fandomhigh | Spaceships 101- 1st period- Week #12

It was back in the Danger Shop today, where the students would find themselves on the bridge of a certain ship instead of looking at a sim. Jaina just hoped she could hold their attention before they started looking around. "So I went home last week, which got me a chance to pick up some new stuff, which is why you're here. This is a ship near and dear to me, called Trickster. Not its original name, but it's the name I gave it and it suits it much better. It's a frigate, a long-range reconnaissance ship, 150 meters long, so it's smaller than most ships of its kind. It's made of yorik coral and is a living ship, meaning if you don't take care of it, it will die and then where will you be?" she said. If she was being careful not to use the name of the species they'd stolen this from, well. "The version you're seeing of it is also post-modifications because of that. When I first got it, you had to fly with a cognition hood, for instance, which isn't very handy for most pilots. It's been refitted with more typical controls and a communications system, and so it's slightly more user friendly now.

"So today for class, you get to play on the ship. It's Thanksgiving week, I know most of you probably don't care, so you can take turns trying to pilot her, or you can go digging around and explore some," she told them. "Just, be careful if you're looking too closely into what might pass as controls. I take no responsibility for anything you might end up covered in." Said she who'd been covered in more ship bodily fluids than she ever cared to discuss.

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Cally tried wringing out a drenched hank of hair, but gave up on it rather quickly as her fingers tangled.

"That's good to know," she answered, mostly seriously, though with a certain undertone of I totally asked for that amusement in her voice. "Though I do rather dread to know what it would have done if I had."

Tahiri grinned wryly and scooped Ben up. "Something much worse than just spraying you with liquid." Which she was not mentioning came fresh from some internal organ. "The shapers who grow these ships have some truly vicious protocols, but the ship itself, while it's sentient, doesn't really have feelings."

She glanced over her shoulder. "Although Jaina might beg to differ; it's her ship, after all."

"Deliberately so, I imagine, if they're grown and controlled by another species," Cally said, not managing to hide her frown of disapproval at that idea as she ran one hand along a console that looked much less likely to spray anything at her.

"Yes . . ." A flicker of sardonic amusement in her eyes at the thought that this was a technological simulation of a Yuuzhan Vong craft and thus an astounding example of ironic blasphemy if you wanted to look at it from that point of view, Tahiri ran a finger over one of the yorik coral bulkheads. "What science and engineering are to most races, shaping is to us -- to the Yuuzhan Vong. Everything is grown, even clothing."

Ben the kitten still thought that was creepy, apparently, the way he lashed his tail, and Tahiri laughed as she scratched around his ears. "Most beings find that incredibly off-putting."

Just be glad she wasn't mentioning some of the forms of nutrition.

"I can understand the concept; my people specialize in genetic research, though we've concentrated strongly on our own species. Using sentient creatures as tools, though..." Was banned long ago even as an avenue of investigation, because it was too much like slavery.

Tahiri took a guess that she'd trailed off in the interest of tact, or something like it.

"Can be as disturbing as the use of artificial anything is to the Yuuzhan Vong?" she suggested carefully. Okay, so to the Yuuzhan Vong it was an abomination, but no need to use the really polarizing language. Hello, you've just been sprayed with some liquid that shall remain unnamed by a living ship grown by a race that turned rounding up droids for mass burning into the next big thing for a while -- that didn't go over well.

The Auronar of today might have used the same word to describe the 'shaping' of beings capable of thought; Cally held her tongue, though, not willing to jump to judgment about something she didn't understand. "It's not a philosophy I've come in contact with before," she said, just as carefully. "You seem very familiar with the idea; are they your people?"

She was coming to terms with it. Tahiri didn't flinch, or look uneasy, but there was a moment of hesitation and a quick sidelong glance before she replied. "They are. One of my people, anyway; I seem to be collecting them," she concluded with a laugh. "It wasn't a philosophy the galaxy we're from had come into contact with, either, before they arrived."

Cally was curious, but also wary of prying inappropriately. "One can collect peoples?" she asked lightly, hoping to leave the answer open to as little or as much as Tahiri wished to say.

"Sort of." Tahiri crinkled her nose in a fairly easy smile as Ben scrambled up onto her shoulder. "I was adopted by a tribe of Sand People when I was two, and when I was eight I went off to the Jedi Academy. A few years ago -- well, it's a long, complicated story but I suppose you could say I was adopted by the Yuuzhan Vong as well; or I adopted them. One or the other."

"It sounds as if you have as widespread a family as Ben does," Cally said, matching the smile.

She took a moment to study the kitten on Tahiri's shoulder, trying to imagine herself bringing Nana to class. It would be... an adventure, if nothing else. "And you brought a friend to class with you as well..."

"It's Ben," Tahiri clarified as the kitten let out a slightly affronted mew. "He's been like this since last Thursday . . . and I get the feeling an extended family gathering of mine would be an experience."

Who knew? She was capable of grossly understating sometimes.

Forgive the double-take.

Triple-take.

"That's Ben?"

Hearing about students being transformed into animals was one thing; seeing it was another.

The kitten mewed and Tahiri picked him up off her shoulder and held him out (he didn't seem to enjoy that) to Cally. "Yes," she said, clearly enjoying this far too much, "it's definitely Ben. I know; I was there when it happened. You've never seen when this happens to a student before?"

"Oh dear." Cally took him, but murmured a sympathetic, "Sorry." Not that she was sure he could understand it. "No. I've seen people spontaneously change gender -- I've been one of those people -- but not species."

Ben waved a paw at Cally, and Tahiri smothered a smirk. "The gender thing is, um, interesting, but at least you tend to change back clothed . . . unless you weren't at the time."

"Of course I was!" Psst, Cally. That wasn't the point she was making. "...Oh. Dear. So when you change back from being an animal..."

Spaceships 101- 1st period- Week #12

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