Trinity Universe: Dreams of Dragons

[ezekiel]

"At a later time, when we both have more time on our hands, I would very much like to continue this discussion with you. We disagree on certain points, but I think we could both benefit from each other's insights."

"Of course, thank you Captain. I'll keep you informed of any progress I make."

Tom steps out and heads towards his quarters

a bit later...

FROM: Doctor Thomas Bynon

TO: Chief Engineer Sean Vinge

SUBJECT: Data retrieval

Tom's avatar is practically a carbon copy of himself, only more so..

“Hello chief, I'm sorry to disturb you. I was just wondering if you could have someone send my way any data you retrieve from the Captain's computer. If you could tell me how or why it was destroyed exactly, I'd appreciate that as well. By the way, I haven't forgotten about the lounge...I'll be there at around 0900 tomorrow with Trish if you'd like to send someone over. Or have them drop by my quarters at 0815, we'll have breakfast. Thomas out..."

[Archer21]

"Well, sir," he begins, "I rather believe that I can be of some assistance to you. Wishing to assist the Kai Xing and its crew in any way possible, I sent a request to your minicomp about joining your security team. I assume this was the reason for your summons, to evaluate my qualifications."

He nods.

"Let me assure you, sir, that I would be an excellent member of your security team. I possess basic level ranged weapon certification from Orgotek, making me able to protect the Kai Xing and its passengers. I also possess excellent negotiation and leadership skills, so I will be able to keep order on the ship and can deal with situations in a non-violent manner."

The chief grunts, and leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers.

"To sum up and answer your question: hire me, sir. Please."

His fierce green eyes stare into Quan's, locking gazes for a few long seconds. Suddenly, with a grin, the chief stands up and extends his hand. "Welcome to the team. This is only a probationary position to begin; until I can arrange suitable testing for your skills, and see how you work with the rest of the security members, nothing's permanent."

Randall smiles at his newest member. "I'll arrange for your testing and uniform as soon as I can. Until your formal schedule is in place, you can simply report to me directly at 0800 every morning. Now, if you'll excuse me...I've a mountain of paperwork to get back to."

[phoenix]

"Engineer Vinge? This is the captain. Mr Bynon will be helping with our efforts to restore the... integrity of all onboard systems. He is to be given all the technical assistance circumstances allow. Copy?"

[sorry about that Asbjørn, I didn't see that somehow.]

There's a few second's pause, then the unusually cheerful voice of the by no means morose Irishman rings out of Ran's com.

"Right-ho, Captain. Copy ye jes' fine."

[Ezekiel, I'll reply to that one day too.. ::blush

Prof, how is the Captain's comp coming?]

[ProfPotts]

Crawlspace:

Popo is somewhat startled by Lila's sudden aggressive affection...

"Sorry, about that..." Lila says, running a finger over her lip and giving Ezenachu the once over, "but I couldn't let you crawl all the way in here for nothing now could I?"

... But his shock soon turns into a huge white-toothed grin ::biggrin . He leans over to kiss his superior again, & starts to shrug out of his jumpsuit,

"Damn you work fast woman! Still, no need to appologise - I've never been one to say no to an offer like that..." ::sly

Now bare-chested, the engineer moves closer, hands running over Lila's body...

Engineering:

[... Prof, how is the Captain's comp coming?]

Sean sets his people to work, although there are a few half-hearted moans about having to put the hybrids back together (when they'd only just finished ripping them apart), & certain individuals realise that maybe they should have been a bit more careful during the whole 'dismantling' process... ::rolleyes ::wink

The report on the Captain's minicomp is that it's been totally fried by a power surge. The surge seems to have hit the memory the worst (nothing salvagable is left), almost as if it was targeted there. One of the engineers comments that it looks as if someone just tried to access the thing at about a million times the speed it was designed to be used.

((Ooc: Sooo sorry. I meant "extended investigation to dig up other reporters." It's really not much of a traditional investigation, he's just checking in with the other crew members hoping to find some who are reporters and get together with them.))

Apart from himself & Alex (& the dead aberrant), there are two other reporters on-board: Ms Sunita Ishan (from the Indian League), & Mr Lugono "Lug" Mandara (from the UAN).

Ms Ishan is an up-&-coming reporter assigned to the jumpship reception because she's the technology correspondant for India's premier news station. After the 'incident' she was one of the first of the passengers to help out & join the engineering crew (she has a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering & Applied Physics), where she's been kept pretty busy ever since.

Mr Mandara is an old hand at the reporter game, being one of Africa's more reknowned war correspondants, although he's a little past his prime now & more usually is assigned top-level political pieces (like the reception) than actual war-zone assignments. Despite his obvious combat experience, Lug has choosen to just help out as 'regular' crew (& will, most likely, be one of the first to volunteer to aid the 'bar' project, if the stories of his personal habits are to be believed).

Neither of these reporters works with a seperate tech' (like Simon works with Alex), but film & organise their own reports (with the aid of an appropriate SI, one presumes).

[Umoja]

Apart from himself & Alex (& the dead aberrant), there are two other reporters on-board: Ms Sunita Ishan (from the Indian League), & Mr Lugono "Lug" Mandara (from the UAN).

