Inunne Chapter 5
Ikota steps a little more into the room, moving to the edge and skirting around the area where the two seem to be mainly fighting. He reaches the door marked food without too much trouble, and is able to get a much better look at the third crewmember who is sitting with their back to the wall nearby. They seem to be some form of sentient construction, and despite Ikota not having a strong knowledge of that sphere of engineering he recognizes enough to hazard a guess that this individual is of a particularly old and archaic build model. Their limbs are formed from worn metallic parts, with metal plates at the base of their 'head' holding a hard, clear case above it, possibly made of glass or another silicate. Inside the glass case is an amount of damp-looking dirt, with a few small plants growing.
The sentient is paying him no attention, and seem to be reading a book on their comm device. Ikota shrugs to himself a little, and goes into the food room without disturbing them. Inside it's more of a large closet, with several marked cases of assorted rations stacked neatly in shelves on one side. To the other side is a small RiP machine (technically they were 'creatively' named Recipe Production Units originally, but nowadays most people only ever called them RiPs) and an open box with a few different menu chips tucked in it. He flips through them idly for a moment, glancing at the titles - things like Vesillian Down Home Cooking, Fan Favorites from Space Australia, and 456_historicmeal_compilation_28f. Decisions, decisions.
Settling on a dish he faintly remembered from a vesillian restaurant (not quite bold enough to try the obviously bootleg compilation_28f just yet), he was pleasantly surprised to watch the RIP conjure a quite decent curry-like bowl before his eyes. They weren't always the most palatable especially depending on the model and the quality of the menu chip, but at least it reliably provided the required nutrients for life.
After nibbling at his meal, he slips back out and heads down to engineering finally.
The engine deck is mostly dark, lit only by a few dim purple lights. As he steps out of the elevator and starts walking towards the faintly glowing consoles placed next to a clear wall showing part of the chrysalis, more dim purple lights gradually flicker to life along his path. When he gets to the consoles, he punches up a few basic system readouts. A little different than other engines, but all did seem well at the moment. That only left actually introducing himself...
He paused for a moment, took a few breaths, and hit the button to call up the chrysalis being. There's a moment's silence, and for a second he almost wonders if he actually pressed the button right. Then, slowly, a greenish mist forms and coalesces into a vague orb above the console. It flickers slightly for a moment, as if curious, or nervous. Ikota steps back half a step, and keeps his voice calm and friendly.
"Oh, hello there. I'm Ikota, a technician. I'll be here for a little while to help you, if that's okay. The captain mentioned your name was Oscillation, is it okay if I call you that?"
The green hazy orb flickers a little, as if in response.
"Okay, I'll take that as a yes for the moment." Ikota pauses for a second to consider what direction to take with his questioning. Oscillation seemed to be comfortable with his presence so far, although it seemed to prefer manifesting as an orb right now. While he hadn't had the pleasure of actually talking to a chrysalis spirit before, he did know that they had the ability to communicate via speech when they wanted to. Maybe if he got it more comfortable, it might be willing to talk? Although, the captain didn't seem to think anything was abnormal before. Maybe this chrysalis preferred to stay in orb form.
In any case, he had to get some kind of info in order to do his job. He could:
A) Complement Oscillation on their taste in ship aesthetics (most chyrsalises formed the ships around their crystals according to their tastes, so they'd probably appreciate the compliment?) and try to be more conversational in tone. Maybe they'd feel more comfortable around him if he didn't act so serious and felt like a friendly figure. B) Ask about their general damage history, doing a basic checkup on any big collisions or overheating incidents recently. If he keeps things feeling more clinical, perhaps they'd understand the gravity of the subject? C) Directly ask why they haven't been able to repair the damage to their ship themselves recently. No point in beating around the bush, either they'll be willing to talk about it or not.
A) Complement Oscillation on their taste in ship aesthetics (most chyrsalises formed the ships around their crystals according to their tastes, so they'd probably appreciate the compliment?) and try to be more conversational in tone. Maybe they'd feel more comfortable around him if he didn't act so serious and felt like a friendly figure. B) Ask about their general damage history, doing a basic checkup on any big collisions or overheating incidents recently. If he keeps things feeling more clinical, perhaps they'd understand the gravity of the subject? C) Directly ask why they haven't been able to repair the damage to their ship themselves recently. No point in beating around the bush, either they'll be willing to talk about it or not.
by Thdark
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