005: In the Presence of True Power

[terrymixon]

I would like to slip this into the stream of consciousness somewhat earlier before we headed off in different directions. My posting windows are limited so apologies for the time slip. I'll just take a short jump to the left…

Do what you need to. And if you need to leave some guidelines to follow if events slide past you, please do and I'll try to keep you going until you post again.

After they return to the ship from the experience at the residence William pulls Roscoe aside. "Are there any physiological differences after uplift versus our baseline? Are our bodies somehow more efficient? Do you think this is a genetically driven modification at the very basic level? Are we detectably something different?"

"You are not--strictly speaking--human any longer. You are different than you were at a cellular level. Your DNA is changed and is still changing. Your human roots are still there, but you have evolved into something new. Homo Ancientus, perhaps? I cannot say how extensive the changes will become, but they are already significant. I am uncertain any of you would even be fertile with a normal human now. If the changes keep accumulating, you definitely won't be. Is that what you wanted to know?"

[terrymixon]

Do I look like I'm going to answer all those questions? Nope. I may have him burn out so I don't have to.

I tried….

”Hey, majordomo, how do these tekeportals ooen? Can you do it? These seem to operate a little differently than the others we’ve found?”

"They are set to only open for recognized users. I will need to add you to the registry, Master. Then you will be able to use all the teleportals in your home. This is to keep intruders out."

[joertexas]

He opens his mouth to respond but seems to realize he has no idea what to say. "I need a moment to think about this. I mean no offense, but I have never considered anything like that and do not wish to make a mistake or proceed with an answer that is not fully considered. Excuse me, please."

Roscoe stood and walked a few dozen feet away and looked out over the farmland. He occasionally sipped his wine, but mostly seemed to be...thinking. Thinking hard.

After a few minutes, he returned and sat back down where he had been, setting his glass aside and giving you his full attention. "I apologize for not having an immediate answer, but that was a subject that demanded my complete attention while I considered the ramifications in full. I feel that I must point out that I am an unknown factor. I am so inexperienced that I will make mistakes. Probably some serious ones. I have never had any kind of relationship and the idea of being so ignorant of what is required and expected is daunting. I, uh, didn't have genitalia until the Ancient device made me able to change to a biological being. I don't know how to perform in that way. What if I hurt you? I am much stronger than I suspect you realize, Jaelah."

He swallowed nervously. "I would like to be your partner in these things and more, but I believe I am having anxiety over my potential performance. Would you want someone who is so greatly lacking? I don't even know how to be a good friend yet. How could I help raise children? Is it wrong to be somewhat frightened at the possibilities? Are you sure none of the others would be better?"

Jaelah smiles, lifting her wineglass. "Welcome to the human race, and yes, I'm quite certain about you." She sets her glass aside and sits closer to him. "No one is ever ready for marriage, Roscoe. I sure as hell wasn't ready for what my husband and I experienced, and how we parted. What we lack, though, well, that's why we're partners. We will both make mistakes, and your spouse can hurt your feelings and upset you when other people don't. Love is a choice more than an emotion. We show love by standing with our spouse against the rest of the universe, by standing by them when things are bad, as well as when things are good. We learn life together, with businesses, duties, children, and all the rest. We forsake close and intimate relationships with others, and we forgive each other's mistakes." Jaelah reaches for his hand. "As for the physical relationship, everyone has to learn that, too. Every man has to govern their physical reactions to avoid hurting their woman, and women must do the same in some ways. Otherwise, practice makes perfect, with a lot of fun along the way."

[helvorn]

Partway through your speech, her gaze sharpens, and she pays more attention to what you are saying. She doesn't move your hand but now seems more aware of it... and you. "I appreciate that, and all your help. I am very grateful and would dearly like to continue this adventure with you and the rest. I appreciate your attention, but I must warn you that I must be certain of that kind of thing, and to do so, I will need to know you much better than I do now. You are a handsome man, and I feel a tug, but I must be the mistress of my own hormones. I'm not saying no, but I'm not saying yes, either.

"I suspect that you might not be alone in seeking my affections. Walt seems to perhaps be giving me hints. I'm not sure yet because he hasn't been so straightforward. My mother and father had an arranged marriage, and that never appealed to me. I want to care for the person I marry, and I don't know yet what that means or who it might be with. Would it hurt you if I said yes to some gentle courting but kept things light? As I am now an Ancient, I suspect that narrows my choice of husbands to those who both know my secret and can keep up with me. That means the men aboard this ship."

