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[Fiction] An Unwelcome Visitor
 
#76
Stub is up. [link]http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?titl ... ake_Center]
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
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#77
Is Wilde's Home for Wayward Catgirls just a name at this point or does it show up as more than a namedrop somewhere? Ran into it recently while reviewing the Kandor City entry after looking up an old post.
-----

Will the transhumanist future have catgirls? Does Japan still exist? Well, there is your answer.
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#78
IIRC, it's just a namedrop so far.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Reply
 
#79
As the elevator doors closed, Jeph rolled his eyes and glanced over at Nene. “Okay, you were right,” he admitted. “Sneaking in was a good idea.”

“Yup,” she agreed with a faint smile. “I wonder how Chris is going to react to the fact he’s got reporters sitting outside the hospital to catch a shot of him.”

Jeph snorted. “I’m going for ‘baffled disbelief’. And are they really reporters if it’s Nuygen out there?” he asked.

“Oh, be nice,” Nene scolded, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. “You know most of them are competent. Blame their editors for sending them here.” She shrugged, swapping the bag she was holding to her left hand. “And they’re mostly only here because Kate won’t tell them where the Professor and Miyu are locked up.”

“Smart woman,” Jeph mused as the doors opened and they stepped out. “You do realize we’re probably going to need to sneak Chris out of here,” he noted as they walked down the hallway, ducking around a trolley.

Nene shook her head. “You heard what Kit said about his biomod,” she replied, holding up the bag she was carrying. “While I doubt I can talk him into the dress yet, I can still make him look enough like any girl on the street those reporters won’t even blink.”

Despite his friends confidence, Jeph still looked skeptical. “You do realize that Orion’s aren’t exactly common, right?” he pointed out. “While you were running those errands for Kitbash, I asked Geo to do some quiet poking around online. Going by official records-”

“-such as they are, and what there are of them,” Nene quipped.

“There’s half a dozen in the Federation, maybe another three on Venus, and the Supers might have a few.” He very carefully did not mention the stories he’d heard about there being another one on Candy Apple Red’s. Some grenades should be left untouched. “And there are none at all here on Ganymede.”

Reluctantly, Nene nodded. “Okay, fair point. But still, we only need him to go unnoticed until we’re clear of the hospital,” she argued. “So as long as he doesn’t catch the eye-” she paused, knocking on the door.

“Who is it?” called out a soft, unfamiliar voice.

“Someone hunting down a friend of theirs to tell them off,” Nene replied.

“Well, get in here and grump at me, I know I earned it,” she called back. Nene smirked at Jeph, opened the door and walked inside.

As the door closed automatically behind them, both Nene and Jeph stopped and stared at the green skinned woman in front of them. She was tiny, well below five feet, but with impressively proportionate curves that the hospital gown somehow failed to hide. Shiny green-black hair reached down past the small of her back, framing a soft, expressive face. Blushing at their stares, she smiled and waved nervously. “So, how do I look?” she asked.

“She is not just walking past the reporters,” Nene said mildly.

“Not a chance,” Jeph agreed.

Chris’s blush faded as she looked between the pair. “Reporters? What do you mean repor-” her question was cut off by a squeak of surprise as Nene dropped her bag, stepped forward, and pulled the smaller woman into a tight hug.

“Don’t you EVER do that to me again,” she whispered, voice tight with emotion.

Relaxing slightly into the embrace, Chris returned the hug. “Sorry Nene. Didn’t mean to scare you,” she replied quietly. The two men in the room gave each other bemused looks, until Nene broke the hug and stepped back, looking her friend over again.

“Well then,” she said, smiling thoughtfully. “I definitely like the new look. And I approve of the size. It’s nice being the tall one for a change.” Chris, who struggled to come up to the other womans chest, rolled her eyes in amusement. “So, if your checkup’s all done…” She glanced over at Jack, who snorted in amusement.

“For the time being, but if you’re going to stick around Ganymede for a bit, I’d like to schedule a follow up examination for next week,” he commented. Chris nodded, and the doctor managed a satisfied smile. “Excellent. I’ll send you an email with all the details,” he said, bowing to her and Nene. “Ladies. Antilles.”

“Take care Doc,” Jeph said, moving out of the way and letting the man leave. Turning back to Chris, he shrugged slightly. “So, how’re you holding up?”

“Not screaming yet?” Chris replied with a wry smile and a wave of her hands. “Fair warning, I’m gonna want to pick your brain later on how you deal with this.”

“I only do it part time,” Jeph pointed out.

“I’ll take what I can get,” she replied, then changed the subject. “Now, you’ve hinted at it, the Doctor hinted at it, Kitbash said there was a lot going on, even if she was focusing on more immediate issues,” she mused. “And frankly, I’m running out of patience.” Placing her hands on her hips, she gave her friends a rather impressive glare. “So, if someone would care to explain just what I missed already…?”

Looking from her to each other, Jeph and Nene both grinned. “Help her get dressed,” Jeph suggested, stepping past them to the window, moving the curtain slightly to look at the street outside. “I’ll talk. Don’t worry, I won’t peek.”

Retrieving her bag from where she’d dropped it, Nene gestured at Chris’ hospital gown. “Off with it. Don’t give me that look, I’ve seen it before,” she added gently.

“While you and the Professor were fighting,” Jeph explained, “a lot of people panicked. Myself included, I fully admit. I had the Blue Midgets get out of the line of fire, a lot of other ships did too. What can I say, people worry when the Professor gets unhinged.”

“According to Kit, there wasn’t much damage,” Chris commented, removing the gown.

“Yeah, but everyone was expecting it,” Nene replied, looking her over and clamping down on her envy. “Here, put these on. Don’t worry, they’re handwaved to fit. Now, as if everyone in Serenity Valley freaking out wasn’t bad enough, not only did you have those people recording the fight, we also had a few AIs come and see what all the fuss was about.”

Chris paused, eyes widening. “They broadcasted it, didn’t they?” Nene nodded and the Orion winced. “How bad is it?”

Keeping his eyes on the media van outside, Jeph sighed. “It was a slow news day, so a good percentage of the solar system, including Earth” he admitted. Behind him, Chris managed a pained whimper. burying her face in her hands. “Yeah, sorry… you’re kinda famous now.”

“I hate it already,” she moaned, looking back up. “Nene, I’m going to need a hand with this part.”

