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Post by Robot on Oct 20, 2016 17:57:45 GMT
The staff meeting room was rarely used, the science team preferring to discuss within the work space. Today a catered spread lay out over the table, a rare treat. Breads made with apricorn flour, fruits and vegetables prepared dried, candied, and sauteed. The citizens of Gol had little variety to work with in terms of diet, but made due with what was available. A flavored soybean curd, a sort of paste known as 'tofu', along with a variety of mixed nuts made up the heartier fare. Carnate's pilots and their vessels sat around the table to discuss the procession coming in only a day's time, and any last minute findings in their research.
At the head of the table, Professor Rosewood sat placidly, much more herself then she could have claimed to been in the fervor she bore the years leading up to their newfound success. It could be nothing else, the woman had been relentless in her pursuit of this end. Idly she stroked between Rosebud's ears, who sat squat on a stool to her left, and ate little but spoke much. "With the presentation coming, I figured it behooved us to get on the same page. Electing a speaker or two from our number would be in our best interests while the rest..." There was a thoughtful pause as she seemed to acknowledge the Pokemon's presence in the room and straightened a little. "Stay behind to ensure that things remain in order through the ceremony."
The gesture was met with some small confused reactions from the sharper Pokemon. Vorp in particular, let out a guttural sound deep in his chest and stood more erect, his ever fierce expression on Delilah.
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Post by DataNinja on Oct 20, 2016 18:47:36 GMT
"I'll stay behind," Evan volunteers almost immediately. It would mean he didn't have to pretend to be all buddy-buddy with the whitecoats, plus it wasn't likely that anything was going to go wrong, at least not now. Hopefully he'd have time to just grab some shut-eye, try and get rid of this damn headache. It sure wasn't helping his mood, and whatever crowd Rosewood had drummed up wouldn't likely improve things.
Not to mention, not being around most of the Pokémon would be welcome. He was painfully aware that Vorp and Gunshow could probably break him like a twig... and he'd absolutely prefer to not have that happen.
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Post by ThRevanchist on Oct 21, 2016 3:02:14 GMT
Ulrich lets out a small chuckle, before saying, "I didn't realize we were self-nominating? But its probably for the best that you stay here... We'll want to present our best face, surely. Now, for a proper nomination, isn't selling the Carnate Engine to the masses one of those flights of fancy you mentioned, Jacob? This could be just the chance you've been waiting for. I doubt we'll be able to get their attention again, after all."
Having said his piece, he leaned back, somewhat glad none of the specimens had such a fierce, predatory interest in him. Not that the physical intimidation wielded by Vorp, or even Gunshow could hold a candle to the clout of a hostile Board... And it was obvious Rosewood had refused to yield to them. The contrast between the two, though, was enough to bring him a fleeting smile. Which he hurriedly masked with the nearest piece of food.
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Post by birdy51 on Oct 21, 2016 5:25:27 GMT
"We will get their attention, have no fear of that little Ulrich." Beamed a positively ecstatic Hugh as he reaches wide across the table and kidnaps a large slice of the tofu disaster. "Outside of the Golett's and Golurks, I am quite certain that most individuals here on Gol have never seen a Pokémon up close."
He chuckles, taking a hearty bite of the tofu as he did so. Bits of the tofu threaten to escape. Some do, making a break for it to escape the awesome power of Hugh's maw. But his magnificent beard quickly caught the deserters. Hugh smacks his lips encouragingly.
Those little bits would be consumed later as a snack.
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Post by Mineral on Oct 21, 2016 15:29:41 GMT
Jacob noticed the reaction right away. Whenever they were in the same room, he had made an effort to keep close to Vorp, and now with them sitting next to each other at the table, hording the bowls of nuts, he put a hand on his back to calm him down. They had come to understand each other a lot more, but in this situation, the young prince needed to keep from scaring the Professor. It'd been a difficult week for the both of them, but it was nearing the end of the struggle for the dragon. Hopefully his messages that Vorp would return home soon were enough to keep him calm a little longer.
"You call them flights of fancy for now, Professor. I'd love to be the spokesperson for the project. But I think to show that it's not just a science venture we should have more than one person present. Me; for the research team. Hugh, or one of his colleagues; for the security division. Our incredible Mr.Lawton; for the tech division. This reaches as wide an audience as possible. Though, rather she's on stage or not, I'll assure our own Professor Rosewood will get the adoration she deserves for making this a reality." he said, smiling and patting Vorp gently.
