Trinity Universe: Dreams of Dragons

[Xem]

"Just wait here and officer Simon will be with you in a moment, sir."

"What, no chair?" Said a Chinese man dressed in a Kostbaar suit.

The security officer shrugged, "Deal with it." she suggested as she walked down the corridor.

Zhao Quan stood in the corridor, opposite a door with the words: Security Chief Randall Simon stenciled upon it, and looked around for something to distract him from the task of waiting. After looking over the featureless corridor and scrutinizing the lettering on the door for a good minute, Quan leaned back against the wall, reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a pair of sunglasses with a throat mike attached. The HUDset came to life as he put them on and the image of an unfinished chess game came into view.

As Quan played he thought about everything that had happened since he arrived on the Kai Xing. He had arrived on the ship along with the UN delegation, the official respresentative of Orgotek at the Kai Xing's opening ceremony. Quan had called in favors, scratched some backs, and even done some office campaigning in order to secure this assignment. He thought would get his face on the news and maybe bring him to the attention of the top executives at Orgotek, but those aberrants had to show up and ruin the party.

Now the Kai Xing was lost in space, with the possibility of further aberrant attacks and no idea when or if they would get back to Earth. For the first few hours Quan lay on his bed in his newly assigned room, trying to change the situation by wishing that it didn't happen. Realizing that he wouldn't change anything lying aroung doing nothing, Quan thought of how he could contribute. Knowing that the ship didn't need a financial accountant and that he wasn't a very good engineer, he decided to become a security officer. The mandatory weapons training that Orgotek put him through made him a lot more capable for the job than most of the survivors, plus he would get to carry a gun and being armed would make Quan feel much better about the current situation.

And that brought Quan to the present, where he was just finishing up his chess game.

"Checkmate." Said the Friday avatar, the image of the English butler looking somewhat smug. "Would you like to play another game, sir?"

"No, not right now." The chessboard and the avatar blinked out. Quan removed the HUDset and placed it back into his coat pocket. He wondered what people back on Earth were thinking about the disappearance of the Kai Xing. Maybe everyone was in an uproar and the Orders were frantically searching for them, or maybe people thought the Kai Xing was destroyed and Orgotek had already filled in his old job...

[ProfPotts]

The Gym:

Hiro is fast, but Randall is faster, pulling his head away from the punch, & stepping into his trip attempt. In return, the Nihonjin pilot easily avoids the trip, going so far as to turn her jump over the offending foot into an impressive backflip which takes her to the other end of the mat. She grins at the Security Chief as she relaxes back into her fighting stance,

"Smooth, but basic, Sir. Are you warmed-up yet?" ::sly

The Conference Room:

"Hello Tess, how are you feeling today?"

The small figure of a young Asian woman looks towards Tom & replies,

"I'm still a little sad, Doctor, but I won't let it interfere with my duties."

The image's eyes flick briefly towards Ran, then back again.

"Your systems are all working fine?"

The image nods,

"As well as can be expected in the circumstances. Chief Engineer Vinge has done a fine job, but even so, some components just weren't available. I'd like very much to return to the docks for a refit, but I realise that isn't possible right now. Would you like a copy of the ongoing repair schedule?"

Tess's avatar doesn't look too convinced that Tom would appreciate such a thing, but asks anyway - if only to be polite.

"Could you tell me why you chose to change your avatar?"

The avatar's eyes again flick for a moment to Ran, then back to Tom as she answers,

"Certainly. I felt that a change was needed. The Captain kindly provided the most detailed avatar specifications I have ever encountered, & I created this composite from elements of what I found. I hope I meet with your approval."

"Tess... Do you think that we were brought to this star system? And if so... do you have any idea as to why?"

The avatar turns to face Lila, & bows,

"Crewman Crenshaw. Tob...", she trails off for a moment, unable to bring herself to say the name, "... my previous Navigator brought us to this star-system, although I'm not sure if he wanted to. I... It was my first jump, after all... I'm... I'm not sure if they're supposed to feel like that or not..."

Elsewhere:

Grabbing Simon (who must have had his room-comm' turned off, forcing Alex to find him in person), Alexander Yi heads off towards the gym, making a few minor adjustments to the vidspecs he always wears as he goes...

On the way to the gym, the reporters come across one of the VIPs waiting outside the Security Chief's office. Thinking carefully, Simon manages to drag up his memories of the passenger list, & recalls that the man standing by the door is one Mr Zhao, the Orgotek business representative on-board...

[Archer21]

"Smooth, but basic, Sir. Are you warmed-up yet?"

The chief chuckles, and rubs his chin. "Impressive. Ok, I can step away from the basics for you."

With a quick exhalation, Randall darts forward at full speed. Blindingly fast, his right hand shoots forward in a palm heel strike to the solar plexus. Following a microsecond behind, his left hand chops down in an axehand aimed at Hiro's collarbone.

[ezekiel]

The small figure of a young Asian woman looks towards Tom & replies,

"I'm still a little sad, Doctor, but I won't let it interfere with my duties."

The image's eyes flick briefly towards Ran, then back again.

Thomas nods and smiles knowingly

"Its perfectly normal to feel sad under the circumstances...You still have to overcome it though. If you wish to talk about it sometime, ask me how people get over their loss, feel free to ask."

,,

"As well as can be expected in the circumstances. Chief Engineer Vinge has done a fine job, but even so, some components just weren't available. I'd like very much to return to the docks for a refit, but I realise that isn't possible right now. Would you like a copy of the ongoing repair schedule?"

Tess's avatar doesn't look too convinced that Tom would appreciate such a thing, but asks anyway - if only to be polite.

Tome shakes his head

"That won't be necessary Tess, I'm sure Mr. Vinge is doing all that he can for you..."

The avatar's eyes again flick for a moment to Ran, then back to Tom as she answers,

"Certainly. I felt that a change was needed. The Captain kindly provided the most detailed avatar specifications I have ever encountered, & I created this composite from elements of what I found. I hope I meet with your approval."

Tom looks at the captain with a surprised look on his face

"Really? When did the captain provide you with these specifications? It's not my place to either approve or disapprove your choice of avatar...Why did you feel a change was needed?"

"Crewman Crenshaw. Tob...", she trails off for a moment, unable to bring herself to say the name, "... my previous Navigator brought us to this star-system, although I'm not sure if he wanted to. I... It was my first jump, after all... I'm... I'm not sure if they're supposed to feel like that or not..."

"Who was navigator before Foxley, Tess [...] Do you feel you would be ready to jump again?"