“Kinda figured…”

“So, everyone heard about or watched the fight. And now the Professor’s been arrested, what next?” Chris asked.

Laughing bitterly, Jeph let the curtain drop closed again. “Everyone’s lost their minds. The SMOF mail list is overflowing. Some places have banned the Sol Bianca’s entire crew, there’s a few seriously talking about putting a bounty on his head, so on and so on.” He suppressed a grin as the bra Nene had provided the other woman adjusted itself to fit, getting a girlish shriek from the Orion. “It’s all the usual short term panic nonsense,” he admitted. “I haven’t had the time today to check the mailing list properly, but I got the impression people were starting to calm down and think again.”

Gathering her composure, Chris shot a glare Nenes way, which utterly failed to stop her giggling. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this really a local matter?” she asked.

“More or less, although your Australian citizenship means they’ve got a few things to say on the matter,” Nene managed to say. “Pants?”

“Thank you. At least I can work these out…”

“Yeah, it’s a local matter that’s made the system wide news, which is why there’s reporters outside waiting to get a shot of you, or drag a statement out of you,” Jeph noted. “I’m figuring we sneak you out, let you get your bearings first.”

“I appreciate that,” Chris smiled. “If I can’t stay out of it, maybe I can at least try not to get in anyones way.” She squeaked slightly as she did up the last button on the jeans and they promptly shrank to fit her. “Nene, how much of your wardrobe uses this trick?” she asked, giving the girl a teasing grin.

Matching the grin, Nene replied “Not as much as you’re thinking, and it tends to be Jephs wardrobe that does it anyway. Comfortable?”

“Yeah… feels a bit odd in places, but I don’t think anythings changing that right now. Where’s a shirt?” Putting that on, and grumbling at getting her hair through the rather large (by her scale) neck hole, she considered the situation. “He was aggressive, ordered a violent reaction, and wasn’t willing to negotiate… but at the same time, he saved my life.”

“They’re waiting for him to wake up,” Nene noted. “Mayor Reilly’s arranging for a psychiatric analysis, or what passes for one with him. I don’t think he’s going to just put him on trial and throw him out an airlock. It’s safe to turn around.”

Turning, Jeph got his first look at Chris in street clothes. Nice legs in light blue skinny jeans that made denim paint look like over sized track pants, an impressive hourglass figure shown off well by the jeans and plain white t-shirt that had reshaped to hug her curves. “Yeah, keeping you unnoticed isn’t going to be easy,” he said dryly. “You could probably cause traffic accidents standing at an intersection.”

“Not something I want to think about just yet,” Chris replied, blushing again, before kneeling down to recover the shoes and socks Nene had brought. “You got a plan to get me out of here?”
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#80
Somebody call for an exit strategy?
 
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#81
Matrix Dragon Wrote:... “Well then,” she said, smiling thoughtfully. “I definitely like the new look. And I approve of the size. It’s nice being the tall one for a change.” ...

Now you've got me curious... Character heights that I could find on a quick search through the FenWiki:
25 cm: Safety
96 cm: R2-G0 (and other R2 units)
100 cm: Uran
107 cm: Mayonaka Langley-Rhodes
151 cm: Catty Nebulart
152 cm: Mikuru Asahina
154 cm: Yuki Nagato
155 cm: Yuu Inagawa, Nene Romanova
156 cm: Anika Daini, Shinji Ikari, Kohran Li
158 cm: Beverly Hayakawa, Haruhi Suzumiya
160 cm: Ryoko Asakura
162 cm: Mackie Jaguar
165 cm: Anthy Ten-Joh
168 cm: Greenpeace Crolis, Daryl Haur
169 cm: all "Catgirl Machine" catgirls
170 cm: Frederic "Full Byte" Ferdinand, Daisuke Edo, Alita Gally, Ford Sierra, Utena Ten-Joh
172 cm: Cathy
173 cm: Alison Kay, Lebia Maverick
175 cm: Grey, Ran Severn, Nina Ustinyavna
176 cm: Kotono Ito
178 cm: A.C. Peters
185 cm: Hélène Aronnax, Lun Alekseeva, Rob Donaldson, Noah Scott
186 cm: John Shepard
190 cm: Jet Jaguar, Sylia Stingray
191 cm: The Professor

3'4": Arno Nym, Luna Schroeck (as of 2012)
5': Jess Ayanami
5'1": Natalie Baker
5'2": Gina Langley, Maico Tange, Hannan Wu
5'3": Bronwyn Ffoulkes
5'5": Ramona Jackson, Elena van Oorebeek
5'6": M.L. da Vinci, Attila Imre, Alison Mee, Grace, Heather Panquelle, Nancy Schroeck
5'7": Cal Calrissian, Scott Pinkham, Benjamin Rhodes, Peggy Schroeck, Shego, Rachel Zane, Eric Zhu
5'8": Jeph Antilles (female), Antonio Mendoza, Nancy Ott, Bob Schroeck
5'9": John Freiler, Helen Imre
5'10": Joseph Corcoran (+-6"), Jonathon Helscher, Patience McInnis, Prudence McInnis, Arthur Nkomo
5'11": Jeph Antilles (male), Doctor Drakken, Myk-El Miller, Jim Viel
6': EMPath
6'1": Blackstone, Neil Blackwell, F, Vanessa Darkblade
6'2": Katz Schrödinger, Dave Viel
6'3": Jeremiah Augustus Breckenridge, Allen James
6'4": Ed Viel
6'8": Naedial Warringer
7'4": Dakota

So, yeah - Nene's got as right to feel upset about being short.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Reply
 
#82
Jeph pulled out the battered baseball cap that belonged with the rest of the JMC "delivery man" uniform he happened to be wearing, pulled his hair back into a ponytail, and tucked it through the back of the cap as he settled it onto his head. "We've got one of the panel vans out at the delivery dock. I brought in some boxes with me when we arrived, hopefully they won't have noticed anything past the 'probably a routine delivery'. I'll head out the door first, check to see if the coast is clear, then get you into the back to hunker down while we drive around the reporter cordon. If it goes well, we'll be able to get you to the JMC offices and plot the next move."

“If nothing else, we could have Kitbash fly the Void Eagle over,” Nene noted. “People will notice, yeah, but it’s not too unusual.” She grinned, taking a brush out of the bag. “Especially since we arranged to cover your delivery runs until you’re back on your feet. Kitbash DID tell you about that one, right?” she added as Chris turned and gave her a surprised look.

