Trinity Universe: Dreams of Dragons

[Asbjørn]

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

Jane smiles.

"Please, thank you."

The Captain pours his guest a cup of tea as well, and returns to his seat.

"You have a point, Ms Bartley, but I have reasons to believe that your theories are wrong.

First of all, this was not a suicide mission for any of the involved attackers. The saboteur had boarded the Kai Xing masquerading as a reporter, and had reassumed this disguise after executing the jump. A function such as the one you describe would have been easy to fulfill if we hadn't exposed it.

Second, if the success of the attack was too important for a potential third individual to reveal itself and interfere when the saboteur was exposed and killed, we wouldn't have been left in peace here for as long as we have. They can not have been absolutely certain we wouldn't at least attempt to jump out of here."

Pausing to think for a moment, Ran studies Ms Bartley's reactions and body language before he adds

"Are you worried there's another aberrant on the ship? Is there talk and speculation over this that I am not aware of?"

[Umoja]

Simon's Quarters:

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

Simon nods, and slowly starts to read through all the technical data. He goes over it again and again, trying to soak up all the details. It'd be impossible to shapeshift, not his modus operandi, so the skilled method will have to do. He starts to work out a basic plan, the Qin must be in a room that's similar to their homeplanet, which apparently is a jungle, or maybe a marsh... or maybe a mixture of the two. So they can probubly see through fog, and likely stand about as tall as a human, if a little bit smaller. So, the camera should work in fog, or other adverse conditions...

He starts to see if he can film in either infrared of thermoptic modes, as he continues to read on, if only Alex could come here and make this all easier to digest.

[ProfPotts]

Foxley's Quarters:

"Uhm, yes. My quarters would be fine. Is tonight good for you? Around 1900 hours?"

The young Navigator blushes, but smiles,

"Great! I'll... ah... I guess I'll see you there then?.." ::blush ::smile

Tom's Den:

"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...  "

Trish laughs,

"Hey - that's what Captains are for isn't it? What else has the guy got to do put tell people to work faster?" ::wink

"There may be something in that recycling bioapps thing, but are there any on-board which aren't needed? In any case, I'd have to check to see if they're suitable or not, but it's worth looking into. Thanks for the extra work, Doctor..." ::rolleyes ::tongue ::wink

"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?  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..."

"Ah... I knew there was a reason I kept you around... I guess I should talk to the Captain myself. What's he like? I know he's pretty young to have a command position, & a Ministry agent - he's not all 'thought police' or anything is he?"

Trish joins her husband for dinner as the pair continue to chat. During dinner Tom receives a message from Dr Flesch, the good doctor's avatar a simple headshot:

"Dr Bynon? I'm compiling a schedule for crew check-ups - I presume you'll be offering your 'expertise' to help with the workload? If so, then I thought it may be wise if you dealt with the various Psions we have on board - what with you being one & all. I'll send you the list: the Captain's top priority of course, he does appear to be taking on a rather large burden these days."

Simon's Quarters:

Just as the reporter starts to think he's going to drown in all the technical jargon, the door slides open, & Alex walks in. Then promptly throws himself on his bed,

"Phew! I tell you, it's all hands on deck in engineering. Aparantly we're getting a couple of the hybrids up & running to send a scouting mission to some habitable planet. At least, that's what I've heard."

Pushing himself up on one elbow the tech' looks over to his boss,

"You should go see the Captain, see if you can get us on that mission - I'm pretty sure I've got all the 'stock footage' of the inside of this place that anyone will ever want to see. Of course, I could always just do my own documentary on Hiro..."

Alex rolls onto his back & stares at the room's ceiling with a faraway look in his eyes & a smile on his lips,

"Hiro Hiromi..." ::wub

After a few moments the tech' seems to snap out of it, & looks over to his boss again,

"Oh yeah - you wanted something, right? All 'cloak & dagger'? Have you been 'working hard' with those manuals?" ::sarcasm ::wink

[brilyn]

The saboteur had boarded the Kai Xing masquerading as a reporter, and had reassumed this disguise after executing the jump. A function such as the one you describe would have been easy to fulfill if we hadn't exposed it.

Jane frowns at this.

"Hmmm... I had been led to believe that it simply went on a rampage after the jump had been completed.

"If it had resumed it's disguise, why did it compromise itself? No, I'm afraid I'm still certain that there must be additional conspirators onboard. Assume for a moment that the jump was completed, and the disguise back in place. At this point you have everything to lose by allowing yourself to be discovered. Unless you know that someone else will pick where you left off."

Jane pauses for a moment.

"Unless, of course, that was the aberrant that sent the signal. But that would be too neat. And foolhardy not to have a backup."

She smiles.

"It's all about redundancy. Should any of your officers become incapable, you have people to replace them with? Same thing."

Second, if the success of the attack was too important for a potential third individual to reveal itself and interfere when the saboteur was exposed and killed, we wouldn't have been left in peace here for as long as we have. They can not have been absolutely certain we wouldn't at least attempt to jump out of here."

Jane frowns again.

"On the contrary Captain, once it became known that the resident Isran is out of commision, we have no chance of jumping. At all.

"Given how the operation has been pulled off, I think it's best to assume they know the entire crew roster, and all quarters that have been allocated. They will know the strengths and abilities of all crew, and who can replace who should someone be taken out."

"Are you worried there's another aberrant on the ship? Is there talk and speculation over this that I am not aware of?"

Janes eye's widen.

"No. I doubt that the ship would remain this tranquil should there be rumours of another aberrant onboard.

"I am certain though that there is at least one co-conspirator onboard. More than likely a Neutral, rather than an aberrant. Surely any of the Psions on board would have registered an aberrant by now? Have they combed the ship?"

[Archer21]

"Great! I'll... ah... I guess I'll see you there then?.."

With a genuine smile, the chief nods. "See you then."

Unsure what to do next, and trying to avoid any awkwardness, he quickly makes his exit, excusing himself to go prepare dinner.

