Upon Vestia: Chapter Thirty-Eight

by **Starrnico** Sun Oct 11, 2020 6:12 pm

First topic message reminder :

Shane nodded agreement. "Let them sort themselves out, when they are ready, if they ever are, they can admit it publicly as Starr and Armin have done with their dating.

~~~
Danika chuckled softly and shrugged "It's just part of the game, most of the situations are made up things to give a reason for adding money to your bank." She waited for him to put the amount in then picked up the dice to roll them, using the chance to show him how they were normally rolled without saying so. She landed on the starship (train) and immediately bought it

by **flying_purple_monkfish** Wed Sep 29, 2021 5:58 pm

All of the Aketi turned to stare at Ellie, blinking their enormous eyes at her which was probably just a little bit spooky. Or cute... depending on whether you thought small balls of spikey leaves with giant eyes were cute.

Amity smiled to Ellie and bid her a polite hello.

Matt waved.

Kay was still absorbed in his tablet, pacing as he read.

by **Kooshie** Thu Sep 30, 2021 11:06 am

Ellie was firmly of the mindset that the Aketi were cute. It helped that she had a natural fondness for all plants (with the possible exception of Professor Hewitt) and so even being stared at in unison didn't really give her pause.

"Hey guys!" she called to the adults belatedly. She'd been distracted by the cuteness at first. "So these are the kids that got abandoned, huh?"

Asher looked guilty.

"They have been abandoned for many years," Tala said, with all her usual tact, "You will do well to tell us if ought has gone awry in their development!"

Ellie saluted, heading over to join Starr near some of the kids.

by **Starrnico** Thu Sep 30, 2021 2:09 pm

Starr chuckled softly at the immidiate 'aww' from Ellie as she came in. She turned, moving to sit at the bottom of the fence so she could see the kid at her feet better as Ellie came over to join her.
"Hello Ellie, yes, these are the kids, though they seem to have their own language in place of being taught this one. Perhaps you can get more information about their overall health and mental state than we can right now." She said gently.
"They are curious and friendly so far." She added as an afterthought.

by **flying_purple_monkfish** Fri Oct 01, 2021 7:26 am

[All the information we have suggests that where they were wasn't ideal, the humidity levels, the temperature... but they seem to have survived regardless.] Kay added at last, coming over to Ellie. He was chewing his lip anxiously.

"Careful, they're really spikey." Matt added, examining his injured finger with good humour.

by **Kooshie** Fri Oct 01, 2021 9:51 am

Ellie nodded to Starr. "I guess they would have their own language, they have been there a while after all," she said. To Kay and Matt she added, "I'll see what I can sense about their condition, and maybe see if I can talk to them telepathically at all. And I'll be careful of the spikes."

She stretched out her thoughts toward the Aketi kids, trying to get a sense of their condition using telepathy. She added some reassurances to her thoughts too: feelings of warm sunlight and damp earth, which she'd found that plants usually liked.

by **flying_purple_monkfish** Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:49 pm

The Aketi made their cricket-like chirping noise and most of them rolled over toward Ellie. The one who was playing 'dead' quivered, but didn't actually move. Matt watched it curiously. Was it just freaked out?

Ellie could probably sense their sentience, though plant thoughts were probably a bit wierd. Right now they were all curious, one was wary and a little scared while the rest were just facinated by all of this.

They seemed healthy enough, stunted in growth and lacking the vitality they probably should have, but certainly in no danger of death any time soon. Aketi were extremely robust, but ten years without adequate humidity had taken a toll on their growth.
They were about half the size they probably should have been, though solid information on Aketi at this age wasn't easy to come by.

The one on the fence post seemed to be the one who had taken a leadership sort of role over the rest, they all seemed to look to that one for guidance.

What was particularly odd though, was that there were thoughts there that seemed completely divorced from the seedlings themselves, snippets of memories and ideas that felt different, like they didn't really belong. The fragments of another conciousness, scattered and vuage but definitely there.

Kay watched Ellie anxiously, waiting for her verdict.

by **Kooshie** Sat Oct 02, 2021 10:34 am

Ellie watched the Aketi with interest, frowning slightly as she noticed that they didn't seem quite as energetic as young plants should be. Their thoughts were interesting - she recalled that Amity had rescue them from clippings from older Aketi, so she supposed it was natural that in a less centralized nervous system like theirs, the memories might have stayed.