“... Oh, that’d be what she meant earlier,” the Orion realised, nodding in understanding. “I half thought this was the favor she’d gotten,” she admitted.

“No, this is a freebie. The freight work is costing you just enough it doesn’t qualify as a gift,” Nene said. “Now hold still,” she said, running the brush through her friends hair. “I’ll clean this up and we can stick it in a ponytail or something.”

Seeing the girls expression, Jeph laughed. “Welcome to the downside of having long hair… especially that long,” he noted dryly.

Snickering, Nene considered the green-black river. “You are either going to love or despise zero gravity,” she commented. “You’ll probably want to cut it short again, I suppose… hmm?” she asked, noticing how Chris had frozen suddenly.

When she answered, her voice was an odd mix of unease, and confusion as to why she felt said unease. “I, I really don’t want to cut it off,” she said.

Nene and Jeph gave each other bemused looks, then Nene patted Chris on the shoulder. “Then you leave it long. For now, let’s just get it presentable, hmm?”

***

“Okay, so it’s fair to say I’m a little nervous right now,” Chris commented as they walked along. “But is it just my paranoia, or are a lot of people looking at me?”

“It’s not just your paranoia,” Nene replied kindly. “You’re a very pretty Orion woman. From now on, you’d be drawing attention in a bulky spacesuit.” She paused, taking in her friends horrified look, and decided not to add that the way she moved was making it even worse. The poor dear would likely freeze up and try to ignore what was apparently her new natural body language, and then they’d never get out of here.

“Whelp, time to give into my social anxiety and become a hermit,” Chris muttered as they reached the delivery dock. Much to her relief, it appeared deserted.

“You’ll be fine,” Jeph reassured her, before heading out and walking over to the delivery van.

Chris rolled her eyes and folded her arms under her breasts. “Stupid Mads and their even stupider bodyguards,” she muttered.

Nene nodded. “That sounds reasonably fair,” she agreed.

“Should have shot her and be done with it, but no, I had to try and minimize casualties…”

“That reminds me,” Nene said, changing the subject. “You’re going to need to talk to the kid.”

Chris blinked, giving her an odd look. “Huh? What abo-oh, right. Yeah. That’s a fair point,” she admitted.

“Even before Miyu stabbed you,” Nene continued, paling slightly at the memory, and drawing a shiver from her friend, “she was freaking out more than a little about the whole thing. She knew you knew how to use a gun, and she knew you served in the Boskone War…”

Closing her eyes, Chris sighed in frustration. “She just thinks it was hauling cargo for OGJ and occasionally having to use the coilgun on pirates.” Opening her eyes, she brushed as loose strand of hair back over her ear and gave Nene a frustrated look. “I told her that for a lot of good reasons,” she pointed out.

“I know,” Nene said with a nod. “And I agree with them. But they’re not going to convince her any more. Just a word of advice?” Chris raised an eyebrow. “Don’t pull the old ‘From a certain point of view’ line.”

That got a giggle out of the girl. “Nene, I’m crazy, not stupid.” Leaning around the corner, she saw Jeph finish scouting the area and wave them over. “And we’re good,” she said, darting into the docking bay and running for the van. Nene followed, and they both jumped in the back, Jeph closing the door behind them.

“Get comfortable in there ladies,” he said, climbing into the drivers seat. “Next stop, hopefully the JMC offices.”
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#83
A little something for the JMC offices scene - use, modify, or discard, as you see fit.
Quote:"Captain Antilles, Miss Takami Sakuragi from Stellvia is at the front desk. She'd like to say hello."

The timing seemed odd, but not completely unreasonable. "Send her in." A few minutes later, the office door opened. "Come in, Miss Sakuragi. Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here?"

"I was making a courtesy call before looking for Chris Wood, but it looks like I can put those two visits together." Takami smiled as she turned to Chris. "You are Captain Wood, are you not?"

"How did you know?"

Nene rolled her eyes at Jeph's question. "Takami's one of the rising stars of the Hacker Underspace. I assume she cracked my radio encryption."

"What? Oh, I wouldn't do that! No, I just noticed all the little telltales and put them together. Captain Wood, we need to get your fingerprints and photo again to update your contractor file. Is now a good time?"

Chris shrugged his ... her shoulders. "It's as good a time as any, but I don't see any of the equipment you'd need to do that."

"Didn't anybody tell you? I'm an AI, like Nene. I can take a photo of you just by looking at you. Smile!" Takami looked straight at Chris' face for a long moment. "Has anyone told you how beautiful your face is? I'm jealous. Now I'll have to look at your hands to get your fingerprints."

As Takami stared at Chris' fingers, Jeph asked Nene, "Does that look as creepy to you as it does to me?"

Nene just nodded.

"All done! Thank you for your time, Captain Wood; we'll get your ID card to you by the end of the week." Takami turned to leave, then turned back. "What name do you want on the ID?"
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Reply
 
#84
Poached with plans for minor edits. Also, how would she answer "I can change it later, right?"
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#85
To: "SMOF Net" (Recipients redacted)
From: "Bob Schroeck" (rms@ourtown.fen)
Subj: The Professor
Date: 2015.07.18-2131UTC

We here on the Corners have been absolutely delighted to hear of Captain Woods' recovery, and offer our sympathies regarding the inevitable changes the emergency medical biomod is sure to have inflicted on him.

Despite Captain Woods' survival we have not, on the whole, changed our collective mind about the criminal status of the Professor and his minions. Please be aware, though, that we are not about to take any immediate action. We will await the consensus of the SMOFs and the turning of the wheels of justice. In fact, Noah, if your Ms. Readman would care to mosey by our place sometime soon, we'd be happy to talk to her about a position at the school. We would rather not cancel the project if we have any choice in the matter, and if we can be assured that it will have sufficient defenses against someone like the Professor and his minions, then we will happily continue.

Regardless, the Professor and his minions remain personae no grata at the Corners, and will be turned away as violently as is required should they attempt to visit.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Reply
 
#86
Matrix Dragon Wrote:Poached with plans for minor edits. Also, how would she answer "I can change it later, right?"
"Of course you can! It's your name."
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Reply
 
#87
Bob Schroeck Wrote:To: "SMOF Net" (Recipients redacted)
From: "Bob Schroeck" (rms@ourtown.fen)
Subj: The Professor
Date: 2015.07.18-2131UTC

We here on the Corners have been absolutely delighted to hear of Captain Woods' recovery, and offer our sympathies regarding the inevitable changes the emergency medical biomod is sure to have inflicted on him.

