13 Chapter 13
"Hey! Why don't you come play a round together with us, captain?" Thwak shouted.
"HHRRWWWRRGG!"
"You tell them, my friend." Valin replied, clanking glasses with the individual next to him as they sat in camping chairs enjoying the weather and the fresh breeze coming from the sea.
The one Valin spoke to and who replied to Thwak was Voshtudrrl, a giant Wookie that made a living of hunting for food. Compared to most people of his species, he was surprisingly adventurous, and he and Valin hit it off the moment they met each other.
After they were done on Zeltros, Valin decided they would visit Kashyyyk before heading towards a list of planets he desired to explore for lost knowledge and possibly artifacts that he was curious to examine.
Bogo together with Tyria and Devos were settled in quickly, especially since the ship was even more comfortable compared to their former living conditions. Bogo while never being one for luxury was still impressed with the quality and size of the kitchen, which was something the whole crew learned to appreciate after eating his food.
The other recruits were mostly mechanics and a few pilots that Valin gave his go-ahead to join after meeting them. All of them were considered trustworthy for the short time they met and only had restricted access to the systems and information anyway. If they managed to prove themselves in the future, he might give them a higher clearance and proper rewards for work well done.
Coming back to the present, Valin couldn't miss the opportunity to visit the home world of the Wookies and meet the iconic furballs.
Since a lot of them were warriors, it wasn't difficult the get along swimmingly and that was when Valin met the oddball that was Voshtudrrl or Vosh for short. They challenged each other to a multitude of small games, from shooting to arm wrestling and even hunting small game that resulted in the small barbecue that they currently had on the beach.
The brothers, Sabe and Freia played a game of Volleyball after being introduced to it by Valin, the children played in the sand while Bogo was responsible for skinning the small animals they hunted, grilling their meat and prepare some side dished to go with it.
Dunn was accompanied by Corvus as they decided now was a good idea to start the physical training of the new recruits by having them swim a few laps.
"So why don't you tell me about your plans for them future, about your dreams, Vosh?" Valin asked curiously, taking another sip of his drink.
Voshtudrrl focused his attention on the people around him, the recruits swimming in the distance, the four playing next to them and Bogo preparing their meal until his gaze started to get unfocused towards the horizon. Valin could only guess what was going on inside his head. He was no telepath after all, at least not yet. Luckily the communication with the native species went rather easy as the context and some improvised sign language easily did the job.
As for Voshtudrrl, he thought back to his past. Especially one memory when he was still a small Wookie, even before building his first bowcaster, and their former chief was still leading their tribe.
It was a rainy day, and they were attacked by a swarm of predatory creatures native to Kashyyyk just earlier. Thanks to the strength of their leader and other warriors of fame, they managed to slay the creatures with only few injuries to their own people.
When the battle was over, they congregated together with the chief standing on the carcass of his foe.
After they vented their emotions and adrenalin, the chief began to speak and Voshtudrrl would never forget those words for all his life.
"HRRGRRWWRNN! HRRRGHNNNWRN, HRRGEEWWNNN HEWWRRRRGGGM!" Their chief roared and inspired his people with their spirits still high.
This event started to shape him into the person he wanted to be and led to a new chapter in his life as he started to focus himself on preparing to one day go on adventures and explore the unknown. To walk a path that no Wookie did before him, to go down in history as a pioneer of their people.
Now sitting on the beach with his new friend and confronted with the question of what he wanted to do in the future, he took in what laid before him. A captain worthy to follow, with a crew that was organized and at the same time seemed free spirited. Not one person here looked as if he was forced to do what it was, they were doing.
All of them were ready to see the Galaxy for what it had to offer.
He was sure that this was what he wanted for himself as well, to become part of this unique crew and travel together with them.
Since he found his answer, he turned back to Valin as he gestured around him and answered.
"HRRRGNNNRGGGGNNN!"
Valin had a knowing smile as he raised his glass again.
"You want to join us? It would be my honour to welcome you into our crew, Vosh!" He answered him loud enough for the others to hear as they began to cheer.
Valin himself was happy to gain a new and unique character to accompany them. Wookies were known to be fierce and unrelenting on the battlefield while they valued courage and loyalty above all else. Those were the perfect qualities he wanted in a comrade, and it was only a bonus that they got along so easily.