Ms Ishan is an up-&-coming reporter assigned to the jumpship reception because she's the technology correspondant for India's premier news station. After the 'incident' she was one of the first of the passengers to help out & join the engineering crew (she has a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering & Applied Physics), where she's been kept pretty busy ever since.

Mr Mandara is an old hand at the reporter game, being one of Africa's more reknowned war correspondants, although he's a little past his prime now & more usually is assigned top-level political pieces (like the reception) than actual war-zone assignments. Despite his obvious combat experience, Lug has choosen to just help out as 'regular' crew (& will, most likely, be one of the first to volunteer to aid the 'bar' project, if the stories of his personal habits are to be believed).

Neither of these reporters works with a seperate tech' (like Simon works with Alex), but film & organise their own reports (with the aid of an appropriate SI, one presumes).

Simon smiles realizing who Lug Mandara is. He searches through his things, unfortunately, he doesn't have his full complement of utility drugs with him, and sadly in outer space they aren't that plentiful. Now he knows what it must be like for those people cramped in Karoo fighting Aberrants.

He checks the comm system in his room, and attempts to send a message to Mandara's room (I'm assuming that's how communication would work). Simon speaks in Portugese, hoping this guy is from a part of the UAN that uses the language. "Umm...Mr. Mandara, this is Simon Bolivar Mendez reporter for Newsday Columbia. I liked your war footage, very heavy stuff, and since we are both reporters, I figure we should start sharing notes. This will be a huge documentry when we get back to Earth, and I realize if we worked together this could lead to an even more wonderful report. Interested in working together?"

[phoenix]

Sean gives a bemused look to the miniature Thomas that stands in hologram on his computer projector.

"Jeeves, message pause. Autoreply mode, please." Thomas blinks out, and is replaced by an Archimedes model agent slightly remodeled to strongly resemble the quintessential English butler.

"Very good, sir." Thomas reappears, frozen in the air.

"Message restart."

“Hello chief, I'm sorry to disturb you. I was just wondering if you could have someone send my way any data you retrieve from the Captain's computer."

As Sean starts to speak, Thomas freezes again.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but that computer is definitely beyond repair. I have the report right 'ere as a matter of fact..

...

"Yeah, it was Mina who worked on it.. she says 'it looks as if someone just tried to access the thing at about a million times the speed it was designed to be used.' Apparently it was hit by a power surge that took out all of the memory banks."

If you could tell me how or why it was destroyed exactly, I'd appreciate that as well. By the way, I haven't forgotten about the lounge...

Sean laughs, mock cursing under his breath, but doesn't pause for a reply.

I'll be there at around 0900 tomorrow with Trish if you'd like to send someone over. Or have them drop by my quarters at 0815, we'll have breakfast. Thomas out..."

Sean laughs again at the antiquity.

"All right, I'll send someone by. 0815 it is. Sean Vinge, over and out!" He chuckles again.

"Jeeves, review outgoing message."

"Yes sir."

Thomas' avatar appears to deliver prompts to Sean's, who recites his replies, giving the reply email a feel similar to a real conversation, in a peculiar sort of way. After watching it to make sure he didn't miss anything, he has Jeeves send it and goes back to work.

Depending on what shift it is, he either asks around or sends an email to whoever will be in charge at 0815 to do so, to find out who would be interested in the not unpleasant job.

[knave]

Crawlspace:

Popo is somewhat startled by Lila's sudden aggressive affection...

... But his shock soon turns into a huge white-toothed grin ::biggrin . He leans over to kiss his superior again, & starts to shrug out of his jumpsuit,

"Damn you work fast woman! Still, no need to appologise - I've never been one to say no to an offer like that..." ::sly

Now bare-chested, the engineer moves closer, hands running over Lila's body...

*ummm...Oh right... Oh - why the hell not?* Lila thinks to herself as she snogs Popo stupid and pushes him up against the crawlspace wall

>>>EKLink:"Meph, begin recording and encrypting this, but access and jam all other recording devices in the area... there's a good rabbit!"<<<

[Xem]

His fierce green eyes stare into Quan's, locking gazes for a few long seconds. Suddenly, with a grin, the chief stands up and extends his hand. "Welcome to the team. This is only a probationary position to begin; until I can arrange suitable testing for your skills, and see how you work with the rest of the security members, nothing's permanent."

Randall smiles at his newest member. "I'll arrange for your testing and uniform as soon as I can. Until your formal schedule is in place, you can simply report to me directly at 0800 every morning. Now, if you'll excuse me...I've a mountain of paperwork to get back to."

Quan grasps Randall's extended hand and shakes it vigorously. "Thank you sir, you will not be disappointed with my performance." Quan turns and leaves the office, setting his minicomp to wake him up at 0600.

Feeling his stomach grumbling, Quan set off towards the lounge to see if he could get anything out of the vending machines there. He made sure to smile at everyone he passed as he walked down the hallways. Don't want to make a bad impression with anyone who might become your superior, thought Quan. Speaking of superiors...

"Friday!"

"Yes, sir?" Answered the avatar.

"Are there any other Orgotek employees on board?"

"Performing a search now, sir."

((OOC: The search is just idle curiosity on Quan's part. He's not planning on forming some coalition of electrokinetics or anything like that))

[Archer21]

Leaning back in his chair after Quan leaves, Randall allows himself an expansive grin.