Despite Captain Woods' survival we have not, on the whole, changed our collective mind about the criminal status of the Professor and his minions. Please be aware, though, that we are not about to take any immediate action. We will await the consensus of the SMOFs and the turning of the wheels of justice. In fact, Noah, if your Ms. Readman would care to mosey by our place sometime soon, we'd be happy to talk to her about a position at the school. We would rather not cancel the project if we have any choice in the matter, and if we can be assured that it will have sufficient defenses against someone like the Professor and his minions, then we will happily continue.

Regardless, the Professor and his minions remain personae no grata at the Corners, and will be turned away as violently as is required should they attempt to visit.

To: "Bob Schroeck" (rms(a)ourtown.fen)
From: "Noah Scott" (bigcheese(a)stellvia.fen)
CC: "Yomiko Readman" (thepaper(a)stellvia.fen)
Subj: PS 238 (was The Professor)
Date: 2015.07.19-0918UTC

> In fact, Noah, if your Ms. Readman would care to mosey by our place sometime soon, we'd be happy to talk to her about a position at the school. We would rather not cancel the project if we have any choice in the matter, and if we can be assured that it will have sufficient defenses against someone like the Professor and his minions, then we will happily continue.

Bob, normally this is the place where I'd say "I'd be happy to send her over with a recommendation," but I can't offer a recommendation - Yomiko is one of my "angels" so there's a conflict of interest there. You'll have to trust my word that I built her to be a good teacher, and interview her yourself.

Yomi-chan, the people on Grover's Corners are friends of Stellvia and good people all-around. If they'll have you, I think you'll like living and working there. Let me know when you want to borrow the 'Blade or the 'Thunderbolt.

Noah

To: "Noah Scott" (bigcheese(a)stellvia.fen)
From: "Yomiko Readman" (thepaper(a)stellvia.fen)
CC: "Bob Schroeck" (rms(a)ourtown.fen)
Subj: Re: PS 238 (was The Professor)
Date: 2015.07.19-0933UTC

Any time tomorrow, please - my favourite used-book stores are closed on Mondays.

And please don't call me "Yomi-chan".

Yomiko
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Reply
 
#88
Add to the height list: Catgirl Machine Catgirls: 169 cm
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
Reply
 
#89
At this time of these events Rhett would be right around 5' 10" (or 178 cm), in a few weeks after falling asleep while waving his computer he will wake up to find himself just a touch over 4' 4" (133 cm).
Or as he puts it to Ema's annoyance, "I lost half my height!"
"Only slightly over one quarter."
"It feels like half!"
I should get around to doing a proper character write up for him and Ema to save me hunting through multiple posts and files.
-----

Will the transhumanist future have catgirls? Does Japan still exist? Well, there is your answer.
Reply
 
#90
Given my guestimate of Chris' new height is about 4'4" at most based on the comparison with Nene, I do hope she gets a bit taller (the GIRL part of the whole Orion Slave Girl bit). Of course, if her suggested proportions stay that way as she grows, I foresee some aching backs.
Reply
 
#91
She's not quite that small. 4'6", give or take a centimeter. The possibility of her having growth spurts in the future, I'm leaving up to the trusty Quarter of Doom. If nothing else, staying the same size will save her from risking entering Gag Boobs territory. Thanks to having Miyu on the mind when the mod took hold, she's probably already dangerously close, after all.

The in-universe reactions to her size are for several reasons. From her point of view, she's suddenly over a foot smaller and everything and everyone is disturbingly large. There's a voice in the back of her head disturbed that Nene now towers over her, dammit. When she meets the Professor again, that's really going to hurt her efforts to drive off the panic attack. He was a decent bit taller than her already, dammit. Other peoples reactions to her have two major reasons. One, she's short, obviously, but the other...? Those of you that played MMOs with a lot of character customization might remember how the height slider never quite worked how it would in the real world. They had a default size where the proportions were all accurate, but then they just scaled up and down as needed. She's got a dose of that, so even next to someone of a similar size, she'd look tiny. I suspect one of her future fen nicknames would be along the lines of 'the Emerald Pixie'.

As for the slave girl part of the usual name, I've got it planned to be mentioned at some point, and her reaction to the term should be interesting.
Reply
 
#92
Much to everyone's relief, the small collection of reporters completely failed to notice the delivery van as it drove away, still focused on the buildings windows and occasionally harassing hospital employees that got too close. “I’m going to have to add that to the things Malcolm and I need to talk about,” Jeph muttered as they paused by a stop sign. “I’m all for freedom of the press, but when they start interfering with a hospital…”

“Fire extinguishers,” Chris said dryly. “Let them try and bullshit their way through that.”

“Probably a PR nightmare waiting to happen,” Nene pointed out reasonably.

“Yeah, probably. Would still be funny for a little bit,” Chris sighed. “Darn you for bringing logic and common sense into this.”

“It’s one of the many reasons I keep her around.” Jeph noted as they started moving again. “I’d be utterly ruined without her around.” With his attention on the road, he didn’t notice Nene’s delighted expression at that comment. Chris did, and gave the other woman an encouraging smile. “So,” he asked a few minutes later. “What’s your plans for the short term?”

Closing her eyes for a moment, Chris considered that. “Call my parents. They need to find out my new status from me, not the news.” She opened her eyes and sighed. “I really hope they don’t freak out too much. Given how they reacted to Kit after she woke up, I’d put my money on them being weirded out but being able to deal. Mum especially. Now Dad, he’ll have a bit more trouble I think.”

“Bit more old fashioned?” Nene asked.

Looking over at her, Chris shrugged mildly. “That’s the polite way of putting it. I love him, but he’s got a rather... narrow set of opinions about life. A lot of Fenspace is outside those opinions, as it were,” she said dryly. Cupping her hands under her considerable cleavage, she lifted them slightly and noted, “Now this, this is really going to mess with his calm.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Jeph mumbled under his breath, forcing himself to look away from the rear view mirror.

Nene resisted the urge to give Chris a glare. “But will he deal?”