She chuckled. "Fredrick will have a cow. In any case, I would be remiss if I didn't learn more about all of you that seem interested. I'm sorry if that isn't romantic, but I will one day be responsible for the Imperium and have to be clear eyed. With those caveats, I am more than willing to spend time with you, but I don't want to hurt you by doing so."

William didn't withdraw his hand immediately. His smile broadened if anything as she spoke. "I would expect you to be very thorough and careful about affections and relations." He shook his head and grew a a bit pensive. "Strip away the power, the position, the wealth and the titles and you are an extraordinary woman Ciencia. You deserve an equally extraordinary partner. Whether you were the Emperor's daughter or an orphan bootstrapping your way from nothing anyone seeking your hand should have to prove their worth and love." William chuckled and withdrew his hand after a light squeeze. "I will gladly court you gently and with a light touch. We have a lot to do and with the changes you are undergoing things are going to be swirling at warp speed. I won't let this get in the way of what we have to do but I will not let it go as long as you are willing. I am a grown man and will not be hurt by a honest offer to court you." He met her eyes. "I want to get to know every part of you. I want to have fun with you learning about each other and this new universe of knowledge that we are unfolding as we go." Then William's eyes sparkled and his expression grew mischievous. "Let's learn a little bit about each other if you like just once a day or so. First a little thing about me. I have a tattoo of the wolf Fenrir on my right chest. Our family followed the old ways and worshiped Odin. The first son bore a tattoo of Odin's spear. The second son bore the two ravens Huginn and Muninn. The third son bore the wolf for he was expected to wander and fight."

[Tiglath]

Annnnd Nope.

Whoa, Icarus.

And see above...

What? Jaelah's post? She's much more grounded than you yahoos. Roscoe? He's in over his head.

We can't control that complicated shh11t. We've got enough on not controlling the Ancient resurgence! Roscoe is but a mere prawn on her (crustacean) chess board of luuurve and she picnicnapped him while (mostly) no one knew! (Yes, going with that last! ).

However, just so long as "blokes" don't go around discussing their feelings with each other we have a baseline for humanity!

[helvorn]

"You are not--strictly speaking--human any longer. You are different than you were at a cellular level. Your DNA is changed and is still changing. Your human roots are still there, but you have evolved into something new. Homo Ancientus, perhaps? I cannot say how extensive the changes will become, but they are already significant. I am uncertain any of you would even be fertile with a normal human now. If the changes keep accumulating, you definitely won't be. Is that what you wanted to know?"

Silencer listened with a serious expression. "That's what I thought but wanted confirmation. The powers we have could never be contained within a normal human framework. Let us hope as Ancients we do a better job than they did. I would rather be down and dirty than slinging lightning bolts from Mount Olympus. Thank you, that answers my question."

[helvorn]

However, just so long as "blokes" don't go around discussing their feelings with each other we have a baseline for humanity!

Here, here!

[helvorn]

”Hey, majordomo, how do these tekeportals ooen? Can you do it? These seem to operate a little differently than the others we’ve found?”

"They are set to only open for recognized users. I will need to add you to the registry, Master. Then you will be able to use all the teleportals in your home. This is to keep intruders out."

Sorry to insert myself, just catching up. Maybe two heads are better than one. And maybe William and Walt need to talk a bit.

William failed at the teleportal as well. "Go ahead and and the entire group of us to the registry if you would. Also do you know where they lead?"

Did the majordomo ever give us a specific name?

[terrymixon]

He opens his mouth to respond but seems to realize he has no idea what to say. "I need a moment to think about this. I mean no offense, but I have never considered anything like that and do not wish to make a mistake or proceed with an answer that is not fully considered. Excuse me, please."

Roscoe stood and walked a few dozen feet away and looked out over the farmland. He occasionally sipped his wine, but mostly seemed to be...thinking. Thinking hard.

After a few minutes, he returned and sat back down where he had been, setting his glass aside and giving you his full attention. "I apologize for not having an immediate answer, but that was a subject that demanded my complete attention while I considered the ramifications in full. I feel that I must point out that I am an unknown factor. I am so inexperienced that I will make mistakes. Probably some serious ones. I have never had any kind of relationship and the idea of being so ignorant of what is required and expected is daunting. I, uh, didn't have genitalia until the Ancient device made me able to change to a biological being. I don't know how to perform in that way. What if I hurt you? I am much stronger than I suspect you realize, Jaelah."