"I think what I want most though is to get our friends back home asap, so we can all start working. Mr.Royalty here needs his diet back in order, and I wouldn't mind earning a steak when we all stand on the planet ourselves.".
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Post by birdy51 on Oct 23, 2016 15:34:28 GMT
"I agree with little Jacob!" Hugh interjects, spewing bits of tofu from his mouth and back onto his plate. "Not on the aspect of dieting of course. I think we could all learn to better appreciate protein slop over this decadent meal. This includes uppity dinosaur things. But I am getting ahead of myself."
"I shall represent the security aspect of the team. Ranger does not like people. Tex likes people, but is far too relaxed to have a firm presence. Little Alex is a moot point. Only I would be able to properly speak to the people on the nature of our bestial friends."
Hugh's mouth arcs into a wide smile as he forks in another round of tofu into the great tooth grinder. "Thish should be all but shimple for mhan like me." He says softly, voice masked only by the large amount of food that he had managed to shove down his gullet. One had to question how he wasn't choking...
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Post by Robot on Oct 24, 2016 12:00:33 GMT
Professor Rosewood visibly blanched at Hugh's edible display and averted her eyes from the large man's face, daintily clearing her throat despite what was plainly evident as a rising nausea. "I can certainly discuss with Bill the merits of joining such a discussion and offer incentive besides to do so, but wouldn't it be in our best interests to have the Carnate pilots with more volatile subjects remain behind?" There was no distinct shift in her tone, and Rosewood kept her attention on Jacob's face. After her earlier error, she didn't want to alert the Pokemon to what was happening any more then necessary.
"That aside, we will need our new friends to be on their utmost best behavior. We don't know how they'll react to so many humans, flash photography, raucous cheering, and more. The public will be just as excited for their return home as they are, but if things should get wild... well. Our dreams of green will fade pretty quickly." There was a bit of wistfulness in her tone, uncharacteristic of the Professor, where she seemed to lose herself for a moment.
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Post by Mineral on Oct 24, 2016 13:19:28 GMT
Jacob didn't want to overstep himself, but after a moment he felt the tension in his temples rising. Though he did soften a tiny bit at the professor's seeming nervous attitude. Of course, she did have a point. With him on the stage, Vorp would just be himself. Among all the Pokemon, it'd be the biggest disaster if HE got loose. All that meat, just a powerful jump away. It was a tossup though. Would the big guy be able to control Gunshow when things got exciting? Or would Gunshow take the chance to show off and nothing else?
"Hugh, eat more carefully, if your beard's a mess, it'll dread and you'll have to shave it. As for the speech, I'm going to leave it up to Professor Rosewood who speaks. If asked, I'd give my speaking position up so as to avoid an incident.". Shooting the dragon a smile, he did feel a measure of pride, stroking his favorite spot along the grain so he didn't cut himself.
"I feel we should get our partners used to the loud noise and lights with a few dry runs, as well, however. Then Gunther and Tex walk with them during. They respect Gunther, and the crowd fears Tex after the protest in generation 2.".
Through it all, he did notice the slight attitude change with the Professor. Something he'd felt as well, and would bring it up with her later, alone.
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Post by DataNinja on Oct 24, 2016 14:32:47 GMT
To be fair, Evan thinks, I'm pretty sure Rosewood's is the only one that wouldn't count as 'volatile'. Vorp plots, Ego Trip the Second... probably plots too, Gunshow follows along with plots, and Three is scared of everything.
"If we're being honest here," Evan says, cynically, "any one of these guys could probably cause an incident. It's a slight side effect of, oh, just perhaps, each of them being able to, at the very least, probably easily kill a human. At least a few of them several at once. I mean, not that that's too hard. Comparatively, we're rather squishy and most of us aren't pure lethal muscle." He shrugs. "So, really, I don't think that whatever precautions we might make will make too much of a difference. It's all on them. Either way, I'm perfectly fine with just hanging back. Let the officials have their time in the limelight."
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Post by ThRevanchist on Oct 24, 2016 16:23:08 GMT
Still relaxed in his seat, although now having sampled (and carefully arranged around himself) more of the relatively high-quality foodstuffs, Ulrich mulls over the reality check their negative colleague imparted. Not even registering a smile bigger than the last one, or trying to hide it, he says, "Indeed, if any of the unpiloted specimens decided to act out, even little Three, the results could be quite... Mmm, quite serious."
