Time Well Spent (FT)

Lal raises an eyebrow at Dimitri. "Impoverished? Who said we were impoverished? Not having good food isn't the same as being impoverished. Sure, we may not exactly be swimming in wealth, but we've done considerably well considering everything we have is built from scratch. I don't want pity, which to me seems like what I'm currently getting."

"Who said I was referring to you? There are other planets out there that we have our eyes on that have it far worse than you. Do you want a list? There are dozen I can think of off the top of my head."

(OOC: Now to make a list if he is asked to produce one.)

"I suppose I misinterpreted the subject of your pronoun, then. The list would help explain your intentions a bit more, yes." Lal says flatly.

"Yes, poor grammar kills." He rattles off a dozen names and shows them on the galactic map from a small holographic projector. "So far, our probes have been observing these three with interest. Some nations in P'Taria appear to be on the verge of an industrial revolution. Themyscira is the only nation there we have semi-regular contact with, however, and we will likely keep it that way. They are already formidable warriors with very strange technology. I believe Shein has met two members of their royal family."

He'll wait for confirmation from him before continuing.

Lal simply says, "Go on," although he does think to himself that a nation on the verge of an industrial revolution would be on the path to prosperity, a bit at the expense of the ecosystem on the planet that they live on.

(OOC: Again with the wrong pronoun. Him meant Shein. Whatever.)

"We came across one remote system that we named Bastet. They appear to be a race of bipedal felines, with short fur in a wide range of colors, occupying the fourth planet of their solar system. They appear to have triple-jointed legs, but that's just them walking on their toes. They have no proper lips to speak with but many of their languages definitely have alphabets and they have a very wide range of vocalizations. They have a basic space-faring program and have reached past a few planets of their solar system. We have not been able to observe their military in too much detail but it appears that their shipboard weapons are railguns."

He waits for Lal to absorb that.

Lal says simply, "Alright, and the last?"

(OOC: Sorry, I can be really bad at interpreting pronouns at times )

Dmitri says, "We have not come up with a name for this race yet, but they are virtually neighbors with the Bastians. They are unusual in that they seem to disdain technology and use purely organic technology, even for their ships. We're frankly interested in them solely because of how dumb that is. If they end up bumping into the Bastians, which appears to be likely even at sublight speeds, we predict a Bastian victory."

Jenova and Thorgood have stuffed their mouths with food to avoid saying anything. Especially when organic spaceflight is discounted off the bat as dumb.

He further elaborates. "Biological systems are chemically reaction and far less structurally sound than metal or ceramics. There are limits to how much this will ever change, because chemical reactivity is a prerequisite for life. Living cells requires a constant supply of nutrients, which means that all living cells must always be semi-permeable. Sure, organic stuff can repair but the type of damage that organic systems can fix wouldn't even scratch a metal hull. Can you see why organic ships are just plain stupid?"

(OOC: Paraphrased from the organic technology part of this page.)

Lal shrugs, and says, "Not all biotech should be so quickly discarded. A demon boil of mind worms under the power of the Gaian Dream-Twister can easily take out one of Zakharov's latest hovertanks with plasma shard technology. A demon boil of Locusts of Chiron? They can swoop down unexpectedly and destroy just about anything. Then again, I suppose that they are more psionic in nature then anything."

"So Shein," Jenova says a bit too loudly once she swallows the remainder of the green-tinged things. "I haven't asked you in a while. With your spice and everything, how long have you managed to extend your life?"

Thorgood continues to shove food down his throat to avoid conflict with the Rheans.

"I do not dismiss all things organic, especially things that are psionic in nature. Bacta is a wonderful medical substance and we appreciate how dangerous biological weapons are. But to use organic structures for ships is foolish."

Shein shrugs. "I don't know yet. The Sikarrans suggest it may be quite a long time, barring fatal injury, of course." He looks to Lal. "Tell me more about these Mind Worms? I wonder how they'd stand up against the Rutians. The vast majority of us are psions ourselves."

"That's cheating," Thorgood says with his mouth full.

"Oh can it," Jenova says. "I didn't even join that pool of yours. Everything doesn't have to be a competition with me."

Thorgood sticks his tongue out at Jenova. It's thankfully food-free.

"They have some sort of pool on how long you managed to extend your lifespan," Jenova explains.

