Move 15 (Chapter 1.15)

[yhlee]

Year 361, Month Three, Day Sixteen (Sunday), evening

[I'm trying desperately to get Mikodez caught up, I promise! If the rest of y'all want to take a bit of a break, that's fine--or if you want to settle logistics, that's fine too. So sorry...]

Mikodez and Istradez [NPC] on Moongray Station, plus HATCHED EGG, ca. 20:50

[continuing from this comment by pengwern]

"I have no idea what would happen if you fouled up the stock market," Istradez says. His eyes are starting to look glassy. "And I'm just as married to the fucking job as you are." He gives forth a sigh and appears to be dropping into semi-slumber when Mikodez's last words penetrate. "We need you as hexarch. Just...maybe less of a psychopathic one? But you don't know about that 'training incident,' either..."

Hmm. Istradez's pulse is becoming too slow for comfort. Better do something about that.

---

Year 361, Month Three, Day Seventeen, ass o' clock Monday

on the Bumblebee/Wasp/Monthra

around 1:00, in the hold of the Wasp

Remi and Alaric have made excellent progress on the conversion of the "Bumblebee"'s hold space into a mothling habitat. Remi has lapsed into a brooding silence, considering Alaric's revelations about what life is like outside of the heptarchate. At this point, however, the moth starts to hum again. It doesn't seem to want to shut up, but at least its humming is quieter--maybe the station hasn't noticed.

Remi looks interested. "Your moth is very talkative--is that usual?" His expression turns sad. "They never talked much in captivity with us. I suppose it's understandable."

around Monday 2:50

Gerae asks Ashari and Sasha, "Should I go back into my room now? I promise I'll stay out of the way. And you have all my lockpicks, so it's not like I can finagle my way out." He glances sidelong at Virmad and Sulen, then adds, "Fluffy especially likes cookies, but she shouldn't have too many of them. She also likes honey-dipped locusts, if you can get any. Some of the food vendors on the station carry them sometimes, but I have to request them special, and they confiscated my supply."

NOTE: For anyone who is not otherwise occupied, it would be a great time to get some rest, or alternately, ask Iawa for stims in anticipation of the morning's activities.

Comments

[pengwern]

"Spending lots of time with Zehun would be nerve-wracking," agrees Mikodez. Are you watching, instructors? By the time they get to visitor quarters, the hatchling is invisible in the pile of boxes surrounding Istradez on the cart. Mikodez settles mock-Istradez on a convenient couch, and for good measure gets a sticky-sweet fidget spinner in Shuos colors (ginger and strawberry) and shoves it between his teeth.

In a last ditch attempt, he recites the phrase that should boot him from simulations in emergencies, then the ones he used first year. The world stays resolutely solid.

Mikodez looks back at Istradez. Shooting a suspicious whatever that is while he lies unconscious - was that an immolat-y, Kel choice, or a sensible foxish precaution? There had to be gene scanners around a Nirai station somewhere.
[Has the mothling stayed by Mikodez all this time?]

[OT: GM delay]

[yhlee]

[Hey, apologies for not responding. I've had a migraine for four days and change and my ability to write coherent stuff is not the greatest right now...]

Re: [OT: GM delay]

[pengwern]

[Hope you feel better! I saw this fun overly ocularized shirt which seemed appropriately DIY for the Shuos (and committed this stick figure Miki-n-Istra.)]

[yhlee]

[Okay, sorry for the delay. Headache broke after seven days, trip to Urgent Care, trip to the ER, and muscle relaxants. :p Of course, the side effect was loopiness/drowsiness...]

The mothling appears to have imprinted on Mikodez, alarmingly enough, and is continuing to purr and stay pretty much wherever he puts it. If he lets it, it will rub up against his arm.

Istradez mutters something incoherent and slides out of consciousness.

[Feel free to wrap this thread up and then fast-forward, if you like.]

[venndaai]

[Augh! Glad to hear you're doing better.]