*Not a bad day. Finally managed to prove to myself that I'm not horribly crippled by that damned squid, and hopefully acquired a worthwhile gunner.*

Speaking aloud, he addresses his minicomp agent. "General, please devise a suitable gunnery test for the new recruit. Parameters: Use the combat data from our earlier encounter with the Aberrants, modify to make target twenty percent slower, and force target minimum range to 1000 meters. Alert me when simulation is complete, then forward simulation to gunnery station #14."

His 'mountain of paperwork' thus completed, the security chief stands, stretching his arms behind his back. With a relaxed sigh, he taps his comm unit.

"Dr. Bynon, this is Chief Simon. If you have the time, I'd like to talk to you."

[ezekiel]

His 'mountain of paperwork' thus completed, the security chief stands, stretching his arms behind his back. With a relaxed sigh, he taps his comm unit.

"Dr. Bynon, this is Chief Simon. If you have the time, I'd like to talk to you."

"Of course, I was just about to take a jog with Maggie, Chief, but if you don't mind my bringing her along I'll be there in twenty minutes."

[later]

A slightly panting Thomas gets to the Chiefs office with the large Maremma dog following while contentedly wagging her tail.

"so what was it you wanted to talk about?"

[Archer21]

"so what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Leaning down to scratch Maggie behind the ears, he looks up at Tom and smiles."I was wondering if you've any pretty flowers in your little greenhouse?"

[ezekiel]

Tom's eyes widen in surprise

"I..well, I certainly wasn't expecting this Chief. ::biggrin If you're looking for roses I'm afraid you're out of luck, we only brought some seeds along. The plants in my quarters mostly have medicinal properties...I do have some violets and if you're looking for a bigger flower my bloodroot is in bloom. I can let you have it as the roots are what I want from that one. Well, just come with me to my quarters...jogging is good for you."

Tom starts off towards his quarters with Maggie and hopefully the Chief in tow.

[Archer21]

I..well, I certainly wasn't expecting this Chief.  If you're looking for roses I'm afraid you're out of luck, we only brought some seeds along. The plants in my quarters mostly have medicinal properties...I do have some violets and if you're looking for a bigger flower my bloodroot is in bloom. I can let you have it as the roots are what I want from that one. Well, just come with me to my quarters...jogging is good for you."

The chief chuckles. "Well, let's just say I've gotten some confidence back, and I may try my hand at romance."

Standing, he jogs along with Tom and the dog, easily keeping pace. Not seeming to notice the exertion at all, he talks as they run. "The violets should do just fine, thanks. As for the rose seeds, do you think I could talk you into parting with some? Maybe I can try my hand at gardening, with you and your wife's help."

[ezekiel]

The chief chuckles. "Well, let's just say I've gotten some confidence back, and I may try my hand at romance."

Standing, he jogs along with Tom and the dog, easily keeping pace. Not seeming to notice the exertion at all, he talks as they run. "The violets should do just fine, thanks. As for the rose seeds, do you think I could talk you into parting with some? Maybe I can try my hand at gardening, with you and your wife's help."

"Easier said than done. Due to the possibility of grav-crystal failure we grow our plants using hydroponics. Considering the recent incident, I'm glad we did... It can be quite complicated to regulate the various elements needed for plant growth but if you're willing to learn and set up what you need in your quarters I'd suggest offering Trish a helping hand in your off time. She needs the hands right now and I'm sure she'll be glad to teach you the basics."

The doors to the Bynon family quarters open as they arrive

"She's setting up some new Hydroponics labs for long term food supplies as we speak, I don't expect her 'til pretty late. Would you like something to drink? - Tom doesn't wait for an answer and pours two large glasses of water, offering one to the Chief before heading towards one part of the jungle with his glass - You're in luck, my Mallow flowers are also in bloom, hope she likes shades of purple though.. ::wink - After a gulp of water Tom lays his glass on a shelf and grabs some cutters, snipping through flowers - So..some violets *snip. snip* they're edible by the way *snip* so if you and your mate feel like a salad... - Tom pulls at the rest of the plant and drops it in a bowl for later use - The plant also has salicylic acid, natural aspirin, in it. I never did really trust those cureall pills... - Moving a bit further Tom starts snipping some more as he has the Chief hold on to the bouquet in the making as he explains the various medical properties of the future bouquet - There, the pinkish-purple looks good with the violets doesn't it? Bah, we men are colorblind anyway, too bad Trish isn't here...Once the flowers dry up you can use them as an effective tea for coughs or hoarness amongst other things. The leaves are packed with vitamins and minerals so a lot of these will be grown in bulk, I'll keep them for salad...unless you really want to try those violets, ::smile Now to balance out the colors... - Tom snips one large white flower and grabs a couple stalks of tiny multistemmed white flowers - Don't eat the big one, its bloodroot. While not as toxic as the roots, it still contains mild opium-like alcaloids. I'll keep the roots, I can extract some natural anesthetics from them. The little ones can't harm you though, nature's cureall. Yarrow's been used since man first began to practice medicine and if you've listen to your doctor like every good patient should, you've had some already. Good internally and used externally it'll aid the healing of wound, so if she scratches you after the salad, just rub the bouquet on your back. ::wink ::tongue "

Thomas hands over the last flowers to the Chief and wishes him luck

[Archer21]

Following Tom around as he snips flowers and chatters on, Randall nods politely and takes the offerings handed to him. Though not particularly interested, his professional survival instincts prompt him to listen carefully to Tom's explanations of the different uses of the plants.

