080914DeandadMari



 [01:54] LL: Mari is woken up bright and early by a knock at her door.

 [01:57] TA: Mari opens her eyes grogilly, having gotten to bed in the wee hours of the morning. Grumbling, she throws on her clothes, parachute and goggles included. If they have finally decided to come for her, she will face them as a scientist. She opens the door without a word.

 [01:59] LL: Dean is standing there, stubble still on his face, with a cup of coffe and a sour look. "I've come to take you for this flight safety course."

 [02:01] TA: Mari blinks a few time, processing this. She'd half-expected a firing squad. "Very well," she says simply, falling in step with her father. She'd be damned if she would show weakness in front of him.

 [02:03] LL: He heads for the door, grumbling under his breath.

 [02:08] TA: Mari follow silently, trying to shake the cobwebs from her mind. If she was really getting away with just flight lessons, then they might not realize she had been doing anything other than taking the rotocopter on a joyride.

 [02:10] LL: Dean pulls a keycard out of his pocket, and swipes it on a panel beside the door. It buzzes, and you hear a loud click, before he pushes it open and the chilly morning air rushes in.

 [02:12] TA: Taking a deep breath, Mari smiles a little. While she was use to spending days at a time in her lab, even she appreciated a little fresh air once in a while.

 [02:17] LL: He heads for the Helopad, where someone has parked a bare bones, ancient model of rotocraft. "I can't believe we have to use this legendary piece of shit."

 [02:19] TA: "As long as it flies." Mari says absently, running her eyes over the craft. It does look rather old, and, not for the first time, she is glad of the parachute on her back.

 [02:20] LL: Your father motions to the co-pilot's seat. "Climb in."

 [02:21] TA: With reluctance, Mari does so, strapping herself in and fitting on the headset.

 [02:21] LL: Dean chugs the rest of his coffee, then straps himself in as well, before starting up the rotocraft, and lifting off.

 [02:22] TA: Despite herself, Mari smiles watching the ground sink below. She always feels better in the air.

