Carpathia V: Episode 14 - Late-night Stroll
Andrast, Old Town
It was a dark, cloudy night on the road through the historic district of Kau's town. The only illumination came from the dim street lights and car headlights reflecting on the rain-slicked roads. On the left was the old canal, still providing water to the town for generations, with only a wooden fence separating cars from going into the drink.
It was the part of the road that Kau hated most, narrow and now slick, and he gripped the steering wheel tightly. With no other cars out this late, the long, straight road had a tendency to lull him into sleepiness and it didn't help that he'd been up since early in the morning. The fenceposts sailed past the car in a hypnotic pattern and his eyes fluttered as they strained to see in the dark.
In a flash, he saw it, but only for an instant. A small creature with a long tail with eyes that glowed like beacons in the car's headlights. Kau swerved to the right, just barely missing the animal. The rear of the car already started to fishtail when he attempted to correct back onto the road, but this caused the car to fishtail even harder to the opposite side, directly into the fence. It was no match for the car's bulk, and the fence's ancient timbers splintered immediately on contact.
Kau gunned the engine, trying to get the car away from the canal, but it was too late. The left rear wheel dropped over the side, suddenly making the car even more unstable. Soon, the rest of the car followed, grinding on the undercarriage until another wheel slipped and there was nothing more he could do. Moments later, the car tipped up, pointing his face straight into the air as the rear slammed into the side of the canal and he flipped over upside down into the water.
Panic gripped him when the jolt shattered one of the windows. He didn't know which one. All he heard was a crack and water rushing in like a tsunami. Upside-down and with water already covering his face, he flailed and fumbled for his seatbelt latch. By the time he found it, he was already swallowing water, but popping the latch only allowed gravity to take over and his head smashed into the car's roof. Now dazed and confused, his struggle became more half-hearted as the car continued to fill with water. He tapped on the window, but his was still solid. He reached for the door handle, but he couldn't find it.
And soon, the darkness turned to black.
Kau's Quarters, NCCS Shadowdancer
Kau sprang upright into his bed with a sharp gasp and stayed as he was for several minutes, clutching his chest as he worked to steady his breathing. It was bad enough to have the same nightmare over and over one or two times per week, but even worse that he always felt it as though it were the first time, every time.
Finally, with his breathing steadied, he glanced at his clock. 0200. Knowing he wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep for awhile, he decided to take a walk and swung himself around to put his feet on the floor. After a stretch and a wipe of his eyes, he stood, still just in his pajama shorts, and strode out of his quarters.
At first, he thought he might go to the canteen for a nice glass of warm milk, perhaps with a drop of liqueur in it, but that would be better saved until the end. For now, a stroll around the ship was best and he'd circle back to the canteen later.
The lights all around the ship were dim, rigged for nighttime. The corridors were devoid of life, to the point where he could actually hear his own footfalls on the carpet. The engine hum on the Shadowdancer was noticeably louder than on the much newer Chrono Blade, perfect for lulling a tired body to sleep, but that wasn't going to work on him right now.
Instinctively, like a bee to a hive, Kau followed the engine hum, tracing its origin. Obviously, this was Engineering, and he knew that, but he only walked with the soothing hum in mind rather than the destination. He did not stop until he got to the vault-like double doors that led inside. As he approached, there was a loud clank and the doors rumbled open. On the other side stood Atsuo, who gave a little start, not expecting to see Kau standing on the other side.
Atsuo: Oh! Kau! I didn't expect you there.
Atsuo paused while he scoped Kau out from top to bottom with his usual warm smile on his face.
Atsuo: Nice jammies, dude. Couldn't sleep?
Kau had never told anyone about the nightmares and he wasn't about to start now.
Kau: Yeah. Not used to the new ship yet, I guess.
Atsuo: Understandable. Say, I'm headed to the canteen for a nibble if you want to join me.
Kau paused, as he did plan to go there anyway, but not just yet.
Kau: Maybe I'll see you there. I want to wander a bit more.
Atsuo: Right on. I'm hoping they have some shiozake ready for the breakfast rush. See you there!
Atsuo strode past, giving Kau a pat on the shoulder as he passed. Still, Kau wasn't ready to go yet, but some salt-cured salmon did sound very good right now and his mouth began to water. Nevertheless, he pressed on into Engineering. It was definitely the most lively place on the ship this late at night, but not by much. Just a few engineers at their consoles maintaining systems and making sure nothing goes kaboom until the day shift arrived.