Thomas hands over the last flowers to the Chief and wishes him luck

"Thanks doc. I'll try to look up your wife later. Have a good night."

With his impromptu bouquet, Randall makes his way back to his own quarters, setting the flowers end's into a half-filled sink before stripping down for a quick shower.

The 3 S's taken care of as swiftly as only a military man can, he checks his craggy reflection in the mirror, then activates his minicomp. "General, interface with the Tesser, and find the current location of Navigator Foxley."

The holo of his comp's avatar appears, dressed in it's usual uniform of riding breeches, crop, and brown jacket bespeckled with rank insignia. The unmistakable voice of the long-dead actor George C. Scott comes to life. "Navigator Foxley is currently in her quarters. Carry on, soldier!"

The avatar winks out of the Chief's field of view. Smiling to himself, Randall grabs the flowers out of the sink, and begins to stride purposefully to Foxley's quarters.

Still a bit nervous, regardless of his outward demeanor, he unconciously exercises all the stealth he knows, trying to avoid attention on his way there.

[ProfPotts]

"Umm...Mr. Mandara, this is Simon Bolivar Mendez reporter for Newsday Columbia. I liked your war footage, very heavy stuff, and since we are both reporters, I figure we should start sharing notes. This will be a huge documentry when we get back to Earth, and I realize if we worked together this could lead to an even more wonderful report. Interested in working together?"

There's no response for several minutes, then Simon's minicomp holoprojector blinks into life with a head-only image of the rather grizzled African reporter. The man's heavily lined face appears to be in a perpetual scowl, & his thin layer of grey-black hair, broken nose, & cauliflower ears do little to soften his appearance. Neither is his voice much softened by the computer translation into Portugese,

"You must know that I meet snot-nosed punks like you all the time; eager to learn the tricks of the trade from the old man. Do you really think you're any different? However, since we're stuck out here in the butt-end of the galaxy, I guess I should give you a shot. So, here's you're big chance to prove you're a reporter & not a snot-nosed punk: tell me something I don't know."

In engineering, Sean receives lots of volunteers for 'bar duty', few who he can really spare for what is basically 'unessential' work, but does manage to get a couple of the civilian engineering recruits & a handful of regular crewmembers together for the Doc.

In an unspecified crawlspace, Lila & Popo also engage in what is basically 'unessential' work... ::tongue ::wink Popo takes every opportunity to enjoy the experience as far as Lila will allow him. ::blush

"Friday!"

"Yes, sir?" Answered the avatar.

"Are there any other Orgotek employees on board?"

"Performing a search now, sir."

The agent soon returns with a report that Lila is the only other Orgotek employee on board. There were several of the original engineering staff who were Orgotek, including a handfull of electrokinetics, but they were all lost in the aberrant attack.

Elsewhere... The Security Chief ::ninja ninjas ::ninja his way towards Foxley's room, & (after waiting for the corridor to clear so he can emerge into the light again) finds himself standing before her closed door. A stray thought bounces across the back of his mind that the last Security guy to try to get into her room got shot, but it soon passes...

Back in engineering Sean is approached by one of the rather stunning Moon twins. Without resorting to biokinetic tricks, the Chief has a hard time telling Mi-na & Su-dae apart, although he (being a red-blooded Irishman) tends to find his thoughts drifting in the direction of activities involving both of the sisters in any case... ::devil

The Korean engineer waits patiently for her grease & oil splattered boss to climb out from under the Hybrid he's working on & wipe his hands on the traditional engineer's oily rag, then hands him a datapad. Streams of engineering reports & statistics flow across the small screen at the touch of a button, as the twin explains,

"I thought you'd want to see this, Sir. Gunner An first noticed, & I helped him compile this report. As you can see, the information we have from the aberrant assault clearly indicates that the two enemies hit us in very specific places, & with a very measured degree of force. Not only that, but I've checked the numbers with

Dr Hemangini & she agrees that the space-borne aberrant's attacks were using only a small fraction of it's overall power. The doctor thinks that it could have destroyed us in a single shot if it'd wished to. I realise that it's already common speculation that we've been brought here for a reason, but this data suggests a rather intimate knowledge of jumpship design & engineering. Look at the way the aberrant's attacks carefully avoided any areas that would have prevented jumping if they'd been damaged. The angle & power used in the attack on the bridge shows a similar high level of technical knowledge. I know that one of the aberrants was disguised as that reporter, but no reporter could get that level of detailed data. Even a telepath would have a hard time compiling the required specifications over the time that 'Barb' was on board - there are just too many systems to cover. I hate to say it, Sir, but only someone directly involved with the design & development of the jumpships would be privy to the knowledge those aberrants demonstrated."

[phoenix]

In engineering, Sean receives lots of volunteers for 'bar duty', few who he can really spare for what is basically 'unessential' work, but does manage to get a couple of the civilian engineering recruits & a handful of regular crewmembers together for the Doc.

Sean snorts at his team's enthusiasm. Despite his urge to err on the side where Engineering finishes their projects on time instead of the one where he's a nice guy, he sends one capable crewman and two civilian recruits to lend the good Doctor a hand, slightly more than was promised - though not by all that much, the Irishman reflects, considering the bare-bones nature of the training received by the civilians now under his charge.