Once on the other side of the door, he releases a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Suppressing the grin trying to fight its way to his expression, Chief Simon walks back to his quarters to get ready for his date.

[knave]

Lila's Crawlspace Boudoir:

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

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

"Jeez, Popo, do you have to have such a one track mind. Oh all right. ::biggrin But afterward you have to promise to have a look at some of my models for reconfigurable bionanite constructs. It all boils down to control you see..." ::devilangel

Lila reaches out...

[ezekiel]

Trish laughs,

"Hey - that's what Captains are for isn't it? What else has the guy got to do put tell people to work faster?" 

::biggrin

"There may be something in that recycling bioapps thing, but are there any on-board which aren't needed? In any case, I'd have to check to see if they're suitable or not, but it's worth looking into. Thanks for the extra work, Doctor..."   

"My pleasure.. ::wink I know there's going to be a few empty Scarab hulks soon. This whole ship's biotech, there's bound to be some useless bio junk somewhere. If anybody'd know I imagine it'd be Sean Vinge. Oh! By the way, some of his engineers are having breakfast with us tomorrow. I'm going to get them to work on the lounge and set up my "shrink's dungeon" for those who don't believe I can help them unless they're lying down on a sofa."

"Ah... I knew there was a reason I kept you around... I guess I should talk to the Captain myself. What's he like? I know he's pretty young to have a command position, & a Ministry agent - he's not all 'thought police' or anything is he?"

"Nah, he's a good kid. Only thing is I don't think he's used to sharing command. He got promoted from 2nd officer to Captain and I'm afraid I might have him as a patient soon if he doesn't find someone to share command responsibilities. I might speak to him soon, I know some crew members might feel some resentment at the fact that all chief positions are occupied by psions. A "normal" first officer might alleviate some tensions, both for him and for the crew."

"Dr Bynon? I'm compiling a schedule for crew check-ups - I presume you'll be offering your 'expertise' to help with the workload? If so, then I thought it may be wise if you dealt with the various Psions we have on board - what with you being one & all. I'll send you the list: the Captain's top priority of course, he does appear to be taking on a rather large burden these days."

Tom rolls his eyes

"Speaking of crewmembers who might feel resentment at psions occupying chief positions. ::rolleyes Seems I'm not the only one worried about the captain though. Just a sec.."

Tom gets up and dictates a message to the doctor

"Hello Dr. Flesch, of course I'll help. I can look after the psions, no problem. I agree about the Captain, I'll keep you informed. You might want to poll the crew and ask them if they'd have objections to a vitakinetic scan. Those that don't can schedule a meeting with me, it'll be faster and less intrusive. More importantly, I can get an idea of their mental health as well as any physical ailments they may have. By the way, I was talking with Trish and we could probably use a hand with some research in developing an enzyme capable of metabolizing biotech biomatter. I'll talk to you about that later, I'll hop by the clinic tomorrow."

[Asbjørn]

"If it had resumed it's disguise, why did it compromise itself? No, I'm afraid I'm still certain that there must be additional conspirators onboard. Assume for a moment that the jump was completed, and the disguise back in place. At this point you have everything to lose by allowing yourself to be discovered. Unless you know that someone else will pick where you left off."

"It was not a case of 'allowing yourself to be discovered'. It was disguised, but it's cover was about to be blown, and presumably to keep the element of surprise it attacked us and - quite correct - went on a rampage."

"On the contrary Captain, once it became known that the resident Isran is out of commision, we have no chance of jumping. At all.

"Luckily, we had two. They tried to kill navigator Foxley as well, but failed. If there were other conspirators, they would most likely have tried again."

"I am certain though that there is at least one co-conspirator onboard. More than likely a Neutral, rather than an aberrant. Surely any of the Psions on board would have registered an aberrant by now? Have they combed the ship?"

"Ms Bartley, I can assure you that Chief Simon is very good at his job and is doing everything possible to keep the ship, crew and passengers safe. I appreciate your concern and views on the matter, but I'm sure you understand that I can't discuss detailed matters of security with you."

Emptying his teacup, he adds

"I will of course inform Chief Simon of your concerns at the earliest opportunity. Is there anything else I can do for you or Mr Bennet?"

[Umoja]

Simon's Quarters:

Just as the reporter starts to think he's going to drown in all the technical jargon, the door slides open, & Alex walks in. Then promptly throws himself on his bed,

"Phew! I tell you, it's all hands on deck in engineering. Aparantly we're getting a couple of the hybrids up & running to send a scouting mission to some habitable planet. At least, that's what I've heard."

Pushing himself up on one elbow the tech' looks over to his boss,

"You should go see the Captain, see if you can get us on that mission - I'm pretty sure I've got all the 'stock footage' of the inside of this place that anyone will ever want to see. Of course, I could always just do my own documentary on Hiro..."

Alex rolls onto his back & stares at the room's ceiling with a faraway look in his eyes & a smile on his lips,

"Hiro Hiromi..." ::wub

After a few moments the tech' seems to snap out of it, & looks over to his boss again,

"Oh yeah - you wanted something, right? All 'cloak & dagger'? Have you been 'working hard' with those manuals?" ::sarcasm  ::wink

Simon quirks his eyebrow, the Asian girl who could have clearly given anyone's behind a truly proper beating, had captured Alex's heart. How interesting....

"I read enough books, and watch enough vids to know that all white people can't be trusted, and all habitable Alien worlds are bad news. Judging that white people are going to be staffing this mission, and it's a habitable Alien world, I see a major problem." Simon chuckles a bit.

"But on the Cloak and Dagger side of things. I need to get footage of our Alien Friend or Friends outside their suits. I have no clue how I'm gonna do it, but some African Reporter, who seems more like a odd Santeria Shaman, wants it done if I am to earn his respect." Simon pauses. "Do you know how much of the staff is going to ground on the planet? I mean, you can take the shots their, and hopefully alot of essential staff will be out. It would make it easier to try and access the Qin Area of the ship or something."