He swallowed nervously. "I would like to be your partner in these things and more, but I believe I am having anxiety over my potential performance. Would you want someone who is so greatly lacking? I don't even know how to be a good friend yet. How could I help raise children? Is it wrong to be somewhat frightened at the possibilities? Are you sure none of the others would be better?"

Jaelah smiles, lifting her wineglass. "Welcome to the human race, and yes, I'm quite certain about you." She sets her glass aside and sits closer to him. "No one is ever ready for marriage, Roscoe. I sure as hell wasn't ready for what my husband and I experienced, and how we parted. What we lack, though, well, that's why we're partners. We will both make mistakes, and your spouse can hurt your feelings and upset you when other people don't. Love is a choice more than an emotion. We show love by standing with our spouse against the rest of the universe, by standing by them when things are bad, as well as when things are good. We learn life together, with businesses, duties, children, and all the rest. We forsake close and intimate relationships with others, and we forgive each other's mistakes." Jaelah reaches for his hand. "As for the physical relationship, everyone has to learn that, too. Every man has to govern their physical reactions to avoid hurting their woman, and women must do the same in some ways. Otherwise, practice makes perfect, with a lot of fun along the way."

“Then I want to do this with you. How do we do that?”

[joertexas]

“Then I want to do this with you. How do we do that?”

"Pretty much however we decide," Jaelah says with a broad smile that lights up her dusky face. "I'd suggest that we ask for the Princess's blessing, and then we inform everyone else. Typically, a meal is served as part of the celebration, and the couple exchanges weddings rings and makes declarations to each other to formally establish the marriage. You can research marriage customs, and pick out something you think is appropriate."

[Thumper]

"They are set to only open for recognized users. I will need to add you to the registry, Master. Then you will be able to use all the teleportals in your home. This is to keep intruders out."

”Majordomo, is this security feature available on all teleportals, or just a type located here? What else differentiates these portals from all the others we’ve found that open with a psi connection? Is this feature applied here because of the nature the destination?”

[ateno]

Arkar will ask to be registered to the teleportal and then head to the library after getting directions.

Arkar

[Tiglath]

Interested to learn the destination of the teleportals but cautious that they lead somewhere that requires them to be locked Garvin escorts Metz as he "sciences".

[terrymixon]

”Hey, majordomo, how do these tekeportals ooen? Can you do it? These seem to operate a little differently than the others we’ve found?”

"They are set to only open for recognized users. I will need to add you to the registry, Master. Then you will be able to use all the teleportals in your home. This is to keep intruders out."

Sorry to insert myself, just catching up. Maybe two heads are better than one. And maybe William and Walt need to talk a bit.

William failed at the teleportal as well. "Go ahead and and the entire group of us to the registry if you would. Also do you know where they lead?"

Did the majordomo ever give us a specific name?

It did not.

"I must do each person one at a time, Master. If you will touch either of the teleportals, I will do so for you. They lead to other portions of your residence. It is a distributed structure with many different rooms and suites located at other points within the pocket universe."

[terrymixon]

"They are set to only open for recognized users. I will need to add you to the registry, Master. Then you will be able to use all the teleportals in your home. This is to keep intruders out."

”Majordomo, is this security feature available on all teleportals, or just a type located here? What else differentiates these portals from all the others we’ve found that open with a psi connection? Is this feature applied here because of the nature the destination?”

"It is a standard feature on all teleportals, though it is often not enabled unless there is a security risk. If it is not enabled, merely touching it and willing it to be restricted to you will enable the functionality. Then you would need to touch it again later, will it to add the next person who touches it, and have that user do so. The previous Master enabled the feature to maintain his privacy."

[terrymixon]

Arkar will ask to be registered to the teleportal and then head to the library after getting directions.

Arkar

He will instruct you to touch one of the teleportals and it is done. "The library is through the leftmost teleportal, across the suite, down the stairs, and through the teleportal at the end of the corridor, Master."

[terrymixon]

Interested to learn the destination of the teleportals but cautious that they lead somewhere that requires them to be locked Garvin escorts Metz as he "sciences".

Metz isn't touching anything. He's just looking at the bits and bobs. "I wish I knew what these were. There is no telling what was being worked on."