“Yeah. He’s set in his ways, but he’s nowhere near as bad as my uncle,” she smirked. “Now, that’ll be a disaster and a half. But I never deal with him anyway, so eh.” Frowning, she thought some more. “Right, so that was first. Next is the company. Kit sent out a company wide email, but I’ll put together a conference call with all the ships and the home office, bring them in the loop.”

“Makes sense. You can use our offices for that if you want,” Jeph offered.

“Thank you. I’m not seeing a problem there really. We’ve never had it happen to an active employee, but it’s come up before.”

Tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, Jeph nodded. “Right. One of your captains, what was it, the Solar Cormorant?”

“That’s the one. Her captain had a run in with the Catgirling Machine back in the war,” Chris confirmed. Giggling, she leaned back in her chair. “Honestly, if I’d been betting, I’d have put good money on getting the ears and tail out of a biomod.” Considering that for a moment, Nene got a minor case of the giggles as as well, drawing an odd look from the man in the drivers seat. “A lot of my ‘wave incidents have come from my gaming history, especially the MMOs,” she explained. Some of Kitbash is taken from the myth imprints of two and a half characters I rolled up.”

“And his favorites, back in his favorite MMO,” Nene continued.

“Catgirls. Lots of catgirls,” Chris finished, giggling again, before looking wistful. “I’d probably be a lot taller too.”

“Now that I think about it,” Nene mused. “You do have a lot of Orions in one of your other regular games." Chris blinked, then counted off names on her fingers, and made a thoughtful noise. “Personally, I blame all the people that think you’re a diehard Warsie just because of the Void Eagle.”

Braking to avoid someone cutting in front of them, Jeph snorted in amusement. “Well, we do know Handwavium has a sense of humor.”

“Or what passes for one in some circles,” Chris replied. “After that, give my statement to the Sheriff and hopefully not get pulled into this any more than I have to. From here, it’s the authorities problem. I’m a simple freighter captain, nothing more.”

“Amen to that,” Jeph agreed as he pulled up at the gates of the Jupiter Mining Corporation offices. Nene gave both captains a skeptical look, but kept her peace as Jeph rolled down the window to speak to the approaching guard. “Morning Mike. How’s it going out here?” he asked.

The man grinned, removing his hat and running a hand through his fading hair. “Not too shabby boss,” he replied. “There’s a few reporters up in the visitors lobby. No mudrakers, just some guys from ZNN and Crystal News. They’re not making any trouble, so I think they’re just checking if you’ve released a statement yet.” Glancing past his employer, he paused at the tiny Orion girl in the back of the van. “Captain Wood?” he asked carefully.

Wiggling her fingers in a tiny wave, Chris gave the man a shy smile. “Nice to see you again Mike.”

Recovering from his surprise quickly, Mike smiled back at her. “Likewise Captain. That was a hell of thing you did yesterday. You should be proud.” Turning back to Jeph he added, “unloading bay three is empty at the moment, that’d be your best bet.”

Nodding, Jeph put the van back in gear. “Thanks Mike,” he said, driving off.

***

Stepping into his office, Jeph grinned in triumph as he put his hat on the stand by the door. “You know, it might be a little childish of me, but a bit of ‘spy-work’ never stops being fun.”

“You were fighting the urge to hum the Avengers theme, weren’t you?” Nene teased.

“Just a little,” he replied.

“Oh good, it wasn’t just me,” Chris commented with a smile, looking around the office. “I think you’ve redecorated a little since the last time I visited,” she added, looking at the painting on the wall. “I don’t think I recognize the artist. Not a shock really,” she admitted.

“She’s a local,” Jeph replied, stepping up next to her. “Part of the first wave of colonists in Serenity actually,” he noted. “I think she painted this from memory.” The Orion whistled quietly, impressed. In front of her, the first dome of the colony was growing, watched over by spacesuited engineers as it reached up to the Ganymede sky. Several ships could be seen landing and taking off far behind the dome, including the bulbous shape of Starbug 1. Looking over the image again, she laughed as she recognised that one of the spacesuited figures handling the handwavium for the dome was the unmistakable pear shape of Myk-el Miller.

“I’m impressed,” she said at last.

“So am I,” Jeph agreed. “I’ve purchased some of her works, which I admit, has done good things to her reputation. I hear that there are people back on Earth bidding on some of her art now.”

“Where is Myk right now?” his friend asked, glancing at that section of the painting again.

“Safety class for new employees,” Nene replied. “Chris, do you want coffee?”

Shaking her head, she turned away from the painting. “No thank you, just water. I think I’ll go easy on caffeine and sugar until I get used to things. I’ve got a lot less mass to contain the sugar buzz,” she grinned. “Besides,” she added playfully, running a hand down her thigh, “I need to watch my figure.”

Jeph smirked, his eyes following her hand. Then he paused, took a closer look at the shapely figure, and scowled. “Oh, that is just not fair,” he grumbled. Both women gave him a curious look, and he gestured at Chris. “Your clothes!” Looking her over, Nene blinked, then her eyes widened in understanding and she chuckled. For her part, Chris took a bit longer to make the connection, but when she did, her expression shifted to a mixture of bafflement and delight.

When she’d gotten dressed at the hospital, the handwavium in the jeans had altered them to fit, but in such a way they became almost a second skin, molding to her legs like they were a thin body paint. Now they had softened, becoming skinny jeans that looked tailored for her legs but weren’t at risk of someone screaming indecency. The shirt was the same way, the hemline receding to show a hint of her waist, the neckline expanding to do the same with her cleavage. Even the scrunchie in her hair had gotten in on the act, having changed from simple fabric and elastic to a small little black bow.

“Years now, years, I’ve been trying to make clothes that do that,” Jeph complained, looking rather put out by this new development. “No matter what I do, no matter what I try, I get pants that nearly give Myk a heart attack. And you’ve got them behaving for you on the first day!” Dropping into his chair, he gave her a disgusted look. “Damn smartass handwavium,” he grumbled.

The two women in the room looked at him, then each other, then broke down laughing. “I, I’m sorry Jeph,” Chris managed, hand covering her mouth. “I’m not doing it on purpose?” she offered.

Breaking his mock grumbling, Jeph gave the girl a smile, noting, not for the first time, just how quickly she seemed to be adjusting. But then, the same thing had happened to him to some extent, so maybe there was nothing to worry about.