[ProfPotts]

The Gym:

Hiro takes a step to one side as her forearm comes across to block Randall's palm-strike, but fails to anticipate the Chief's follow-up attack, which lands across the Asian woman's shoulder. The Nihonjin warrior winces at the bruising attack, but doesn't allow the blow to stop her from spinning out of her step to bring her foot whiping-round towards Randall's head in a wheel-kick. The kick misses the Chief by a whisker, & Hiro backs to the centre of the mat, the two fighters having reversed positions in the exchange of blows. She eyes her opponent warily & rolls her neck & shoulder where Randall's blow landed,

"You're fast, Sir. Fastest I've seen. Apart from the aberrants that is." ::sly

The Conference Room:

"Really? When did the captain provide you with these specifications?"

"They were in his minicomp when he talked to me."

"Why did you feel a change was needed?"

"I... It was for the best."

"Who was navigator before Foxley, Tess?"

"I... I'd rather not think about..."

The image looks pale as tiny holographic tears start to flow down her face, & turns to Ran for help...

"Do you feel you would be ready to jump again?"

"I... I'll do my best... If I have to. But it hurts so much..."

The hologram breaks down completely into floods of tears, & the next moment the projection snaps off.

[ezekiel]

"I... I'd rather not think about..."

The image looks pale as tiny holographic tears start to flow down her face, & turns to Ran for help...

"I... I'll do my best... If I have to. But it hurts so much..."

The hologram breaks down completely into floods of tears, & the next moment the projection snaps off.

"I..I'm sorry Tess...We'll talk again later."

Thomas frowns a bit at the sudden disappearance then looks at the captain with raised eyebrows

"Well...she certainly looks up to you, Captain. - looking at all three people - is there any place where we can talk in private?"

Tom raises a finger to his ears and to the ceiling, signaling he'd like privacy from Tess

[Umoja]

Simon stops mid-run, and you swear, his neck litterally stretches as he stares at Zhao. He quickly turns around, and speaking in Spanish he quickly says "Alex, could you do me a favor and maybe get some footage?" He gives Alex his 'I'm the coolest sudamerican reporter to ever grace the face of the earth, so obviously I have magical reporter intuition' look.

Looking back to Zhao, he quickly brings up his avatar. "Record this conversation." He mumbles quietly in Portugese, being Tri-lingual is only made more fun when his avatar, a Watson, speaks Portugese.

Simon speaks Chinese, sterotyping people based on name is always a good policy to start off an interview. His Chinese is spoken like a jett setting Sudamerican though. It sounds annoying. "Mr. Zhao, being that you are the Orgotek Representative here, how would you respond to allegations that your company has been involved in not only disreputable business practices, but is only using this ship in an attempt to further it's monopoly on the Psi market?" He pauses, but starts speaking again before Zhao even responds. "Furthermore, how does your company expect to duplicate similar orders powers? Or are those trade secrets? Or perhaps the duplicating teleportation is simply for humanitarian purposes? Of course, since you no longer are in communication, to my knowledge, with Orgotek, what do you currently do?"

[Archer21]

The kick misses the Chief by a whisker, & Hiro backs to the centre of the mat, the two fighters having reversed positions in the exchange of blows. She eyes her opponent warily & rolls her neck & shoulder where Randall's blow landed,

"You're fast, Sir. Fastest I've seen. Apart from the aberrants that is."

Randall smiles. "I'll take that as a compliment. You're not so bad yourself."

In a wordless rush, he closes the gap again. Leaping into the air, he snaps his left foot in a front kick to the VARG pilot's midsection, then twirls mid-air and whips his right leg around, aiming for her head.

((OOC: This is the same kick Neo uses against the guard at the end of the lobby scene, before he enters the elevator with Trinity.))

[Asbjørn]

Standing at ease with his arms behind his back, Ran listens to Tom, Lila and Tess' conversation. He does not join in, and is quiet until she leaves.

Thomas frowns a bit at the sudden disappearance then looks at the captain with raised eyebrows

"Well...she certainly looks up to you, Captain. - looking at all three people - is there any place where we can talk in private?"

Tom raises a finger to his ears and to the ceiling, signaling he'd like privacy from Tess

"It appears she does. I still understand too little of her thought processes to understand fully what that means, I'm afraid."

At Tom's question of privacy, Ran smiles.

"I have every confidence that although these walls do have ears, you need not worry about privacy aboard the Kai Xing."

Ran's voice seems to continue speaking without his mouth moving as he raises a finger to his temple and looks around to meet the gaze of all present.

*However, if you insist... Here is as good a place as any.*

[ezekiel]

Ran's voice seems to continue speaking without his mouth moving as he raises a finger to his temple and looks around to meet the gaze of all present.

*However, if you insist... Here is as good a place as any.*

"Can the others...?"

*Sorry, old habits die hard. Can the others hear us?*

Thomas shares a look with all listening

*It took me less than a minute to break her down into tears; she is not ready to jump. I'm afraid the trauma from any new surprises at this stage could irreparably harm her psyche. She could be incapable of jumping ever again if the jump went awry in slightest. With respect sir, while I adore Ms. Foxley, she isn't exactly experienced...*

Tom's thoughts for a few seconds become jumbled as he thinks...

*I think what Tess has experienced is the closest thing to rape a tesser can come to. At least in human terms...considering she also lost her captain and navigator during the jump it may even be worse...Could I examine your minicomp, Captain? Whatever information she gleaned from it may aid me in my attempts to help her.*

[Asbjørn]

"Can the others...?"

*Sorry, old habits die hard. Can the others hear us?*

Ran nods, the affirmative gesture somehow being felt as well as seen.

*It took me less than a minute to break her down into tears; she is not ready to jump. I'm afraid the trauma from any new surprises at this stage could irreparably harm her psyche. She could be incapable of jumping ever again if the jump went awry in slightest. With respect sir, while I adore Ms. Foxley, she isn't exactly experienced...*

*Tess needs to gain confidence. It is essential that Foxley and Tess trust each other, and their teamwork must be tested at the earliest possibility. I am aware that Tess is far from secure in her own abilities, and that may very well be our first and greatest challenge.*

Tom's thoughts for a few seconds become jumbled as he thinks...

