Tara was walking along a well-trodden path through a small forest, it had been almost seven years since she'd first arrived on this world, named many things by its many peoples. It was a relatively primitive planet, mostly unspoiled and undeveloped and one that had only recently been discovered by the Terelain Exploratory Fleet. Naturally she'd jumped at the chance to study a virgin world unspoiled by external influences!
She'd landed her ship, a small but relatively luxurious stellar yacht, three kilometers from the nearest settlement in this woodland, and naturally she'd activated the ship's stealth systems, a modification she'd made so that she could more easily study worlds such as this. She was on her way back to her ship to upload the latest set of data she'd collected on the courtship rituals of the locals, and since she was alone she'd deactivated her glamour field generator, a tiny device disguised as a bracelet on her left wrist, so instead of appearing like one of the locals, a furless bipedal species intriguingly similar to a more advanced society from the Spinward Exclusion Zone she'd studied a few centuries prior, so now she looked as she naturally did; a short, silver-furred humanoid feline with thick silver fur and wearing numerous pieces of jewelry.
As she walked down the path towards the area she'd left her ship, her tail swaying languidly behind her, she idly wondered at the odd similarities between the local indigenous species and the... what was it? Hoomans? She'd studied before. It was possible that they were a lost colony, one that had fallen out of contact and regressed, but she'd studied a few societies like that and she'd seen no evidence that they had once had such advanced technology, though it was possible that the priest caste of the society had hidden away such artefacts. It wouldn't be the first time she'd seen something like that. Of course it was also possible that it was some form of convergent evolution. Her tail twitched in a gesture that would translate as a shrug and sighed to herself. She was a Xenoanthropologist and a historian, not a biologist. Maybe someone else would tease out the true reasons after she'd documented her initial findings.
For now, Tara simply contented herself with feeling the warmth of the sun on her fur and the peace and quiet of the forest. She'd always preferred being in her natural state rather than wearing the glamour's disguise. Sure it was only an illusion, but it'd always leave her with an odd feeling of being stuffed into clothing that was a size too small, even though she knew it was just her mind playing tricks on her.
(If anyone would like to join this RP, please PM either myself or Catrin with your character s we can make sure he/she will fit in before you post, thanks!)
She'd landed her ship, a small but relatively luxurious stellar yacht, three kilometers from the nearest settlement in this woodland, and naturally she'd activated the ship's stealth systems, a modification she'd made so that she could more easily study worlds such as this. She was on her way back to her ship to upload the latest set of data she'd collected on the courtship rituals of the locals, and since she was alone she'd deactivated her glamour field generator, a tiny device disguised as a bracelet on her left wrist, so instead of appearing like one of the locals, a furless bipedal species intriguingly similar to a more advanced society from the Spinward Exclusion Zone she'd studied a few centuries prior, so now she looked as she naturally did; a short, silver-furred humanoid feline with thick silver fur and wearing numerous pieces of jewelry.
As she walked down the path towards the area she'd left her ship, her tail swaying languidly behind her, she idly wondered at the odd similarities between the local indigenous species and the... what was it? Hoomans? She'd studied before. It was possible that they were a lost colony, one that had fallen out of contact and regressed, but she'd studied a few societies like that and she'd seen no evidence that they had once had such advanced technology, though it was possible that the priest caste of the society had hidden away such artefacts. It wouldn't be the first time she'd seen something like that. Of course it was also possible that it was some form of convergent evolution. Her tail twitched in a gesture that would translate as a shrug and sighed to herself. She was a Xenoanthropologist and a historian, not a biologist. Maybe someone else would tease out the true reasons after she'd documented her initial findings.
For now, Tara simply contented herself with feeling the warmth of the sun on her fur and the peace and quiet of the forest. She'd always preferred being in her natural state rather than wearing the glamour's disguise. Sure it was only an illusion, but it'd always leave her with an odd feeling of being stuffed into clothing that was a size too small, even though she knew it was just her mind playing tricks on her.
(If anyone would like to join this RP, please PM either myself or Catrin with your character s we can make sure he/she will fit in before you post, thanks!)
Catrin adjusted the position of her backpack on her back to make it more comfortable and took a sip of water from the bottle at her hip before she walked on. All of the things she had with her were made of simple materials, fabric, leather and metal. She had to cross some universes where anything more complicated, like plastic, would fall apart.
The world she was heading to was both highly magical and highly technological – unfortunately, the first time she got on one of the planets, it was a well-developed one, where having no ID meant a person either didn't exist or was a criminal. The fact that they didn't use a tangible form of currency didn't help her either.
Fortunately, before leaving, she was able to get very cursory information about a rather primitive planet where technology wasn't developed much, which was much more convenient for getting herself established as a local citizen. The locals looked very much like her in her basic form, a pleasant detail, and the clothes she was wearing were an attempt to copy what little she had seen of the local fashion. She even had some gold, other non-corrosive metals and gemstones on her in case any of that will be valuable in this world.
She looked around herself and tried to make the trees look exactly like the ones she had seen in the picture. A few minutes later, they did indeed changed. She looked up. Two suns. No, her planet only had one. She focused on that next.
She didn't really have much to go on – without any money or identity on her first try, getting even this much information was a success. Hopefully she would get to the right world where she wouldn't stick out too much, and would be able to get some local clothes and things very quickly.
She looked around after a while. Ah, one star and the right trees and everything else felt right, too. She was in a forest and the path she was standing on seemed to be used a lot. That probably meant there was a settlement nearby. She walked up to a place where the sun shone on the path, closed her eyes and turned her face up, enjoying its warm rays. They felt intense. She smiled, moved out of the light, kept her eyes closed and opened her senses to her surroundings, trying to detect anything interesting.
She saw the weak streams of energy flowing beneath the ground, could sense larger and smaller animals, but nothing close enough to her to be dangerous. Overall, this world felt... pleasant. She opened up even more, letting all her energetic defences down to scan a larger area, and froze in surprise. Something complicated was about ten minute's walk from this place. Energetically complicated. She saw complex pattens in her mind's eye, which meant magic.
She carefully withdrew her senses, going back into her normal enclosed non-perceptive state, and thought about what to do next. It definitely wasn't local, which would mean a visitor from one of the more advanced civilizations. She decided to ignore it for now and head for the nearest town instead. She closed her eyes again, trying to get a feeling of which direction to go in. She had learned to trust her intuition in that a long time ago, and now she frowned when she got her answer.
She would have to go in the object's direction to reach a more populated area. Well... at least she could get a careful look at it, then. She continued walking along the path and cut into the forest a little while later in order to get to a local town, and to get to see what that magical thing was.