She crouched down to look at the saplings who rolled over. "Hey there, you okay?" she asked them. Looking up to the others she added, "They seem a little less vigorous than they should be. Probably the humidity is the main issue, from what that doctor was able to tell us. Vestia, can you adjust the atmosphere in here, to match what the doctor said? We can't keep it that way because it won't be good for the ranch's plants in the long run, but they'll be fine for a while."

"Will do," Vestia said. She started adjusting the atmosphere, adding more moisture to the air, and adjusting the temperature.

(Aketi ideal atmosphere is safe for Terran animals and people, right? Or am I totally misremembering? Haha)

by **flying_purple_monkfish** Sat Oct 02, 2021 3:49 pm

(yeah it should be fine, it's just like.. rainforesty. Warm and humid)

Matt looked thoughtful. "What's next door?" He asked, getting up and going over to one of the walls. "If there's just a random room we aren't using, could we convert it into like... a humid area with some sort of entrance to here so they can travel between the two?"

Kay frowned as his tablet started to fog up from the humidity. Hmm. [Do you believe they'll recover?] He asked Ellie.

by **Starrnico** Sat Oct 02, 2021 8:41 pm

"Even if not, it would be simple enough to use a section of this room and wall it off a bit for them, but still let them roam when they wish." Starr added, looking over to Matt then back at the kids. Who knew if the sudden change would shock them though?

by **Kooshie** Sun Oct 03, 2021 10:30 am

(Yay safe atmospheres!)

"There are a few unclaimed rooms next door," Vestia said, "There's some piping and electrical lines in the walls because this room is so big, but I can make some adjustments if you give me a week or two. A walled area could certainly work well in the mean time, if you were to put one up," she added at Starr's suggestion.

The benefits of being a living ship, she could just change herself to better suit her current needs. It did take a little while to make the changes, though.

Ellie, meanwhile, was watching the kids as the air gradually warmed and dampened, to see how they reacted to the change.

"I think they'll be okay in the long run, judging by what I've seen of Hewitt, and the horrible things he's managed to recover from," Ellie told Kay, looking away from the kids to read his tablet. "That doesn't necessarily mean they'll recover fully. I don't know how big Aketi are supposed to be at their age, but it's possible these guys are smaller than usual, and it's also possible that they'll always be smaller and less energetic because of what they've gone through."

She hoped the kids would be just fine, but Aketi were so different from the plants she was familiar with. It was impossible to be sure what the future would bring.

by **Starrnico** Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:36 pm

Starr nodded and eased her way to standing again, just to make sure she didn't scare the kids around her and Ellie...and to avoid any thorns. She made her way out of the circle and looked around for a good place to put temporary walls. "We should probably make sure the room isn't too close to the animals or their feed, for their safety" She muttered to herself as she looked around a bit. Of course given how much room there was, it would not be a problem finding a good spot to put up walls with the heat and moisture needed but still allow the small 'sun' lights of the room to shine in. In the end it would basically be two walls facing one another with the optimum (once adjusted correctly) environment inside and a less optimum but still good area around them. This way she figured they wouldn't feel trapped or anything. The walls did have a connecting bar at the top of each end to provide stability and a place for some vines to grow if Ellie. Vestia or anyone else wanted to add some at any point.

by **flying_purple_monkfish** Tue Oct 05, 2021 4:26 pm

The aketi initially didn't react to the environmental change, seeming not to notice at first. Then then all paused, the silvery tendrils of the roots hidden amongst their leaves extending, wavering slightly as they 'tasted' the air.

Amity was sort of drifting around, not seemingly certain of what he should be doing. He looked a little lost.

Matt went to see what Starr was doing and see if she needed any help. Probably not, she was pretty capable but he wanted to feel useful.

The Aketi chirped and squeaked at one another, and with Matt gone, the one who hadn't joined the others took the oppertunity to roll off under something where they couldn't be disturbed or prodded.

by **Kooshie** Wed Oct 06, 2021 8:47 am

"Thanks, Starr," Vestia said. "That'll save us some time." This definitely seemed like the best way to make sure the Aketi had access to the environment they needed, without subjecting the entire ranch to more warmth and moisture than was healthy for the goats and non-sapient plants.

Ellie watched the shy Aketi roll off to hide, frowning a little. Sapient creatures weren't really her specialty at all, and she wasn't sure how concerned to be about this Aketi's shyness.

She also kept watch over the others as they started to notice the change in the "weather".

Asher went to have a look at Starr's wall. He wanted to admire her handiwork.

James glanced to Amity. "You okay?" he asked.

by **Starrnico** Wed Oct 06, 2021 3:39 pm

Starr turned to look at Matt with a smile when she noticed he came over. "What do you think?" She asked then looked around to the others as some came over to her, though she was interested in if the kids would come over too.