Come to think of it, that might end up being more of a setback than a favor.. Sean puts it out of his mind to focus masochistically on the burn of his muscles as he tightens a bolt on the bottom of the hybrid with a good, old fashioned spanner, when he hears his name called. The voice sounds like one of the Moon sisters, so he dutifully crawls out from under the gigantic vehicle.

"I thought you'd want to see this, Sir. Gunner An first noticed, & I helped him compile this report. As you can see, the information we have from the aberrant assault clearly indicates that the two enemies hit us in very specific places, & with a very measured degree of force. Not only that, but I've checked the numbers with

Dr Hemangini & she agrees that the space-borne aberrant's attacks were using only a small fraction of it's overall power. The doctor thinks that it could have destroyed us in a single shot if it'd wished to. I realise that it's already common speculation that we've been brought here for a reason, but this data suggests a rather intimate knowledge of jumpship design & engineering. Look at the way the aberrant's attacks carefully avoided any areas that would have prevented jumping if they'd been damaged. The angle & power used in the attack on the bridge shows a similar high level of technical knowledge. I know that one of the aberrants was disguised as that reporter, but no reporter could get that level of detailed data. Even a telepath would have a hard time compiling the required specifications over the time that 'Barb' was on board - there are just too many systems to cover. I hate to say it, Sir, but only someone directly involved with the design & development of the jumpships would be privy to the knowledge those aberrants demonstrated."

Not one to be caught at a loss for words, Sean nevertheless takes a moment to savor the astonishing nature of the development (and a touch of pride at the idea that she chose to come to him with it rather than give it directly to Ran).

"Well, shite."

Sean scans the datapad, checking for the most vital statistics it has to offer. [i assume the statistics bear her out to some degree.]

"You could be right..

"Listen.. are you sure? I mean, we've all heard stories about the Aberrant telepaths, they don't think like you 'n' me. For all we know, there are squids out there that could puzzle out exactly how to hit the ship to break whatever parts it wanted.." He trails off grimly.

"Well. It does kinda confirm we're prolly exactly where they want us to be right now."

He nods again thoughtfully, then looks up, cracking a grin.

"Fortunately, this isn't our job to puzzle oveh. I'll tell the Cap'n in person soon's the shift ends. Might as well start up the pool on how many times I'll end up sayin' 'Well I dunno sir, I'm jes' an engineer' in the next 24 hours." He quickly copies the files from Moon's datapad to his own minicomp, then tosses the latter lightly on top of his shirt on the floor and returns the former to Moon as he goes back to work.

[Archer21]

Elsewhere... The Security Chief  ninjas  his way towards Foxley's room, & (after waiting for the corridor to clear so he can emerge into the light again) finds himself standing before her closed door. A stray thought bounces across the back of his mind that the last Security guy to try to get into her room got shot, but it soon passes...

Suppressing the sudden urge to cough nervously, Randall knocks on the door.

[knave]

"Popo!? You're not falling ASLEEP are you!???"

[Umoja]

There's no response for several minutes, then Simon's minicomp holoprojector blinks into life with a head-only image of the rather grizzled African reporter. The man's heavily lined face appears to be in a perpetual scowl, & his thin layer of grey-black hair, broken nose, & cauliflower ears do little to soften his appearance. Neither is his voice much softened by the computer translation into Portugese,

"You must know that I meet snot-nosed punks like you all the time; eager to learn the tricks of the trade from the old man. Do you really think you're any different? However, since we're stuck out here in the butt-end of the galaxy, I guess I should give you a shot. So, here's you're big chance to prove you're a reporter & not a snot-nosed punk: tell me something I don't know."

Simon pauses for a second, who does this guy think he is, the Old Man? Quickly probing his thoughts of the last long... well days have become meaningless since the time only applies to Earth. It's been awhile. Going back to the subject at hand, Simon quickly thinks up the most notable thing that happened. "Well, I went toe to toe with an Abberant, and I can give you details on that that you never knew, or I bet you don't have foot--" Daniel stops. This guy didn't specify anything in particular. "Majestic creature. Does that name ring a bell? That's the Qin name for this ship, or rather classification. They claim our 'creature', while not as intricate as theirs, moves the best. Besides that, did you also know the Qin have things that are far larger and far more intricate in function then this? I'm sure you'd never learn that froma stay in a warzone." Simon makes sure his avatar smiles at the other end. "Oh, Capoeria, I know that too. Am I still a snot nosed punk? Do I need to send you footage of the Abberant attacking the ship during the the banquet just before the jump?"

[ProfPotts]

In engineering the Moon twin (whichever one it is) smiles with the relief of a burden passed on & thanks her boss for his time, before heading back to her own duties.

Outside Foxley's quarters Randall knocks. The Navigator's voice calls out for him to enter, & the door slides open with a quiet hiss. Inside the room is dark. The lights are off, but an intricate holgraphic display of stars slowly rotates around the centre of the room. Foxley herself appears to be studying the image intently, tapping numbers & symbols into a datapad every few moments. Without looking at her guest she starts to explain,

"If we can figure the relative positions of these galaxies with enough accuracy we should be able to get a rough idea of where we are. We do appear to still be in our own galaxy, so after we get a rough fix we'll have a better idea of which local phenomina we should be looking out for to establish a more accurate plot. Not that it'll help with actual jump co-ordinates, but it should at least point us in the right..."