Before he could speak, the comm terminal on his desk buzzed for attention. “Boss, Miss Takami Sakuragi from Stellvia is here. She'd like to say hello."

The timing seemed odd, but not completely unreasonable. "Send her in." A moment later, the office door opened, admitting a familiar figure. "Come in, Miss Sakuragi,” Jeph said, standing back up. "Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here?"

"I was making a courtesy call before going looking for Chris Wood, but it looks like I can put those two visits together." Takami smiled as she turned to Chris. "You are Captain Wood, are you not?"

Blinking in confusion, the smaller girl nodded. "Yes, I am. How did you know?"

Nene rolled her eyes at Jeph's question. "Takami's one of the rising stars of the Hacker Underspace. It’s possible she’s been doing things she shouldn’t… again."

"What?” Takami blinked, then her eyes widened. “Oh, I wouldn't do that! No, I just noticed all the little telltales and put them together. Captain Wood, we need to get your fingerprints and photo again to update your contractor file. Is now a good time?"

Chris shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose it's as good a time as any, but I don't see any of the equipment you'd need to do that."

"Oh, I don’t need to worry about that. All the proper gear is installed in my body. I can take a photo of you just by looking at you. Smile!" Chris did as she was told, putting her hands behind her and smiling cutely. Takami looked straight at Chris' face for a long moment. "Has anyone told you how beautiful your face is? I'm jealous.” Stepping back, she ran her eyes down the girls body. “Height, one thirty four point five… And wow, that’s a figure. Now I’m really jealous. You could outdo Mikuru. Okay, next I'll have to look at your hands to get your fingerprints. Left hand first please."

As Takami leaned down and stared closely at Chris' fingers, Jeph asked Nene, "Does that look as creepy to you as it does to me?" Nene just nodded.

"So pretty and tiny. You’re going to have all the boys after you… All done! Thank you for your time, Captain Wood; we'll get your ID card to you by the end of the week." Takami turned to leave, then turned back. "What name do you want on the ID?"

Looking slightly dazed, Chris blinked slightly. “My name?” she asked.

“Well, you could keep calling yourself Christopher, but you don’t have to, and really, a beautiful lady shouldn’t have a man’s name, right?” Takami said with a smile, completely failing to notice the ‘what the hell’ looks both Nene and Jeph were giving her.

Chris nodded slightly, still looking a bit overwhelmed from the girls intensity. “Um. Christina?” she said quietly.

“Okay!” Takami chirped. “I’ll take care of it for you. Have a nice day. Bye Nene, Captain Antilles!” she added, darting out the door again.

For several long moments, the office was completely silent, considering the social hurricane that had just rampaged through. Chris spoke first, her voice mildly shell-shocked. “I think I need to sit down.” ">
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#93
So, I'm going to celebrate a little here. I've had terrible writers block for years now. I've written, at best, a page or two of various stories and gotten nowhere. I started this particular story on the flight to America on the 1st of August. The text file I have of this story contains a few pieces done by others, mostly JFerio and Rob, but before I board the plane tomorrow, it comes to about 47 pages. I'm feeling pretty damn happy about this.
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#94
"From Serenity Valley, this is John Simmons, ISN News." The reporter kept his expression level until after the cameraman had turned off and lowered his equipment. "All done," he assured him, and he sighed in relief.

"Thanks," he replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Another quality broadcast of 'nothing at all worth paying attention to'," he muttered. Dan raised an eyebrow, and he gave him an apologetic shrug. "Sorry. It's been a long week."

He didn't say, given that Danny already knew, that it had been a week of handling the assignments no one else wanted. From a political session on Island One, to a Flying Dutchman sighting near Neptune, he'd been thrown all over the system, writing and filming news broadcasts that, if he was lucky, were cut down to thirty second snippets on the ISN evening news.

"Keep an eye on the doors," he told him with a tired smile. "I'm going to go get a drink."

"I'll call if anything happens," Dan assured him.

"Now that'd be a nice change," he replied, heading back over to the van. Climbing in, he closed the door and knelt down next to the small fridge he'd installed, retrieving a half empty bottle of cola. Dropping into his chair, he unscrewed the lid and took a mouthful of the half-flat soda, swallowed, and sighed in frustration.

Almost three years. Almost three years since his career had turned from one of promise and glory, to a black hole of humiliation and failure. When Great Justice had ruined the story of a lifetime and made him look like a fool to the entire system. Even ISN's expansion from radio to full television broadcasting hadn't saved his career from being crippled.

Cursing Mal Fnord for the N+1th time, he looked at the bottle of cola, and considered mixing it with the whiskey they kept on hand. Deciding it was too early in the day to drink, even if it was earned, she stuck to just the cola.

It wasn't fair, dammit. He'd made mistakes, sure, but hadn't he paid for them? Years of performing the scutwork, enduring the scorn and mockery from hiscolleagues (He still remembered the look in Walter Cronkites eyes the time they'd run into each other). And now, here he was on Ganymede again, the planet that had turned him into a laughing stock, that remembered that incident better than anyone else. It had been sheer luck that he had been the closest ISN reporter when the news broke that the Professor had finally gone over the deep end, and he'd jumped at the chance to be the man on the scene before any of his 'co-workers' could get out here.

But it seemed this part of the story was already going cold. Serenity's government weren't saying anything new to the press since their initial press release, and the idiot that had gone and gotten skewered by the Mads sexaroid killbot was in the hospital, behind armed guard, and no one in the hospital was willing to tell the media anything about his condition.

The news now seemed to be about everyone else's reactions. The French Prime Minister had made a statement to the Earth press that essentially said 'we told you so'. Stellvia and Grover's Cornershad banned the Sol Bianca from their space, with a number of other stations following in their wake. The usual loud electronic screaming matches between the Professors fan club and his long term critics seemed to be escalating into a small cyber-war. Demands were coming in from across the system for an emergency Convention to resolve the 'Mad Crisis'. (That one at least appeared to be hitting a brick wall, with the Convention Authority calmly reminding everyone that Bubblecon was only a month away, and there were always official panels on the Proper Feeding and Care of Mads anyway).

Once again, it seemed John Simmons was in the worst place to get the story of his career.

He was still cursing his fate when his attention was grabbed by the sudden buzzing of her phone. Digging it out of his pocket, he raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar phone number. Tapping the answer key, he put the phone against his ear. "Simmons, ISN."