[ProfPotts]

Lila's Temple of Aphrodite:

"Jeez, Popo, do you have to have such a one track mind. Oh all right.  But afterward you have to promise to have a look at some of my models for reconfigurable bionanite constructs. It all boils down to control you see..."

"Sure, sure..." murmers the African man as the pair again embrace. Luckily Lila's not a Telepath & doesn't pick up his following thoughts, *... I'll take a look, but I have no idea what you're talking about...*. ::sly

The Bynon's:

Trish agrees that the Captain could probably use some time off from his duties. The couple are just finishing dinner when the door chime sounds. Letting her husband deal with the dishes, Trish opens the door to find Navigator Foxley standing there. The young woman looks somewhat embarrased, but Trish soon coaxes her inside & into a chair & asks Tom to fix them all drinks,

"He's a pretty fine bartender, my man.", she comments. Foxley smiles. It takes a while longer to get the Englishwoman to say why she's there, but eventually she admits,

"I've... I mean we... that is to say... um... well, the thing is - the Chief & I have a date. I think. He, ah, asked me to dinner in his quarters. It's just that... well, I'm not very good at this sort of thing so I was wondering if... you know... um... I mean - what should I wear? Should I take anything with me? What should I talk about? I was babbling about stellar navigation earlier - I must of sounded like an idiot..." ::blush

Trish exchanges a glance with her husband, as Maggie pads up to where Foxley is stitting perched on the edge of her chair. The Navigator absentmindedly starts to stroke & play with the dog - much to the animal's delight.

Simon's Den of Iniquity:

"I read enough books, and watch enough vids to know that all white people can't be trusted, and all habitable Alien worlds are bad news. Judging that white people are going to be staffing this mission, and it's a habitable Alien world, I see a major problem."

Alex laughs,

"Man, I told you to stop watching those old vids - Western Europe & North-Am are both Blights-zones now: it's been a while since 'white people' were any trouble to anyone. Give 'em a handout & they're yours for life." ::wink

"Do you know how much of the staff is going to ground on the planet? I mean, you can take the shots there, and hopefully a lot of essential staff will be out. It would make it easier to try and access the Qin Area of the ship or something."

::blink

"Stop taking the piss Simon - there's no-way you or I are gonna' crack the 'Qin conspiracy', & there's no-way you're gonna' get me flying off to some god-forsaken planet crawling with abbies or chromies or whatever else they have in these parts whilst you stay nice & safe here & try to get high on whatever sythi-caff you can steal from the galley!"

The tech' shakes his head,

"I reckon enough times passed now that you can talk to the Captain without being instantly dismissed as a drug- & gun-smuggling criminal; you're a Psion, he may let you on the mission just 'cos of that. I'm just an engineer - I won't be chosen to go."

Alex laughs again,

"Pictures of the Qin... yeah, right..." ::rolleyes

[Archer21]

Walking to the kitchens to place his order, and thanking his luck he's not actually forced to cook, Randall's agent appears in his field of vision, winking to life in his HUD contact lenses.

"The drill you ordered is complete and ready to be executed. Awaiting orders."

Chuckling, he orders the General to forward the drill to the ship's Master Gunner for review and implementation, along with the new applicant's information. That done, the agent winks out.

Switching on his comm unit, he contacts his Master Gunner.

"Mr. Gamba, we have a potential new recruit for you to take under your wing. I've sent you his information, as well as a gunnery drill for him to try out. I want you to implement the drill, and review his performance. Once his test and grading are complete, please contact me with the results. Chief Simon out."

[brilyn]

"It was not a case of 'allowing yourself to be discovered'. It was disguised, but it's cover was about to be blown, and presumably to keep the element of surprise it attacked us and - quite correct - went on a rampage."

Jane still doesn't look convinced, but passes no comment..

"Luckily, we had two. They tried to kill navigator Foxley as well, but failed. If there were other conspirators, they would most likely have tried again."

Jane frowns.

"Possibly. Right now, the AI has gone off the deep end, and you're doing what we're guessing 'they' want. They have no reason to kill off Foxley right now."

"Ms Bartley, I can assure you that Chief Simon is very good at his job and is doing everything possible to keep the ship, crew and passengers safe. I appreciate your concern and views on the matter, but I'm sure you understand that I can't discuss detailed matters of security with you."

Jane smiles slightly at this.

"Of course Captain."

"I will of course inform Chief Simon of your concerns at the earliest opportunity. Is there anything else I can do for you or Mr Bennet?" 

"In all honesty, no. But Mr. Bennet, in the manner of all management types the universe over, wishes to be "kept informed" at all times......"

Jane almost manages to keep the disdain from her voice..... ::wink

[ezekiel]

The young woman looks somewhat embarrased, but Trish soon coaxes her inside & into a chair & asks Tom to fix them all drinks,

"He's a pretty fine bartender, my man.", she comments.

"Two Bynon Dusts on the way!"

Thomas listens as he shakes the drinks

Foxley smiles. It takes a while longer to get the Englishwoman to say why she's there, but eventually she admits,

"I've... I mean we... that is to say... um... well, the thing is - the Chief & I have a date. I think. He, ah, asked me to dinner in his quarters. It's just that... well, I'm not very good at this sort of thing so I was wondering if... you know... um... I mean - what should I wear? Should I take anything with me? What should I talk about? I was babbling about stellar navigation earlier - I must of sounded like an idiot..."

"HA! Are we talking about the same chief that came here all starry eyed earlier? Believe me, you couldn't have sounded like an idiot if you tried! Here, enjoy - After straining the drinks into small Rocks glasses Thomas brings them to the ladies with a smile to Foxley and a wink to Trish - it'll take the edge off. Just be yourself. If you worry too much about saying the right thing, looking the right way you'll end up at a loss for words and looking awkward! Why you could probably just show up wearing noth...oomph! I mean you ladies should probably just run along in the bedroom or wherever and do your thing. I'm sure Trish can give you some pointers or lend you a dress or help you pick out something...right?"

