Master's Journey: Shadow Ascent #2 (Patreon)

Author's Notes: Our answer last time, naming the main character, was "Aln'vos," so moving ahead with that, let's meet the ship and some of the crew!

[story]

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‭You feel your breath catch at the question, specifically the manner in which it’s framed. Captain. You’d hoped for the weapons officer position, even considered yourself underqualified for it, but captain… captain was something you hadn’t even thought to aspire to at this point in your career. “Aln’vos, sir,” you say, head still held high.

“Good, good,” the admiral nods at you, then back to the android. “I wish there was time for more pomp and ceremony, but we’re on quite a tight schedule and I wasn’t anticipating a field promotion this quickly into our expedition. L-Zero, see this man properly filed and replicate a uniform while I show him the ship.”

“Of course, admiral,” the android nods curtly, then glances towards you. Its eyes flash a moment, and a horizonal ray of light scans up and down your body – possibly taking your measurements, or reading vitals, you’re uncertain. They then promptly leave through the same door the courier had gone through, while Admiral Oudega leads you towards a bay door at the conference room’s posterior end.

“Doctor vo-Ka, you come along as well,” the nauelli clucks his tongue and leads you both forward, punching in a quick key-code to open the doors and leading you to a gangway leading from the conference room into a massive hangar, well-hidden from the outside. At its epicenter, you see a ship – your ship.

“By Jhaa…” you mutter under your breath as you take it all in. Workers scramble around the thing, adding fuel and making all manner of other last-second check-ups and adjustments. It’s large, much larger than the gunships you’re better acclimated to, but far smaller than a proper warship or mobile colony. Black and chrome dominate the colors of its long, wedge-shaped body, its widest point flanked by slightly-elevated external thrusters, though highlights of dull violet lace simple designs along its hull. At its underside are two shark-like fins, parallel to one another, with a crackling line of black light arcing endlessly between them – the ship’s shadow engine, the arcane piece of machinery that will allow torrential travel. It’s magnificent.

“The Basileia,” Oudega pauses and glances at you, noticing your admiration of the vessel. “Not just any Ascent-class. This thing is heavily modified to be the best exploration vessel money can buy.” No wonder it was a nauelli-funded project, then. The Syndicate of the Au is by far the wealthiest nation in the Crux Worlds. “Extra fuel efficiency for longer journeys, enhanced shields, and sustenance accommodations for every Crux species, allowing for the most diverse crew available. I think there’s even a human on board.”

“Very impressive, admiral,” Kreeath trills, tapping its flat fingertips against each other in a pensive posture. Whether the kubaasko is as impressed with the ship as you are is impossible to tell – the creatures lack facial or vocal expression of any kind, and you lack the required exposure to their social tells to get a good read on one.

“Yes,” you agree with a short nod. “Very impressive indeed.”

“Well, let’s meet the crew, then. A few may be difficult to find, but I’m sure many will be near the bridge.” Oudega nods forward and begins to walk again, his short legs carrying him with surprising agility. You follow, while Kreaath-vo-Ka lopes along behind, arms nearly touching the ground. You ascend another gangway, this one into the belly of the ship itself, and you find your astounded by the quality of the interior – this ship, if not necessarily new, has been recently remodeled and extensively cleaned, many of the metal surfaces boasting a mirror shine. Decorations are scarce, which gives it something of an austere, clinical feel, but it will feel more and more like home the longer you spend aboard, you assume.

You’re led to the bridge, where several members of the crew – your crew – scramble to unpack and align various tools and instruments, preparing themselves for the long journey ahead. One of them you recognize as Etha Zor, the woman who recommended you for the weapons officer position, herself a skilled navigator. She’s nauelli, though rather petite for a female of the species, sporting sky-blue skin and dark teal hair that’s been pulled up into a high ponytail, a respectable balance of professional and approachable. “Vos!” she calls, rushing over to you and pausing an instant before giving you a hug, opting instead for an intimate handshake. Better not to make your past relationship common knowledge so quickly – the two of you have dated, off and on, for the past few years, and retain an unusual friendship.

“Etha, glad to see you,” you allow yourself a small smile, gripping her hand tightly and shaking back. Probably a good idea to wait until the admiral’s gone to properly catch up.

“Ah, I see you two have already met,” Oudega nods to you, then to Etha, before gesturing at the others at the bridge. “As for the rest of you, let me introduce Aln’vos, the new captain of the Basileia.”

Etha looks taken aback, if only for an instant. “Oh. Captain Hansel…?”

“Deceased,” the admiral replies quickly, more than a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Nothing to be done about it now.” He then points to the other nearby crew members – a female human with pale skin and vivid orange hair, and a lanky q’orrine, her pink skin mottled with mossy green. “This is Durning, our shadow engineer, and Mephora, our communications officer.”

“Got everythin’ locked and loaded, cap,” Durning salutes, “once that great bloody jellyfish signs off, we’ll be ready to skedaddle off into the Shadow Current.” Her accent is incredibly bizarre, but this doesn’t surprise you. Humans are – or at least, were– known to have an unnecessarily vast catalogue of spoken languages and dialects.

“All instruments are live and receiving, captain,” Mephora shows a small smile, already sitting demurely at her position, a headset nestled among the tangle of tendrils that descend from her scalp.

“Excellent,” you nod. “As you were.”

“Aye aye, cap,” Durning acknowledges before returning to her work, and you turn back to face Oudega, to find the man once more alongside his android assistant, L-Zero.

“Your uniform has been completed,” the android says. Strange that you still can’t tell if it’s unawakened or just very professional. “Would you like to go to your quarters and change, or continue to meet the crew?”