Lal nods to Dimitri and chuckles slightly at the back and forth discussion between Thorgood and Jenova on Shein's lifetime. He then replies to Shein, "Mind Worms? They've been a hassle on Chiron since the beginning... I remember the day we learned about them when an unlucky scout patrol wandered into the xenofungus without a single survivor. Anyways, Mind Worms have the ability to quickly and efficiently burrow through seeming anything into a human brain and devour it, all while subjecting them to delusions, fantasies, or complete and abject terror, depending on the person. They gather into large groups called boils, which can easily overwhelm military units or even whole bases. There are also aquatic and airborne vectors known as Isles of the Deep and Locusts of Chiron respectively, of which the Locusts are especially dangerous. The Isles are known to transport Mind Worms onto the coast, as well, in fact, it's become a widely accepted theory that all of the Mind Worm strains are 'white blood cells' of Planet, guided by a hive mind. I've accepted such a theory myself... for certain reasons I'll decline to share. Anyways, the best way to exterminate them would be through the use of flare guns, although the user would have to fend off the mental attack first. There are also other dangerous forms of native life on Planet... Spore Launchers are basically Planet's artillery, Sealurks it's submarines, and Fungal Towers it's fortresses. It can take decades to exterminate a Fungal Tower... and Spore Launchers can easily destroy years worth of improvements. Sealurks have a tendency to pop up at the most unexpected moment... anyways, I'm getting off track, please let me apologize for rambling on and on. As for your people fare, I would expect well, as soldiers with Empath (psionic) powers have a deadly edge against them in offense... soldiers with Trance equipment can also defend well against them."

(OOC: WHOA TEXT WALL )

Shein smirks at Thorgood and Jenova. "I've met some Sikarrans that claim they're over two hundred. I don't have proof of that, but I can say they look like they're in their twenties." He leans back as he listens to Lal talk about the mind worms. He nods slightly at the important parts, but looks to be thinking about how to respond.

Kennah remains silent through this, though she's watching the kids carefully.

The younger of the two kids, who's apparently been listening, speaks up. "Maybe your planet thinks it's sick? When I was sick, they said my white blood cells went up. Did you try to give it medicine?"

Shein smiles slightly at his son's response, then looks to Lal. "He's got a point."

"Indeed he does. The Paladins spoke to me after Officer Aaron left. They told me they sensed great distress from the planet. Something about a disturbance in the Force. Some mumbo jumbo from old holocrons that I'd dismiss if not for repeatedly observed Force phenomena. Some references in there, too, about some mythological figure by the name of Darth Vader. Didn't really reveal much more about him, though, other than there might be some factual basis for the man's existence."

Lal nods back, and says, "In a certain sense, yes, it is sick, and part of that is because of my colleagues and I, to be fair. Still, we are indeed trying to give it some 'medicine', or at least treatment, as we've set aside some Centauri Preserves for the preservation of Planet's fragile ecosystem. It's as much as we can do, however, although some of our more eco-conscious friends, the Gaians, have taken it to another step."

Lal then look over at Dmitri, and says, "Force? Darth Vader? What? Although I know that Planet does speak, it never speaks of such things, given that it has about the maturity of a creche infant..."

"Oh, the legends of Vader and knowledge of the Force came from the holocrons we uncovered relatively recently. I don't quite know what those Paladins meant when they said they sensed a disturbance in the Force from Planet, though. It's not something good, though."

Jenova and Thorgood are now just hanging out.

Shein listens silently for a moment, then shakes his head. "Setting up environmental preserves never does well for protecting a planet's ecosystem. Then again, the entire Imperial Republic is spread out over many different planets and many different ecosystems. There are not enough people on any one world to do too much more damage. Your very presence is probably the threat. You say the planet has little maturity. It probably feels the same about you." He shrugs a shoulder. "With your permission, I'd like to send a team to your planet to study the planet itself."

The boy that spoke before looks over at Shein. "Papa? Is it like their planet's got fleas? When the kats gets fleas, they scratch to get rid of them." Oh, the wonder of youth picking up on things that adults either don't see or don't want to see. Or can't figure out how best to say it. Probably the last.

"It's probably what they meant. They refused to clarify for me, though. Monk speak irritates me."

Lal sighs, and nods. "An inconvenient truth, as it is. Planet does have certain... questions... as to our presence, as it is afraid that we will destroy it as we did Earth. We've actually done surprisingly little eco-damage, or at least my faction, but some of the others... are not quite so environmentally conscious. As for sending a team to study Planet, you are welcome to, as long as you notify all factions in advance. Should you desire more information, you might want to speak to Lady Deidre Skye of the Gaians, instead, she is far more knowledgeable on the subject then I."