Jabberwocky Docking Station

From here...

Alice finally made it to the launch, her boots crunching against snow and ice the entire length of the wooden deck. Some fool didn't clear off the decks it seemed. Still though, Alice was coordinated enough to get to the shack which housed the Jabberwocky. Once inside the wooden shack, she flipped a switch to her left, turning on the over head lights. They buzzed and flickered, before steadily remaining on. The cast a light upon the raised submersible, held by rather advanced looking crane arms, and held the 178 foot long beast up. Below the Jabberwocky, ice had built up where the vessel would be dropped into, so the young woman would have to wait till it was melted by the heating coils she had installed around the pool. It would take an hour or two, given its setting. She however, wasn't going to wait in this ice box till that happened. She walked over to the front of the vessel, where she could see the bridge in its glass bubble, and leaps towards it. The vessel's under belly, just beneath the bridge opened up, exposing a hatch with a handle in which Alice then grabbed. Holding another handle attached to the vessel beside the hatch, she twisted the hatch's knob with her left hand, whilst hanging above the ice ten or so feet below. She heard the clicking of the mechanism and the hiss from the air lock opening, pulling down the hatch door and exposing a ladder leading into the docking chamber. She let go of the hatch door with her left hand, grunting slightly as she then grabbed hold of the said ladder with said left hand. She pulled herself into the vessel with ease, her legs and the tail of her fur coat vanishing within before she turned and leaned down, grabbing the reverse side of the hatch and pulled it towards her. As she pulled it close, the bay doors which had opened to expose this docking hatch began to close again, and sealed tightly after she had resealed the airlock from within.

"Welcome aboard, Alice. Is it time to seek out further wonders throughout the land?" said a mechanized voice from seemingly all around. "Soon, LC, but we have to wait till our 'rabbit hole' isn't sealed with two feet of ice." Alice stood up, turning the handle door of the bulkhead ahead of her, entering a corridor where five lockers lined the left and right of her, as well as a ladder that climbed up to the bridge. She went to one of the said lockers, and opened it up as she spoke to the omnipresent voice. "We have to wait till the ice melts till then I'm afraid." she says, removing her heavy fur coat, slipping it into the empty locker.

"Shall I provide you with a cup of tea, then, Madam? To help pass the time?" LC inquired, his tone supportive and clever ringing down from the hatch above her. To this, Alice paused for a moment, her cool finger tips of her right hand aligned under her smooth, angled chin. "Hmm....sure, that would be nice. I'll have it just like last time, if you please." she replied. "Very well then Madam." To this, Alice closed the locker, and climbed up the rungs leading inside the bridge. The air was cool, but definitely warmer than outside, the rungs clinking as she made her way up into the interior of the bridge. There was a console to her left upon entering, where the ships lighting and other functions could be controlled from, and behind her was another console which gave her access to the holonet as well as display data on power cell efficiency among other things. She put a lot into the Jabberwocky, and for a years worth of additional work, she made this machine purr.

She walked over to the helm, a mug filled with piping hot tea was positioned on the arm rest of the chair. She took the mug carefully and slipped into the comfortable cushioned seating. "Thank you LC." she says to the air, taking a small sip. "It was no trouble, my dear. Though, if I may, perhaps the 'young lady' shall divulge to us, that which is our itinerary for this mornings, activities?" the console asked. Alice, cupping the mug with both hands raised to her pink lips pulled the ceramic thing away, looking at the strange design it had, which made it look like there was only half a mug while at a certain angle. "We are heading to Ithteca, at long last LC. You know how business around here has been a bit 'lacking', and we've had to travel to Rolan and Scardia for anything of true substance and actually worth while jobs. Plus it's the world Capital, so there are a lot of opportunities for us there." She said before raising the mug again, closing her eyes, but then paused. The mug close to her lips, she slightly raised her right eyelid, her blue eye glancing at the AI's console. "Besides, I've already had a team retrofit the office so you can switch processes between the Jabberwocky and the home. You'll be able to stretch your legs a little from the bubble that is this metal can." she says before closing her eye and continued with another sip.

"Well that would be impossible for me Alice. I am but an Artificial Intelligence developed by the Ministry of Intelligence and Espionage, and don't have 'legs' from which to 'stretch' with. I am unfortunately but a program. Still though, I must concur about greater opportunities to be had for us in Ithteca, Madam. Perhaps you shall finally find yourself a suitable friend or mate, other than a highly sophisticated program like myself, though I of course have no qualms about our current relation-" "-Hmmphlf!!" Alice choked, eyelids flashing open, eyes wide and her face red from both embarrassment and from the stinging heat of the tea which burnt her tongue and throat. She coughed, banging on her upper chest, her breasts bobbing as she leaned over coughing. "L-LC?!" she exhaled, with watery eyes, still coughing. The AI was silent for a moment or two before it said: "Was it something I said, Alice? All I suggested was that you connect with other beings that are not made up entirely of logarithms. Not that I am complaining about our relationship, Ms. Alice, rather than I find it worrisome that a young woman of your stature doesn't have any connections, other than that pariah Mister Hatter... Shall I provide a towel for you, young Miss?"

Alice sets the mug down, leaning deep into her chair. She held her head with her right hand and sighed heavily. "Forget about it... and no... that won't be necessary LC." she replies, blushing slightly yet.

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After a couple hours, the ice beneath the Jabberwocky was clear for breaching, and Alice got behind the submersible's controls again. "Ready, LC?" she asked. "All systems are operational Alice. All exits are sealed, and secured. Life support systems all green, power efficiency is at 200%, (this new upgrade is certainly wondrous, Ms. Alice!); other energy functions are at nominal output. We are secure for launch, Madam." Alice grinned slightly, her eyes hidden by the brim of her cabbie hat as she grabbed the lever for the mechanical release. "Excellent. Lets blow this freezer!" she said, pulling the release lever.

Outside the arms which held the Jabberwocky in place lowered the sub to the water and released, letting the vessel free fall into the icy depths with a wondrous splash!

Under the water, the sub moved out towards the center of the lake. Another world beneath the icy dark waves where she could see Giant Izheveskian Ice Loach swimming about, and schools of other lake life as she traveled further out.

"Breaking for the surface, LC. Is the balloon ready for deployment?"

"Yes, Alice. All green and ready for take off."

"Great!" she exclaimed, taking the sub to the surface. Once the cylinder broke the lakes surface, the top of the ship opened up, exposing a rapidly inflating balloon that was a little longer than the vessel itself. While at the surface for a little under 30 min, others at the lake witnessed the dirigible, zeppelin like craft float high into the air. Alice, now saw the above world from her bubble like bridge window, pointing out her Grandmother's shop once more before the vessel soared south, intent on a course towards the continent near the opposite side of the planet. To the continent of Gailden.