*I think what Tess has experienced is the closest thing to rape a tesser can come to. At least in human terms...considering she also lost her captain and navigator during the jump it may even be worse...Could I examine your minicomp, Captain? Whatever information she gleaned from it may aid me in my attempts to help her.*

Concentrating a little to keep Tom's - and everybody else's - subconscious thoughts out of the conversation, Ran replies

*The tessers have a very close relationship to their navigators. Her handling of Tobias' death is a very clear testament to this fact, and Foxley needs to reach the same level of trust as Tess had in Tobias. Time heals these wounds as well as any, but slowly. Had I better understood her mind I could have hastened the process, but we can not afford to take that risk. Anything you, or anyone of you, can do to help the process is greatly appreciated. My minicomp broke down when she looked through it, I'm afraid, so I don't know how much it will help. Engineering has it.*

[ProfPotts]

The Gym:

"I'll take that as a compliment. You're not so bad yourself."

The Nihonjin woman smiles & begins to step into an attack, when the Chief leaps at her. The VARG pilot reacts quickly, but (unlike the Chief) is still limited by the range of human ability - the front kick catches her midsection, causing her to wince, but she easily ducks the follow-up kick, spinning under the flamboyant move & putting some distance between her & the Legionnaire.

Through slightly gritted teeth Hiro mutters,

"Maybe a little too fast..."

Neither combatant pays much attention to the gymnasium door sliding open to allow Alex Yi to enter, vidspecs already recording the action - both warriors are too aware of their opponent's ability to risk shifting their focus for even a second...

[ezekiel]

*Tess needs to gain confidence. It is essential that Foxley and Tess trust each other, and their teamwork must be tested at the earliest possibility. I am aware that Tess is far from secure in her own abilities, and that may very well be our first and greatest challenge.*

Tom shakes his head

*I agree with everything you said Captain, except testing their teamwork at the earliest opportunity. If Tess confronts what happened and learns to accept it, then we can consider jumping. As is, instead of confronting her feelings she's created a new persona and if she's forced to look back on the incident she collapses...like when I asked her about Tobias. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to think of what could happen if Tess had to go through another jump initiation sequence...she's only done it once, with Tobias. Memories are bound to come back.*

Tom looks Ran in the eyes

*Captain, when I said she looks up to you I didn't say it lightly. I believe she's relying heavily on you as a psychological crutch. It's much easier for her to do what she's told than facing her fears. The reasons for this may be because you're the captain of the ship now...but more likely in my opinion is that you were linked with Tobias, and therefore Tess as well, when the incident happened. She may look to you as a "fellow survivor" and only figure who might have an idea of what she went through. The fact that she's chosen a very attractive avatar, presumably taken from specifications in your comp, something that could please you, makes me think that pleasing you is the Key-Stone of her psyche right now. If she loses that there's no telling what damage it would do. If you ask her to jump, captain, she will. If she fails for any reason she could retreat back to her shell and this time it won't be so easy to take her out again...and that's not taking into account what would happen if something outside of her control went wrong during the jump.*

[Archer21]

The Nihonjin woman smiles & begins to step into an attack, when the Chief leaps at her. The VARG pilot reacts quickly, but (unlike the Chief) is still limited by the range of human ability - the front kick catches her midsection, causing her to wince, but she easily ducks the follow-up kick, spinning under the flamboyant move & putting some distance between her & the Legionnaire.

Through slightly gritted teeth Hiro mutters,

"Maybe a little too fast..."

Inwardly grateful that Hiro ducked his second kick, Randall pauses to let her catch her breath. Maintaining a ready position, he watches her carefully, not wanting to injure her badly in a simple sparring match.

[knave]

Lila has been listening to the Captain and Tom thoughtfully.

"Um... we are extemely undermanned anyway. We are ALL relying on each other right now.... and it's the Captain's job to be a psychological crutch for the crew. Tess is part of the crew, just like anyone else. Psychology takes years unless it uses drastic therapy, though I'm sure you know more about that than me... We don't really have years.... I think we should jump and see how we hold together..."

"Meph, do we have anyone onboard with Vitakinetic skill in the Mentasis mode?"

"Perhaps they can help me whip up some biotech moodies?"

[Xem]

Quan watches quietly as Simon passes him in the hallway, notices the executive, and doubles back with a predatory look.

A reporter, Quan thinks. Considering the circumstances, I don't think I can use that 'Orgotek will lead the way' speech I had prepared. I'll just have to wing it. Remember what the HR guys told you, Quan: remain calm and never admit to anything...

"Mr. Zhao, being that you are the Orgotek Representative here, how would you respond to allegations that your company has been involved in not only disreputable business practices, but is only using this ship in an attempt to further it's monopoly on the Psi market? Furthermore, how does your company expect to duplicate similar orders powers? Or are those trade secrets? Or perhaps the duplicating teleportation is simply for humanitarian purposes? Of course, since you no longer are in communication, to my knowledge, with Orgotek, what do you currently do?"

Quan straightens up and smiles as Simon asks his questions. He looks quite photogenic with his spiky black hair and his blue eyes, which match well with his dark blue Kostbaar suit. When Simon is finished Quan answers in Chinese. "Well, sir, these allegations that Orgotek is engaging in disreputable practices are completely without truth. Orgotek is simply a well-run corporation that is trying to improve the lives of everyone on Earth and the colonies and to do it all with a low cost to the consumer. It is a free market system and if other companies cannot keep up with us it is not our problem."

"I would also like to state that Orgotek is not attempting to duplicate psionic abilities of our brother and sister orders. It is true that the Kai Xing was built by Orgotek, but not out of any ulterioir motive. The disappearance of the Upeo Wa Macho was a tragic event, and a devastating blow to the colonies, but humanity must move forward; so Orgotek has sunk countless hours of research and billions of yuan into developing the jumpships. We were not alone in this project, the Qin embassy, as well as the Aeon Trinity, worked alongside Orgotek in order to develop what you see here." Quan makes a sweeping gesture, indicating the Kai Xing. He adjusts his shirt collar before continuing.

"As to what I am doing now, my official file would state that I am acting as Orgotek's representative aboard the Kai Xing for its opening ceremony. In the current situation that does not amount to much, however. I am currently waiting to speak with security chief Simon to see in what way I can help to improve the current situation."

"I don't believe we have been properly introduced, Mr. ..."

[Umoja]

Quan straightens up and smiles as Simon asks his questions. He looks quite photogenic with his spiky black hair and his blue eyes, which match well with his dark blue Kostbaar suit. When Simon is finished Quan answers in Chinese. "Well, sir, these allegations that Orgotek is engaging in disreputable practices are completely without truth. Orgotek is simply a well-run corporation that is trying to improve the lives of everyone on Earth and the colonies and to do it all with a low cost to the consumer. It is a free market system and if other companies cannot keep up with us it is not our problem."

