Lieutenant Anton Richards: On The Clock
Writer Guy
((Floor 40, I-Dorf Kiyoria, I-Kiyo Dyson Ring))
Tr’ac’i 42: That is not how we work here.
This was the answer Anton was expecting to hear. He attempted his best to seem bothered by it. Why would he be? This place was cool.
Richards: Right. ::smiling:: Of course not.
Lahl: ::rolling her eyes:: Very well. If you’re going to be cryptic, can I ask if I can keep that robe over there? It seems like it was made specifically for me.
The two exchanged glances.
Lahl: Just making sure.
Anton looked up and down the walls of the room as if he may find a single waterfall that wasn’t running to complain about. Of course there was not one.
Richards: Everything looks good then. Thanks
Tr’ac’i 42: Any other questions?
Herrick: Perhaps, just your name. We didn’t properly exchange introductions when we first met.
Richards: I’m Anton. ::smiling::
Tr’ac’i 42: It is unnecessary for the purposes of your visit.
Then, without warning, she blinked out of existence. Anton shook his head.
Richards: It was nice to meet you.
Lahl: Response
((The next morning))
Anton cleaned up and wore the clothes that were provided to him. It seemed that they had gone with the style of flowery enough to fit in, but not flowery enough to seem like he was from there. He passed on the crown, leaving it laying where it was placed for him.
He hadn’t slept well that night, along with being unusually punctual, Anton’s host’s customs seemed to also include sneaking in and out of the room whilst the guests were sleeping. He had watched the first one enter and he carefully pretended to be sleeping.
They didn’t appear to be up to anything malicious, just cleaning up and preparing the room. This process consisted of several visits throughout the night and Anton wasn’t sure if he had slept through one or more of them.
Morning arrived and the group were sure to be right on time for their transport, they entered the blacked out vehicle quickly and were taken away. After several minutes consisting of mostly silence and peering into the blackness of the windows, Anton felt the vehicle come to a halt.
Anton had expected the doors to open on the transport. But instead a holo filled the cabin and proceeded to brief them.
Holo: The information you are to receive is strictly confidential. Unauthorized sharing of this information is subject to imprisonment until death as is governed by the laws of our land.
Anton turned towards Lahl and put his finger over his mouth and made a shushing gesture.
Holo: ::displaying a view of the solar system:: Chronometric aging of the ring has determined that its age is 12,764.21 years. The exact origins of the ring are unknown, much of our recorded history from that era has been lost to time. Our analysis has shown that the shield dome generator is likely to fail in 154.214 days. When that happens, all the atmosphere will be vented into space and the remaining ring dwellers will perish. We do not easily accept the help of outsiders, but we will permit your assistance given this extreme situation. This transport will take you directly to the main shield generators, and these tablets will provide you with all the technical documentation we have available.
Herrick: Well… that was something.
The holo abruptly finished and the transport doors opened and when Anton stepped out onto metal flooring he quickly realized that when they said they would be taken to the shield dome generator they were not kidding.
The group was no longer outside traveling the streets; they were inside a massive complex that was constructed out of a dark metal that was difficult to illuminate and were currently standing on the edge of a gangplank that seemed like it had been set up specifically to take people in and out of the large area.
How long it had been since they had entered the complex Anton was unsure of.
Richards: I can’t tell if we are above ground or not.
He glanced upwards and the interior of the massive facility spanned farther than Anton’s eyes could guide him.
Herrick/Lahl: Response
Anton was still staring upwards when a vibration from the tablet that he had been given caught his attention and as soon as Anton had looked at it and not before the screen lit up with a map leading the group down the only path along the catwalk that was available to them.
Richards: I’m not sure a map is necessary.
As he spoke the words, the tablet processed them as a command and simply displayed a countdown of the red numbers that displayed 154.207.
Anton would have preferred the map.
Herrick/Lahl: Response
Richards: Well I now sort of understand their obsession with time.
Herrick/Lahl: Response
As the group proceeded down the catwalk the sound of their shoes falling on the hard metal echoed through the large open and empty vastness of the facility. The catwalk led them under a giant group of metal arches that seemed to indicate an entrance to the main room on this level.
As they passed under the arches the room they entered closed off from the rest of the facility and inside was the biggest generator Anton had ever seen.
The large generator system seemed complex to Anton. But he could tell one thing for sure, it had been in the process of being torn apart and rebuilt for quite a long time and spare parts, batteries, and various other engineering-esque gadgets were strewn about the floor.
All of this followed by a small team of five or so engineers that seemed to be arguing furiously amongst themselves, as well as with the unnamed robot that had met them at the hotel. One of the engineers appeared to be speaking for the group.
Engineer: If you just give us some more time!
Tr’ac’i 42: You know better than anyone that we are running out of time!
Engineer: So you’d rather hand it off to some outsiders?
It seemed apparent that there hadn’t been time in the schedule to warn the Engineers of their arrival.
Herrick/Lahl: Response
Richards: We just want to help.
Herrick/Lahl/Engineer: Responses
[TAGS & TBC]
===================
Lieutenant Anton Richards
Security Officer
USS Octavia E. Butler - NCC-82850
T239802AR1
===================