Phil's
Erin winks back, and sets about slipping into the jumpsuit.
...clearly, she wants it to.
"Well, the AI might be best to let have the final say. But...well...if I could make a suggestion...how about Tizona?"
Printable View
Phil's
Erin winks back, and sets about slipping into the jumpsuit.
...clearly, she wants it to.
"Well, the AI might be best to let have the final say. But...well...if I could make a suggestion...how about Tizona?"
Phil's
"Sounds nice. What's the reference?"
Phil's
Erin (slowly) zips up the jumpsuit.
"Tizona was the sword of El Cid," she explains. "A hero of Earth."
Phil's
"Name a ship after a famous sword? Hmm...sounds brilliant!" Phil pulls the boarding ramp all the way down and gestures to it, waiting on Erin like a proper doorman.
Phil's
Erin smiles and winks at Phil, before heading up the ramp briskly!
Her player, however, needs sleep. 'Night!
Phil's
And Phil follows after her.
The inside of the ship is dark, but strangely comforting, with curving walls bedecked with storage compartments and strange equipment, soft lighting, and four plush seats arrange in a pyramid pattern towards an area that looks like it might be the front, but has no windows, just a mass of computers and controls.
Phil's
Erin looks around intently, clearly memorising everything's location.
"I'm glad you didn't go with the Egyptian Gold architectural pattern," she quips, smilign as she settles into one of the front seats.
Phil's
"I figured that if it wasn't too pretty, the aliens wouldn't want to steal it," Phil chuckles as he settles into other seat.
He presses a button and the boarding ramp retracts. There is a somewhat jerky movement of the cabin and a quiet whining noise as that entire outlying section of the ship slides into the ship itself, and then a plate slides into place to cover that. The cabin then slides forwards and upwards a little bit, and two large plates slide back to reveal a window in front of the controls. The window has a slight golden-brown tint to it, and is made up of many smaller windows in a honeycomb pattern. The view reveals the cabin to now bit situated near the front of the ship, looking out just over the end, far back enough that the muzzle flare from the big gun on the front of the ship won't blind anyone.
There's some more loud clangs and whirring, and looking at the computer screens that provide a view from the sides of the ship show that the orange plates are sliding out and revealing themselves to be large engines situated on ball joints and swivels. Each one also has a strange ring with large coil of wire inside it going through it.
"Preliminary tests are working out just fine..."
Phil's
"As opposed to jacking it up and stealing its wheels?" Erin says with a grin. And gasps as the ships transformsand rolls out!
"...OK, this is pretty wicked awesome," she drawls, grinning.
Phil's
"Just wait. Later there'll be magnets. But first," Phil slides a small disc into one of the computers, and everything that was previously off lights up. In between the two front seats, a full sized human figure appears, a slightly hazy image made of wavering amber light. It's a rather badass looking cowboy with an old, scarred and weathered face and full getup, fancily engraved revolvers and and duster and everything.
"That's a rather interesting image you've chosen, Oregon."
The hologram tips its hat to the pair and bows slightly to Erin ,"Ma'am," before turning to Phil.
"Given the history of my namesake, I figured it was appropriate." Oregon's accent is just like one would expect from his image, a slight southern American tone to it.
Phil's
"Everything's better with magnets," Erin agrees, before grinning at the AI hologram as it appears. "Why hello there, good sir," she says cheerfully. "Nice look.
She might be flirting with the AI, she might not...
Phil's
Being a computer, Oregon doesn't notice, though Phil has to stifle a chuckle.
"Everything good, Oregon?"
"I took the liberty of checking everything during startup. All systems are nominal, perfect, even. And may I say that according to weather reports, today is a wonderful day to test the ship."
"You don't have to ask permission from me, Oregon," Phil grins as large poles set within series of wire coils and generators push themselves up through the holes in the engine blocks and lift the ship up slightly.
"Have you thought of a name for the ship yet?"
"Erin likes Tizona. I think it's a nice name."
"The sword of a famous hero? Hmm...I do say, that is a fitting name for any armed ship!"
"Good then, Tizona it is. Initiating the first lift-off sequences in...5."
The ship lurches as the floor holding it up begins to rise. Far above the ship, the ground in the large field behind Phil's warehouse opens up to let in sunlight and let the Tizona through.
Phil's
Erin beams at the approval of her name suggestion, and she leans back in her seat, watching out the window as Tizona starts to rise.
"So. How fast can this thing go in atmosphere?"
Phil's
"A little over five thousand kilometers per hour, and that's just what's entirely safe when flying manually. If I let Oregon drive, forget the vast amounts of air drag at higher speeds screwing everything up, and don't worry about the fact that the smallest speck of dust could go through the windshield at that speed, I could probably get it to go twice that fast. In space, it can go a helluvalotta faster, and that's still not accounting for the new engine tech I adapted from the stuff those aliens gave to me that I'm working on adapting."
The lift finally reaches ground level, and the landing gear is retracted as the poles lift the ship up several meters off the ground. The cabin spins over so that Erin and Phil are facing straight up if sitting straight in their seats.
"Strap yourself in and we'll get going!"
Phil's
Erin grins broadly.
