Nessyra eventually stopped laughing, and her expression was much more at ease. "I think I can help you out so you get your dumb romantic moment," Nessyra eventually said. "But you better make it worth it."
"Are you sure? It might take a while before we find a planet. We are going to travel in a relatively small craft for months, if not longer, before we find the right place,"
"Trust me, I got it handled," Nessyra insisted, closing the small chest and handing it back to Alistair.
"No pressure here then," Alistair murmured, earning a raised eyebrow from Nessyra.
Alistair finished his drink, and Nessyra wordlessly filled it back up.
"Is there anything else I missed while I was out and about?" Alistair inquired.
Nessyra pondered for a moment before responding. "Yes, Desily has decided to join our clan officially."
"Oh really? I would have thought she would stick with Zathron or her own folk," Alistair remarked.
"She doesn't seem to get along with her own people, and Zathron is from another planet, busy with his own matters. Once she heard we were setting out to find a new home, she practically begged me to get her off her planet," Nessyra explained, with a hint of amusement in her tone.
Alistair couldn't help but chuckle after encountering quite a few other fairies. It was easy to understand why Desily wanted to leave her world. While most fairies he met were generally helpful and friendly, they were also extremely talkative and energetic. He had encountered some while delving into the sub-sections of the Study Dungeon, where they eagerly offered their opinions and recommendations on the information found within. He tried not to stereotype them, but it was evident that their subspecies heavily influenced their upbringing and behavior as they acted quite similar even when they came from different planets. Unfortunately, spending extended periods of time with them often became incredibly bothersome, reminiscent of something straight out of "Ocarina of Time" with their constant attempts to grab attention and their non-stop chatter. Their disregard for personal space and social norms also took some getting used to, especially with the ones who thought clothes weren't a necessity. Thankfully, while Desily exhibited some of those qualities, she had her own set of quirks he much preferred. Unlike many other fairies, Desily and a few others stood out as they were much more agreeable and just as annoyed at their kin's antics.
"Does she have a beacon yet?" Alistair inquired.
"Yes, depending on her planet's location, she will join the Artemis crew," Nessyra replied.
"Oh, that reminds me, can you please pick a number from 1 to 14?" Nessyra asked casually.
"What's the number for?" Alistair inquired, curious.
"Don't worry about it; just pick one," she insisted with a playful tone.
"All right? Let's go with Six." He responded while wondering what this was about.
"Alright, at least we now have a direction to look for a home," Nessyra said, flashing a toothy smile.
Alistair realized Nessyra had attempted to leverage his luck affinity. "I'm not sure it works like that; it might even bring bad karma or have the opposite effect," he said, feeling a twinge of concern.
"Don't worry about it. I checked with Mitania before I tried this." Nessyra said reassuringly before adding. "According to her, using luck like this occasionally is fine, but we shouldn't overdo it as it will backfire if we do,"
She then explained how she had tested it on different thing with her own luck affinity as hers was also quite good. Alistair felt a wave of relief wash over him as he listened, taking another sip from his glass. He gazed at the amber liquid, lost in thought for a moment before speaking. "The Kaiakos," he eventually said, tilting the glass in his hands as the liquid swirled gently. It was a name from Neshan steeped in legend, evoking tales of bold exploration, challenges, and ambition, much like the Odyssey. A story of a family venturing into the unknown, facing trials and triumphs on their quest for fortune in uncharted lands, eventually rising to become one of Neshan's most esteemed dynasties.
Nessyra looked at him in surprise, appreciating his choice. "That's... a great name," she said, inspecting Alistair curiously.
Nessyra sent out the Kaiakos suggestion to the rest of the clan over the Akashic Link, which was met with widespread approval.
"It looks like we finally settled on a name," she commented, glancing back at Alistair. "Where did you find the time to read that much?" she asked, her curiosity piqued as she checked the incoming messages.
Alistair chuckled. "I travel a lot and don't sleep much anymore, so I've downloaded plenty from the Sub-Sections. The Kaiakos was recommended to me by one of the more insistent fairies," he explained with a smile. "Also, understanding Neshan's past seemed relevant, and I figured you guys might ask for another name. Plus, I didn't want to keep naming things after random Earth deities."
They fell into a companionable silence, exchanging occasional words until Alistair felt it was time to move on and return to his tasks. Alistair finished his glass and stood up as they exchanged farewells, embracing Nessyra in a hug."Thank you for listening. It felt good to let go for once," she said softly.
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"Anytime," Alistair reassured her.
After leaving Nessy's office, Alistair made his way to his brother's workshop. He was supposed to fetch some upgraded mining equipment they had bought off the Neshan market, which was being modified to be handled by the Automata they had reprogrammed. Oconoe, the crab-like assistant his brother had taught, had joined their clan and was currently in charge of the robotics department. Alistair visited the alien occasionally to receive equipment as his brother was too busy teaching and directing the workers and shipwrights from Neshan. Alistair had gotten a bit closer to Oconoe as the Drother was quite personable and diligent, and they ended up getting along quite well.