"I imagine Jacob is correct, though; exposure training will make it easier for them all to react calmly. Or at least, they won't be thrust into a completely unfamiliar and uncomfortable situation," Ulrich added. At least, that was his hope. Actually being in front of an enormous crowd would no doubt still be a wholly new and somewhat unwelcome experience for the specimens...
Changing topics, he asks, "In any case, are we agreed that Professor Rosewood... ah, Bill? And," pausing to risk a glance at the giant, "...Hugh, are acting as our representatives?", then confidently voices his opinion as, "Considering the audience, it seems unlikely anyone will actually try to challenge Gunshow, and that handily removes the two most significant risks."
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Post by Robot on Oct 24, 2016 20:08:41 GMT
Delilah drummed her fingers on the edge of the table idly, taking in the exchange between her friends and colleagues with a thoughtful silence. "No... that isn't ideal either. I can present science until I'm blue in the face and it won't stir a single person from their starry eyed stupor at seeing Pokemon for the first time in generations. Jacob is the one with the divested social skills required to accomplish this. I could shift the transmission data from his Engine to mine... I know Rosebud won't give you any trouble." She gently rubbed under the Bulbasaur's chin. "We haven't attempted the likes of it before though."
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Post by birdy51 on Oct 24, 2016 22:10:25 GMT
Hugh seems briefly taken aback about Jacob's statements about his beard. "Really? I've gotten my beard messier than this before without issues!" He exclaims, his hand reaching protectively to his oh-so-lovely beard.
Harumph. Perhaps he should be more careful. A beautiful beard like that must surely be preserved! Besides, the tofu was gone now. Gunshow and Hugh collectively managed to destroy it. The rest of the foods would be adequate for practicing proper beard preservation. His arm reached up across the table, kidnapping a piece of bread that was soon to be drowned in the soybean curds. Hugh didn't trust the taste of bread, so the curds would work nicely to balance out the disgustingly dry taste of Apricorn bread. Gunshow followed suit, ableit eating the bread in a much more polite manner.
He takes a bite. Mmm. Soybread. Delicious! Hunger sated once more, Hugh begins to speak again. "The subjects being a danger to themselves and others is another reason I wish to be on stage. My presence works two-fold. I impress the crowd and keep the piece." He chuckles softly, soybread dribbling out upon his chin. "I could also work with Gunshow. Between the two of us, I am confident we could keep the rest of the subjects in line, no matter who they are."
In one small quiet movement, Hugh places his bread onto the table and folded his large, brisket hands together, before resting his beard upon them as if he were a morbid temple of masculinity. The big man was thinking. That could be dangerous. However, when he spoke up, his voice had changed from his usually jovial manner to one of strange, almost vaguely scientific gravitas.
"From what I have gleaned from my personal studies, Gunshow is more focused upon protecting others than causing harm. Yes, he may punch through a wall on occasion. But only he thinks that might somehow help someone else. So long as we have him convinced that the people mean no harm to either him or the others, I doubt that he will be any trouble at all."
His hand sinks down and snatches up his glass of water. All that thinking had made his brain hot. The water was sent immediately down the gullet and Hugh promptly forgot everything he had just said. It probably wasn't all that important anyways. What was important was the bread. He returns to it with renewed veracity. Delicious. Nutritious. Soy-Apricot Bread.
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Post by DataNinja on Oct 25, 2016 2:14:34 GMT
"So, nobody has any objections to me staying in back?" Evan asks. "Great. You guys enjoy your talking." And talking, and talking, and talking. He could definitely do without all of the ego inflating that would probably be happening. Although... a lot of people would think that it wouldn't be possible for most of the others in the room.
Idly, he fiddles with the contents of his pockets, and lets his mind wander past the whitecoats' presentation, to the next step. The planet. That would be interesting. He wonders about the Pokémon that might be down there. Judging by the specimins they had so far, they'd probably be better company than the humans... at least, presuming they wouldn't try and eat him. Experiencing vessel-death... probably wouldn't be fun.
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Post by Mineral on Oct 25, 2016 3:14:14 GMT
Jacob heard Evan just fine, looking to him rather quickly. "Your staying back would be fine, Evan. We all know you don't like crowds. But please, you have any insights on Three dealing with all those flashes while you're in-engine, I'd be delighted.". Evan and him would have to have a talk later as well. No one wanted to make planet-fall more than Jacob, but he knew that he needed more than just the people at this table to make that dream come true. He needed people to make a kingdom.