Glancing back the young Englishwoman doubletakes, then blushes deeply ::blush , shutting off the display & increasing the light levels with a word, & turning to face the Chief. Her fingers fumble with the datapad for a few moments, then she decides to clasp it behind her back with both hands, in an attempt to cover her nerves. Finally she manages to speak,

"Um... Hello..." ::blush

Speaking of 'romance' - elsewhere...

"Popo!? You're not falling ASLEEP are you!???"

The black man mutters a few words in an African dialect, then rolls over to face Lila,

"No ma'am... just give me five minutes & I'll be ready to go again..." ::smokin

"... Am I still a snot nosed punk? Do I need to send you footage of the Abberant attacking the ship during the the banquet just before the jump?"

The elder reporter's image sneers,

"You're still a snot-nosed punk, but I'll admit you show a little promise. I'll take a look at that footage, if only 'cos there's little else to do around here (except hard work). There's a small chance that Qin angle could pan out... Tell you what, kid, you get me some genuine footage of a Qin outside it's suit, & I'll take you under my wing. Okay?" ::sly

[Archer21]

"Um... Hello..."

The chief does his best not to grin. At least she's as nervous as he is. "Hello yourself. I'm very glad to hear we seem to still be in our own galaxy."

Stepping forward into the room, he lets the door slide shut behind him, and extends the impromptu bouquet. "These are for you." His crooked smile does its best to be charming.

[Umoja]

Simon quickly tries to hold down the overwhelming urge to rip apart the African man for being such a tough teacher. He only reacts by shuddering and giving a slight nod. "Uh-huh. You don't think I can do this do you? Well no matter. If you think it's impossible, I'll prove it possible. I'll be one of the only people to return with footage of a Qin in it's native form. I'll talk to you again when I have an update to what you requested." Simon closes the connection. He sits in silence, and then calls Alex on his minicomp.

"Alex, I need a quick crash course in filming, and maybe some knowledge about computers. I really don't want to ask this to you over a non-secure connection, because it's not something anyone would really want to admit to doing..... Not to sound overly mysterious or anything." Simon's avatar grins.

[ProfPotts]

Foxley's Quarters:

"These are for you."

Still blushing, the Navigator looks at the flowers & gasps,

"They're lovely! Where did you... ah - you've been talking to Dr Bynon I'm guessing, correct?"

Taking the flowers, the Englishwoman suddenly stands on tip-toes & kisses the Chief on the cheek ::wub , then looks incredibly embarrased ::blush , & rushes to busy herself finding a suitable vase to put the flowers in...

Simon's Quarters:

"Alex, I need a quick crash course in filming, and maybe some knowledge about computers. I really don't want to ask this to you over a non-secure connection, because it's not something anyone would really want to admit to doing..... Not to sound overly mysterious or anything."

A tiny full-figure hologram of Alex appears - looking smooth in a Bond-esque tuxedo & leaning against a vintage sports car, with an attractive bikini-clad girl on either arm. One looks suspiciously like Hiro... The image of Alex looks up & nods,

"Hey, I've been trying to teach you that stuff for years! Why now, what's up? Oh, right - it's all 'mysterious'. In that case I'll be back in a couple of hours - the Chief's got me working on something right now. In the mean time, I'll transfer a few technical manuals to your minicomp' - just to get you started. Let's see if you can cope with some hard work, eh?" ::wink

[Archer21]

Taking the flowers, the Englishwoman suddenly stands on tip-toes & kisses the Chief on the cheek  , then looks incredibly embarrased  , & rushes to busy herself finding a suitable vase to put the flowers in...

Raising a hand to touch his cheek in wonderment, Randall catches himself and lowers it hurriedly. Clearing his throat, he talks to her as she goes to put the flowers in water.

"I just wanted to come by, and ask if you would be interested in maybe doing something with me sometime. I thought...well, I thought it'd be nice to spend some time together outside of our professional lives."

[ProfPotts]

"I just wanted to come by, and ask if you would be interested in maybe doing something with me sometime. I thought...well, I thought it'd be nice to spend some time together outside of our professional lives."

Foxley's blush deepens ::blush , & for a few moments it seems like she's lost for words, but eventually she manages to reply,

"That... That would be nice, Chief. I... um... what sort of thing did you have in mind?"

[knave]

"mmm... Popo. Um. Do you want to help me with some biotech research?"

[Archer21]

"That... That would be nice, Chief. I... um... what sort of thing did you have in mind?"

Rubbing his hand over his stubbly scalp, the Chief seems unsure. "Um, to be honest, I hadn't thought past this part yet." He smiles nervously. "I usually get an emphatic 'no' after my first syllable, especially when I'm asking out a beautiful woman."

Taking his hand down from his head, he smiles again, a little less nervous now. "Well, I know there's not a whole lot of entertainment available on this ship, but we could start with something easy. How would you feel about having dinner with me, just the two of us?"

Realizing he may be coming on a bit too strong, he hurriedly adds, "Of course, we don't have to do the dinner thing. We could just, uh, maybe talk to each other more, get to know one another better? Entirely up to you, of course."

[phoenix]

Later, in his room, Sean steps out of the shower to dry himself off and pull on some clothes other than his work pants. The intricate tattoos of his chest vanish under the soft fabric of his shirt as he deftly buttons it.