The world she was heading to was both highly magical and highly technological – unfortunately, the first time she got on one of the planets, it was a well-developed one, where having no ID meant a person either didn't exist or was a criminal. The fact that they didn't use a tangible form of currency didn't help her either.
Fortunately, before leaving, she was able to get very cursory information about a rather primitive planet where technology wasn't developed much, which was much more convenient for getting herself established as a local citizen. The locals looked very much like her in her basic form, a pleasant detail, and the clothes she was wearing were an attempt to copy what little she had seen of the local fashion. She even had some gold, other non-corrosive metals and gemstones on her in case any of that will be valuable in this world.
She looked around herself and tried to make the trees look exactly like the ones she had seen in the picture. A few minutes later, they did indeed changed. She looked up. Two suns. No, her planet only had one. She focused on that next.
She didn't really have much to go on – without any money or identity on her first try, getting even this much information was a success. Hopefully she would get to the right world where she wouldn't stick out too much, and would be able to get some local clothes and things very quickly.
She looked around after a while. Ah, one star and the right trees and everything else felt right, too. She was in a forest and the path she was standing on seemed to be used a lot. That probably meant there was a settlement nearby. She walked up to a place where the sun shone on the path, closed her eyes and turned her face up, enjoying its warm rays. They felt intense. She smiled, moved out of the light, kept her eyes closed and opened her senses to her surroundings, trying to detect anything interesting.
She saw the weak streams of energy flowing beneath the ground, could sense larger and smaller animals, but nothing close enough to her to be dangerous. Overall, this world felt... pleasant. She opened up even more, letting all her energetic defences down to scan a larger area, and froze in surprise. Something complicated was about ten minute's walk from this place. Energetically complicated. She saw complex pattens in her mind's eye, which meant magic.
She carefully withdrew her senses, going back into her normal enclosed non-perceptive state, and thought about what to do next. It definitely wasn't local, which would mean a visitor from one of the more advanced civilizations. She decided to ignore it for now and head for the nearest town instead. She closed her eyes again, trying to get a feeling of which direction to go in. She had learned to trust her intuition in that a long time ago, and now she frowned when she got her answer.
She would have to go in the object's direction to reach a more populated area. Well... at least she could get a careful look at it, then. She continued walking along the path and cut into the forest a little while later in order to get to a local town, and to get to see what that magical thing was.
Tara came to a small clearing in the forest, it seemed entirely empty at first, but then if one looked hard enough, you might have just been able to notice a slight shimmer in the air, like air distortions rising from tarmac and a very hot day. She went of the pat and walked a few feet away from it and held out both her hands, she sang a word in her native tongue and the faint distortions intensified, rippled, and out of the ripples appeared her ship. It was silver, its hull sooth and flowing with no sharp angles or edges, it was long and shaped like an elongated teardrop, at the bulging end on the far side was the engines, at the point was the location of the cockpit. A small section of the ship seemed to just dissolve, creating an aperture through which Tara could enter.
The feline entered the ship, passing trough a small corridor and into a lounge area, then through a small sleeping chamber and into the cockpit itself. She went over to a small console and took a tiny crystal from a device clipped to her belt. She slid the crystal into a reader and a few seconds later there was a soft chime and she removed the crystal with a satisfied sound, "Excellent."
"Data is uploaded, mistress, beginning thematic analysis of recordings." Said a cultured male voice from all around her.
She nodded slightly, "Good, send a copy of the completed analysis to my datapad. I'll examine it tonight."
"Yes mistress." The voice said again.
"I'm going back to the village to try and convince their priest to allow me to enter their shrine again. Please keep the maintenance and security subroutines active whilst I am away... oh! and if I receive any messages from the Institute, update my comm unit. I am expecting an important message from the Bursar any day now."
"Of course mistress." The computer said again.
With another satisfied nod, Tara wandered back to the lounge and activated her food processor, "Amran red, Aerain variant, 2479 Fourth Age Fourth Era vintage." The processor hummed and a small crystal flute slid out from a small compartment, then a deep red liquid poured into it. She took the glass and raised it her sensitive feline nose and inhaled, "Mm... Much better tha the local wines." She took a sip from the glass and then walked over to a chair, which she then reclined in. She still had a little while yet before she had to be back, and she hadn't had a chance to enjoy the finer comforts of her ship for several days now.
The feline entered the ship, passing trough a small corridor and into a lounge area, then through a small sleeping chamber and into the cockpit itself. She went over to a small console and took a tiny crystal from a device clipped to her belt. She slid the crystal into a reader and a few seconds later there was a soft chime and she removed the crystal with a satisfied sound, "Excellent."
"Data is uploaded, mistress, beginning thematic analysis of recordings." Said a cultured male voice from all around her.
She nodded slightly, "Good, send a copy of the completed analysis to my datapad. I'll examine it tonight."
"Yes mistress." The voice said again.
"I'm going back to the village to try and convince their priest to allow me to enter their shrine again. Please keep the maintenance and security subroutines active whilst I am away... oh! and if I receive any messages from the Institute, update my comm unit. I am expecting an important message from the Bursar any day now."
"Of course mistress." The computer said again.
With another satisfied nod, Tara wandered back to the lounge and activated her food processor, "Amran red, Aerain variant, 2479 Fourth Age Fourth Era vintage." The processor hummed and a small crystal flute slid out from a small compartment, then a deep red liquid poured into it. She took the glass and raised it her sensitive feline nose and inhaled, "Mm... Much better tha the local wines." She took a sip from the glass and then walked over to a chair, which she then reclined in. She still had a little while yet before she had to be back, and she hadn't had a chance to enjoy the finer comforts of her ship for several days now.
Catrin was slowing down as she was approaching the probable location of the object that caught her attention, so she saw the teardrop-shaped thing from the forest, without having to step into the clearing. A spaceship. While it was difficult to tell at a distance because of the silvery surface of the drop, it seemed quite small, it would be hard to imagine more than five or six people fitting in with any level of comfort.
She closed her eyes again to try and see the patterns now, careful to also notice anything approaching her. The ship... it looked different now, with many smaller and much more complex pattens than the large intricate one before. She opened her eyes and tilted her head a bit as she thought about what she saw.
Was the difference caused by someone in the ship? Or was it an automatic response, possibly to her? She was about two hundred meters away from it now, enough to be in a guarded perimeter. But then again, she was in the forest, large animals could be here, too, and they would trigger alarms all the time if this spot was being watched. Unless the ship was intelligent enough to distinguish different life forms and only react to dangerous or unknown ones...