"Hello John," replied the voice of a woman he didn't recognize. "How are you enjoying your hospital watch?" He scowled, but before he could answer, she contined. "I'm afraid that you're wasting your time there. Captain Wood left the building about half an hour ago."

Leaning forward, John's expression shifted from a scowl to curiousity. "You have my attention Miss...?"

"Just someone with an interest in ISNs willingness to compensate their sources," she replied smoothly. Your employers have me on their regular contacts file as Jupiter-71, nickname Evelyn."

"I see," he said, nodding to himself, even as he reached over to a specially waved laptop and logging in, checking the list of contacts. "Well then Evelyn, what do you have for me?" he asked a moment later.

"Video from a source in the JMC," Evelyn said. "I assume your company email account is acceptable?"

"It is," he confirmed, and almost immediately, his inbox pinged for attention. Checking the link, he found a video file waiting for him. It turned out to be camera phone footage, of several people. Two of them he recognised instantly as Jeph Antilles and Nene Romanova, the company founders and core minds. Another, who was in a conversation of some sort with Antilles was clearly some random employee. The fourth figure grabbed his attention though.

A small, but shockingly curvy Orion Slave Girl in a t-shirt and jeans stood next to Romanova, her expression suggesting she was waiting on Antilles. One hand idly played with a lock of green-black hair as she looked around the room. As John watched, Romanova leaned down and said something to her, gettling a giggle out of the girl. He studied the girl for a moment longer and considered what Evelyn was suggesting. "Okay, so Antilles has himself a new would-be secretary," he said dryly. "I'm not seeing a connection I can run with here."

That got an amused laugh, and a second email appeared. The video file in this one was taken from a security camera, showing as Antilles, Romanova and the green skinned girl stepped out of a hospital ward, one that had a militiaman standing guard next to the door. All three of them spoke briefly with the guard, who nodded politely and watched them leave, the Orion more than Antilles, before walking away himself. The time stamp on that was, as Evelyn had claimed, less then half an hour ago. Frowning, the reporter thought back, and realized he remembered a JMC delivery van departing from the hospitals delivery dock somewhere around that time.

As the story began to come together in his head, a smile began to form on his face. It grew even wider as a narrative began to form in his head. "Yes, I believe I can use this. Thank you very much Evelyn. I'll file for your compensation immediately," he told the woman. "Is there anything else you can give me?"

"A longer version of the phone footage," she replied. "I'm sure you'll find it very helpful. A pleasure doing business with you." And with that, the line went dead.

Opening up the third file, John leaned back, watching the very biomodded captain. This time, the video had audio as well, giving him the chance for a much more detailed look at her behaviour. Studying the Orion Slave Girl for several minutes, the smile became an outright grin. He had the story of the moment.

Sliding the van door open, he waved over his cameraman. "We're leaving," he told Dan, climbing into the drivers seat.

"And going where?" the other man asked. "Joel wanted us watching the hospital for when Wood wakes up." He raised an eyebrow. "Or have you got a lead on the Professor?"

"What I have is a lead on Chris Wood," John replied, starting the engine. "She snuck out of the hospital a while ago, with more than a little help with Captain Antilles."

"The JMC's involved? I thought they were staying out of this," Dan protested, buckling in.

Putting the car in gear, John laughed in anticipation. "So everyone claims, but come on, Antilles is a SMOF. He's the real authority on Ganymede, not that useless mayor. We've got a real story here, the one they're trying to hide." Slapping the younger man on the shoulder, he drove out of the parking lot. "This is going to be great!"

Back in front of the hospital, the ZNN crew watched the ISN truck leave, frowning. "Where the hell are they taking off to?" the camerawoman asked.

"Did you see Simmons face? The little jackal's got something," the reporter muttered, long elf ears twitching in consideration.

"Should we go after him?" the other woman asked, but she shook her head, expression scornful.

"Gods no. Let him stick his dick in the meatgrinder again." At her coworkers look, she grinned evilly. "You've never had to deal with the ass before, have you? Even if he's got something solid, and that's a big if? He's an idiot. He's got a few scraps of information, and he's going to build himself a nice, dramatic story out of them. Little issues like truth and accuracy?" She snorted, waving a hand dismissively. "Never even going to cross his mind." Adjusting her jacket, she stood up. "No, let Simmons go charging ahead to try and prove to everyone he's a real reporter after all, and not just a bad fiction writer. Maybe it'll finally get the little bullshit artist out of the industry. As for us, we've got that appointment with the hospital director in five minutes."

"Is he going to actually say anything?" her partner asked.

"Nothing that'll breach patient confidentiality, but we should be able to get enough to let us move on. We'll follow up with some 'man on the street' reactions, I think."

"You just want to go somewhere nice for lunch instead of snacking in the van," she teased, following her up the hospital steps.

***
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#95
Yig. There goes around another 'banned forever' sentence about to be handed out by the NLR. What a prick.
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#96
Threepony Wrote:Yig. There goes around another 'banned forever' sentence about to be handed out by the NLR. What a prick.
There's a reason why the only reporter Noah talks to is Maico Tange...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
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#97
Matrix Dragon Wrote:Cursing Mal Fnord for the N+1th time, he looked at the bottle of cola, and considered mixing it with the whiskey they kept on hand.
What's he blaming Mal for? If he's going to be blaming anyone save his own idiocy it ought to be Haruhi, she was Great Justice's CO during the war and all, she's the one who ordered the raids that make him look stupid. Or is this just blame-the-commie talking? IDK, maybe Momo used him as a chewtoy one too many times...
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
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#98
He's an idiot that passes the blame around to everyone but him. Sometimes it's Mal, sometimes it's Haruhi or Noah. Sometimesd he just hates anyone connected to OGJ, especially in the higer ranks. Like I said, he's an idiot. ISN only kept him around after the 'Army of Tunerites' incident because no one else would hire him and they can stick him with the lowbie-work no one else wants to suffer through.

As for banning him, I honestly doubt he'd earn that anywhere. It's more that sooner or later, even ISN won't put up with him.
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#99
Quote:Matrix Dragon wrote:
He's an idiot that passes the blame around to everyone but him. Sometimes it's Mal, sometimes it's Haruhi or Noah. Sometimesd he just hates anyone connected to OGJ, especially in the higer ranks. Like I said, he's an idiot. ISN only kept him around after the 'Army of Tunerites' incident because no one else would hire him and they can stick him with the lowbie-work no one else wants to suffer through.