"I would also like to state that Orgotek is not attempting to duplicate psionic abilities of our brother and sister orders. It is true that the Kai Xing was built by Orgotek, but not out of any ulterioir motive. The disappearance of the Upeo Wa Macho was a tragic event, and a devastating blow to the colonies, but humanity must move forward; so Orgotek has sunk countless hours of research and billions of yuan into developing the jumpships. We were not alone in this project, the Qin embassy, as well as the Aeon Trinity, worked alongside Orgotek in order to develop what you see here." Quan makes a sweeping gesture, indicating the Kai Xing. He adjusts his shirt collar before continuing.

"Mendez, Simon Bolivar Mendez." He doesn't dwell on that, but extends his hand to shake as he keeps talking. "So, having the monopoly on a certain psi power gives you powers to regulate the biotech market, I understand." He cracks his neck. "But, your corporation has had numerous advantages in the so-called 'free market', and to the knowledge of most Sudamerican people, your order has been using it's psi powers only to turn a profit, instead of working directly on human progress like groups like the ISRA, Aesclupians or the Norca. How does this reflect on the Aeon Trinity, an organization which seeks to control the growth of humanity, do they also hope to gain some of Orgotek's profits, or did you just 'give them' the Jumpships?" Simon scratches his lip, it's been ages since he's had any type of pill. He'd even settle for anti-cancer medicine about now, at least it'd do something. He takes in a quick breath of air, still shaking the guys hand as he assaults him with insane accusations. "Finally, the Qin, what part do they play in the creation of these ships? It's been shown they have a tendency to be telepathic, do we have a race of mind controlling things in suits making these ships? Perhaps you breed them? Or do they control the central tesser of this ship? Do they have a use for money, or is their society giving us this because of complete alturism?" Muckraker, that's what he's like, he seems content on trying to find something evil about those crazy Facist.

[ProfPotts]

Lila has been listening to the Captain and Tom thoughtfully.

[As explained in the OOC thread, no, she hasn't]

The Gym:

Hiro doesn't pause, but launches a classic crescent kick towards the Chief. Alexander Yi moves slowly further into the room, circling the mat for the best angles...

[Archer21]

Ducking the kick, Randall goes low, planting one hand for balance and going for a leg sweep while Hiro's other leg is still in the air.

*Here's to hoping she falls on her ass and gives up...* , he thinks to himself.

[ProfPotts]

The Gym:

Randall manages to duck the kick by a whisker, & slams his leg hard into his opponent's. The Nihonjin woman grunts with pain & topples backwards, but in an impressive display of acrobatics, manages to spring off her hands to land upright & ready to fight.

[Archer21]

Randall manages to duck the kick by a whisker, & slams his leg hard into his opponent's. The Nihonjin woman grunts with pain & topples backwards, but in an impressive display of acrobatics, manages to spring off her hands to land upright & ready to fight.

Shaking his head, the Legionnaire can't help but admire the VARG pilot's tenacity.

Standing upright, he looks Hiro directly in the eye, a hand up to forestall any attacks. "I am satisfied with my own performance. If you wish, we can stop now. I'm grateful for your help. If you wish to continue, well... In order to to beat you, I would have to put some serious effort into it, and I don't want either of us injured. However, I respect you, and I leave it to you. Do you really want to see who's going to win?"

[ProfPotts]

The Gym:

The VARG pilot eyes the Chief for a few moments, then straightens & bows (keeping her eyes on Randall's as she does so),

"I am pleased that I could help you practice, Sir. You are obviously the superior fighter. Although your technique is solid, it appears to lack the focus that devotion to a particular style permits - although your reflexes are incredible, Sir, & more than compensate for any shortcomings in your training."

Walking off the practice mat, Hiro brushes Yi aside, & allows herself to limp slightly as she heads into the changing room. Just before she leaves, the Nihonjin woman turns back to Randall,

"Thankyou for the practice, Sir. I look forward to sparing with you again." ::wink

A few moments later, & the sound of a shower can be heard from the ladies' changing room.

[Archer21]

"I am pleased that I could help you practice, Sir. You are obviously the superior fighter. Although your technique is solid, it appears to lack the focus that devotion to a particular style permits - although your reflexes are incredible, Sir, & more than compensate for any shortcomings in your training."

Randall nods politely. *Shortcomings in my training? Lack of focus? Hmmm...she may be right. I haven't given any serious time to hard practice in awhile. I'll have to address that.*

"Thankyou for the practice, Sir. I look forward to sparing with you again."

Bowing slightly in the manner of the Nihonjin, he thanks her in return. "No, thank you, Lieutenant. I also look forward to our next match."

After he hears the shower start, he grins and starts to whistle tunelessly to himself. After taking a moment to re-equip and step into his boots, Randall walks over to Yi. His uniform jacket still hanging open to show the shirt beneath, he puts on his most menacing smile, and wraps an arm around the videographer."I imagine you've other things to do besides making voyeuristic shower films. Why don't you take me to see your boss, hmm?"

((Assuming Alexander does so...))

A bit surprised that the trail leads back to his own office, Randall suppresses his irritation at seeing Simon interviewing...someone. Activating his minicomp with a subvocal command, he has the General run a search for matching personnel.

Viewing the data through his HUD contact lenses, he reviews the information. Maintaining his distance at about 3-4 meters away, he indicates for Yi to be quiet while he listens to the Orgotek rep's answers.

[ProfPotts]

"I imagine you've other things to do besides making voyeuristic shower films. Why don't you take me to see your boss, hmm?"

The media tech' looks slightly paniced & blushes deeply ::blush ,

"Yes!... er... I mean no... I mean I wasn't..."

The man's shoulders slump, as he gives up & turns towards the door,

"He's this way..."

Arriving at the interview scene, Alex makes sure to catch Simon's eye, but keeps back & stays quiet as Randall asks him to.

[Xem]

"Mendez, Simon Bolivar Mendez." He doesn't dwell on that, but extends his hand to shake as he keeps talking

Quan shakes Simon's hand and continues to listen to him as he speaks.

"So, having the monopoly on a certain psi power gives you powers to regulate the biotech market, I understand." But, your corporation has had numerous advantages in the so-called 'free market', and to the knowledge of most Sudamerican people, your order has been using it's psi powers only to turn a profit, instead of working directly on human progress like groups like the ISRA, Aesclupians or the Norca. How does this reflect on the Aeon Trinity, an organization which seeks to control the growth of humanity, do they also hope to gain some of Orgotek's profits, or did you just 'give them' the Jumpships? Finally, the Qin, what part do they play in the creation of these ships? It's been shown they have a tendency to be telepathic, do we have a race of mind controlling things in suits making these ships? Perhaps you breed them? Or do they control the central tesser of this ship? Do they have a use for money, or is their society giving us this because of complete alturism?"