The engine core itself, while not as grand and impressive as the Chrono Blade's, still had a raw charm to it, with its exposed bolts and many uncovered conduits. Not the picture of refinement, for many of the insulators on the Chrono Blade did much to dampen the noise and vibrations and the Shadowdancer had little of this. Still, Kau found it all endearing, as did much of the Engineering staff.
As he looked around, something caught his eye. Unlike the rest of the ship and even around Engineering, the lab looked like it had quite a bit of activity going on, though it was only one person. Through the windows, he could see Kerith going to and fro and looked to be assembling something. At the risk of interrupting, Kau approached the door and sounded the chime.
Kerith: Come in! Come in!
Heartened by the enthusiastic response, Kau opened the door and stepped inside.
Kerith: Oh, Kau! I thought it would be Atsuo, but I'm glad to see you too. Nice jammies, by the way.
Kau looked down at himself this time, even though he already knew what he was wearing.
Kau: Okay, maybe I should have put on something different.
With Kau still standing in the doorway, Kerith beckoned him closer.
Kerith: Come closer! I want to show you something.
Kau's ears flipped up on his head with intrigue as he did as he was told, following Kerith through the laboratory until they arrived at an unusual contraption. Nothing outlandish, full of blinky lights or anything like that. Just a metal box with a few switches and a monitor attached to it.
Kerith: I'm working on an AI assistant to supplement the synthesizer. Not to take over the entire operation, but just to make the designing and creation interaction more lively and enjoyable.
Kau leaned in for a closer look, but there really wasn't much to look at.
Kau: AI? They have a tendency to drift, don't they? That's why we don't use it on ships. They might mess with the numbers.
Kerith: That's the trick. Hotoh computer tech can compartmentalize these things but Carpathian tech can't yet. Also, this isn't a true AI. A very complex algorithm, yes, but not really AI.
Kau: If you present this to the Captain, you'd better be sure not to call it AI, because she'd reject it immediately.
Kerith's expression soured.
Kerith: You think so? Damn. Well thanks for the advice. I will agree that this shouldn't be plugged into the ship's computer core until I've worked out the bugs, so it has its own battery power.
Kau: Good call. Does Chief Sauron know about it?
Kerith: We had a meeting about it before I started working, yes. That's when we decided that battery power was prudent. Anyway, I have two prototypes. I want you to try one.
With a grin, Kerith held out the prototype for Kau to take.
Kau: Eh? Why me? I'm just a communications officer.
Kerith: And that's why you're perfect! This requires a communications expert, not an engineer. I'm not even going to show you how to use it. I want you to take it back to your quarters, turn it on, and get started creating your character.
Kau hesitated, mulling over what Kerith just said. He was flattered, in fact, for it was rare indeed for anyone to ask him for help on any project.
Kau: Okay, I'll do it.
Kau reached out and took the device into his paws. His arms sagged for an instant, finding it heavier than he expected.
Kerith: Oh, forgot to mention that it's a bit heavy. Need any help?
Kau: It's not so bad. I'll take it straight to my quarters and then stop by the canteen before I boot it up.
Kerith: Great! Looking forward to hearing about your experience with it.
Kau's Quarters, NCCS Shadowdancer
As promised, Kau put the prototype in his quarters and went to the canteen. Fortunately, Atsuo was still there and after a small meal of warm milk with melon liqueur and salted salmon, he was back again, this time to try out the device in earnest. A short peek, he thought, for he was already starting to feel drowsy. First step was to find the on/off switch, which wasn't a difficult task. The buttons were clearly labeled and there were few of them.
Kau expected that Kerith would want notes, so he pulled out his tablet before he switched on the unit. Within a few seconds, a screen appeared with simple instructions. Create a character or go to chat. After recording the boot time and the first screen in his notes, he tapped on the character creation button. From there, the screen changed to a list of body and species types. A massive list, it turned out, for he scrolled. Then scrolled. Then scrolled more. Skin tones. Fur colors. Body types. Everything imaginable. He scrolled until his vision started to blur. After a few blinks to clear out his overstimulated eyeballs, he noted in his tablet that this was a bit overwhelming for starters and that it would be better to start with, say, a species select screen. Narrow the options instead of blasting the user with everything all at once.
There was, at least, a menu at the top, small and easily missable, to select a species. After some consideration, he decided on nekohuman. From there, more options. Options turned to sliders to micro-adjust every parameter.
Before he knew it, an hour had already passed and Kau fell asleep with his head on his desk.
Commissioned art in Carpathia from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Colourbrand
Falke2009
Nalaxa Art
