[Aside] Unfound Destiny

A story of humanity coming back from the brink of extinction at the hands of a reptilians race of purifiers, and becoming the dominant force in the galaxy. Now, decades later, forces behind the scenes plunge the hard-won peace into civil war.
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Kai
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[Aside] Unfound Destiny

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The Briggs Laboratory Complex was a site to behold; a number of large buildings, with white outer shells, seemingly windowless, took up an expanse of Acreage that could house a small city. the buildings were scattered about the property, although the majority sat in the southwest corner of the expansive grounds. Everything from agricultural testing to military equipment was researched, designed, and tested at this expansive facility, which was surrounded on all sides by a tall fence that was quite imposing and looked rather difficult to penetrate, as entry was controlled at one of a few gates around the circumference. In total, there were 26 buildings; one for each letter of the English alphabet, and the buildings were labeled as such, with no other outward markings.

In the main cluster of buildings, one of the largest was simply labeled building 'M', which housed a relatively small number of offices and researchers, despite its size. It was in the building as well, that the one the laboratory complex was named after, held her main office. She had brought around her, gathered in this large complex, some of the best and brightest minds and researchers in the United Galactic Republic. Many a long day Dr. Destiny Briggs spent in her office, often sleeping on the couch that she had within, so that she could get back to work as soon as possible. She was not only carrying on the work that her Mentor, the late great Istvan Plutanovicz, had started, but also delving into her own research to further the knowledge base of all sentient beings found within the UGR. A myriad of projects and research she had done, some completed, others but a beginning to a much larger truth that had yet to be discovered. And yet there was one project she always seemed to fall back on. Not necessarily research, but rather, a search. One that occupied the back of her mind throughout everything else that she did. One that a part of still slept within the very lab, hidden away from prying eyes but kept up to the best condition that science was then capable of. the other half of the project, well, was naught more than a chase after a trail of breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs which were few and far between, a trail that had gone almost entirely cold decades ago.

Dr Briggs, a tall fit redhead who looked quite more sprightly than her actual age would have suggested, sat at her desk pouring over starmaps, a cup of coffee piping hot in one hand as she connected the dots with glowing red lines, tracing the last known sightings, looking for a pattern, looking for a breakthrough. But, as the thousands of other times she had poured over the data, even her brilliant mind couldn't figure out where it was...

Where He was...
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Kokuten
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Re: [Aside] Unfound Destiny

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Doctor Kashevski padded her way through the halls, in her arms a few data devices and a connector display. On her back was a pack that was filled up with some of the new samples gathered from Torriban IV. Samples of interesting materials that seemed emit the same fields that resonated with the mental frequencies of the Awakened.

It was clear Paula was on a mission.

For many of the scientists in the facility, it was hard not to see Pollie coming. She had a wild head of frizzy blonde hair that she kept loosely managed into a bun on the top of her head. Her eyes had long been replaced by two large lenses, that each had a glow behind them, indicating the direction of her gaze. The light shuddered to refresh every time she 'blinked'. Though her most unique feature was the fact that she seemed to walk around the safer parts of the labs in house-slippers and pajamas. Sometimes she managed to get to work in regular clothes, sometimes she showed up in whatever she crawled out of bed with.

Today was just an oversized Breakfast Bears t-shirt, with a labcoat draped over her shoulders. She had been too excited to really get dressed this morning, as today was the day she was going to pick apart all of these materials with the City of Learning's Head Researcher.

Kashevski's projects ranged into the study of Anomalous Materials, the objects, fabrics, and strange alloys that resonated with what the laymen called 'magic'. It was her department's time to shine, it was her time show off what her aides and techs had learned and even more, it was time to catch up with a friend she had been working with for almost fifteen years.

Then she opened the door to Dr. Briggs' office, took one look inside and her spirits fell. The maps, the lines, the dots, the notes and that unique look in her eyes.