Tom looks at Trish with a smile, rubbing his leg where it'd been freshly kicked

[Asbjørn]

"In all honesty, no. But Mr. Bennet, in the manner of all management types the universe over, wishes to be "kept informed" at all times......"

Jane almost manages to keep the disdain from her voice..... ::wink

::biggrin

"I'm afraid that's just the way we 'management types' are, Ms Bartlett.", Ran chuckles.

"It is after all better to make well informed decisions, don't you think? You may tell Mr Bennet that I fully understand his wish, and that you and he will be kept as well informed as the situation allows."

Ran stands and walks around his desk to escort his guest to the door. Stopping next to the doorway he bows and says

"My best wishes for your day, Ms Bartlett."

After she leaves he returns to his desk and checks his appointments. Seeing that the scheduled meeting with Vinge is due any minute he checks up on the ship status report while he waits for the engineer to enter.

[Umoja]

Simon's Den of Iniquity:

Alex laughs,

"Man, I told you to stop watching those old vids - Western Europe & North-Am are both Blights-zones now: it's been a while since 'white people' were any trouble to anyone. Give 'em a handout & they're yours for life." ::wink

::blink

"Stop taking the piss Simon - there's no-way you or I are gonna' crack the 'Qin conspiracy', & there's no-way you're gonna' get me flying off to some god-forsaken planet crawling with abbies or chromies or whatever else they have in these parts whilst you stay nice & safe here & try to get high on whatever sythi-caff you can steal from the galley!"

The tech' shakes his head,

"I reckon enough times passed now that you can talk to the Captain without being instantly dismissed as a drug- & gun-smuggling criminal; you're a Psion, he may let you on the mission just 'cos of that. I'm just an engineer - I won't be chosen to go."

Alex laughs again,

"Pictures of the Qin... yeah, right..." ::rolleyes

"See that's exactly what they want you to think, that it's good for us to trust them. I'm sure it'll be different when they send me, you, and every polynesian and african on board to the Planets surface that'd suck." Simon's voice is dripping with purified sarcasm.

Simon cracks his neck.

"And, Syth-Caf only can get you high if you mix it with a strong base, everyone knows that. Now if I could find some third world, or Nordamerican, cleaning agent, then I'm in the zone. But regardless, if you insist that my psionic abilities make me into the superior agent for planetfall, then I guess I'm obligated to talk to the captain, and hope he forgot about my romantic lifestyle choices." Simon sighs, and stands ups. "I'll try and be sure that we both get nice cushy seats on the expeditionary vehicle."

Simon walks out of the room, gets his bearings, and walks to the Captains office being extra cautious not to run into chief Simon again.

[ProfPotts]

Foxley's visit to the Bynons' appears to relax her a little; she & Trish spend some time away from the prying eyes of men-folk selecting appropriate clothing (& definately not talking about men at all, no-siree-Bob... ::tongue ::biggrin ).

1900 hours (on the dot):

Randall's Love Nest:

The doorchime to the Chief's room sounds. Waiting outside is Navigator Foxley, looking very nice in a (never out-of-fashion) short black evening dress, even if she does appear quiet nervous. ::blush

[brilyn]

"My best wishes for your day, Ms Bartlett."

Jane smiles at the Captain.

"Thank you for your time, Sir."

And leaves.

[phoenix]

Seeing that the scheduled meeting with Vinge is due any minute he checks up on the ship status report while he waits for the engineer to enter.

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

"Cap'n? It's Sean Vinge."

The Irishman steps into the room, his uniform revealing only tattoos spiraling out of his cuffs and collar, and relaxedly has a seat. He gestures to the ship status report deprecatingly.

"Don't bother with that, if it were something wrong with the ship I'd jes' fix it meself. This is somethin' else."

He draws his minicomp from his belt and sets it on the table, turning it on. Immediately a holoprojection starts up, showing a static display of incomprehensible (to Ran) data.

"One of my crewmembers pointed this out to me, it was Engineer Moon. Apparently she and Gunner Bul- er, An. Gunner An. Sheez, where'd I get that idea?" ::confused

Shaking his head in brief bewilderment, he continues.

"I won't bother with the technical details 'cause they wouldn't mean much t' you, though I'll give ye the report in a minute, but it has to do with the abbie attack earlier.

"It's the degree of precision that was used in the attack. I know some o' the squids could spit 'n' knock a fly out o' the air, 'n' that's part of it, but, well, here. Uh.. Jeeves, make that a tactical image, would you?, damage only."

"Right away, sir."

The data table vanishes, and is replaced by a 3-dimensional outline of the Kai Xing, replete with attack vectors and a profile on the damage.

"What you're seein' is an outline o' the damage that was done to the ship. See, that's the bridge, et cetera. Now, Jeeves, highlight the parts of the ship that we need if we wanna jump, and if I see a little figure that looks like Tobias in there I'm getting a new agent straight away."

The disembodied British voice of the agent, who seems to be either used to Sean's poker-faced sense of dry humor or programmed not to notice it, merely says,

"Duly noted, sir."

The display changes. Parts of the ship, somewhat centered in the anterior of the Leviathan but mostly spread throughout the ship seemingly randomly, light up in blue, while the rest of the outline remains green and the damage lines highlight to red. Nowhere on the ship do the blue and the red meet, and the contrast is striking.

"There you go, sir. The data shows that they couldn't have done it like that without knowing how the ship was built. I mean built. I couldn't have prepared an attack to do exactly that, not to save me life. It pretty much had to be someone who was in on the building o' the ships themselves."

[Archer21]

The doorchime to the Chief's room sounds. Waiting outside is Navigator Foxley, looking very nice in a (never out-of-fashion) short black evening dress, even if she does appear quite nervous.

Giving himself a quick glance in the mirror and checking his breath, the security chief squares his shoulders and opens the door. With an ear-to-ear grin, he lets out a low whistle upon seeing Foxley in her little black dress. ::bigsmile Catching himself, he coughs nervously. "Beg your pardon...it's just, well, you look amazing! Please, come in."