by **flying_purple_monkfish** Thu Oct 07, 2021 6:08 pm

Amity paused in his roaming and smiled to James politely. "I don't know who is who." He paused again, his expression becoming neutral "They don't respond to any of their names."

Kay frowned, looking over at Amity. What was the hologram going on about?

"they are still my guests... aren't they?" Amity asked. "They died, but their cuttings live. I don't have anything in my code that tells me what to do now. " His code was struggling. It had honestly been struggling since the crash. The host drones weren't designed for any of what he'd done since getting his guests to their escape pods. There was supposed to be a rescue team who would take over, take the guests home, administer appropiate care and first aid. All his code told him was get the guests to safety to await rescue. He'd done that. The seedlings were confirmed safe. So now what? His system had no idea, and was frantically trying to find something, anything. "I should contact the company. " He hesitated. "perhaps they'll respond this time." He was supposed to be able to connect to the main network, that would have told him what to do. But here on Vestia he was alone. It was forcing the tiny drone to have to adapt in ways it really hadn't been expected to.

---

Matt nodded. "looks good. I'm still in awe of how quick you can pull something like this together." He chuckled. "are all Star Dragons this efficient?"

The Aketi were indeed watching, but they were also curious about Ellie and how she'd tried to communicate with them. They appeared to be enjoying the moisture in the air.
Eventually the one on the fence post threw itself off, hard covered wing-like structures which previously looked much like their stiff fluid filled leaves stretched out, allowing the little ball to glide. It wasn't overly graceful, more a controlled fall than anything, but it allowed it to hit the ground safely and immediately start to roll to see what the group gathering near the new walls were up to.
The others followed suit.

by **Kooshie** Sat Oct 09, 2021 11:59 am

James looked at Amity with sympathy. Sure, the drone might not have emotions in the traditional sense of the word, but struggling to process a situation was still a form of distress in its own way.

Androids tended to be understanding of that. It was years of interplay between their learning algorithms and hard-coded programming that over time developed into emotions similar those of organics; before those emotions developed, it was all simple pressure to follow programming, and confusion on the occasions when the Android wasn't sure how to carry that programming out.

Not distress in the organic sense of the word. Still, something the AI in question would seek to avoid.

"Hey," James said to the drone, "It's okay. They're still your guests. Right now they don't need your help, because you've already helped them. You did what they needed you to do; now you won't need to do anything for them for a while."

~~
"It's very impressive," Asher agreed, placing a hand on the new wall for a moment. "Should do the trick nicely, thank you Starr." He looked down at the approaching Aketi. "We seem to have company," he added.

Ellie watched the Aketi glide down from the fence. "Well that's adorable," she said quietly. Her telepathic squeal of adoration would be a little less subtle to the plants and telepaths in the room.

by **flying_purple_monkfish** Sat Oct 09, 2021 5:18 pm

Amity nodded slowly. "I've tried to contact the company so many times, either it doesn't go through or they don't respond. The Professor says I shouldn't worry, but I can't worry." He tilted his head. "I was to ensure the safety of my guests until the company arrived to transport them home. " Should he have stayed with the escape pod? But the professor was going to leave and he had an obligation to stay with his guests. If his guests were dead, were they still his guests? Hewitt had convinced him they weren't, that the cuttings and he were now. Was that wrong? his image faltered, wavering slightly as the drone stalled, dipping briefly as the fans weakened before recovering. "I should call the company again." he repeated. This one course of action being the only thing he could think of to do right now. He nodded curtly and moved to do just that.

---

Matt watched the Aketi roll over. "wait, they can glide!??"

[I suppose it's how they get down from the treetops...] Kay mused, coming over to check out Starr's handiwork. He shot a quizical look at Ellie for that squeal. Was it strictly neccisary?

The Aketi mostly ignored the big people now, exploring the new structure that hadn't been there before.

by **Starrnico** Mon Oct 11, 2021 1:47 pm

Starr chuckled, looking to Ellie at her squeal before returning her attention to the kids and Matt "No, not all are as adept at making things, and some are slower than others when they do." She replied with a small shrug. "It depends on their base ability and how much they have practiced. My 'skill' on the other hand is boosted by all my people, so I am fastest now." She added, thinking about it in a bit more depth now before shaking her head and refocusing. She hoped the little kids liked this area and wouldn't get hurt from the change to preferred treatment now that they were here and after such a long 'drought' period. "Shane is pretty good at making things, even if he started late, but that is a part of his base power so it is natural."