"Jeeves, gimme the location of Cap'n Ran. Probably best to talk to him in person, right?"

[ezekiel]

The doc's head bopped up and down as reggae music pumped through his rooms speakers. He was nearly done chopping up the salad as Trish entered the room

"Heeey, how's the family?!"

Tom gives Trish a kiss and looks her in the eyes with a questioning look as his hand hovers over her stomach. With a nod from Trish Tom lays his hand gently on her and closes his eyes, smiling benignly.

"Healthy, both of you! But exhausted, how was your day?"

[Asbjørn]

[Ooops. Sorry, Brilyn.... I completely missed this post. ::blush ]

To: Captain Ran

From: Jane Bartley, on behalf of John Bennet

The Avatar is a female head, late 20s, caucasion.

Captain Ran.

I am the Personal Assistant of John Bennet, CEO of Softsol, one of the visiting dignitaries currently resident as a 'guest'.

I would like to formally request a meeting regarding our current situation. John has asked that I keep him informed of our current situation, and I cannot do this without being informed myself.

I am available at your convenience.

Regards,

Jane Bartley

After the discussion with Tom, Ran briefly checks in on the bridge before he goes to his office across the hall. Going through his messages he finds Ms Bartley's at the top of the virtual pile. While he makes himself a cup of tea he dictates the short reply

Ms Bartley

My schedule is busy but flexible these days, and there is no time like the present. I will see you in my office as soon as possible.

The message is recited to Ms Bartley by an image of the Captain in uniform, showing his rank and insignia.

When the message is dictated and sent, Ran spends the time going over the astrological data of the solar system one more time while he waits.

[brilyn]

(OC no worries.)

Later that afternoon, Jane Bartley makes her way to the Captain's office. She knocks twice, and waits to be called before entering.

She's moderatley attractive, well-dressed in a business suit (definitely of the secretarial style, rather than anything else), light brown hair in a bun, with glasses.

She sits rather primly, kness together, hands clasped on the desk before her.

"Captain. I'm here representing John Bennet. You may not be aware, but Softsol is responsible for some key software on board, and as such, John presumes quite a lot. Such as an entitlement to information.

"Whether I agree or not is irrelevant, as I am beholden to get this information. I would appreciate if you could be as forthcoming as possible.

"Please assume I know nothing about our current situation, as all I have heard comes from the guest quarters and is likely rife with half-truth and rumour.

"What's going on?"

[ProfPotts]

Lila's Crawlspace Boudoir:

"mmm... Popo. Um. Do you want to help me with some biotech research?"

The African man grins a white toothy grin ::biggrin ,

"If it's more of the same, then sure - count me in!"

Foxley's Quarters:

"Of course, we don't have to do the dinner thing. We could just, uh, maybe talk to each other more, get to know one another better? Entirely up to you, of course."

Although shy, Foxley can't help but smile at the rough, tough, Legionnaire's rather faltering (if heartfelt) attempts at romance,

"Ah... dinner sounds fine. Well... better than 'fine'... 'Nice', it sounds nice... Um... in your quarters?" ::bigsmile

Sean's Quarters:

"Jeeves, gimme the location of Cap'n Ran. Probably best to talk to him in person, right?"

The butler pops into holographic life,

"Captain Ran is in his office, sir. Would you like to schedule an appointment?"

Dr Tom's Jungle Treehouse:

"Healthy, both of you! But exhausted, how was your day?"

Mrs Tom smiles,

"That's good to know, thanks Tom. My day? Like you say, pretty hectic. I've been checking stock & going over the numbers time & again, & they just don't add up. We don't have enough of the right nutrients on board to create a self-sustaining eco-system for all these people."

Trish sighs & collapses back on the bed,

"It's so frustrating, the balance is close, but even with strict rationing, the cold science of the situation is that - barring further aberrant attacks or something - we're all going to starve within a year without an influx of external bio-matter."

The dusky beauty lays there for a while, staring at the vines which are starting to creeps across the ceiling of the couple's quarters, then suddenly sits up & looks at her husband,

"Say, you mentioned something about a planned trip to a life-supporting planet? Do you think if I prepared a list of what we need you could ask the Captain if he'd send someone along who could look out for it all?"

[phoenix]

The butler pops into holographic life,

"Captain Ran is in his office, sir. Would you like to schedule an appointment?"

Sean nods.

"Yep. Thanks."

Assuming all goes well, Sean finds himself at the door of Ran's office at the appointed time. He hits a button on it.

"Captain? It's Sean Vinge."

[Archer21]

"Ah... dinner sounds fine. Well... better than 'fine'... 'Nice', it sounds nice... Um... in your quarters?"

Blinking in surprise, Randall quickly tries to cover. "Uhm, yes. My quarters would be fine. Is tonight good for you? Around 1900 hours?"

[ezekiel]

Trish sighs & collapses back on the bed,

"It's so frustrating, the balance is close, but even with strict rationing, the cold science of the situation is that - barring further aberrant attacks or something - we're all going to starve within a year without an influx of external bio-matter."