Although his face does not show it, Quan's brain screams as Simon continues to ask insane questions. Wonderful, thinks Quan. My first interview and I end up trapped here with some tabloid reporter! I'll probably go mad before we get back to Earth...

Quan coughs as Simon finishes his barrage of questions. "Well, those are some very interesting questions there, Mr. Mendez. I never said that Orgotek regulates the biotech market. The fact that Alex Cassel is the Electrokinetic order's proxy does not mean that Orgotek has a monopoly on electrokinetics. Electrokinetics are not forced to work for Orgotek; it is true that we offer new electrokinetics a job, but it is just an offer. Many have turned us down and went to work for other companies, including competitor biotech firms!"

"Orgotek is concerned with profits to a degree, we are a company after all! But we also work tirelessly to improve the quality of life for everyone. We may not make always make the front page like the Aesclupians, with their continuous stream of medical breakthroughs, but we try to help as much as we are able to. I would also like to state that Orgotek did not 'get anything' out of building the jumpships. The ships were built for the sole purpose of providing a new means of space travel after the disappearance of the Teleporters, so that Earth could reestablish contact as soon as possible with its sister colonies."

"As to the Qin's involvement in the construction of the jumpships: 'We all shrivel when the ponds dry up.'" Quan mentally patted himself on the back for the Qin proverb. It would score him some points with the Qin embassy if they ever saw it and the public was hungry for anything about the secretive Qin. Realizing that no one would be able to understand that answer, he continued. "I am sorry, but I am not able to divulge what the Qin contributed to the jumpship project. You will have to ask the Qin ambassador himself about that."

"Any more questions, Mr. Mendez?"

[Umoja]

Simon glances over at Chief Simon ::ninja and then to Alex. "No, no further questions. Thank you." He presses a button on his minicomp.

Simon turns to look at Chief Simon. "Oh, I'm sure you have the information I need. I was curious to any other reporters on this ship, I know you have access to the crew manifest, and I think we'd be able to make a pretty damn good piece of news if we all worked together on this." Simon gives his 'I just took drugs a few weeks ago, and got you pissed off at me' smile that only a mother could love. ::bigsmile

[knave]

{urg... did it again... sorry gang... Since Ran was waiting for Lila to leave before starting his telepathic conversation, she'll go back to her nest in the access tubes and her biotech nanovirus experiments... ::devilangel }

[Asbjørn]

*I agree with everything you said Captain, except testing their teamwork at the earliest opportunity. If Tess confronts what happened and learns to accept it, then we can consider jumping. As is, instead of confronting her feelings she's created a new persona and if she's forced to look back on the incident she collapses...like when I asked her about Tobias. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to think of what could happen if Tess had to go through another jump initiation sequence...she's only done it once, with Tobias. Memories are bound to come back.*

*You misunderstand me, sir. We will have a few days now to work on getting her back on her feet, and we will take what time we have. But she needs to jump as soon as possible to know that she can do it, and a short jump like this under relatively controlled circumstances is much better than an emergency jump in the case of another attack.*

*Captain, when I said she looks up to you I didn't say it lightly. I believe she's relying heavily on you as a psychological crutch. It's much easier for her to do what she's told than facing her fears. The reasons for this may be because you're the captain of the ship now...but more likely in my opinion is that you were linked with Tobias, and therefore Tess as well, when the incident happened. She may look to you as a "fellow survivor" and only figure who might have an idea of what she went through. The fact that she's chosen a very attractive avatar, presumably taken from specifications in your comp, something that could please you, makes me think that pleasing you is the Key-Stone of her psyche right now. If she loses that there's no telling what damage it would do. If you ask her to jump, captain, she will. If she fails for any reason she could retreat back to her shell and this time it won't be so easy to take her out again...and that's not taking into account what would happen if something outside of her control went wrong during the jump.*

*Exactly. Which is why we need her first jump to be in a controlled situation. The longer we wait, the less secure our situation is.*

*As for her new persona, I don't believe that holds the same implications as it would for a human being in similar circumstances. The tessers all have a 'persona' of sorts, but it is 100% artificial and has little to do with the real Tess. In fact, it is mostly for our benfit to ease communication that they choose an avatar in the first place. Which of course emphasises your point about her wanting to please me, but not - I think - to the extent that we should be worried about a change of personality. It's very difficult to explain, I'm afraid, but her real mind is so alien to us - and ours to her - that I doubt that she sees any behavioral differences between a chinese girl and her previous avatar.*

Pausing a little to think in the privacy of his own mind, Ran adds a question

*Your professional opinion... If I do decide to have her jump before you think I should, would it affect her performance if I was with her telepathically?*

[ezekiel]

*You misunderstand me, sir. We will have a few days now to work on getting her back on her feet, and we will take what time we have. But she needs to jump as soon as possible to know that she can do it, and a short jump like this under relatively controlled circumstances is much better than an emergency jump in the case of another attack.*

Thomas nods

*I understand what you're saying captain. But if we do too much too soon we could end up with an inert tesser in the case of an emergency, which I'm sure you'll concede is much worse than just lacking jump capability....*

*Exactly. Which is why we need her first jump to be in a controlled situation. The longer we wait, the less secure our situation is.*

*Yes...when she's ready. When a woman gets raped you don't ask her boyfriend to jump right to it no matter how nice and easy...*

*As for her new persona, I don't believe that holds the same implications as it would for a human being in similar circumstances. The tessers all have a 'persona' of sorts, but it is 100% artificial and has little to do with the real Tess. In fact, it is mostly for our benfit to ease communication that they choose an avatar in the first place. Which of course emphasises your point about her wanting to please me, but not - I think - to the extent that we should be worried about a change of personality. It's very difficult to explain, I'm afraid, but her real mind is so alien to us - and ours to her - that I doubt that she sees any behavioral differences between a chinese girl and her previous avatar.*

*Captain, I may not be Dr. Flesch but please give me some credit. I'm fully aware of Tess's nature, dealing with alien intelligence is what I do. The fact that she changed avatar demonstrates that it isn't 100% artificial, she chose this avatar. Can you deny that her recent shutting down was due to an emotional response and that this could happen again? Whatever we do is your decision captain. I only think it's my responsibilty to advise on you on the possible consequences of any decision you may take as best as I can...

So to give you a crash course in psychology. Tess is showing every symptom of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. You could argue that it's a human psychopathological disorder but PTSD has routinely been observed in animals including sentient animals. I don't see why Tess would be immune or react in a vastly different way from all other PTSD sufferers.