She bit her lip, undecided about what to do next. Either way, she couldn't stand here all day, thinking of various theories about the ship. And maybe they already noticed her, too. She sighed.
At this location and given the stage of contact between the planet and the rest of the universe, it might be traders, the military, scientists or rich tourists. Or spies. Possibly a combination. She frowned, realizing what she was doing. Overanalyzing again, based on almost no factual input. More information might be useful, she concluded, adjusted the position of her backpack again to allow for easy climbing, took one of her belts off and climbed into a nearby tree that seemed to be able to cover her, using the belt around the trunk for support and as a protection against falling.
Once up, she settled herself comfortably on a large branch, with a good view of almost two thirds of the spaceship, checked how dirty she got – her brown wide pants and dark red shirt didn't really seem to have been affected by the climbing – tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear, and reached into her bag for a quick snack of beef jerky and some nuts she had found earlier while traveling, while keeping an eye on the ship.
She closed her eyes again to try and see the patterns now, careful to also notice anything approaching her. The ship... it looked different now, with many smaller and much more complex pattens than the large intricate one before. She opened her eyes and tilted her head a bit as she thought about what she saw.
Was the difference caused by someone in the ship? Or was it an automatic response, possibly to her? She was about two hundred meters away from it now, enough to be in a guarded perimeter. But then again, she was in the forest, large animals could be here, too, and they would trigger alarms all the time if this spot was being watched. Unless the ship was intelligent enough to distinguish different life forms and only react to dangerous or unknown ones...
She bit her lip, undecided about what to do next. Either way, she couldn't stand here all day, thinking of various theories about the ship. And maybe they already noticed her, too. She sighed.
At this location and given the stage of contact between the planet and the rest of the universe, it might be traders, the military, scientists or rich tourists. Or spies. Possibly a combination. She frowned, realizing what she was doing. Overanalyzing again, based on almost no factual input. More information might be useful, she concluded, adjusted the position of her backpack again to allow for easy climbing, took one of her belts off and climbed into a nearby tree that seemed to be able to cover her, using the belt around the trunk for support and as a protection against falling.
Once up, she settled herself comfortably on a large branch, with a good view of almost two thirds of the spaceship, checked how dirty she got – her brown wide pants and dark red shirt didn't really seem to have been affected by the climbing – tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear, and reached into her bag for a quick snack of beef jerky and some nuts she had found earlier while traveling, while keeping an eye on the ship.
Tara was still relaxing in her chair, sipping the expensive wine from her glass, Amran Red being the finest red wine produced by the birth-world of her species, and indeed one of the most sought-after in the entire nation, when suddenly the ship's AI intruded upon her, "Apologies for the intrusion, mistress, but my passive sensors indicate a large lifeform, humanoid in configuration, has just entered our vicinity. It has climbed a nearby tree and appears to be observing this vessel."
Tara shot up, though she was careful not to spill her wine, "What?" Her eyes widened slightly, "Damn it! is it one of the locals?"
"Unknown." The AI replied.
She sighed, "I wanted to keep my cover intact! This is going to ruin the rest of my study!"
"I suggest capturing the lifeform and performing a memory alteration, that way your cover will remain intact, mistress."
Tara sighed and shook her head, "In the nine centuries since I started fieldwork I have never had to perform a single memory alteration, and in any case I've always found that option to be ethically distasteful."
"You will have to do something mistress, otherwise the lifeform might entirely ruin the future validity of your data."
Tara set her wine aside and started walking towards the ship's exit, "I'll deal with it. I'm not going to do anything drastic or permanent to it, not if I can help it. But I may as well talk to it and figure out what it thinks it's seen."
"Very well mistress, I will activate my grade even defense matrix and remain on standby if the creature is hostile."
"Grade seven defense matrix?" She asked in amusement, "May I remind you that you're currently installed into a stellar yacht, not a warship?"
There was a noticeable hesitation before the AI responded, it sounded suspiciously mournful, "I keep forgetting that I am no longer assigned to RNV Sundering Claw. It is an... unfortunate situation."
She sighed and shook her head, "Why did I ever install a re-purposed military AI?"
"I was he only AI you could find who was conversant in seventeen thousand six hundred and forty seven languages and could also program the food processors to your exacting specifications, mistress." The AI replied, sounding rather resigned to its present role.
"Oh...yes.. of course." She said as she entered the airlock, "Just...um... don't try to use the engine exhaust as an impromptu weapon. You could set the planet on fire"
"Duly noted, mistress." The AI replied.
With that, Tara activated the airlock's purging cycle, substituting the on-board sterilized air with the air from the planet and equalizing the pressures again, this done the outer hull dissolved again into an aperture through which she could exit and she stepped back onto the planet's surface, eyes scanning the area until she spotted Catrin in her tree, "You may as well come down, I can see you up there! Don't be alarmed, I'm not going to hurt you! I'm unarmed."
Tara shot up, though she was careful not to spill her wine, "What?" Her eyes widened slightly, "Damn it! is it one of the locals?"
"Unknown." The AI replied.
She sighed, "I wanted to keep my cover intact! This is going to ruin the rest of my study!"
"I suggest capturing the lifeform and performing a memory alteration, that way your cover will remain intact, mistress."
Tara sighed and shook her head, "In the nine centuries since I started fieldwork I have never had to perform a single memory alteration, and in any case I've always found that option to be ethically distasteful."
"You will have to do something mistress, otherwise the lifeform might entirely ruin the future validity of your data."
Tara set her wine aside and started walking towards the ship's exit, "I'll deal with it. I'm not going to do anything drastic or permanent to it, not if I can help it. But I may as well talk to it and figure out what it thinks it's seen."
"Very well mistress, I will activate my grade even defense matrix and remain on standby if the creature is hostile."
"Grade seven defense matrix?" She asked in amusement, "May I remind you that you're currently installed into a stellar yacht, not a warship?"
There was a noticeable hesitation before the AI responded, it sounded suspiciously mournful, "I keep forgetting that I am no longer assigned to RNV Sundering Claw. It is an... unfortunate situation."
She sighed and shook her head, "Why did I ever install a re-purposed military AI?"
"I was he only AI you could find who was conversant in seventeen thousand six hundred and forty seven languages and could also program the food processors to your exacting specifications, mistress." The AI replied, sounding rather resigned to its present role.
"Oh...yes.. of course." She said as she entered the airlock, "Just...um... don't try to use the engine exhaust as an impromptu weapon. You could set the planet on fire"
"Duly noted, mistress." The AI replied.