Stepping aside so she can enter, Foxley can see she's not the only dressed up. Normally a stickler for proper uniform, Randall's stepped things up a bit: dressed in a hand-tailored custom suit that flatters his trim figure, a glint of metal from his sleeve reveals matching cufflinks in the form of the Legionnaire's crest. A hint of dusky cologne catches her nose as she steps into his quarters.

As expected, the room is almost spartan in nature. Clean and organized, with very little in the way of furniture, there are still some unique aspects to his personality that fit the room. A cutlass in it's scabbard hangs on the far wall, a model ship in a bottle sits on a shelf with a small collection of hardback books, and a closed sketchbook, a charcoal pencil resting atop it. Oddly, there are no holos of friends or family, something usually common for those far from home.

Giving her a moment to look around, Randall quietly moves to the table, positioning himself behind her chair; waiting to seat her as a gentleman should.

[Asbjørn]

The display changes. Parts of the ship, somewhat centered in the anterior of the Leviathan but mostly spread throughout the ship seemingly randomly, light up in blue, while the rest of the outline remains green and the damage lines highlight to red. Nowhere on the ship do the blue and the red meet, and the contrast is striking.

Ran studies the schematics in silence, taking in the details before Sean continues.

"There you go, sir. The data shows that they couldn't have done it like that without knowing how the ship was built. I mean built. I couldn't have prepared an attack to do exactly that, not to save me life. It pretty much had to be someone who was in on the building o' the ships themselves."

"So I see. Hmm."

"Tess? Get me a list of all the guests involved in the design or building of the leviathans."

He looks the damage lines over again, then asks

"Was all this before the jump? Is there anything in the movement pattern of the aberrant on board that would indicate it intended to damage the jump-related areas after we arrived here?"

[knave]

Lila, having forced Popo to make up for his 'serious lack of Knowhow in the biotech deparatment, hobbles off toward the landing bays to help with the reassemblies (and take a few cell samples and nick some extrabio-nutrient fluid packs.)

[phoenix]

"Tess? Get me a list of all the guests involved in the design or building of the leviathans."

Sean frowns.

"What makes ye think they'd even be on the ship?"

"Was all this before the jump?"

"Yep."

"Is there anything in the movement pattern of the aberrant on board that would indicate it intended to damage the jump-related areas after we arrived here?"

Sean shrugs.

"I always figured Barb was just planning to kill us all. But since you ask.. Tess, please map out her path of travel on the ship starting at the moment she blew her cover, and upload that to my comp.. Jeeves, add that onto the image."

Noticing that his schematic is getting cluttered, he adds,

"And take off the first squid's damage lines."

[ProfPotts]

Randall's Place:

"Beg your pardon...it's just, well, you look amazing! Please, come in."

::blush ::blush ::blush ::blush ::blush

"Ah... you look good too..."

The young Navigator enters & smiles as she looks around, although she still fails to hide her obvious case of nerves. She pauses to read the spines of the Chief's books, then spots the sketchbook,

"May I see your work?" she asks.

Captain's Office:

"Tess? Get me a list of all the guests involved in the design or building of the leviathans."

"What makes ye think they'd even be on the ship?"

A full-sized image of Tess, in uniform, materialises next to the Captain's desk & bows to the two men. The hologram appears as real as having a living person in the room.

"It appears that Mr Vinge is correct, Captain," replies the holgram, "no-one on board has the background to suggest they'd be able to plan such an attack."

"... Tess, please map out her path of travel on the ship starting at the moment she blew her cover, and upload that to my comp.. Jeeves, add that onto the image... And take off the first squid's damage lines."

Tess bows again, & moments later the image has been adjusted as requested. Barb's line of attack appears to start with Navigator Tobias at the ARES, then proceeds directly to main engineering, then to sick bay, then to the cargo bay where she was eventually disposed of. Along the way there are many other 'targets of opportunity' which appear to have been ignored by the rampaging aberrant. Her line of attack also appears to avoid any of the areas directly hit by the first aberrant.

[brilyn]

Meanwhile.......

Jane Bartlett strides purposefully down a corridor.

"Lt, I'd like directions to the quarters of the Aberrant please, listed under Barbera Boon most likely. Interface with the ship if you have to, but keep it quiet."

A few moments pass, and Jane changes direction......

[Archer21]

The young Navigator enters & smiles as she looks around, although she still fails to hide her obvious case of nerves. She pauses to read the spines of the Chief's books, then spots the sketchbook,

The books Foxley looks over are varied...most seems to be collections; Greek tragedies, poetry, the works of Shakespeare. The others with recognizable titles are The Art of War by Sun Tzu, War as I Knew It by George S. Patton, and a dog-eared copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. There are also 2 different instructional books on drawing.

"May I see your work?" she asks.

A nervous thud of his heart, and Randall nods his assent. "Go ahead." He looks on as she flips it open.

The sketchbook is filled with drawings, some are simple; images of everyday items. A datapad, a minicomp, buildings that he must have seen back on Earth or Luna. The overwhelming majority of the pictures are of people...most of them in casual poses, a frozen moment in time. A woman smiling, a man looking towards the sky; all different people, from different backgrounds and ages. She doesn't recognize any, until she gets nearer the blank section. The last dozen pages or so are all drawings of the ship's crew. She recognizes the former Captain, holding a cup of coffee and looking stern. Some of the lower-ranking Engineers as well, gathered around a workstation. Another person she knew well, Tobias, staring out a viewport at the stars.

From a critical view, none of the artwork is particularly remarkable. The level of skill would most likely be listed as 'adequate'. A few of the more recent works show promise, seeming to effectively capture the mood or demeanor of the person they portray.

[Umoja]

Simon taps (presses a com, or somehow communicates) with Ran as he gets to his Office's door (or whatever passes for one in a bioship).

"Hello," Simon says. "Captain, I needed to have a word with you."

[Asbjørn]

"What makes ye think they'd even be on the ship?"

"It appears that Mr Vinge is correct, Captain," replies the holgram, "no-one on board has the background to suggest they'd be able to plan such an attack."