'Sounds like it might be just barely fast enough for me," she observes, as she straps herself in, tosses her hair back, and ties it back. "O'Connell ready for takeoff, sir!"
Phil's
"LIFTOFF!" Phil whoops without even counting down and presses a series of buttons. The electromagnets in the engine blocks and the poles shoot the ship upwards at speeds higher than the NASA space shuttle at launch speed!
Oregon's hologram fades, but the AI can still be heard hollering through the speakers.
"YEE-HAAAAWW!!!"
Phil's>INNNNNNNN SPAAAAAAAAACEEEEEE
Erin's grin, somehow, gets even bigger...as they blast off!
And she whoops in excitement as well as a few vultures take violent evasive action to avoid becoming bugs on the windshield. :smalltongue:
((Gotta run for now though.))
SPAAAAAACE
Magnetic ship launchers, how do they work?
Soon, the Tizona breaks atmosphere. The engines turn about and fire off a few short bursts of their ionized fuel to stop the ship's movement, and the cabin rights itself.
And the view is just beautiful.
"Woah..."
"Liftoff complete, all systems nominal. Welcome to space, captain."
In Space
Via...MAGNETS!
"That was pretty awesome."
Erin grins broadly.
She doesn't add that she can breath in space, not wanting to detract from Phil's moment. :smalltongue:
In Space
"And that's not even the best part," Phil grins and pushes on the controls a little bit. The Tizona surges forward at a steady speed until Phil is in just the right spot, and then he puts the boosters in the opposite direction to halt movement, letting the computer take care of the exact math needed.
"This is my first BIG project. Sure, the reaction suits and the dimensional transference was nice, but this is sure to bring in some retinue, among other things."
Phil unstraps himself, hits a few switches, and a groaning noise can be heard from far behind the cabin, like a large door opening. Sure enough, the computer screens covering the rear view of the top of the ship show that the top bay doors have slid to the sides and let out three satellites brimming with equipment. Each satellite has small engines on it, and boosts itself into the right places.
"Satellites online, captain."
Data starts pouring in through the assigned computer screens.
Phil grins like a true mastermind.
"Brilliant. Send my message out to Riv, will you? Along with a little...gift."
In Space
"Just remember one thing," Erin says, studying the consoles with an intent air. "Doomsats Bad. Very bad!"
In Space
"Doomsat? Good idea, but overdone. No, no, if anyone brings down the doom on that rat *rawrexpletives* it'll be me," Phil looks rather determined about that.
The top doors close, but the bottom bay doors open up just enough to let something fall to the planet below...
"It'll take a minute to get through while it lands and the satellites figure out which three stations I should take over for the few minutes I need to send the message."
In Space
"Aww, you mean I don't get a shot?"
Erin giggles and sticks her tongue out at Phil.
"So, I'm assuming this thing has gravity plates?"
In Space
"Actually, no," Phil pushes himself off from the seat and floats freely about, "I figured I'd add them later. Is that all good with you?"
He seems to be ignoring the 'get a shot' comment on purpose.
In Space
Erin grins, unfastens her belts, and floats free.
"More than good, actually. Zero-G opens up all kinds of possibilities for amusement...and fun." Erin winks at Phil, before floating over to a window.
In Space
Phil grins and joins her in looking out the window. The view is wonderful, with a good look at the Nexus and the nearby planets and asteroids, and the faroff fight going on between the alien factions spaceborne forces.
"Incoming vessel, captain. And it doesn't look to be a happy camper."
In Space
"Oh, poo. I was just about to ask if you could show me around the cargo hold."
Erin winks at Phil, then pushes off the window to drift back to her seat.
In Space
"You may want to strap yourself in," Phil does so himself, and hits the controls to turn the Tizona around to the incoming ship, which is one of the bug aliens smaller meteor-like craft with the violet-red coral growths and the one large yellow and green eye. A large, cold plasma coated spike erupts from the ship and hits the Tizona head-on, but luckily for those onboard, Phil's adapted the blue alien's shield technology for his ship. The spike shatters into a thousand tiny pieces.
"No damage to structure, no power drained from shields. An entirely inefective and might I say laughable hit."
Phil just grins and deactivates the safety for the guns.
((deadtime for a few hours))
Spaaaaaaace!
Erin straps herself in, and grins as the alien ship's attack proves SUPER INEFFECTIVE!
"Oooh, nifty. So, I take it now you get to show me what this bad boy can do, eh?"
Space with a side of crazy bug things
"Damn skippy. Unless you want to man one of the guns, I suggest you hold on," without even waiting for a reply, Phil takes the controls and swings the ship right around behind the alien craft, which is pretty impressive, given the laws of physics.
"Bow-set heavy rotary rail-gun one, firing," Phil says with faked seriousness as he thumbs a switch and several forearm sized 'bullets' streak towards the gene-shaper ship, trailing great plumes of fiery plasma behind them. The rounds need to be walked a little, and Phil's aim adjusted by a computer, but they connect with Phil's target, and large plumes of fire and disintegrated asteroid and alien rock spray off of the spaceship, which spins out of control and leaks a strange, silvery green liquid.
"Huh. It's bleeding."