With that, Tara activated the airlock's purging cycle, substituting the on-board sterilized air with the air from the planet and equalizing the pressures again, this done the outer hull dissolved again into an aperture through which she could exit and she stepped back onto the planet's surface, eyes scanning the area until she spotted Catrin in her tree, "You may as well come down, I can see you up there! Don't be alarmed, I'm not going to hurt you! I'm unarmed."
Catrin had barely had time to finish her snack before a hole appeared in ship and a furry creature with lots of metal bands on her stepped out. She quickly finished chewing her last nut, thought for a moment, then she quickly climbed down and walked towards the furry alien, stopping at the edge of the clearing.
She had her long hair in a braid, wore what she hoped was a good approximation of the local clothes and footwear, and in addition to her backpack and water bottle, she also had a couple of pouches and there was a sheath with a medium-sized knife on her belt. She was careful to keep her hands away from it, which meant that she held the belt she had used to climb down in her right hand, and didn't put it back around her waist in order not to have to touch the knife and appear aggressive. Who knew what sort of attack or defence systems this ship had, and they were standing quite close to it.
After she stopped, she spoke in a neutral voice. “I appreciate it. I'm not intending to hurt you either.”
She had her long hair in a braid, wore what she hoped was a good approximation of the local clothes and footwear, and in addition to her backpack and water bottle, she also had a couple of pouches and there was a sheath with a medium-sized knife on her belt. She was careful to keep her hands away from it, which meant that she held the belt she had used to climb down in her right hand, and didn't put it back around her waist in order not to have to touch the knife and appear aggressive. Who knew what sort of attack or defence systems this ship had, and they were standing quite close to it.
After she stopped, she spoke in a neutral voice. “I appreciate it. I'm not intending to hurt you either.”
Tara smiled, careful not to show her teeth. In a culture like hers, descended as it was from felines who were by nature hunters, baring one's teeth was obviously not a friendly sign. She approached the woman cautiously, keeping her hands in view, "Well then, that's a good start isn't it? I'm Tara, Tara Ilendi. I'm...um... a scientist, a... uh... a person who learns about things. I'm a Xenoanthropologist, which means I study other people and try to learn their ways, that's why I'm here." She paused, trying to think of what to say next, "I wanted to keep my identity secret so I could study your culture without my presence upsetting things... so... um... if you wouldn't mind not telling anyone about this I'd be very grateful."
Carefully and as surreptitiously as possible, Tara examined Catrin, trying to fit her in with her mental model of the society of the planet, she made a curious, "Hm?" sound, "What village are you from anyway? Your clothes are of a different weave from what I've seen around here, though a similar material. Are you a messenger or some other traveler?"
Carefully and as surreptitiously as possible, Tara examined Catrin, trying to fit her in with her mental model of the society of the planet, she made a curious, "Hm?" sound, "What village are you from anyway? Your clothes are of a different weave from what I've seen around here, though a similar material. Are you a messenger or some other traveler?"
Catrin hadn't shown any surprise or alarm at seeing a feline-like alien, having already seen much weirder creatures, but now she had a hard not showing her feelings. A scientist, xenoanthropologist. She was screwed. She'd never be able to pretend being a local now. But she felt a little hope when Tara asked her not to tell anyone about this.
“Yes, it is. It's nice to meet you, Tara Ilendi. And of course I can keep this secret.” It probably wouldn't do to ask about which parts of this might be upsetting to “her” culture. The ship? The fact that Tara was an alien? Best to keep silent about this whole thing, then.
She then felt even more hope when Tara asked her what village she was from, thinking for a brief moment that she might get away with pretending she was a local. But no. Different weave? She suddenly became aware of the inconspicuous scrutiny she was being subjected to and realized that she probably wouldn't be even able to give Tara any name without being revealed, her own or a village's.
“I'm not from a village, I was born in a house that stood alone. And yes, I'm a traveler. I want to see the world,” she said with a happy smile, which stemmed from the fact that she was able to tell a fully true statement without blowing her cover. Yet. Her smile faded when she reminded herself that there was no way it would survive further conversation with Tara. “Well, Tara Ilendi, it was interesting meeting you. I won't tell anyone about it, and I'll keep going,” she said while stepping back a little, and she absently started fastening the belt around her hips, which might seem like she was going for her knife if any of the observers are sufficiently paranoid. She was so thrown off by meeting a xenoanthropologist, of all people, that she hadn't even realized what she was doing and how it may be perceived.
“Yes, it is. It's nice to meet you, Tara Ilendi. And of course I can keep this secret.” It probably wouldn't do to ask about which parts of this might be upsetting to “her” culture. The ship? The fact that Tara was an alien? Best to keep silent about this whole thing, then.
She then felt even more hope when Tara asked her what village she was from, thinking for a brief moment that she might get away with pretending she was a local. But no. Different weave? She suddenly became aware of the inconspicuous scrutiny she was being subjected to and realized that she probably wouldn't be even able to give Tara any name without being revealed, her own or a village's.
“I'm not from a village, I was born in a house that stood alone. And yes, I'm a traveler. I want to see the world,” she said with a happy smile, which stemmed from the fact that she was able to tell a fully true statement without blowing her cover. Yet. Her smile faded when she reminded herself that there was no way it would survive further conversation with Tara. “Well, Tara Ilendi, it was interesting meeting you. I won't tell anyone about it, and I'll keep going,” she said while stepping back a little, and she absently started fastening the belt around her hips, which might seem like she was going for her knife if any of the observers are sufficiently paranoid. She was so thrown off by meeting a xenoanthropologist, of all people, that she hadn't even realized what she was doing and how it may be perceived.
Tara frowned slightly, "A house on its own? Odd, I thought your kindstuck close together in the villages and towns. There aren't all that many isolated homesteads in this region. You must be far from home."
As Catrin started fastening her belt, which did indeed look like she was going for her knife, Tara took a step back and behind her the ship rumbled and shuddered, as if it was about to take off, or move. Tara turned slightly, her expression changing into one of surprise, "What are you doing!?" she exclaimed into a small bracelet on hr wrist.
The cultured voice of her ship's AI answered her from the bracelet, which was obviously some form of communication device, "The individual is going for a weapon, mistress, I might not have any inbuilt weapons but I can improvise t ensure your safety."
"Not the engines!" She exclaimed in panic, "You'll set the atmosphere on fire!"
"Please mistress, I am not stupid, I understand the danger of activating the main engines whilst in-atmo... besides it's very inaccurate to fire them and I'd probably kill you if I tried. I'll just squish the hostile with one of the emergency landing gears."