by **flying_purple_monkfish** Mon Oct 11, 2021 5:42 pm

Matt shook his head. "I don't think i'm ever gonna fully understand." He chuckled. "But awesome. " He grinned. "It's a useful talent." He watched the kids explore, they weren't the easiest to keep an eye on. The were fast and blended in with the other plant life.

by **Starrnico** Mon Oct 11, 2021 8:48 pm

Starr smiled softly and glanced to Ellie again. "Hey Ellie, do you think the station has any plants that would work here for them to hide among?" She asked curiously.

by **Kooshie** Tue Oct 12, 2021 1:06 pm

James sighed. Poor little drone. "Amity, wait. You're not going to be able to contact them, it's not worth trying until we get to Aketi space. You did it, okay? The passengers are safe, you fulfilled your directive."
If Amity had been a Terran Android, James might be more inclined to think that this internal conflict was good for Amity's development. But of course, Amity was Aketi tech, and James had no idea if developing emotions was even possible for him. So leaving Amity so confused just seemed cruel.
"What sort of tasks did you do on your cruise ship?" James asked, grasping for any way to divert the drone's attention.

~~
"Shane and Starr are both brilliantly talented," Ellie said with pride. She looked thoughtful at Starr's question, "Possibly. There are some Terran plants that look sorta like them, but they're not that common at most spaceports."
Looking at the Aketi kids, who were already doing a fairly good job blending in, she joked, "Then again, we might not want them to be camouflaged too well, or it might be hard to find them again."

by **Starrnico** Thu Oct 14, 2021 8:01 am

Starr smiled as she looked at the kids again and shook her head "I was thinking of vines or something just to have it more natural and so they could feel safe." She amended

by **flying_purple_monkfish** Thu Oct 14, 2021 6:17 pm

Amity paused and turned back to James. The diversion seemed to work. "I was to ensure my guests were comfortable and content. I welcomed guests aboard, gave them a brief tour and guided them to their rooms. I performed wake up calls, delivered requested items, signed guests up for any excursions or events they wished to participate in, kept guests abreast of any news or schedule changes as well as reminders of their schedules and anything their profile suggested they may be interested in, gave directions, escorted those who wished to be escorted, acted as valet, entertained the guests with games and conversation." he paused, smiling softly. "Aketi are fond of arguments and debate particularly." He nodded and then continued. "I procured items and information requested of me, ensured guest's personal preferences were recorded by the ship's systems and that everything was to the guest's satisfaction at all times."

----

"Frankly I think it's impressive they found them in the first place." Matt remarked, chuckling. "Clearly we should never challenge James to a game of hide and seek."

by **Starrnico** Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:18 pm

Starr laughed softly and nodded "It would be an interesting game though, trying to find a good hiding place without using magic..." Hm, there was a thought for the trio to try out. "Though I believe the kids wanted to figure out what was going on more than hide."

by **Kooshie** Fri Oct 15, 2021 10:42 am

Ellie nodded. "Oh, I see. Yeah, we can totally find them some nice plant cover to hide in." Their preferred temperature and humidity would limit the options a little, but she was sure she could find something.

Asher smiled at Matt's joke. "James has many talents," he said, with some pride.
He nodded at Starr's remark, "The Aketi kids do seem very curious. I suppose that's natural, seeing as seeking out other Aketi is part of their development."

~~
"You sure did keep busy," James said to Amity, impressed, "No wonder this is hard for you." The drone might not be an extrovert in the traditional sense of the word, but still... James thought the result was similar. "Since these guests are fine for now, maybe we should find you some other guests to help?"

by **Starrnico** Fri Oct 15, 2021 2:16 pm

Starr looked to the kids again then to Ellie. "Do you want to go look together?" She asked curiously

by **flying_purple_monkfish** Fri Oct 15, 2021 5:13 pm

Amity paused. "more guests?" He considered that. There was nothing that stated he could only have a set number, it was just standard procedure for the cruise ship to assign six to a host so the host could meet all of their needs. "If management believes that is beneficial." he nodded. Mourn had tinkered with his coding enough to allow him to recognise Vestia as a cruise ship, which had appeared to ease his transition on board.

----

Matt nodded and laughed at Asher's remark. "So uh.. i'll stay here then, keep an eye on the kids okay? Make sure they don't get into any trouble." He wasn't sure they needed supervision but it didn't quite feel right to leave them all alone just yet.

Kay looked around. It was getting late. [I'm going to eat. You seem to have this all in hand.] He glanced to Asher awkwardly. Well, it had been a wierd day hadn't it? With a gentle shake of his head he took his leave of the rest of them.

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