Having survived experiences of helplessness and horror in the face of overwhelmingly stressful events, the PTSD sufferer subsequently re-experiences the traumatic events and emotions in her mind. These frightening intrusive post-traumatic memories are embedded in a cascade of adverse physiologic, psychological, and, in humans, interpersonal consequences. Not uncommonly, the illness is as traumatic as the precipitating stressful events. Victims of PTSD are often enjoined to 'Just put the past behind you!' They fervently wish to do so, but they cannot do it by an act of will. Furthermore, PTSD victims often function remarkably well despite their history of trauma until they encounter further stressful events to which their history renders them particularly vulnerable. This means that even if Tess seems perfectly normal, exposing her to something which could remind her of her trauma could have a cascade effect leading, as before, to her shutdown.

It's little wonder that victims experiencing terrifying intrusive post-traumatic symptoms become caught up in a pattern of strategic avoidance: they try not to think about the trauma; they don't talk about it; and they attempt to avoid persons and places that remind them of it. Why you don't repulse Tess for this very reason eludes me for the moment. Perhaps she didn't see you so much as she saw an altered Tobias. Anyway, at worst, a pervasive pattern of avoidance might lead to social isolation and, thereby, completely undermine functioning. This is what happened when Tess shut herself down. Moreover, avoidance invariably backfires in PTSD, as research has demonstrated.

The 'post' in PTSD underscores the temporal aspects of the disorder. The trauma response begins with a potentially wide array of peritraumatic symptoms that occur in the immediate aftermath of exposure to a traumatic event, such as fearfulness, helplessness, agitation, irritability, confusion, or disorientation. When they are sufficiently severe and impairing, peritraumatic symptoms shade into acute stress disorder (ASD), which might be diagnosed in the first month after trauma, in humans...ASD includes not only intrusive, avoidant, and hyperarousal symptoms but also dissociative symptoms including detachment, depersonalization, derealization, and amnesia. As far as I can tell Tess has jumped straight to ASD with may be due to the speed of her computational abilities or the severity of the trauma. As already mentioned she has shown symptoms of detachment and depersonalization...which isn't the same thing as schizophrenia as you seem to have thought was my suggestion.

Because the PTSD syndrome is so directly linked to traumatic events by virtue of re-experiencing symptoms, PTSD might be the most conspicuous form of trauma. Yet trauma can make a significant contribution to a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including dissociative disorder and personality disorders. Now, although it's not a diagnosis, the syndrome of deliberate self-harm is also common in conjunction with trauma which is another reason to keep a close eye on Tess. If during our "simple, controlled, test jump" she chose to jump in this solar system's star, I don't think that would help us much in the case of an emergency...While it's an extreme scenario, it's a possibility we mustn't consider lightly.

So I'm sure you're wondering what I think we should do...If she was human I'd suggest vitakinetic intervention but we don't have that option available and we have to resort to good old psychological intervention. Practice has identified the early days of post-trauma as a sensitive period in which every effort should be made to reduce distress to avert long-range disorder. Providing psychological first aid, helping the victim to make use of natural support, and assisting in coping with ongoing stressors are key elements of acute interventions. It has been demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral intervention for trauma victims accelerated the process of recovery from post-traumatic symptoms and significantly decreased post-traumatic depression.

There are three key components of effective trauma treatment: emotional engagement with the trauma memory (eg, feeling and expressing the associated fear); constructing a coherent narrative account of the trauma; and altering negative cognitions about the self and the world. In addition to the therapeutic exposure we'll need to incorporate cognitive therapy into the process to address the negative cognitions. The importance of this cognitive component is demonstrated by findings that ongoing PTSD is highly related to negative views of the self, such as self-blame, as well as to negative views of the world as being extremely dangerous, the latter views carrying a sense of ongoing threat that fuels anxiety, Tess has shown symptoms for both of these views. Cognitive restructuring treatment for PTSD targets such negative beliefs, but it also entails imaginal exposure such as talking about the traumatic experience. I'll have to ascertain whether she fully realizes that the aberrant was responsible or not. If she thinks Tobias was involved she may also be suffering from attachment trauma. How long treatment will take depends on how fast she picks up on it which of course is much too early to say.*

*Your professional opinion... If I do decide to have her jump before you think I should, would it affect her performance if I was with her telepathically?*

Thomas sighs

*If despite everything I've told you you still decide to have her jump...I think your linking telepathically with her could simply be one more element similar to the traumatic event likely to trigger a re-experiencing of the event. We know both know what happened to Tess after the jump...She could also welcome the support, it's much too early for me to tell.*

[Archer21]

"Oh, I'm sure you have the information I need. I was curious to any other reporters on this ship, I know you have access to the crew manifest, and I think we'd be able to make a pretty damn good piece of news if we all worked together on this."

Suppressing a grimace, the Chief makes his way towards the pair. Gliding to a stop in front of Quan, the would-be gunner can't help but inwardly recoil at Randall's ugliness. Fortunately for him, the security chief is busy rolling his eyes at Simon.

"You've been aboard how long, and you're asking me to point you to your fellow reporters? What incredible investigative skills you've demonstrated."

He sighs, and shakes his head. "All requests for information related to crew manifests must and will be dealt with through the proper channels. You may forward me your formal request to my minicomp when it's ready. If you ask nicely, I may even give you the information you're looking for." He bares his teeth in something that might pass for a smile.

"Now, you must excuse me. I believe this gentleman," he gestures to Quan, "was waiting for his appointment."

Without waiting for an answer, Randall twitches the fingers of his left hand in a practiced move. His minicomp's agent responds to the directive by opening the office door remotely. Gesturing for the Orgotek rep to follow, he takes his seat behind the desk. Another finger twitch, and the door slides shut.

Staring hard at Quan, he asks, "What can I help you with?"

[Asbjørn]

*Captain, I may not be Dr. Flesch but please give me some credit. I'm fully aware of Tess's nature, dealing with alien intelligence is what I do. The fact that she changed avatar demonstrates that it isn't 100% artificial, she chose this avatar. Can you deny that her recent shutting down was due to an emotional response and that this could happen again? Whatever we do is your decision captain. I only think it's my responsibilty to advise on you on the possible consequences of any decision you may take as best as I can...

*My apologies. I did not mean to offend you in any way. My point was merely that a tesser chooses avatar like we humans choose clothes and haircuts. Yes, it most definitely says something about who she wants to be, but not to the same extent as a complete makeover would signal for a human being. And my concern for Tess and the entire crew's well-being is the very reason we're having this conversation. LIke I stated earlier, I very much appreciate your views on the matter.*

So to give you a crash course in psychology.