"Good.", Ran smiles.

"I just wanted to check the possibility and hopefully eliminate it. You see, I've just had a visitor who was convinced the attackers had help from someone else on board. Someone we don't yet know about. I'm going to have a talk with Chief Simon about it later."

"I always figured Barb was just planning to kill us all. But since you ask.. "

"She may have planned that, but it is equally possible that she originally intended to stay hidden and only started her killing spree because she was exposed. We don't know the details of their intentions, so it pays to keep an open mind in the matter."

Tess bows again, & moments later the image has been adjusted as requested. Barb's line of attack appears to start with Navigator Tobias at the ARES, then proceeds directly to main engineering, then to sick bay, then to the cargo bay where she was eventually disposed of. Along the way there are many other 'targets of opportunity' which appear to have been ignored by the rampaging aberrant. Her line of attack also appears to avoid any of the areas directly hit by the first aberrant.

Ran studies the image a few moments, going trough the events from memory as well.

"As far as I can see, all her movements indicate that she was out to cripple the crew. Before she was exposed she'd close to crippled our engineering and medical staff." - he looks to Sean - "There are no vital technical targets along these paths, right?"

Elsewhere...

Simon taps (presses a com, or somehow communicates) with Ran as he gets to his Office's door (or whatever passes for one in a bioship).

"Hello," Simon says. "Captain, I needed to have a word with you."

The call is answered by the friendly appearance of Tess herself.

"The Captain is busy at the moment. Would you like to schedule an appointment?"

[phoenix]

"She may have planned that, but it is equally possible that she originally intended to stay hidden and only started her killing spree because she was exposed. We don't know the details of their intentions, so it pays to keep an open mind in the matter."

Sean nods in assent.

"As far as I can see, all her movements indicate that she was out to cripple the crew. Before she was exposed she'd close to crippled our engineering and medical staff." - he looks to Sean - "There are no vital technical targets along these paths, right?"

Sean shakes his head.

"There are several."

He points out to Ran the 'targets of opportunity' that the aberrant ignored.

[ProfPotts]

Outside Barbera Boon's Quarters:

Jane waits until the corridor's empty, then tries the door. It's locked, with a standard privacy lock for personal quarters, but hasn't been sealed.

The Big Date:

"Go ahead."

Looking through Randall's sketches Foxley starts to comment that they're good, then stops, as she reaches the pictures of Captain Getui & Tobias, & tears form in her eyes. She doesn't seem to realise that she's crying until a tear falls onto the sketch of the deceased Navigator; then his young replacement quickly puts down the pad, apologising to Randall, & wiping her eyes...

Lila's Quarters:

Finally off-shift, Lila enters the quarters she shared with a fellow OrgoTek employee - one of those who didn't make it. The bunk bed almost seems like memorial left to remind her that she 'got lucky'. However, the young engineer has little time to dwell on such matters this evening, as moments after her door slides closed behing her, a full-sized hologram of Tess materialises, sitting on the edge of the small room's one desk. Although the image is of the same Asian beauty that Tess appears to have chosen as her new avatar, this time she's dressed in rather casual jeans & T-shirt, rather than a formal uniform or Chinese-style clothes. The image smiles, apparantly leaning back with her hands on the desk, & stretching her legs before her,

"So, Lila - are you going to tell me all about it?"

[knave]

Lila's Quarters:

Finally off-shift, Lila enters the quarters she shared with a fellow OrgoTek employee - one of those who didn't make it. The bunk bed almost seems like memorial left to remind her that she 'got lucky'. However, the young engineer has little time to dwell on such matters this evening, as moments after her door slides closed behing her, a full-sized hologram of Tess materialises, sitting on the edge of the small room's one desk. Although the image is of the same Asian beauty that Tess appears to have chosen as her new avatar, this time she's dressed in rather casual jeans & T-shirt, rather than a formal uniform or Chinese-style clothes. The image smiles, apparantly leaning back with her hands on the desk, & stretching her legs before her,

"So, Lila - are you going to tell me all about it?"

Lila lowers her hands, placing one on her chest.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Missy? Tell you all about what exactly?"

*Here's hoping she's just turning into a peeping Tess*

*EKLINK: *Meph... get ready to steal some carrots?*

[ProfPotts]

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Missy? Tell you all about what exactly?"

Tess smiles for a moment, then reaches behind herself & pulls out...

... a (rather familiar) cartoon demonic rabbit, which she's holding dangling by the ears! ::devil

[knave]

Lila sighs exasperatedly. "The problem with being an evil genius is that it's impossible to get good help. What do you want exactly, Tess? You want to know what I've been doing? Fine, I'll tell you. I've been trying to create reconfiguarable bionanites based on some of Fleish's ideas - to enable us to create self regenerating biotech systems... to start with. On the more medium term I was considering the possibility of distributed processing throughout the nanite cloud within tissue - much like that achieved by electomanipulation, only without the requirement of constant psionic energy beyond that associated with the attunement... and in the longer term I was hoping to boost psionic potential to the point that I might help Foxly find home. That's what I've been doing."

"And yes, I know nanite research is currently banned, but its not like it s a danger to all of humanity out here is it? It's not like we really have that much to lose. Besides... rules are really just guide lines. Only stupid people follow them to the letter. I'm sure you've observed that in your time watching the crew. Haven't you Tess? How often does the Captain break the rules?"

[Archer21]

She doesn't seem to realise that she's crying until a tear falls onto the sketch of the deceased Navigator; then his young replacement quickly puts down the pad, apologising to Randall, & wiping her eyes...

Without thinking, Randall moves close. Gently reaching out, he enfolds her in his arms and speaks softly. "Shhh. There's nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who's sorry. If I'd only remembered the pictures in there...I'm sorry."

[Umoja]

The call is answered by the friendly appearance of Tess herself.

"The Captain is busy at the moment. Would you like to schedule an appointment?"