As for banning him, I honestly doubt he'd earn that anywhere. It's more that sooner or later, even ISN won't put up with him.
If anything, he's useful as an example to all other reporters why they should keep their noses clean in Fenspace. Misinformation tends to get uncovered. Sometimes quicker than you can spin the rest of the lies. Smile
--

"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor
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"Sir, Miss Asakura is here to see you."

Malcolm looked up from the paperwork on his desk and nodded. "Thank you Alice. Show her in." HIs secretary nodded and moved out of the way, allowing Ryoko to step into the Mayors office. Standing as she entered, Malcom studied the woman. Her usual friendly cheerfulness was gone, replaced by clear unease at the situation. It seemed that the collection of reporters that had gathered outside were good for something. "Miss Asakura, welcome. I believe you remember Commander Hayes?" Despite herself, Ryoko paled slightly as she nodded politely to the other woman. For her part, Lisa merely nodded back, her expression professionally blank. "And allow me to introduce Sheriff Katherine Roberts."

Holding out her hand, the vixen bared her teeth in a rather unnerving smile. "Good morning," she said.

"Sheriff," Ryoko replied, using the handshake as an excuse to look away from Lisa. "Thank you for agreeing to see me Mayor," she continued, turning back towards the only man in the room.

"It would have been sooner, but there were matters that needed tending to first," Malcolm replied. "Please, have a seat. Would you care for any refreshments?"

She shook her head slightly. "No, that's quite alright, thank you."

Smiling, he looked over at Lisa. "Commander? Sheriff?" Both women shook their heads as well, and he shrugged slightly. "Well then, perhaps we should just get to business then." Smile fading, he placed a hand on a folder sitting on his desk. "These are the preliminary reports from the Milita and Sheriff's office on yesterdays incident. From your pilots reckless flying when you originally docked, all the way to the Professor and Miss Glears processing." Reaching under his desk, he revealed a second, much larger folder. "And this is the Professors file on his previous actions on Ganymede. The time he modified the Serenity interwave beacon into a translation field that left everyone speaking a language they didn't actually understand. Meddling in the production of the a new colony dome, somehow turning it into a Klein bottle. And of course, there's the Cucco Incident," he said, shivering slightly at the memory.

Ryoko winced slightly as each example was listed, shrinking in on herself. Malcolm actually felt slightly sorry for her. It wasn't easy having your mistakes waved in your face, after all. "I admit the Professor isn't perfect," she said after a moment. "I've never denied that. But it's the price of his genius, and if you're going to bring up all his mistakes without discussing the ways he has benefited Fenspace, you're doing him a considerable disservice."

To her surprise, the mayor didn't seem to argue. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and considered her for a moment. "Off the top of my head," he said at last, "the translator technology used by every air traffic control network in space. Handwavium sensors, at least six strains of handwavium I can think of, next generation lie detector technology, automated manufacturing I'm pretty sure he had something to do with Solid Air..." he shrugged. "I could go on listing things for quite a while. I'm sure wikipedia has quite a list."

"There's no question about it," Lisa agreed, almost reluctantly. "He's played a vital role in Fenspace's existence and survival. Without him, it's all too possible that the 'wave simply wouldn't have been enough to sustain us."

"But in the end," the Sheriff continued, "that doesn't mean a damn thing." Ryoko twitched, and the vixen bared her teeth again. "Fenspace isn't just a band of thugs Miss Asakura. We're a society, and most of us tend to believe in Justice. The fact that someone can invent technological wonders doesn't excuse them when their instability leads to people being hurt or killed."

Before Ryoko could argue or protest, the mayor took over. It wasn't fair really, tag teaming the woman like this, but they'd agreed that keeping her off-balance was the best way of countering her devotion to the Professor, hopefully to the point she would be willing to consider their proposal. "We're not talking about simply throwing him out the airlock, or even locking him up. Everyone here is well aware of the Professors... nature, for lack of a better word. We know that the longer he's awake, the more... inspired his mind becomes."

"His increasingly inability to think of anything besides his experiments," Lisa noted.

"He has the potential to be a danger to people," Kate said. "But at the same time, he also has the potential to do them so much good. Captain Wood was nearly killed because of the former, because he stood between an unstable Professor and innocent people his mind could only see as experiments. But at the same time," she continued, eyes gleaming, "when he realized someone was dying, he ran to help him, completely failing to notice the guns that were aimed at him, and administered an emergency biomod. Captain Wood is alive because of his quick thinking."

Coughing politely, the mayor drew Ryoko's attention back to him. "When he wakes up from the drug induced sleep the medics put him in, I intend to have a psychiatric evaluation performed. I expect that its findings will be more or less similar to what we've determined ourselves, just in more technobabbley terms," he added with a faint smile, earning a faint snort of amusement from Lisa and a raised eyebrow from Kate. Even Ryoko, despite the situation, couldn't quite suppress a smile of her own.

Expression turning serious again, he clasped his hands in front of him and leaned forward, looking Ryoko in the eye. "The Professor needs to face the consequences of his actions. It's my responsibility as the Mayor of Serenity Valley to see that justice is served. But at the same time, it's my responsibility to help him, to ensure this doesn't happen again."

Ryoko's eyes narrowed, anger flashing in them suddenly. "You can't 'cure' him," she growled.

"Of course not," Malcolm said, cutting off her rant before it could start. "Just because he doesn't think like other people doesn't mean there's something 'wrong' with him. But he still needs to be able to function without endangering others."

Kate leaned forward, the movement drawing the androids attention. "Which is what you and your sisters have been trying to do for years," she observed. Ryoko raised an eyebrow, but Kate gave her a gentle smile that was shockingly different to her earlier predator animal smiles. "It's what you do for your loved ones," she pointed out.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Ryoko sighed. "We should have stopped this," she admitted. "We were supposed to look after him, but we got careless. We just assumed..." Opening her eyes, she waved a hand at the window behind Malcolm, and the city outside. "We just assumed," she repeated.

"And now we need to do what we can to fix it," Malcolm said. "Can I count on your help?"

Eyes narrowing, the woman leaned forward. "I'm not going to just jump in blindly," she told him. "But I'll try and keep an open mind."
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