"Oh not this again. Destiny, we had an appointment."
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Kai
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Re: [Aside] Unfound Destiny

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Destiny, or Dr Briggs, spun the holographic model of the galaxy lazily on one of its axis, not seeming to notice that Pollie had entered the room at first, and seemed to be muttering something while leaning forward to scrutinize a particular area before leaning back and taking a sip of her coffee. The redhead kept her back to the other scientist while doing this, perhaps to spite her, perhaps out of ignorance to her presence, nobody could tell anymore once she had gotten into one of those moods.

However, Pollie would notice that, across the Dr's main desk, were spread all the materials that Dr Kashevski had asked her to have prepared for their meeting, so Destiny had not completely scoffed it off, and had at least prepared physically, if possibly not mentally. Taking another sip from her mug, Destiny leaned back in her office chair to stretch, and caught sight of the blue-lense'd woman whom had entered her domain. Well, perhaps the entire laboratory complex was her domain, as she had ultimate authority over everything that went on here, but, this was her own, private office to which only certain people were supposed to come to.

Of course, Pollie was one of those people...

Dr. Briggs snorted, in sudden realization, spraying a bit of coffee on the small side desk she was sitting at, and scrambling to put the mug down, finding a rag to quickly clean up the mess she had just made. "Sorry, Sorry! I didn't forget, I just... got sidetracked!" she apologized, trying to wave off that look on Pollie's face as she stared at the head of the most prestigious research group in all of the UGR.
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Kokuten
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Re: [Aside] Unfound Destiny

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Paula's face was a mixed bag of frustration and annoyance. This happened more often than one would think, and it had been happening for all the twenty-three years she had worked at the lab complex. At first, when she had still been just a nameless lab tech, it was an almost sweet and tender side of Dr. Briggs that the newer people would marvel at. Except, the newer people didn't know how long she had been doing it, nor for whom she was looking for, or what she intended once she found him.

Him. Paula didn't like him. At least not the man that Destiny described.

At this point in their relationship, it was no longer sweet and tender, it was just something that upset her. The people who had been at the City of Learning before her had just ignored it, accepted it, or encouraged people not to talk about it.

Today she was going to learn why.

After setting down the gear she was carrying she walked up to Destiny's desk and set upon it. Those large goggle eyes regarded the Head Researcher coldly. The two women had spent a lot of time together in the last decade and a half. Even if Dr. Briggs was her boss, the two of them had a rapport that stood above that. They were friends, and friends wouldn't just sit idly by and watch this continue. This obsession that they had only spoken about, but never challenged.

"Destiny," sighed Paula, her nerve helping her produce the words, and add some finality. "It's been fifty years. He's gone."
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Re: [Aside] Unfound Destiny

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Bang bang. "Ring ring," a cheery male voice called into the room. The man it belonged was closer to a child than a man compared to the inveterate humans he shared the room with, judging by his wrinkle-free face and lack of gray hairs. He was a true child of Terran multiculturalism, with the chocolate skin of the Ivory Coast, stature of the Vikings, and silky black hair of the Far East that was shaved close along the sides and swept back across the top like a bird tail. Of course, these facts were all easily overshadowed by the faintly glowing veins of power that ran up his neck and curled over his chin and the faint purple halo in his hazel eyes. Beyond a couple tattoos peeking out here and there, he otherwise had the appearance of a distinguished and professional scientist. Anyone who'd ever heard Xiangjie Uso speak, however, knew that appearances could be very deceiving.

After a moment of assessing the scene, he tilted back, as if dodging a blow. "Oh, no." He pointed at Briggs. "You're... a mess-" then he pointed to Kashevski, "-And you're mad. Are we really doing this again, ladies? Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto- for the drama- but today's not really a good day for us to..." He gestured with a swirl of the hand at the map, "...Do all this."