[...]

As already mentioned she has shown symptoms of detachment and depersonalization...which isn't the same thing as schizophrenia as you seem to have thought was my suggestion.

Ran 'listens' politely to Tom's explanation, then smiles as he replies

*Now it's your turn to give me some credit, sir. ::wink The Ministry of Psionic Affairs teaches theory as well as practice, and I have thought of most of the things you mention. Your knowledge of the field is obviously greater than mine, however, and I bow to your superior wisdom. The reason for our previous misunderstanding, I think, is that I've become used to relating to the real Tess, the sentience behind the pretty face, if you will. In my attempt to understand her I rely more on firsthand experience than on scientific theory. The best path is of course a combination of the two, and that's where we can help each other.*

Because the PTSD syndrome is so directly linked to traumatic events by virtue of re-experiencing symptoms, PTSD might be the most conspicuous form of trauma. Yet trauma can make a significant contribution to a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including dissociative disorder and personality disorders. Now, although it's not a diagnosis, the syndrome of deliberate self-harm is also common in conjunction with trauma which is another reason to keep a close eye on Tess. If during our "simple, controlled, test jump" she chose to jump in this solar system's star, I don't think that would help us much in the case of an emergency...While it's an extreme scenario, it's a possibility we mustn't consider lightly.

*I would of course be a fool not to consider such possibilities, but I doubt the risk is a great one. I don't have the theory or knowledge of syndromes to back it up, but I am convinced that Tess' desire not only to please me, but to fulfill her duties, is greater than her possible self-destructive tendencies. The risk of her failing - or not daring to jump - is greater than the risk of her deliberatly hurting herself and us.*

So I'm sure you're wondering what I think we should do...

[...]

How long treatment will take depends on how fast she picks up on it which of course is much too early to say.*

*The greatest challenge in treating Tess, it would seem to me at least, will be to actually make her open up and give us a glimpse of what's behind the mask. Not to mention interpreting what response we get from her. If you were to start a treatment, would you prefer working with her avatar or is it better to go deeper?*

*If despite everything I've told you you still decide to have her jump...I think your linking telepathically with her could simply be one more element similar to the traumatic event likely to trigger a re-experiencing of the event. We know both know what happened to Tess after the jump...She could also welcome the support, it's much too early for me to tell.*

Ran lets out a sigh of his own, and his thoughts are open and sincere as he replies

*Believe me, sir. The safety and well-being of the ship, crew and passengers is my prime concern and in a perfect world I'd give Tess all the time she needs to heal these wounds.*

*But this situation is far from perfect. I have no way of knowing how soon we will need her again, and when we do it may very well be a question of life or death - or even worse. I hate to push her into it, but I need her capable of jumping as soon as possible, and you have to help me get her there. You will feel that I'm rushing you, and you will feel that I force you to work irresponsibly fast. For that I apologize, to both you and her, but that's the way it has to be.*

*So how do we do it? How fast can we have her remotely ready for the challenge, and how do we get there?*

[Umoja]

"Well, I'll definitely never send him a fruit basket." Simon mumbles, absently to Alex. It wasn't until a few days ago that he actually considered working with the other reporters, most of them were either workaholics, spinless, or just as arrogant as him (and most of them spoke English que triste!).

Simon heads off, and starts to do some research into the matter.

OOC: Simon is just going to do an extended investigation. I don't know if you want me to roleplay it or not.

[ezekiel]

*My apologies. I did not mean to offend you in any way. My point was merely that a tesser chooses avatar like we humans choose clothes and haircuts. Yes, it most definitely says something about who she wants to be, but not to the same extent as a complete makeover would signal for a human being. And my concern for Tess and the entire crew's well-being is the very reason we're having this conversation. LIke I stated earlier, I very much appreciate your views on the matter.*

Ran 'listens' politely to Tom's explanation, then smiles as he replies

*Now it's your turn to give me some credit, sir.  The Ministry of Psionic Affairs teaches theory as well as practice, and I have thought of most of the things you mention. Your knowledge of the field is obviously greater than mine, however, and I bow to your superior wisdom. The reason for our previous misunderstanding, I think, is that I've become used to relating to the real Tess, the sentience behind the pretty face, if you will. In my attempt to understand her I rely more on firsthand experience than on scientific theory. The best path is of course a combination of the two, and that's where we can help each other.*

*I'm not offended, Captain, merely frustrated. A tesser's avatar is more than simple aesthetics. Have you ever dealt with a "NoTouch"? Budding xenopsychologists often start their studies on such patients. They never deal with anyone in person and their body language suffers from it. They lose the simple communicative skills we take for granted. Besides extreme agoraphobia, however, they can lead perfectly normal lives through their avatars. Their online persona becomes much more important than their physical bodies. You probably couldn't glean any information from their bodies other than through reactions to the most pervasive of stimuli. The same could be said of a tesser. It communicates solely through the avatar and the avatar becomes an immensely important part of who it is.*

Tom leans back in his chair and opens his arms complacently (the whole conversation must seem pretty stupid looking to outsiders...)

*I think I understand what you're saying...you feel you have a stronger contact through your telepathic bond. I'm sure you're right, but not nearly on the same scale as you're implying. The conciousness you've reached is no more real than the avatar. Were it otherwise I'm sure I would have found your comatose body as well as Simon's when I awoke in sickbay. The human mind is not built to deal with the sheer amount of information tessers process every second. Whatever you have come to think of as the real Tess, however deep you seem to have gone, is simply the Tesser equivalent of surface thoughts. Highly skilled clears who had years of training in dealing with multiple sensory input are those best equiped by far to see the "real" Tess. If that weren't the case I'm sure all Leviathans would have a leading ministry agent along with the navigator of the ship. If anyone can help us it's Foxley.*

*I would of course be a fool not to consider such possibilities, but I doubt the risk is a great one. I don't have the theory or knowledge of syndromes to back it up, but I am convinced that Tess' desire not only to please me, but to fulfill her duties, is greater than her possible self-destructive tendencies. The risk of her failing - or not daring to jump - is greater than the risk of her deliberatly hurting herself and us.*

*As I've mentioned, desire and will has little to do with the consequences of PTSD. People in traumatic situations often run straight to their deaths despite "obvious", "rational", alternatives. A person in shock running out of a 10th story window or jumping in front of a speeding hovercar, for example.*