Tom jumps on the bed next to her and nods as she talks

"I'm sure we can stretch that a bit. I can help you monitor the plants and ensure maximal yield. Perhaps we can look into using redundant bio-devices and recycle their matter. If I had time I'd offer you full-time support, but I think Tess is suffering from PTSD. She couldn't even face the mere mention of Navigator Tobias's name earlier and the captain of course wants her ready to jump in a matter of days... ::rolleyes "

The dusky beauty lays there for a while, staring at the vines which are starting to creeps across the ceiling of the couple's quarters, then suddenly sits up & looks at her husband,

"Say, you mentioned something about a planned trip to a life-supporting planet? Do you think if I prepared a list of what we need you could ask the Captain if he'd send someone along who could look out for it all?"

"Well, I don't think we're so sure there's life on the planet, it's just a possibility. The Captain's reluctant to go at all, Foxley seems to have sensed tainted energies coming from there. It doesn't seem like we've much of a choice though, do we? ::wink Maybe I should schedule a meeting between the both of you, he's bound to have questions. Anyway... - Tom gets up - dinner's ready, we're not starving yet..."

[Asbjørn]

"Captain. I'm here representing John Bennet. You may not be aware, but Softsol is responsible for some key software on board, and as such, John presumes quite a lot. Such as an entitlement to information.

Ran nods at the mention of Softsol's contribution, and smiles slightly at the description of Mr Bennet's presumptions.

"Whether I agree or not is irrelevant, as I am beholden to get this information. I would appreciate if you could be as forthcoming as possible.

He politely nods again.

"Of course, Ms Bartley."

"Please assume I know nothing about our current situation, as all I have heard comes from the guest quarters and is likely rife with half-truth and rumour.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, I'm sure you know something about the situation. At least I hope you wouldn't take up my time with trivial questions that could just as easily be answered by Tess or any of the crewmembers." ::sly ::smile

"So instead of assuming your ignorance, I'll assume you know what everybody knows: We suffered extensive damage in the attack - most of which has been repaired, we do not know where we are - which is a problem our navigator is working on, and there's a planet in this solar system that may be capable of supporting life. Since the most crucial of the still unrepaired damages is our jump-capabilities and we do not at the time know how long it will take us to fix them, preparations are being made for an excursion to this planet to supplement our resources in case we have to stay here for some time."

Ran leans back and takes a sip of his tea before he continues.

"Those are the general facts of our situation. Now, I'm sure you don't want me to share everything I know about the situation, so if you could narrow down your questions that would be good."

[brilyn]

Jane nods at the Captain's brief explanation.

"Those are the general facts of our situation. Now, I'm sure you don't want me to share everything I know about the situation, so if you could narrow down your questions that would be good." 

Jane starts to run through a list of questions, in a prim and direct manner.

"Certainly. Do we yet know how or why we have been jumped to this location? Obviously, the jump systems were engaged, but for it to conincide with an aberrant attack?

"Do we know *anything* about this planet? Assuming the jump here was intentional, then us going to that planet is likely some part of a trap, or plot."

Jane starts to sound ever-so-slightly frustrated:

"The damage to the ship seems rather precise for a random attack. Do you yet have a list of suspects? Are you close to apprehending any of them? Do you have any leads at all?"

[Asbjørn]

"Certainly. Do we yet know how or why we have been jumped to this location? Obviously, the jump systems were engaged, but for it to conincide with an aberrant attack?

"Well, we know how, but not why. There was no coincidence involved, that much is certain. The sabotage of our jump systems was part of the attack."

"Do we know *anything* about this planet? Assuming the jump here was intentional, then us going to that planet is likely some part of a trap, or plot."

"Which is why we will exercise extreme caution in our approach to the planet. Trust me, Ms Bartley; we will take no unnecessary risks, but we need to explore this system. Speculations about the attackers' motivation for sending us here abound, but until we study this planet closer we'll have no evidnece to support our speculations. At the moment our knowledge is limited to what our sensors can tell us from this distance, which isn't a lot."

Jane starts to sound ever-so-slightly frustrated:

"The damage to the ship seems rather precise for a random attack. Do you yet have a list of suspects? Are you close to apprehending any of them? Do you have any leads at all?"

In stark contrast to Ms Bartley's frustration, Ran's voice is as calm as ever

"Like I said, there was nothing random about this attack. It was planned ahead, and effectively executed. There was an abberant on board who was responsible for sabotaging our jump system, but it was dealt with. There is nothing to indicate there were other individuals involved in the attack. The only questions we are left with are the 'why's. Those are always the hardest, of course..."

Ran gets up from his chair and walks over to a sidetable. Pouring himself another cup of tea, he says

"Would you like something to drink, Ms Bartley?"

[brilyn]

Speculations about the attackers' motivation for sending us here abound, but until we study this planet closer we'll have no evidnece to support our speculations.

Jane looks slightly irritated, more at the fact that she has no option to agree than anything else.

"True."

There is nothing to indicate there were other individuals involved in the attack.

"I disagree. One known aberrant outside, to initiate the attack. One known aberrant inside the ship to commit sabotage. Both of which made themselves know to personnel.

"When the ship arrives here, how would anyone in the area know they had successfully completed their operation? What if the jump was off by a couple million kilometres? Assuming there are people in the area, unless we appeared *precisely* where they wanted us to go, they'd need additional personnel onboard the ship to signal once the teleportation was complete."

"Would you like something to drink, Ms Bartley?"

Jane smiles.

"Please, thank you."