Partying until late in the evening they got transported back onto the ship. Voshtudrrl got his own quarters, and the new recruits were glad to get some sleep in after training for half the day.
Valin went to the most secure room in the ship meanwhile, being joined by Corvus on the way. Another ingenious mind instead of only one would be helpful in any way.
Since it was close to his own quarters, it did only take a few minutes to arrive and for Valin to go through the security measures.
Inside they were greeted with one of the most sophisticated pieces of tech that Valin had on board and seen in his whole life. The DNA resequencer that they finally managed to finish building the last few weeks they spent in space.
Today they would check everything for one last time before Valin would use it for the first time.
There was a reason why he took so much time with this. First, he had to make sure that everything was in working order, he only had one body after all, and one small mistake would have unforeseeable consequences.
The second reason was his knowledge and research on genetics. He downloaded any and all knowledge about human genetics with some extra info of other species he could get his hands on and compiled those into one big database. For the last few years, he put his prodigal talent in the field of genetics to good use and devoured information as good as he could.
What combination and factors were outstanding in individuals that could be called paragons of a specific field? What were the differences and similarities humans had with different species? Were there reasons for their abilities that he could lead back to their genetic makeup? Could they be integrated into his own and make himself something more?
Together with the knowledge of the technology and how it was supposed to work and, in the end, even allow the Ancients to ascend, he came up with a plan that had the most chances of success to make himself something more than he was and safely strengthen himself and possibly even ascend himself in the future.
The biggest problem the Ancients faced, was that their body would break down before they could realize their goal in many cases when they made even a small mistake. That's why he decided to make smaller changes first and only choose the ones with the biggest chance of a stable change. Together with the wonder that was Bacta, he was sure he would succeed.
"Everything seems to be in working condition, but are you sure you want to do this on yourself first?" Corvus asked with a hint of worry in his tone.
"We already talked about it Corvus and I made up my mind. It is something that will be very helpful for us in the future, and I'd need to make some smaller adjustments for everyone of us. Just help me with this please." Valin answered.
"Alright, but next time it will be us who go first." He sighed but still accepted in the end.
Valin took off most of his clothes until he got into position and Corvus started the process. In the end it was over in just a few minutes without any obvious changes at first.
Valin quickly made his way over to a Bacta tank, took a device to breath as Corvus started to fill it and run scans on the side.
The most important parts that Valin wanted to achieve were the integration of an activation gene for their technology that was a necessity to use it in the future. Furthermore, he wanted to strengthen his body in physical aspects, regeneration, and the processing power of his brain.
The basis on which the Ancients got their abilities was to use a bigger part of their brain. While it was a theory that was often used in fiction, in his old world it was denied as nonsense. In this world however, together with the knowledge of the Ancients he gained, Valin developed a completely new view on science and the workings of the human body.
"This-" Corvus was speechless as he looked over the readings of the scans that were updating frequently.
"Quickly infuse nutrients!" Corvus ordered to the medical droids nearby who quickly went to work.
Valin's body began to go through many small changes and to combat their need of building materials, this was the plan they devised. While they weren't visible to the naked eye, they were astounding, nonetheless. The most important part was the rise of his brain activity. Compared to before it was nearly double the amount and still rising.
But even the rest of his body seemed to become denser and sturdier as his weight was rising a little, gaining lower superhuman qualities already. As for his regenerative ability and resistance against sickness and harmful substances for his body, they would need further tests later.
"Small changes at first he said." Corvus cursed but had an excited glint in his eyes. He would make sure to be the next one to go through the procedure. If all went well, he would be able to advance his projects far faster and efficient than before and that thought alone made him giddy.
Valin meanwhile was concentrating on the changes he manages to feel. Thanks to his preparations, he didn't feel much pain aside from unpleasant prickling all around his body. While he was floating in the tank, he couldn't test out any physical changes that might be going on at the moment, but his mind was a whole other thing.
His thinking speed was far faster than before, and he could easily concentrate on multiple things at once. Difficult calculations for which he needed a computer before were easily solved inside his head. His mind was becoming noticeable firmer and far more efficient compared to before. If he had to guess, things like the mind trick of force users were nothing he had to fear anymore and he would make sure help all his crew accomplish the same.
Calming himself, he closed his eyes, eager what changes would await him after his body fully adapted.