Tara's tail twitched in agitation, "You're not in a warship anymore for the love of the Three Sisters! I'll handle her!" she turned around to give what she hoped was an intimidating glare at Catrin... which really wasn't all that scary, "Drop the weapon please...um... I don't want to...um...hurt you with my..." She trailed off, she didn't have a weapon on her. She'd never needed one. She scrambled to think of something dangerous she had on her, "My... claws?"
As Catrin started fastening her belt, which did indeed look like she was going for her knife, Tara took a step back and behind her the ship rumbled and shuddered, as if it was about to take off, or move. Tara turned slightly, her expression changing into one of surprise, "What are you doing!?" she exclaimed into a small bracelet on hr wrist.
The cultured voice of her ship's AI answered her from the bracelet, which was obviously some form of communication device, "The individual is going for a weapon, mistress, I might not have any inbuilt weapons but I can improvise t ensure your safety."
"Not the engines!" She exclaimed in panic, "You'll set the atmosphere on fire!"
"Please mistress, I am not stupid, I understand the danger of activating the main engines whilst in-atmo... besides it's very inaccurate to fire them and I'd probably kill you if I tried. I'll just squish the hostile with one of the emergency landing gears."
Tara's tail twitched in agitation, "You're not in a warship anymore for the love of the Three Sisters! I'll handle her!" she turned around to give what she hoped was an intimidating glare at Catrin... which really wasn't all that scary, "Drop the weapon please...um... I don't want to...um...hurt you with my..." She trailed off, she didn't have a weapon on her. She'd never needed one. She scrambled to think of something dangerous she had on her, "My... claws?"
Catrin nodded at the “far from home” question and then she froze when Tara spoke into her bracelet, turned crimson as she heard the answer that came from it and hurriedly finished fastening her belt when Tara was distracted by the conversation, then put her hands halfway up, holding them at shoulder level and displaying open palms towards Tara. She felt ashamed at making such a stupid mistake, seeming to go for a weapon. As a result, she didn't find the ensuing conversation entertaining. She didn't move at all even after Tara turned to her and glared at her in order not to give her further cause for alarm.
“I'm sorry,” she began, sounding sincere, “I was going to fasten my belt which I had used to climb down the tree.” She kept holding her arms and hands in what she hoped would seem to be a non-intimidating position to Tara. “I wasn't going for my weapon,” she added to clarify. “Do you... want me to drop it anyway?” she asked quite hesitantly. “I'd still rather leave now. I'm sorry you felt threatened.” She really was, especially after it turned out that Tara wasn't equipped to handle violence, judging by her intonation when she said “claws”. It sounded like she hadn't thought of them as weapons for years.
“I'm sorry,” she began, sounding sincere, “I was going to fasten my belt which I had used to climb down the tree.” She kept holding her arms and hands in what she hoped would seem to be a non-intimidating position to Tara. “I wasn't going for my weapon,” she added to clarify. “Do you... want me to drop it anyway?” she asked quite hesitantly. “I'd still rather leave now. I'm sorry you felt threatened.” She really was, especially after it turned out that Tara wasn't equipped to handle violence, judging by her intonation when she said “claws”. It sounded like she hadn't thought of them as weapons for years.
She looked relieved, "Um...good...yes... very good! Uh... you can keep it if you like." She then shot a look over her shoulder at her ship, speaking into her bracelet she said, "And that's enough posturing out of you! Honestly, squishing her with the landing gear? I've never anything so ridiculous! We haven't used that old-fashioned relic for almost two centuries now anyway! I doubt it even works."
"It... might have worked." The Ai protested, "I'm a good aim."
She sighed and shook her head, "just shut down your maneuvering thrusters you old battleaxe." She turned back to Catrin, "i'm sorry about the misunderstanding... are you sure you want to go? If you're from another region then I would love to talk to you, it'd give me some valuable insight for my research!" She sounded quite excited at the prospect, in fact it seemed as if in her eagerness she'd already forgotten about the whole incident, "If you like I'll show you the inside of my...um... my ship. It's perfectly safe. The AI is just a litte... eccentric. He used to be fitted onto a warship, but when my people downsized the fleet and they put the ship he was installed on into storage they re-purposed him to act as a civilian computer. He sometimes forgets he's not fitted onto his old frigate any more."
"It was a cruiser" The AI said petulantly through her bracelet, "Please get that right mistress! I was never assigned to something as lowly as a mere frigate! I once served with two other AIs on the RNV Light of Tia'Ren! A true battleship! They would never have put me on a mere frigate!"
"Hush you." She said absently to her bracelet.
Behind her, the ship gave off the oddest sensation that it was sulking.
"It... might have worked." The Ai protested, "I'm a good aim."
She sighed and shook her head, "just shut down your maneuvering thrusters you old battleaxe." She turned back to Catrin, "i'm sorry about the misunderstanding... are you sure you want to go? If you're from another region then I would love to talk to you, it'd give me some valuable insight for my research!" She sounded quite excited at the prospect, in fact it seemed as if in her eagerness she'd already forgotten about the whole incident, "If you like I'll show you the inside of my...um... my ship. It's perfectly safe. The AI is just a litte... eccentric. He used to be fitted onto a warship, but when my people downsized the fleet and they put the ship he was installed on into storage they re-purposed him to act as a civilian computer. He sometimes forgets he's not fitted onto his old frigate any more."
"It was a cruiser" The AI said petulantly through her bracelet, "Please get that right mistress! I was never assigned to something as lowly as a mere frigate! I once served with two other AIs on the RNV Light of Tia'Ren! A true battleship! They would never have put me on a mere frigate!"
"Hush you." She said absently to her bracelet.
Behind her, the ship gave off the oddest sensation that it was sulking.
Catrin was relieved, too. “Good. So I'll just keep going...” She took a step away from Tara, but paused when she heard about the timeframe Tara's ship was dealing with. Two hundred years? How old could Tara be? The way she argued with the ship was rather entertaining, Catrin thought, completely ignoring the topic they were arguing about - squishing her. However old Tara was, she seemed to still have a sense of humour.
Catrin took a deep breath and forced herself to think straight for a change. Xenoanthropologist. She studies the culture to the point of knowing about ways of weaving, and doesn't want to be known about. Thinks someone from another region would give her valuable insight... And the planet was supposed to be underdeveloped. Damn. Catrin blinked when she realized how that all added up.
“Um... I'm not entirely sure you'd find me as useful as you think for your research,” she said, sounding slightly uncertain as the horrible prospect that there was no official way off this planet seemed more and more probable. She smiled when she was offered the tour of the ship. “That's very kind of you...” she trailed off. If there was no way off this planet, there would be no way of getting any advanced knowledge – that was probably kept away from the inhabitants as well. And people sticking close in villages and towns didn't seem very inviting to lonesome strangers, and to have to go through all that for nothing... Already all her preparation to come here seemed useless.