His mana-infused irises fixed on Destiny. "Kash won't tell you this, but we all think this is really unhealthy for you. Sorry to be that guy, but I think you've gone long enough unchecked. Reality check: your robo-buddy has been MIA for like half a century. He's probably been recycled like six times. Hell, I've probably got part of him in the lab computer." He mumbled the next words to himself while examining the star map, "Would certainly explain its volatile temperament..."
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Kai
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Re: [Aside] Unfound Destiny

Post by Kai »

Before Destiny could even begin to respond to Dr. Kashevski, another distraction made himself announced. Unlike the Academical and scientifically focused Pollie, Xiangjie Uso was obviously a bit more... Open, to the ways of the past, as evidenced by having fused himself with the most essential parts of what magic was, though Pollie had other names for the phenomena, names that Dr. Briggs found boring.

"What is it, Jie?" she asked, shelving Paula's comment and trying to ignore the newcomer's, though a disdainful glare showed that she couldn't ignore it entirely "While I appreciate your concern, we were just about to go through Dr. Kashevski's latest report, and I had been minding my own business during my own free time before that, which should be neither of your businesses." With that last word, the tall redheaded scientist huffed, seeming to be a bit displeased with these two fellows of hers, and their nosiness into her private affairs.
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Kokuten
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Re: [Aside] Unfound Destiny

Post by Kokuten »

Pollie grabbed her t-shirt, staring down at it. Sure, she wasn't wearing much else, but that was no reason to comment with such shade about her appearance. Someone as handsome as Dr. Xiangjie made one feel self-conscious, but things like that didn't matter to a woman of science. Paula Kashevski was a lady of knowledge, above the petty tenets like a professional dress code when there were important matters to be handled

Those goggle eyes refreshed a couple of times.

"It is plenty our business. As Dr. Xiangjie has said, in not so delicate words, that it is nigh impossible for this Aelf to be alive. The probability is so low, that if it were a project proposal I put on your desk, you'd batter it with your DENIED stamp, and tell me how ridiculous it would be for me to pursue such a thing."

She put her finger on the bridge of her nose, as if to push up a pair of glasses. "I've watched you do this for years. I've watched you hold out for what must be a myth by this point. An ungrateful myth that walked away the minute you took your eyes off it."

Pollie's face was turning red. She very much did not like him.
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Re: [Aside] Unfound Destiny

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

Uso thumbed toward Kashevski. "Kash is right, y'know. The Draths would have better luck in winter than either of us would have of convincing you to stop hunting down a century-old relic with virtually no leads." He waved a hand as if brushing the topic aside.

"Regardless, the report is why we're here. If we don't start now, we'll argue til the janitor sweeps us out." It was a joke, of course: there was no janitor. Robots had long since assumed that role, and were quite courteous about not sweeping up their employers.
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Kai
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Re: [Aside] Unfound Destiny

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Destiny was starting to get annoyed with these two. She was tapping her feet, and that proverbial vein in her forehead definitely felt like it was throbbing. She had tried to change the subject, and while both Pollie and Uso claimed they were wanting to get on with the presentation, neither one seemed to be ready to give up berating her- Their boss, mind you, and the one funding their research- about her search for... For him. Pollie's words stung, and Uso's were so careless that they just made her more angry the more he went on at this point. they both had to get the last word in, even when she had told them to stop.

"Nevermind!" she practically snarled. "It seems like neither one of you want to let go of what I do in my spare time, even though I run this place and pay you guys to research. So have at it! Tell me what you really think! I know you're both bad at sugar-coating so just freaking lay it on me so I can tear you idiots a new arsehole before we get on with everything!"
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Kokuten
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Re: [Aside] Unfound Destiny

Post by Kokuten »

"There's no need for that! Violence is unbecoming of the field of science and of leadership!"

Pollie said this adamantly, from behind Uso, having been properly scared to take cover. Destiny was liable to become violent in the truest sense if properly incited, and Paula never pushed her too much because of it. In truth, Destiny was one of those friends you always tip-toed around concerning soft subjects like these. Whenever she got that dangerous look in her eye, you just walked away. The stories of the war would sometimes come out after a few glasses off wine, and Pollie never wanted to find out what was true and what was the wine.

"Destiny, it's been 50 years since the battle of Yorna," continued Pollie, firing from cover, "He never turned up, he never came back, and you've been putting off your life this whole time."
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