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[_DivideByZero_]

Lilith twirled through the halls with her arms spread out, following the her taciturn new friends along the way before hopping up and down inside the tram to try and look over everyone's shoulders through the windows.

After passing the mantis, she hears Ada.
"Did you bring any of my stuff?" she asks, already giggling with excitement.

[TopHat]

Despite himself, Burrell's interest in the ship is obvious as he cranes his neck to try to get the best view of it from the windows and the docking port, professional curiosity mixing with the simple excitement of seeing the vessel which would take him back out into the galaxy - an excitement which only builds as the group walks on.

[IcyTea31]

"I can't wait to have my tools back, either. Or I can wait, but you know what I mean."

V'ralis looks intently at the ship from their largely immobile position.

"She's a beautiful one."

[Sudurandom]

Spar looks at V'ralis and laughs.
"Oh I know. I'm itching to get my hands on my own tools again. I just don't feel like myself without them."

[IcyTea31]

"'Feel like yourself'? No, I wouldn't say my identity is in my tools. I'm sure I could manage similar feats with another set. After all, doing the impossible is my fame, so one more complication would be nothing."

[Sudurandom]

"True, it's not the tools themselves, but what they let you do. That's what I'm really missing.
Still there is something special about tools you've had for a long time."

[AbstractTraitorHero]

Rubbing her hands together for a moment. Excitement filling her features. Before schooling them back into a warm mask. She really could not wait to get her hand back on her clothes for one.

Secondly getting a hand on her weapons and her mech? Well now that would be rather nice.

[WillowLuman]

The ship is shaped like an almond, more rounded towards the front and tapered towards the rear, aside from the main engine and threading nacelles. It's overall quite sleek, with panels fitting flush with the hull that presumably held the external equipment went not in use. Unlike most Earthling ships, there was no nameplate or designation of any kind on the outside. Those versed in such things might note that, about 60 meters in length, it skirted the bounds between planetfall and long-range interstellar capability. The streamlined shape would certainly suggest planetfall. Or sensor evasion.

Major Ada leads the entourage through a docking port into the ship's belly, near the fore. In contrast with the smooth exterior, the inside seems rough and utilitarian, the wiring and workings covered only as much as security and safety demand. Metal plating, grates, and plexiglass siding line the square corridors, lit a tad dimly by economic strip lights. They seem laid out to be navigable under gravity, as opposed to the loops of a ship designed to spin and simulate its own, and handholds abound to aid navigation when not under gravity. Curiously, there are also large plexiglass pipes threaded through the insides, forming a network lining the edges of the rooms. They take a few turns, heading towards the center-rear, reaching a what must be the engine room, marked by alien symbols placed radially around the door.

Here stood two humanoids of elongated build about two meters tall, seemingly nude to their grey-teal exoskeletons but for the metal monitors grafted to the front of their heads. These screens showed the only signs of motion or activity on their bodies; a pair of emoticons with one eyebrow lowered and the other raised. Major Ada nods to them as she leads the group in. The two aliens turn and gurgle to each other for a second before their screens change to mild smiles. "Good, they are all arrived." The voice had a quality almost like someone speaking through a fan.

"Welcome," warbled the other one.

"We are pleased to have selected you for an expedition."

"An expedition to a star system within the Central Regions."

"We have discovered a site that may provide insight into the First."

"The first known site of any kind of civilization discovered so close to their territory."

"We have selected you for your skills and abilities which will assist us in both penetrating the site."

"And safely reaching the destination in the first place."

[Sudurandom]

Spar looks about taking in the ships layout and maintenance status.
The pipe network was unusual so he tried to figure out what it was for.

Try to determine the ships state of repair and the purpose of the pipe network. 

[WillowLuman]

Spar looks about taking in the ships layout and maintenance status.
The pipe network was unusual so he tried to figure out what it was for.

Try to determine the ships state of repair and the purpose of the pipe network. 

[3+7=10]

The plexiglass pipes don't seem to be connected to any machinery, but you'd guess they contain either air or water, since their contents are colorless. Probably water, since they're cool to the touch and aren't connected to any kind of vents.

From what you can see, the ship looks to be in good repair. And you can see more here than what's uncovered on most ships.

[IcyTea31]

Does V'ralis know what the alien beings are?

If not, they find them rather curious. Are organic or synthetic? Do they have a mind of their own, or are they somehow preprogrammed or remotely controlled? V'ralis looks around the Mindweave for them, but doesn't try to 'approach' them.

[sprinkled chariot]

Mu- Rho- 77

Will try to search own database for simillar ships and
then will attempt to connect with ship information network.

[IcyTea31]

Another question: does this type of ship generally have a ship computer AI or the like?

[WillowLuman]

Does V'ralis know what the alien beings are?

If not, they find them rather curious. Are organic or synthetic? Do they have a mind of their own, or are they somehow preprogrammed or remotely controlled? V'ralis looks around the Mindweave for them, but doesn't try to 'approach' them.

You recognize these as Kirics, an organic species known for running caravans around the fringes of the Central Regions to facilitate trade between the Arms. Lacking in facial features or indeed many emotional indicators at all that other species can pick up on, they sometimes resort to things like... that to facilitate communication. [19] Due to the diversity of their clientele, they often seal their respiratory systems and use an implant to recycle the gasses within, so they may conduct business in almost any pressurized environment. It's cheaper, too, to have internal life support like that than to find ways of protecting any passengers they might carry from a ship full of sulfur dioxide for the duration of a voyage. There being only two of them here means either that they are either upstarts (and likely not blood relatives) or representatives of a more established caravan (and likely directly related).

They certainly each generate a mental field, so your casual investigation shows at least they are not controlled remotely.

Another question: does this type of ship generally have a ship computer AI or the like?

[11] You know that most ships will have at least networked computer systems with the capacity for central control by admins, and many go further to have a core operating system for the whole ship or even an AI. But as these caravan ships tend to be custom made, you can't say you're familiar enough with Kiric shipwrighting to guess.

Mu- Rho- 77

Will try to search own database for simillar ships and
then will attempt to connect with ship information network.

Available data suggests this ship was constructed economically yet sturdily, though it is not of a type you have encountered before. The local network offers a few [4] unknown handshakes before recognizing yours and switches to Earthling protocols. You seem to have query clearance. Additionally, the ship's designation seems to be "Ithica."

[IcyTea31]

V'ralis gives what they would call a warm smile (though a human, or even another R'talis might disagree), before resuming tapping on their speech synthesizer.

"Well met. Though I was introduced, let me say that yes, I am that V'ralis and that everything you've heard of me is true."

V'ralis pauses for effect and to rest their limbs for a moment.

"So, this job is xenoarchaeology? I can't say it's my field of specialty, but I do see why you'd want my skills for it. Or is it my legend that you want? Either way, the impossible thief Blue Shadow is at your service."