Well, maybe if she could get some information from this xenoanthropologist, she would have a better world to go for next time – one that actually communicated with the rest of the universe, and from where people could leave, but where she could initially fit in even without a bank account and whatever form of ID they used.
So she smiled at Tara. “Well... if you're sure the ship won't squish me.” She decided to find out more about the prospects of going through with her original plan of setting herself up here and then leaving. “When you asked me to keep this secret, did you do so so that no-one learns it's possible to get away from here, travel among the stars? Isn't it unfair?” She would walk with Tara to the ship if invited, but wouldn't enter without getting an answer to her question, hopefully finding out if there was any point at all in interaction with the locals.
Catrin took a deep breath and forced herself to think straight for a change. Xenoanthropologist. She studies the culture to the point of knowing about ways of weaving, and doesn't want to be known about. Thinks someone from another region would give her valuable insight... And the planet was supposed to be underdeveloped. Damn. Catrin blinked when she realized how that all added up.
“Um... I'm not entirely sure you'd find me as useful as you think for your research,” she said, sounding slightly uncertain as the horrible prospect that there was no official way off this planet seemed more and more probable. She smiled when she was offered the tour of the ship. “That's very kind of you...” she trailed off. If there was no way off this planet, there would be no way of getting any advanced knowledge – that was probably kept away from the inhabitants as well. And people sticking close in villages and towns didn't seem very inviting to lonesome strangers, and to have to go through all that for nothing... Already all her preparation to come here seemed useless.
Well, maybe if she could get some information from this xenoanthropologist, she would have a better world to go for next time – one that actually communicated with the rest of the universe, and from where people could leave, but where she could initially fit in even without a bank account and whatever form of ID they used.
So she smiled at Tara. “Well... if you're sure the ship won't squish me.” She decided to find out more about the prospects of going through with her original plan of setting herself up here and then leaving. “When you asked me to keep this secret, did you do so so that no-one learns it's possible to get away from here, travel among the stars? Isn't it unfair?” She would walk with Tara to the ship if invited, but wouldn't enter without getting an answer to her question, hopefully finding out if there was any point at all in interaction with the locals.
Tara gave her an eager smile, "Excellent! I'll show you everything... it's not much, just a small ship, bu it's quite comfy." At her question she frowned, ear twitching as she thoughy about her response, "Well, your people are quite...um... less adept at technology shall we say? It's not that we want to stop you from leaving you world, it's just that you don't have the technology to do so, and revealing our existence and sharing that technology would be... dangerous." She shook her head, her expression slightly sad, "We don't think your culture would take it well ight now, and we don't want the culture shock and the sudden glut o advanced technology to go to your heads. There might be wars, conflicts... you could end up destroying yourselves... my people learned a very long time ago to stay out of the affairs of younger races until they were ready."
Tas turned back to her ship and started leading Catrin towards it, "And in any case, the Galactic Senate has laws against premature First Contact anyway. I mean, I know my nation isn't technically a signatory of the Senate Charter, but we like to at least appear to listen to what they say... although we ussually do ignore any edicts we don't particularly like. Most of us think of them like a bunch of squabbling children locked in a room together." She chuckled, "I'm not quite so negative about the Senate, but I see where the others get their ideas from."
She entered the ship, hopefully with Catrin behind here, "I'll show you everything. It shouldn't take too long."
Tas turned back to her ship and started leading Catrin towards it, "And in any case, the Galactic Senate has laws against premature First Contact anyway. I mean, I know my nation isn't technically a signatory of the Senate Charter, but we like to at least appear to listen to what they say... although we ussually do ignore any edicts we don't particularly like. Most of us think of them like a bunch of squabbling children locked in a room together." She chuckled, "I'm not quite so negative about the Senate, but I see where the others get their ideas from."
She entered the ship, hopefully with Catrin behind here, "I'll show you everything. It shouldn't take too long."
Catrin smiled back at the Tara's obvious excitement and then nodded at Tara's response about space travel. No way of leaving, then. She smiled at Tara, having noted her sadness. “I see. So... if you study cultures, then your opinion on what to reveal to whom must be important. Why reveal more about your ship to me?”
It occurred to her that for an anthropologist, Tara wasn't showing much surprise about her own lack of surprise or bafflement when presented with a spaceship, terms like AI and advanced forms of communication. It had to click in soon, she mused as she walked with her towards the ship. She didn't seem stupid, just overexcited. Catrin listened to Tara speaking about the Galactic Senate, nodded in the appropriate places and smirked when Tara spoke about ignoring inconvenient edicts.
Tara was being very generous with information, a sharp contrast to what Catrin was used to when dealing with her family. Apart from the data she no doubt got from Catrin by observation, Tara didn't have much to go on, not even knowing Catrin's name yet.
Catrin chuckled when Tara expressed her opinion about the Senate, and paused before entering the ship, but followed Tara in after a second. She hoped the ship didn't have any mechanisms that would allow it to detect some of the hidden items she was carrying, like a set of three throwing knives attached to her forearm, which were in themselves magically altered apart from being hidden. Or what was essentially a set of portals that she was carrying in one of the pouches. Hopefully with the local magic being different, it wouldn't be a problem. She wasn't too worried about the invisible rings she was wearing, they were completely magically inert at the moment.
She nodded when Tara spoke. “Thank you for the invitation. It'll be interesting to look around.” She wondered briefly if she might become trapped inside if Tara finds out she's not a local. Well, she could always use one of the portals to leave in case of emergency, if she has enough time to use it.
It occurred to her that for an anthropologist, Tara wasn't showing much surprise about her own lack of surprise or bafflement when presented with a spaceship, terms like AI and advanced forms of communication. It had to click in soon, she mused as she walked with her towards the ship. She didn't seem stupid, just overexcited. Catrin listened to Tara speaking about the Galactic Senate, nodded in the appropriate places and smirked when Tara spoke about ignoring inconvenient edicts.
Tara was being very generous with information, a sharp contrast to what Catrin was used to when dealing with her family. Apart from the data she no doubt got from Catrin by observation, Tara didn't have much to go on, not even knowing Catrin's name yet.