Though, his attention did turn just as quick back to the others. "Professor Rosewood, no. We cant test something like that before the parade. It could be dangerous. I'd rather have you and Rosebud there to help protect everyone. I trust Hugh and Gunshow. And I trust Vorp, to know this is his last trial before he returns to his kingdom.". Very pointedly, he leans in to Vorp as he says it, giving him a serious look.
"If any of you hurt them, 'they' won't let you return. Any of you."
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Post by ThRevanchist on Oct 25, 2016 18:42:46 GMT
Since Jacob had already put Evan's complaints in a less negative light, Ulrich couldn't very well make a remark of his own... Unfortunate, but perhaps for the best. Turning instead in a direction that was somewhat Hugh-oriented, he says instead, "Your rough-hewn appearance might earn you some credit with Security, Hugh, but I sincerely doubt the public that we're trying to impress will take it the same way. Just think, what kind of message does it send if one of our elected speakers is utterly slovenly, even for such an important event?"
That niggling concern out of the way, he then said, "As dangerous as Vorp might be in the wrong situation, he has demonstrated quite a sharp intellect, Professor Rosewood. Exposure training and some very clear consequences may be enough to guarantee the subject's cooperation. It certainly seems like less of a risk than a completely unexplored variable like shifting the transmissions, at any rate. While the Engine itself will no doubt cope, it may have undesired side effects on the... organic components. They are, after all, quite fragile..."
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Post by Robot on Oct 25, 2016 23:25:39 GMT
Delilah couldn't help but giggle like a girl half her age. "Trust and hope are the fall backs we've established in the last stage before planet fall." The scientist was not a woman of faith, and often referred to such things as 'tripe', but instead of the typical derisive snort and callous remark at the notion she turned towards Evan. "Goggles maybe? Something with dark lenses to reduce ambient light. We could make a few bands of material that cinch or clip together so that it holds. I'd hate to see Subject Three suffer more then he has to. I worry for... them lashing out, but if we can get a few recordings of cheering crowds and maybe some footage... early exposure through the day would be a good idea. No surprises."
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Post by DataNinja on Oct 26, 2016 7:02:33 GMT
"Eh? Dark goggles?" Evan asks, only really half paying attention. "Uh, yeah, sure, sounds good. Really, anything that reduces glare is good. Turning down the lights a bit in here might not be a bad idea, either."
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Post by birdy51 on Oct 26, 2016 18:40:14 GMT
Hugh's eyes draw themselves sharply upon the scientist. They glow with a simmering rage that seemed to say, 'Insult me once more, and you'll regret it.' While unsolicited beatings by security were grounds for immediate dismissal, they had their ways of making lives of others absolutely miserable on those who cross them.
"Careful where you tread little Ulrich." Hugh growls. "I'll say it once more. I am the most appropriate candidate on the security team for this job and I shall bar no disrespect on the matter. Are we clear?"
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Post by ThRevanchist on Oct 26, 2016 19:28:14 GMT
Abandoning his idle examination of the wall behind Hugh to instead meet the gaze of the giant himself, Ulrich replies, "Crystal. Clear as a zirconia lens. Now, I won't pretend to understand whatever personal significance your facial hair might have, but do try to keep your audience in mind. I don't want them to underestimate our Security division over something as basic as that."
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Post by Mineral on Oct 26, 2016 21:02:30 GMT
Jacob only winced when Hugh was underhandedly insulted. Tap dancing dicks in a birch bark canoe, did his senior have no tact? Turning to Hugh, he cleared his throat. "What I think Ulrich was trying to say, is you're a step in a different direction for humanity, one of a chosen few who are. As such, you have different priorities. But you need to match a crowd's priorities to impress them."
Hugh was a good person, despite being so manly it bordered on silly, he'd never heard an insult towards him come out of that mouth. Or heard it around the office at all either. Plus, with the rumours surrounding his looks and his mind, he felt a bit of kinship with the big guy.
"If you want, you can leave that to me. I'll get some product that'll make your beard even more impressive, and a suit that gives you movement to work if something goes wrong. We'll make sure the way you look screams "The security force is ready to conquer The Ark" okay?"
Though when he finished with that, he did turn to Professor Rosewood. "Speaking of impressive, I was wondering if we could talk after this, Professor Rosewood? Alone?"
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