 [02:25] LL: "So, other than the whole 'blowing up half the base's defenses to cause a distraction for high treason', how are you enjoying the base?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:27] TA: Mari sighs. Alright, so maybe what she had attempted was obvious. "It has been fine so far. I've had plenty of time to work without interuption after being put under house arrest."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:31] LL: "Have you given any thought to what you'll do within the game?" He pulls away from the base, putting miles between the craft and its home.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:37] TA: Mari shrugged. "Support, mainly. I'm not exactly the most combat-capable of our little group. Beyond that...I'd like to fly." She is picturing her time on Derse again. Flying unaided had been one of the best experiances of her life.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:38] LL: He nods. "I'm supposed to be giving you a safety lesson, but we both know you know it all."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:44] LL: Dean pulls out a cigar and lights it.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:44] TA: Mari frowns. "Is the base bugged?" she asks cautiously. "Is that the reason for this flight, then?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:44] LL: "You bet."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:46] LL: "So if you have questions, now's the time."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:51] TA: "How did you and I get in on this game," she asks, watching her father. "We are a couple of traitors and relics from a war that ended years ago. Now I'm hobnobbing with human and troll royalty."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:52] LL: "I don't know, for sure. The Condesce implied we were selected to piss off the human government, but my contacts say that you were selected from birth, and my whole purpose was to bring you to this point."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:54] TA: Mari blinks. "That...would be some long-term planning. Selected by whom, exactly? The Condesce?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:54] LL: "That's what she claims. Though as I said, my sources say otherwise. Specifically, they say that the Condesce is just as much a pawn in this as I am."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:56] TA: "This sounds like a bad conspiracy theory," Mari says skeptically. "Who could manipulate the Condense, as well as all the others? Who would have that kind of power and knowledge?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [02:58] LL: "These people on the other side."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:03] TA: Mari leans back in her chair. "So, some alien force in this game chose me to survive the end and become a player. And no one on this side really knows why. Have I got the gist of it?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:06] LL: "That's how it appears." He exhales slowly. "I have some ideas."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:10] TA: "Anything you'd care to share?" she asks, watching the land below.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:12] LL: "Do you know what the 'Incipishpere' is?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:12] TA: Mari shakes her head. "It does not sound familiar."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:13] LL: "Yeah... it's hard to explain. Did you read the packet?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:17] TA: "I did. It did little other than reniforce how little we seem to know."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:18] LL: "Did you know that Acenia and Lily are half-alien?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:19] TA: Mari shrugged. "No. I had simply assumed they were mutants of some kind." She smiles a little. "Hmm. I guess I had my own 'Close Encouter' without even knowing it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:20] LL: "Perhaps. But that's why The Condesce is letting her son dally with a mutant - one of these things on the other side is her mother, and insanely overprotective."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:23] LL: "Anyway, you'll have to look out for them when you get over there."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:25] TA: Mari nods. "I will do my best. Irritating powerful alien beings would be very unwise."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:27] LL: He licks his lips. "You know that I am not well liked, don't you, Mari?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:28] TA: "Yes, I had managed to pick that up over the years," Mari said sarcastically.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:29] LL: "I'm... probably not going to survive the beginning of the game."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:30] TA: Mari looks at him sharply. "Do you have reason to belive someone will target you?" she asks, twisting her seatbelt unconiously.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:32] LL: "There are factions within the Trolls and Humans, bent on the supremacy of their respective species. I'm a traitor to my own kind, and not one of the other."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:34] TA: Mari chews on her lower lip. "There must be some way you could ingratiate yourself to one side or another," she says, somewhat desperately. "Some intel or item you could give them."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:35] LL: "I burned that bridge keeping you safe," He chuckles. "I traded my last bit of information for a guarantee all of you players will be put in lockdown during your entries. That way no one can come after you."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:37] TA: Mari looks fairly distressed. "But-there must be something you could do! You cannot just sit around and wait for them to kill you!"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:39] LL: "Oh, I don't intend to do that. Your old man still has a few tricks up his sleeve. I just want you to be prepared for the worst."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:42] TA: "Of course you do. Of course. You've survived all these years, after all." Mari sounds more like she is trying to convince herself than anything.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:45] LL: "Mari, I want you to know that I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:45] TA: Mari nods slowly. "I understand.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:46] TA: Thank you."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:46] LL: He grumbles. "I got you something."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:47] TA: "It is not another dress is it?" she ask, sounding a little more like herself.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:49] LL: "No, I don't think dresses will be useful on the other side." He banks back towards the base. "But before you find out what it is, I want you to promise me, you wont do anything to get yourself killed."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:51] TA: Normally, Mari would have some flippent remark prepared. But after the last few minutes..."I promise," she says solemly. "I will be careful."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:52] LL: "Remember how I told you I was selling the house?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:52] TA: She nods.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:53] LL: "Well, pretty shortly here, all the money I managed to acquire is going to be useless. So I made a purchase from the Alternian Military."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:55] TA: "That makes sense. But what did you buy?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [03:58] LL: He grins devilishly, and points out the window.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:00] TA: Mari turns, looking towards where he pointed.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:01] LL: A sleek black stealth model roto-craft is parked on top of the building. "It's a prototype, apparently runs nearly silent. I had them put it on the roof over your room, so it will go with you when you enter the game."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:03] TA: Mari's jaw drops open. "I-It's," is all she manages to get out before words fail here. She has never seen anything so beautiful. "And it's mine?" she manages to choke out.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:05] LL: He reaches into his pocket and hands over a set of keys. "Don't tell your friends. They'll be terribly jealous. You're also not allowed to fly it until you've entered."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:06] TA: She captogles the keys instantly, as if afraid they will be snatched away. "Yes, of course, yes. Not til we're in the game, don't tell anyone. Yes." She is pratically vibrating with excitment.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:07] LL: "I suppose, if you wanted to take it for a spin, as part of your safety course.... " He rubs his chin. "But you wouldn't be interested in that, would you?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:08] TA: "Yes I would! I would be interested in that!" She says wildly.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:09] LL: He lands the old rickety rotocraft on the roof beside the much more impressive model. "Just a quick jaunt, to make sure you're familiar with the controls, hmm?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:11] TA: Mari is throwing off her seatbelt almost before they've finished touching down, sprinting towards the craft. "Yessss, she coos, running her hand along the side. "Mine."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:12] TA: Decaploging the keys, she opens the door, buckilng herself in and putting on the headset. "Hurry, hurry," she calls out.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:12] LL: Dean stretches and climbs out of one craft and into the other, buckling himself in. "Wow, maybe I should get a refund, since you seem to hate it so much."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:13] TA: Grinning like a maniac, Mari starts the craft, taking a moment to listen to the hum, before pulling back on the stick, lifting them off the ground.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:16] LL: Sure enough, the craft is nearly silent, just a soft whine whenever you perform a more difficult maneuver.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:19] TA: The crazed smile has not left Mari's face yet. It may be a permanent addition. "Yes, you are beautiful, beautiful, wonderous, perfect, yes," she whispers to herself as she flies, keeping up a running dialoge with the craft.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:20] LL: "Do I need to leave you two alone? Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:22] TA: Mari barely hears him. "Yes, you are supreme, ruler of the skies, yes," she coos. "High above the world, no time for slowpoke landdwellers, no, no time for them.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:27] LL: "I don't know what's going to happen on the other side. But I figured I might as well make sure you've got the right tools to play to your strengths. If you want any modifications made, I have some money left. Just let me know."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:29] TA: Mari shakes her head, seeming to come back come back for a moment. "Yes, of course," she manages. "Thank you, father, for this lovely craft. Does it have any weapons?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:30] LL: "None yet. It has mounts for two guns and a missile launcher, though. You'll need to decide what models you want."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:32] TA: "I will certainly give it a great deal of thought" she says carefully. The Smile still twists at the corners of her mouth. "How many people can it carry? Is it capable of making aquatic landings?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:34] LL: "Besides the pilot and co-pilot, you have seating for 5, though you can probably cram 8 back there if you make them stand. As for aquatic landings, not really. The best you can get is shoreline and shallows. Anything deeper than about your knees and it's not really equipped for it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:35] TA: "It is wonderful. I suppose e have to go back down now, don't we?" she says sadly.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:37] LL: He nods. "If you get those modifications to me tomorrow afternoon, maybe we can work out getting them on and next week we can take another test flight."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:39] TA: She grins the unnerving grin again. "Yes! I shall get you the modifications, and we shall go flying again! Yes, we shall!" She bring the craft to land upon the pad, beside the older craft.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:41] LL: Dean grumbles and unbuckles himself. "I'm going back to bed. If anyone asks I yelled at you. A lot." He offers a keycard. "You're out of jail, for now."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:43] TA: Mari takes the card. "I-thank you, Dad." She reflects on the fact that she has not said than nonsarcasticlly in over a year, and today she has said it three time. "Just-be careful, okay?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;"> [04:44] LL: "I'll do my best. But you do your best too, all right?" He ruffles her hair. "I'll see you later."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;-qt-block-indent:0;text-indent:0px;">

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;">