*The greatest challenge in treating Tess, it would seem to me at least, will be to actually make her open up and give us a glimpse of what's behind the mask. Not to mention interpreting what response we get from her. If you were to start a treatment, would you prefer working with her avatar or is it better to go deeper?*

Tom stops to think a moment before answering

*I think you're right. I'd like to start with her avatar if only to see what she thinks, or thinks she thinks, of the situation. See what she's actually willing to confront...it might be good for Crenshaw to run some tests on her memory as well. Not on the incident but other, seemingly inconsequential, memories. It could be useful to know if she's suppressed other memories or suffers from amnesia in any way.*

Tom looks into Ran's eyes

*I'd like you to avoid confronting her about the situation. If there's anybody she can afford to hate on the ship it's me. - Tom rolls his eyes - Believe me, it's a common occurence in early doctor-patient relations. She needs comforting and trust and be able to trust in you. Treat her much as you would if the incident never happened and try to avoid the subject of jumping. I'll especially need you to convince her, or order her if need be, to talk to Foxley and I if she ever chose to block us out. As for how fast I can expect her to be ready to jump...your guess is as good as mine at this point. I'll be able to give you a better assessment in a few days once I've started working with her.*

[Asbjørn]

[...]If that weren't the case I'm sure all Leviathans would have a leading ministry agent along with the navigator of the ship.[...]

[Er... Don't they? Or was it just the Prof who insisted on having one on this ship? ::unsure ]

*I think you're right. I'd like to start with her avatar if only to see what she thinks, or thinks she thinks, of the situation. See what she's actually willing to confront...it might be good for Crenshaw to run some tests on her memory as well. Not on the incident but other, seemingly inconsequential, memories. It could be useful to know if she's suppressed other memories or suffers from amnesia in any way.*

*I agree. Anything that will help get an accurate diagnosis and speed up her recovery must be done.*

*I'd like you to avoid confronting her about the situation. If there's anybody she can afford to hate on the ship it's me. - Tom rolls his eyes - Believe me, it's a common occurence in early doctor-patient relations. She needs comforting and trust and be able to trust in you. Treat her much as you would if the incident never happened and try to avoid the subject of jumping. I'll especially need you to convince her, or order her if need be, to talk to Foxley and I if she ever chose to block us out. As for how fast I can expect her to be ready to jump...your guess is as good as mine at this point. I'll be able to give you a better assessment in a few days once I've started working with her.*

Ran smiles, and Tom is momentarily startled by hearing the sound of his voice again

"Good. Then let's get to work."

Calling Vinge on the comm he says

"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?"

Waiting for Vinge's answer, Ran turns back to Tom and adds

"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."

[ProfPotts]

Engineering:

Various engineers ask Sean what his orders are, & what the Captain's plans are.

Some access tube somewhere...:

Lila is concentrating on her work when she's suddenly startled by a nearby noise. Moments later the noise is followed by moving shadows, then...

... The athletic form of Engineer Ezenachu Popo crawls around the corner. The bald African man looks almost as startled as Lila when he sees her, & blinks a few times before says,

"Miss Crenshaw... I didn't realise you were working in this area. Tess told us that there were some unofficial data interactions originating from this juncture, so Mr Park sent me to take a look. I..."

He trails off for a moment as he takes in Lila's attractive form close up, then suppresses a grin & shakes his head,

"... I guess you were checking out the same thing, right?"

Shifting as best he can into a sitting position the man lays his toolkit to one side & runs a hand over his bald head,

"Phew. That's one long crawl for no reason."

OOC: Simon is just going to do an extended investigation. I don't know if you want me to roleplay it or not.

[investigation into what exactly? ::confused ]

[Umoja]

((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.))

[knave]

Momentarily shocked witless for an explanation of her activities, Lila grabs the big sexy engineer by the lapels and snogs him stupid... "mmmm.... Yeah, I got this one, I think. *You are getting careless Lila-Grace. Well, that or this new Tess is getting more careful... Well, good for her! I've gotta tell the captain we need to jump. A woman with nothing to do is a dangerous thing... I should know! ::biggrin Now, best deal with this poor ( but rather well-toned) mortal* "Yeah, I must have forgotten to put in the work schedule. Meph, please update the work schedule, won't you."

>>>EKLink: fake a query from one of the bridge terminals on the work progress, pick up Popo's query, add those details (switching his details with mine obviously) and timestamp it with say thirty seconds after the anomolous readings began with the suspection cause of signal pulse diffusion due to ionisation caused by electrolyte through stress related microfractures which led to ghost users, but file it now... Response mode: Quiet And Logged. Thanks Meph.<<<

"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?"

[brilyn]

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

[phoenix]

Various engineers ask Sean what his orders are, & what the Captain's plans are.

Sean quickly briefs the engineers on duty as a whole, then, after moving to the hybrid bays and giving out individual assignments, he sends out a message to all engineers. His speech is similar in substance to the message itself, which follows:

FROM: Chief Engineer Sean Vinge

TO: All Engineering staff

SUBJECT: The status quo

Sean’s avatar appears, businesslike yet vaguely mischievous.

“Okay, everyone, a few of you have already got around to asking me what exactly we’re gonna be working on the next few days. You might’ve already guessed it, actually, but I’ll confirm your suspicions.

“Remember those hybrids we used to have on board..?” It adopts a facetious grin, then returns to its (relatively) businesslike manner.

“We’re gonna be working on getting a couple of them back up and running so we can get some parties planetside. Or moonside, I guess. There hasn’t been much talk about who’ll be on those parties; I won't promise spots (duh) but just drop me a line if you'd be willing so I can have some idea of who's up for it. Makes the Cap'n think I'm smarter than I really am." The avatar winks.

"Where was I.. right, so, we're moving our base of operations to the docks for the next couple of days. This won't be a huge repair job, because the only things wrong with the ships in the first place is that we.. okay, we decapitated them to repair the ship." The avatar's almost smug grin indicates that Sean is as proud of the impromptu, insane jury-rigging that occurred that day as is Engineering in general.

After that, he deals with any other details that have come up and then he gets to work himself. ::rolleyes

[Wait, the news of the planet nearby has been delegated to the crew by now, right? If not, he'll consult with Ran before sending this or explaining it to anyone.]

[Xem]

Randall twitches the fingers of his left hand in a practiced move. His minicomp's agent responds to the directive by opening the office door remotely. Gesturing for the Orgotek rep to follow, he takes his seat behind the desk. Another finger twitch, and the door slides shut.

Staring hard at Quan, he asks, "What can I help you with?"

Quan takes a seat, whether offered or not, and supresses as shudder as he looks at the security chief. "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."

"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."

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