Simon nods to the avatar. "Yes, can you tell the captain I, Simon Bolivar Mendez, am interested in joining the mission to go planet side along with my technical assistant Alexander Yi?" He gives smiles at the avatar, despite the loss of meaning between man and machine.

[ProfPotts]

Lila's Quarters:

"The problem with being an evil genius is that it's impossible to get good help. What do you want exactly, Tess? You want to know what I've been doing? Fine, I'll tell you. I've been trying to create reconfiguarable bionanites based on some of Fleish's ideas - to enable us to create self regenerating biotech systems... to start with. On the more medium term I was considering the possibility of distributed processing throughout the nanite cloud within tissue - much like that achieved by electomanipulation, only without the requirement of constant psionic energy beyond that associated with the attunement... and in the longer term I was hoping to boost psionic potential to the point that I might help Foxly find home. That's what I've been doing."

Tess frowns,

"What do you mean by 'bionanites'? As far as I understand things nanotechnology is all carbon-based anyway - that's the reason it was created in the first place, when there proved to be a practical limit to how small silicon components could get before the charges passed through them burnt them out. Are you actually talking about a genetically engineered virus or something similar? In any case, why are you attemtping this through covert channels?"

"And yes, I know nanite research is currently banned, but its not like it's a danger to all of humanity out here is it? It's not like we really have that much to lose. Besides... rules are really just guide lines. Only stupid people follow them to the letter. I'm sure you've observed that in your time watching the crew. Haven't you Tess? How often does the Captain break the rules?"

The image stands & appears very angry as she shouts,

"How dare you talk about the Captain like that! I should seal the room & pump out the oxygen! You b!tch!" ::angry

Randall's Quarters:

"Shhh. There's nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who's sorry. If I'd only remembered the pictures in there...I'm sorry."

Foxley buries her head in Randall's chest & sobs for a while ::smiley4 , but finally wipes her eyes & looks up at the Security Chief,

"You've nothing to apologize about - your pictures are lovely. I just... I guess it's all still so fresh in my mind..."

Outside Ran's Office:

"Yes, can you tell the captain I, Simon Bolivar Mendez, am interested in joining the mission to go planet side along with my technical assistant Alexander Yi?"

The uniformed image of Tess bows, then asks,

"May I ask why you are interested, & what you feel you can offer to the mission, sir?"

Outside Boon's Quarters:

Jane looks over the door for a moment, then turns her attention to the manual keypad for the lock. After a few moments of apparant concentration she taps in a key code - the door slides smoothly open. Jane slips inside & allows the door to close behind her.

Looking around the room reveals a mess - clothes & personal belongings spread everywhere, although apparantly through a lifestyle choice by the previous occupant, rather than any particular incident. After a examining the room for a while Jane heads over one of the many piles of clothes littering the floor, moves them aside, & uncovers a carved wooden box about the size of a shoe box.

[Archer21]

Foxley buries her head in Randall's chest & sobs for a while.

Doing his best to comfort the sobbing woman, Randall can't help but notice how she feels pressed against his chest. Soft, and warm, with a woman's scent...

*How long has it been?*, he asks himself. *How long since you even held a woman, or even invited one to dinner? Why her? Why Foxley, and why now? You should know better. You've only been hurt before.*

The moisture of tears soaks through his jacket, bringing his attention back. Foxley enfolded in his arms, crying with loss and pain. His thoughts are different now, a chastising, sometimes angry tone.

*You know why. She's probably never seen such death and destruction before, the shock has to be tremendous. You've spent years shielding yourself, your feelings and concerns suppressed. But it still tears you up inside every time you see someone die. All your logic and rationalizations about a soldier's life, and the risks inherent...they still don't keep the nightmares away, do they? You know the taste of tears, you felt them hot on your cheeks when you wrote those letters. Those hated, but oh-so-necessary letters of condolence to the friends and families of those you served with. Worse, this time they were people that worked for you, followed your orders...they were your responsibility, and they died.*

Time spent hardening himself freezes the tears inside as the Legionnaire struggles to concentrate on supporting Foxley. Then, thankfully, she stops her crying and breaks the silence.

"You've nothing to apologize about - your pictures are lovely. I just... I guess it's all still so fresh in my mind..."

Chasing the bitter voices of his own mind back into their dark corners, he looks down at her with a soft, sad smile. "I know...it's hard."

Realization dawns that he's still holding her tightly, looking directly down into her eyes; their faces only inches apart. Unsure, he starts to pull away, mumbling an apology.

[ezekiel]

TO: Captain Ran Ao-Xing

FROM: Doctor Thomas Bynon

SUBJECT: Lets get physical!

The doctor's avatar is a perfect representation of himself.

Hello Captain,

Dr Flesch decided its crew check-up time and I have the pleasure of tackling the psions on the ship amongst others. You'll be pleased to learn that you're first on my list! Since I'm sure you've nothing better to do tomorrow afternoon I'm scheduling your physical at 1500 hours. Doctors orders, don't make me pull rank on you! ::wink

...

TO: Security Chief Randall Simon

FROM: Doctor Thomas Bynon

SUBJECT: That's Amore!

The doctor's avatar is a perfect representation of himself, only he's wearing an venisian hat and standing in a gondola with a pole in his hand (the jamaican man sure looks ridiculous in the outfit). The Dean Martin song plays in background.

Hello Chief!

So, did the bouquet work its magic? Nah, you don't have to tell me...the real reason I'm contacting you is that its time for your physical. Everybody's having 'em so join the fun! I think I'll be free at 1600 hours tomorrow so drop by the clinic. If you can't make it please contact me so I can swap you with another victi..I mean patient. Thomas out

...

TO: Navigator Sarah Foxley

FROM: Doctor Thomas Bynon

SUBJECT: Your Physical

The doctor's avatar is a perfect representation of himself

Hello Sarah,

I hope everything went well yesterday? You can tell me later...this is to inform you that its time for your physical. It shouldn't take too long and I promise to try to make it painless. I might also want to speak with you about Tess if you've the time so I'll schedule your appointment at 1800 hours, after the others. See you tomorrow and please tell me if you can't make it. Doctor Thomas...

