space travel. What he does know, however, doesn't really add up. What star would they be using for energy, if they've left the solar system? And wind?]

I wasn't aware any wind existed in the... Aetherium, was it? [Might as well bite the bullet.] What is that, exactly?

[loquaciouslyfeline]

The Aetherium is simply another name for space. It's quite vast, as you might imagine, and possesses currents and winds of its own. [It's almost like explaining to a child who has no concept of the nature of the universe, though there's only a hint of that in her voice.]

Again, though, given the distances needed to be covered, it's far more efficient to use solar-powered ships rather than relying on the often unpredictable natural forces.

[skeletonenigma]

[He nods, like he has any idea what she might be talking about.] Of course. How do the solar sails work? The word 'solar' originates from Latin to mean 'of the sun' - at least for me. And unless you're restricted to one solar system, that can't be right for you.

[loquaciouslyfeline]

Solar sails gather the light emitted by the stars in the galaxy to power the functions of the ships. And while I myself am far from a linguistics expert, I don't see why it's a point of contention. Many stars serve as suns to the planets that orbit them.

[There could be one other possibility, though.]

Or perhaps it's simply a quirk of the forces translating our speech, putting terms into words you'd understand.

[skeletonenigma]

[Now she's getting it.]

Is it the job of the Terran Royal Navy to preserve peace in the galaxy? How do you manage, with such a large jurisdiction?