Catrin chuckled when Tara expressed her opinion about the Senate, and paused before entering the ship, but followed Tara in after a second. She hoped the ship didn't have any mechanisms that would allow it to detect some of the hidden items she was carrying, like a set of three throwing knives attached to her forearm, which were in themselves magically altered apart from being hidden. Or what was essentially a set of portals that she was carrying in one of the pouches. Hopefully with the local magic being different, it wouldn't be a problem. She wasn't too worried about the invisible rings she was wearing, they were completely magically inert at the moment.
She nodded when Tara spoke. “Thank you for the invitation. It'll be interesting to look around.” She wondered briefly if she might become trapped inside if Tara finds out she's not a local. Well, she could always use one of the portals to leave in case of emergency, if she has enough time to use it.
Tara nodded eagerly, "Great!" The aperture behind them rematerialised, sealing them inside. Then there was a whoosh of air and their ears popped as the pressure changed and the outside air was substituted for the sterile air of the ship, not to mention the invisible, imperceptible decontamination they were subjected to, to prevent alien pathogens from entering the ship. The inner airlock wall dissolved like the outer hull had and Tara led Catrin through the opening into the corridor which ran between the cockpit and the lounge, "Right... well... I'll show you the simple stuff first."
She led Catrin into the lounge area, which was a relatively wide, open space in warm red, gold and beige hues, ledges on one wall were used as a bookshelf for some of her old-fashioned physical books, her large, comfy-looking reclining chair, almost a divan really, was set into one corner, a small tray had slid out of its side, and on it was the abandoned glass of wine she'd been drinking earlier, near the chair was a softy humming machine set into the wall with a holographic display floating near it displaying something in an alien script.
Tara walked over to the holo-display and topped it, "This is my food processor. It uses...um... little tiny invisible machines and a little magic to make anything I want so long as I have the basic components." Her gaze fell on her wine glass and she smiled, "Oh yes! I forgot about my wine!" She walked over to her chair and picked up the glass, taking a sip, "Mm... Anyway, this is my lounge area, it's where I spend most of my free time, reading, eating, analyzing my data..."
Suddenly the voice of the AI came from all around them, "mistress... I ran a thematic analysis of the indigenous creature's responses to your revelations, just on the off-chance that the revelations you imparted to her would reveal something of interest about the pyscho-cultural idiosyncraticies that might provide problems with future high-level contact with her kind."
Tara smiled, "Oh! Well, thank you. I didn't even think of that! What is it?"
"I have come to the conclusion that this particular individual has prior knowledge of advanced technologies. She reacted with understanding on numerous points of technology unknown to this world, such as interstellar travel, General Artificial Intelligence such as myself and your own existence as an extraterrestrial sapient."
Tara frowned, "Nonsense! That's not possible! If she's got prior experience of high technology then that means others on this world do... and I've just wasted ten years of my life collecting invalid data. I expected she's just a little overwhelmed."
"I factored this into my analysis... I believe my prior assessment is correct. Perhaps if you calmed down mistress and looked at this from an objective viewpoint?"
Tara sighed, turning to Catrin, "well... I may as well ask. Have you encountered this technology before?" She seemed anxious all of a sudden, but that was understandable if she thought she was about to learn that all of her data was wrong.
She led Catrin into the lounge area, which was a relatively wide, open space in warm red, gold and beige hues, ledges on one wall were used as a bookshelf for some of her old-fashioned physical books, her large, comfy-looking reclining chair, almost a divan really, was set into one corner, a small tray had slid out of its side, and on it was the abandoned glass of wine she'd been drinking earlier, near the chair was a softy humming machine set into the wall with a holographic display floating near it displaying something in an alien script.
Tara walked over to the holo-display and topped it, "This is my food processor. It uses...um... little tiny invisible machines and a little magic to make anything I want so long as I have the basic components." Her gaze fell on her wine glass and she smiled, "Oh yes! I forgot about my wine!" She walked over to her chair and picked up the glass, taking a sip, "Mm... Anyway, this is my lounge area, it's where I spend most of my free time, reading, eating, analyzing my data..."
Suddenly the voice of the AI came from all around them, "mistress... I ran a thematic analysis of the indigenous creature's responses to your revelations, just on the off-chance that the revelations you imparted to her would reveal something of interest about the pyscho-cultural idiosyncraticies that might provide problems with future high-level contact with her kind."
Tara smiled, "Oh! Well, thank you. I didn't even think of that! What is it?"
"I have come to the conclusion that this particular individual has prior knowledge of advanced technologies. She reacted with understanding on numerous points of technology unknown to this world, such as interstellar travel, General Artificial Intelligence such as myself and your own existence as an extraterrestrial sapient."
Tara frowned, "Nonsense! That's not possible! If she's got prior experience of high technology then that means others on this world do... and I've just wasted ten years of my life collecting invalid data. I expected she's just a little overwhelmed."
"I factored this into my analysis... I believe my prior assessment is correct. Perhaps if you calmed down mistress and looked at this from an objective viewpoint?"
Tara sighed, turning to Catrin, "well... I may as well ask. Have you encountered this technology before?" She seemed anxious all of a sudden, but that was understandable if she thought she was about to learn that all of her data was wrong.
Catrin got a little excited – Tara's enthusiasm was contagious – and she smiled widely at her in answer to her exclamation. She was very alertly observing everything that went on and that Tara showed her and noted that the lounge seemed both tasteful and comfy. She smiled and nodded at Tara's explanation about the food processor, and then commented on the lounge area. “It looks lovely.”
She froze into stillness at the AI's intrusion and was listening carefully to their exchange. When Tara turned to her, she was slightly frowning. “Well... yes and no. I've never seen this particular technology. I believe that your main concern is, is your data invalid? No, it's not. Your AI would have been correct if it wasn't for one error it made in its assumptions – I'm not an indigenous creature.”
She left her statement hanging, quite certain that it will get her even more relevant information when Tara and the AI will start trying to figure out what she is, aloud. It was great that they didn't seem to have a telepathic way of doing so.
She froze into stillness at the AI's intrusion and was listening carefully to their exchange. When Tara turned to her, she was slightly frowning. “Well... yes and no. I've never seen this particular technology. I believe that your main concern is, is your data invalid? No, it's not. Your AI would have been correct if it wasn't for one error it made in its assumptions – I'm not an indigenous creature.”
She left her statement hanging, quite certain that it will get her even more relevant information when Tara and the AI will start trying to figure out what she is, aloud. It was great that they didn't seem to have a telepathic way of doing so.
At her revelation, Tara looked much relieved, "Oh, well... that's wonderful!" She frowned slightly, "Oh, I mean that my data's still good, not that you're um.. were you stranded here or something? The initial survey the Exploratory Fleet did of this system didn't detect any evidence of high technology... were you left here by someone?"