[helvorn]

"I must do each person one at a time, Master. If you will touch either of the teleportals, I will do so for you. They lead to other portions of your residence. It is a distributed structure with many different rooms and suites located at other points within the pocket universe."

"Okay, please authorize me." William will touch each portal in turn to be authorized to use them. "Is there a map of the residence you can provide to us?" He looked at Walt. "We need to give this guy a name. How about Jeeves assuming the others agree?"

[terrymixon]

Partway through your speech, her gaze sharpens, and she pays more attention to what you are saying. She doesn't move your hand but now seems more aware of it... and you. "I appreciate that, and all your help. I am very grateful and would dearly like to continue this adventure with you and the rest. I appreciate your attention, but I must warn you that I must be certain of that kind of thing, and to do so, I will need to know you much better than I do now. You are a handsome man, and I feel a tug, but I must be the mistress of my own hormones. I'm not saying no, but I'm not saying yes, either.

"I suspect that you might not be alone in seeking my affections. Walt seems to perhaps be giving me hints. I'm not sure yet because he hasn't been so straightforward. My mother and father had an arranged marriage, and that never appealed to me. I want to care for the person I marry, and I don't know yet what that means or who it might be with. Would it hurt you if I said yes to some gentle courting but kept things light? As I am now an Ancient, I suspect that narrows my choice of husbands to those who both know my secret and can keep up with me. That means the men aboard this ship."

She chuckled. "Fredrick will have a cow. In any case, I would be remiss if I didn't learn more about all of you that seem interested. I'm sorry if that isn't romantic, but I will one day be responsible for the Imperium and have to be clear eyed. With those caveats, I am more than willing to spend time with you, but I don't want to hurt you by doing so."

William didn't withdraw his hand immediately. His smile broadened if anything as she spoke. "I would expect you to be very thorough and careful about affections and relations." He shook his head and grew a bit pensive. "Strip away the power, the position, the wealth and the titles and you are an extraordinary woman Ciencia. You deserve an equally extraordinary partner. Whether you were the Emperor's daughter or an orphan bootstrapping your way from nothing anyone seeking your hand should have to prove their worth and love." William chuckled and withdrew his hand after a light squeeze. "I will gladly court you gently and with a light touch. We have a lot to do and with the changes you are undergoing things are going to be swirling at warp speed. I won't let this get in the way of what we have to do but I will not let it go as long as you are willing. I am a grown man and will not be hurt by a honest offer to court you." He met her eyes. "I want to get to know every part of you. I want to have fun with you learning about each other and this new universe of knowledge that we are unfolding as we go." Then William's eyes sparkled and his expression grew mischievous. "Let's learn a little bit about each other if you like just once a day or so. First a little thing about me. I have a tattoo of the wolf Fenrir on my right chest. Our family followed the old ways and worshiped Odin. The first son bore a tattoo of Odin's spear. The second son bore the two ravens Huginn and Muninn. The third son bore the wolf for he was expected to wander and fight."

"Would you show me? I've wanted to get one, but always held back. I wouldn't even know what to pick.

"Let me see if I can come up with something similar. I memorized the constellations and their component stars visible from Capital when I was five, graduated from the Karbiili School when I was 10, and passed the Scout Service basic training when I was 12. I don't do normal service because of my other duties, but I associate myself with them closely. Some people try to compare me to Arbellatra, but I reject that. I'm gifted, but not to her degree. In fact, it sounds like bragging. Sigh."

She grimaced and put her hand against her stomach. "There goes the nausea again, and my hearing and vision just went wobbly. It's irritating, but I can manage. You say tomorrow is much worse? It looks like I'll be staying here until that is settled since I can't afford to let people see me in that condition. You should go do your exploration. I want to see pictures and hear about it from you when it's done. Aster will keep me company until you get back."

[terrymixon]

"I must do each person one at a time, Master. If you will touch either of the teleportals, I will do so for you. They lead to other portions of your residence. It is a distributed structure with many different rooms and suites located at other points within the pocket universe."

"Okay, please authorize me." William will touch each portal in turn to be authorized to use them. "Is there a map of the residence you can provide to us?" He looked at Walt. "We need to give this guy a name. How about Jeeves assuming the others agree?"

"You only need to touch one, Master. It is done."

I have no map to provide and am making it up as I go, so no.

Metz breezily waves a hand in agreement at the name.