Alistair had already gotten some reprogrammed and retrofitted automata and turrets to defend a location if necessary; his next goal was the caves of the second gate address. There were some shoots for adamantine roots and other valuable growing metal sources on the market, but at exorbitant prices that would force them to downsize their plans for the Kaiakos. The shoots would also not produce the quantity of materials they would need, and the odds of finding some growable or regular materials in the depths of the caves weren't bad. Alistair was to meet up with Simon once he got the equipment, but since he was a little early, he would check the progress of the Kaiakos.
Once he entered the workshop, he was greeted by the hustle and bustle of people, haulers, and even hovercrafts shuffling equipment through the open gate on the other side of the room. Most of the conveyor belts had been lifted off the ground to make space for the hovercrafts and marked-out roadways. He stood on the same metal platform but could see a larger entrance gate where haulers loaded tons of material into the hovercrafts. Most of the individuals he spotted were different kinds of demons wearing overalls and baggy suits. However, the demons were heavily outnumbered by the automata, and Alistair suspected that most of the Demons were currently in a different chamber.
As Alistair descended the metal stairs, he could see Oconoe jogging his way, waving his large arms. Alistair did not know what race Oconoe was before turning into a Drother, but he could not really see much of a difference; however, he could sense the difference in power. Oconoe had also replaced some of its hands with cybernetics, which looked remarkably similar to the ones Alistair had given to his brother. They must have reverse-engineered the cybernetics to the point they could make it compatible with other species. Alistair shrugged and teleported some meters in front of him. A quick Identify [Oconoe - lvl 62 Cyber Drother] revealed the crab-like man had gained some levels.
"Greetings, Alistair, you are a bit early," Oconoe commented, crossing all his arms in greeting.
"Greetings, Oconoe; yes, I wanted to check on the Kaiakos's progress," Alistair replied, offering a slight bow as they headed toward the hangar.
"How is Saza and your brood?" Alistair inquired curiously. The last time he had seen the large crab, Oconoe had informed him of finding a mate and expecting spawns.
Oconoe emitted a pleased chittering sound. "They are growing so quickly. One of my largest is already a capable hunter and is catching up to me."
Alistair was slightly surprised; he knew some species could spawn offspring rather quickly, and apparently, his brood grew into maturity quite quickly as well. However, Oconoe mentioned that his species could only breed once every few years as they 'recharged'. They exchanged the equipment as they walked towards the gate to the hangar.
The last time Alistair had visited the hangar, it was a vast chamber filled with scaffolds, gantries, and the remnants of the Deonida, partially disassembled. However, upon their return, they were greeted by an immense metal skeleton dominating most of the space. The core and spine of the Kaiakos were already occupied by crucial modules such as reactors, thrusters, warp engines, and the centrally located bridge. Alistair observed multiple flying hovercraft with assembly arms attached to their sides and front, meticulously placing and welding armor plating around the already filled-in sections of the Kaiakos. A set of large cranes was currently lifting in crew and passenger compartments as demons crawled over the modules screwing and welding them in place.
Alistair's understanding of the proceedings was quite limited. He did not recognize many of the modules. But Nessyra had reassured him they were making good time, and the fact that the core components had already been placed and they had begun filling in the crew compartments salvaged from the Deonida and placing the first armor platings was a good sign. James had ensured the craft would be modular, which required careful planning, but it would save them time now they were reusing the compartments of the Deonida and in case they needed to replace a module for another in the future. Alistair observed some demons with the lower body of a spider crawl over the leftover hull of the Deonida, working to disconnect some modules from the damaged hull. Alistair still needed to get used to that sight as they were still rather uncomfortable to look at.
Alistair spotted his brother in the corner of the room, leaning over a set of blueprints accompanied by Aknis and lots of other demons and Aliens in all shapes and sizes. The Imp Aknis had also joined the clan once he heard that the Ryser Clan was a recognized Neshan faction. Alistair knew Nessyra had been a bit more stringent with Aknis's contract as she still had her reservations about the Imp. Fortunately, the Imp had not complained, relishing the chance to work on a spacecraft for a Clan where he knew both the chief engineer and Patriarch.
Noticing his brother's approach, James perked up. "You're headed to the caves, right? Please dig out and bring back any materials you find. The budget's a bit tight unless we start trading away some of our more valuable tech assets," he said, skipping a proper greeting. Alistair recognized the signs of James being hectic and stressed, knowing it was best not to disrupt his flow.
"You got it," Alistair replied, handing over the large chunks from his and Riseth's Fluxbloom gems. They had already broken the three crystals twice now as they grew too large for their armor, and James wanted as many for energy storage as he could get his hands on. James nodded appreciatively before turning back to the assembled workers.
"Alright, we need to place the hangar and docking bays next and reinforce the core around the main bridge. We've got approximately one week to get it done," James called out, scanning the group. "Any questions?!" he asked before Alistair made his way out of the hangar. After shaking their heads, the shipwrights made their way back to work, sparing him curious glances. He knew he would only be in the way and serve as a distraction.
He bid Oconoe farewell, watching the Drother hurry towards a different section of the workshop. Alistair knew that Simon should arrive in the cave system soon, and Alistair didn't want to miss the expression on his face when he had to face another cave wendigo.