Tara suddenly brightened, "Hey! We could take you back home!"
"Mistress you can't be serious! You don't even know her! and what about your research?" The AI exclaimed
"Don't be so rude!" Tara said, "My research is almost finished. I gathered the last of the data today, all I need to do now is create a cover story for leaving."
"But...mistress be reasonable! We don't even know her name or where she's from!" The AI said again.
"Humph! Well, there's an easy way to fix that isn't there?" She turned to Catrin, "So, what's your name anyway? Where are you from?"
Tara suddenly brightened, "Hey! We could take you back home!"
"Mistress you can't be serious! You don't even know her! and what about your research?" The AI exclaimed
"Don't be so rude!" Tara said, "My research is almost finished. I gathered the last of the data today, all I need to do now is create a cover story for leaving."
"But...mistress be reasonable! We don't even know her name or where she's from!" The AI said again.
"Humph! Well, there's an easy way to fix that isn't there?" She turned to Catrin, "So, what's your name anyway? Where are you from?"
Catrin's jaw nearly dropped at Tara's reaction. Suddenly, she was at a loss of words. “Um... that's... eh... very kind of you.”
She listened to the rest of the conversation and then answered Tara's question. “My name is Catrin. I apologise for not introducing myself earlier, but I had absolutely no idea about what some common local names are, and I didn't want to alert you to the fact that I'm not a native...” She trailed off, realizing with a pang that this trusting, helpful attitude that Tara displayed seemed to be somehow contagious. She was offering too much information already.
“I really doubt you would know the place I am from if I told you its name.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and lifted her hand to put a loose strand of hair back where it belonged, behind her ear, looking slightly uncomfortable, mainly at the fact that she was treated so nicely by a complete stranger, without being able to tell her almost anything about herself due to the large probability of revealing too much. It was an instinctual reaction on her part – when speaking with her relatives and, in fact, most people, not giving anyone almost any information was her favourite way of doing things, and very effective, too.
She listened to the rest of the conversation and then answered Tara's question. “My name is Catrin. I apologise for not introducing myself earlier, but I had absolutely no idea about what some common local names are, and I didn't want to alert you to the fact that I'm not a native...” She trailed off, realizing with a pang that this trusting, helpful attitude that Tara displayed seemed to be somehow contagious. She was offering too much information already.
“I really doubt you would know the place I am from if I told you its name.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and lifted her hand to put a loose strand of hair back where it belonged, behind her ear, looking slightly uncomfortable, mainly at the fact that she was treated so nicely by a complete stranger, without being able to tell her almost anything about herself due to the large probability of revealing too much. It was an instinctual reaction on her part – when speaking with her relatives and, in fact, most people, not giving anyone almost any information was her favourite way of doing things, and very effective, too.
Tara gave her a smile, "Not heard of it? Hm, you've never met a Terelain then? Well, others call us Terelains, we call ourselves the Children of Terel... but I guess Terelain is easier to say... um, anyway, Terelains live for ages... I mean actual Ages. We're biologically immortal. I myself am a thousand years old or so."
"One thousand and ninety seven, mistress." The AI informed her, "I apologies for my mistress. Terelains tend to get a little vague about time as they get older. She's not quite a Revered Elder, but if she's not careful she'll start glossing over whole centuries of time. It sometimes upsets other people."
"Thank you." Tara said irritably, "I don't think she quite needs to know my exact age."
"Apologies, mistress."
Tara cleared her throat, "Anyway, I've been around over the years, and I know more than most people suspect." She shrugged, "But if you're from some really remote planet, then I guess I probably haven't heard of it." Her eyes lit up, "And if you're from a wrld no one's ever been to before maybe you could tell me about it? I love hearing about new places."
"One thousand and ninety seven, mistress." The AI informed her, "I apologies for my mistress. Terelains tend to get a little vague about time as they get older. She's not quite a Revered Elder, but if she's not careful she'll start glossing over whole centuries of time. It sometimes upsets other people."
"Thank you." Tara said irritably, "I don't think she quite needs to know my exact age."
"Apologies, mistress."
Tara cleared her throat, "Anyway, I've been around over the years, and I know more than most people suspect." She shrugged, "But if you're from some really remote planet, then I guess I probably haven't heard of it." Her eyes lit up, "And if you're from a wrld no one's ever been to before maybe you could tell me about it? I love hearing about new places."
Catrin smiled back. “No, I haven't met a Terelain before. But it's nice to hear of a civilization where people live for ages and manage not to kill each other off in feuds, or do something similarly stupid.” That's what her people apparently preferred.
She then turned towards wherever the AI's voice was coming from and thanked it in a rather warm tone – after all, it was the first time it was being at least partially helpful to her.
She rubbed her chin in thought after Tara's polite request, then she shrugged. “Well, why not.” On second thought, it didn't seem like she had anything to lose by giving her some information. “I'm a... well, member of a ruling caste in a miniature kingdom in a place I'm certain you've never heard of, and I ended up here by mistake. I'm sure you'll be relieved that you're the first individual I actually spoke with here, so I haven't corrupted the locals. Anyway, since the place I'm from doesn't have any connections, diplomatic or other, with anything in this universe, and because I accidentally learned that magic and technology were combined in very interesting ways by some cultures, I wanted to try blending in somewhere from where I would be able to travel after establishing an identity without revealing who I was and where I was from, and try studying the magic. Of course, it has turned out that this place was a very poor choice, but I didn't have much information to go on. I suppose that as long as you don't ask too many questions... it wouldn't hurt to answer them.” Well, maybe it would, but it was necessary to take risks.
She then turned towards wherever the AI's voice was coming from and thanked it in a rather warm tone – after all, it was the first time it was being at least partially helpful to her.
She rubbed her chin in thought after Tara's polite request, then she shrugged. “Well, why not.” On second thought, it didn't seem like she had anything to lose by giving her some information. “I'm a... well, member of a ruling caste in a miniature kingdom in a place I'm certain you've never heard of, and I ended up here by mistake. I'm sure you'll be relieved that you're the first individual I actually spoke with here, so I haven't corrupted the locals. Anyway, since the place I'm from doesn't have any connections, diplomatic or other, with anything in this universe, and because I accidentally learned that magic and technology were combined in very interesting ways by some cultures, I wanted to try blending in somewhere from where I would be able to travel after establishing an identity without revealing who I was and where I was from, and try studying the magic. Of course, it has turned out that this place was a very poor choice, but I didn't have much information to go on. I suppose that as long as you don't ask too many questions... it wouldn't hurt to answer them.” Well, maybe it would, but it was necessary to take risks.
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