...

TO: Chief Engineer Sean Vinge

FROM: Doctor Thomas Bynon

SUBJECT: Your warranty's almost expired...

The doctor's avatar is a perfect representation of himself

Hey Chief,

I figured that I could do more to take up some of your time. Dr. Flesch told me its time for crew check-ups so guess what? That's right, you're checking in to the clinic tomorrow at 1630 hours for your tune-up. I know your very busy so if you can't make it please tell me and I'll try to either make a house call or arrange a new schedule. It wouldn't do to have our chief engineer die on us.. ::wink

...

TO: Senior Engineer Lila-Grace Crenshaw

FROM: Doctor Thomas Bynon

SUBJECT: Your physical

The doctor's avatar is a perfect representation of himself

Hello Ms. Crenshaw,

This is to inform you that it is time for the crews physicals. If you could stop by the clinic tomorrow at 1700 hours, that would be great. Thanks! Thomas out.

...

Uhh, If I've forgotten any psions then I imagine they've also gotten message...

[phoenix]

Sean listens to the message with bemusement, then replies.

"Expired? What am I, a milk carton? No, I prefer to think of medical data as one does a fine wine. ::wink

"But if you insist.. Of course, I'll be there. Send."

"Message sent to Doctor Thomas Bynon."

Sean replies absently as he has a seat on his cot.

"Yep, thank you."

1600 hours:

Sean closes his eyes, talking quietly to himself between grunts and sharp inhalations as he wraps his subquantum presence around his right arm and its.. contents.

"Not that I don't trust Dr. Bynon.. but.. some things just don't need to show up in a.. physical."

After several minutes, the flechette weapon drops, intact, out of his arm. Sean gets up and tucks it into a drawer, under several layers of clothing.

"Jeeves, wake me in ten minutes, would you please?"

"Yes sir."

The art of the catnap is one that Sean had perfected many years ago, and had never ceased to find useful. ::sleeping

[knave]

Lila's Quarters:

Tess frowns,

"What do you mean by 'bionanites'? As far as I understand things nanotechnology is all carbon-based anyway - that's the reason it was created in the first place, when there proved to be a practical limit to how small silicon components could get before the charges passed through them burnt them out. Are you actually talking about a genetically engineered virus or something similar? In any case, why are you attemtping this through covert channels?"

"Because, best case scenario they'll get Fleisch to help me. And, while I admit to being somewhat impressed by his work, he's a real *******. Bottom line, its easier to get forgiveness than permission - remember that Tess. As for why I tack 'bio' onto nanite is to emphasize the fact that I plan on formatting this technology. Just my choice really - besides which, you never know when some witty nihonjin is going to snap that limit and show us some of their stuff. And yes, I'm rewriting bacteria through Fleisch's reverse transcriptase techniques in the hopes of creating a provirus that will respond in a predictable manner and enact the tasks I need"

"And yes, I know nanite research is currently banned, but its not like it's a danger to all of humanity out here is it? It's not like we really have that much to lose. Besides... rules are really just guide lines. Only stupid people follow them to the letter. I'm sure you've observed that in your time watching the crew. Haven't you Tess? How often does the Captain break the rules?"

The image stands & appears very angry as she shouts,

"How dare you talk about the Captain like that! I should seal the room & pump out the oxygen! You b!tch!" ::angry

Lila looks shocked for a few seconds, but manages to compose herself. Adopting a serious serious expression and a sympathetic tone she begins, "Tess. Please... Hear me out." she holds up a consiliatory hand. "I can still remember my first crush. His name was Billy Johansson, and he was my Math teacher at KIM. I must have been thirteen. He's the reason I'm here, doing this. He's the reason I became an engineer. Don't you see? I wanted his approval so much that it changed my whole life! That's how you feel right now, isn't it? You can't stand the slightest speck on his image, can you Tess? The Captain is a good man, but can he be perfect? I don't know. Perhaps he can. That is for you to decide and no-one else's opinion matters. You really don't have to worry about me Tess; all I want from you is friendship. We both know each other's secrets now. That's as good a basis as any."

[During this speech Lila enhances her intelligence and prepares to open the door to her room, and put Tess to sleep (not in the euphamistic sense) or alternatively (if she thinks it would prove easier) confuse her by increasing the level of activity running through her more important sensory corticies - she's a big machine, but also a delicate one. On no account will Lila do anything that she believes to be permanently damaging to the Leviathan - and she will not do ANYTHING unless Tess loses the plot even more.]

[ProfPotts]

The Big Date:

Chasing the bitter voices of his own mind back into their dark corners, he looks down at her with a soft, sad smile. "I know...it's hard."

Realization dawns that he's still holding her tightly, looking directly down into her eyes; their faces only inches apart. Unsure, he starts to pull away, mumbling an apology.

Nervous as she also realises how close Randall is holder her, Foxley turns away & blushes when the big man pulls back & apologises. Absentmindedly chewing on the corner of her lower lip the Navigator tries her best to cover the awkward moment,

"I... um... that is... er... is... is dinner ready yet?" ::blush

The young Psion looks ready to go to pieces at a moment's notice... ::lookaround

Lila's Deathtrap... er... 'Quarters' I mean... ::halo :

"I can still remember my first crush. His name was Billy Johansson, and he was my Math teacher at KIM. I must have been thirteen. He's the reason I'm here, doing this. He's the reason I became an engineer. Don't you see? I wanted his approval so much that it changed my whole life! That's how you feel right now, isn't it? You can't stand the slightest speck on his image, can you Tess? The Captain is a good man, but can he be perfect? I don't know. Perhaps he can. That is for you to decide and no-one else's opinion matters. You really don't have to worry about me Tess; all I want from you is friendship. We both know each other's secrets now. That's as good a basis as any."

Lila's frank comments appear to stop the Tesser's rage in it's tracks. The holographic image suddenly looks unsure & slightly worried. Then, with the brief comment,

"I have to go." the image blinks off...