[OT: chitchat :) ]

[yhlee]

[Thanks, appreciated.]

Time to teach the voidmoth named for Jedao tricks!

[pengwern]

[oh no, please get all the rest you need!]

Mikodez spends the next several hours erasing his tracks from the Station's monitoring systems as best he can, after setting one of his tape recorders cunningly beneath the couch that Istradez is lying on, and another less cunningly, right on his forehead. Attached is a cheery note saying, "Back soon, off to get food!" with several stacks of blobs labelled 'sweets', towering over a smiling stick figure.

After he gets back to the room, the rest of the time is used to pry delicately at whatever files Ashari/the Kel/Sasha have access to, plus the Station's records of other visitors (for the last time). He only spends ninety (90) minutes playing tag with the hatchling, now firmly named, variously, 'Baby', 'Crowned-With-Eyes', 'Pompom', 'Noodles'. He's in the middle of shoving it firmly away from the bare skin on his face (he's having fun, not suicidal) when he receives a message from Sasha. He types back, "where," and starts [searching in a non-obvious way] the station grid for information on Magistrate Gerae.

[No idea what Sasha's been doing, but it's up to you as to what he finds? This is the 'hours of in-game time to kill' that was mentioned earlier.]

01:00-ish: Sasha & Mikodez, messaging away

[zuhrovet]

Sasha sends the map coordinates for the magistrate's house, and a picture of Fluffy eating cookies.

[Trying to get into the command files via lokwor access from the station sounds like a doomed endeavor. Mikodez keeps opening files only to find cheery pop music from c. 225.]

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[pengwern]

At least the coordinates agree with the station's grid, but what's this note here, about "suspended from duty"? [The wider station grid brings up details about Gerae's corruption from Space internet.] So, a threat to dismember this Fluffy in front of Gerae until they secure his compliance. Or it could be recruitment. This is a heretic operation, and depending on how lax the rebellion gets about these things, which in Mikodez's experience so far is very, they should probably be saving heretics from nasty ends out of something silly like ethics.

He throws an ambivalent glance at Istradez, restive on the couch. Does he stir, even when Mikodez takes a space gold marker to the skin over his jugular with a message coded in Kel drum code? Does he hell. ​

Mikodez nips out again with dear, sweet Crowned-With-Eyes into his pack, wrapped in the wad of Andan fabric. [And his lockpicks, the small explosive, bits and ends from the exhibit, some more candy spinners.] He takes a long, circuitous route to Gerae's room to avoid security patrols.

[I'm assuming the Kel drum code is like morse code for the present! All the message says is "rest well", with overtones of genial camaraderie (also murder deferred.)]

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[yhlee]

Istradez doesn't stir, and is now snoring very slightly.

There are no security patrols on the way, but there's a pair of bored-looking guards by Gerae's room. There is also, bemusingly, the shrill sound of a teakettle boiling over.

[The teakettle sound is Fluffy, who is overdue for her midnight snack and is trying to get attention. The guards know about this trick of hers and are not responding to her.

Yup, Kel drum code is Space Morse Code. =) ]

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[pengwern]

[ASSUMING Mikodez is now sufficiently familiar with how Station surveillance works.]

Mikodez retreats with measured steps as soon as he sees the guards, and opens the exercise game map that Sasha had installed for him. Then he goes around to a few corridors away, where he noticed a safety cabinet containing a mix of flammable materials earlier, right on the other side of the wall, drops his [small-scale late hexarchate invariant] explosive by the join of the wall panels, and continues jogging away.

Then he circles back to Gerae's apartment to approach the guards with slightly rumpled hair, like he just woke up, and cuts them off before they can say anything. "Good evening. I'm here to get Rahal Gerae's files." Here he breaks off for an enormous yawn. "And his - domesticated animal?"

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[yhlee]

"Oh good," the taller guard says, perking up at Mikodez's appearance. "Maybe that will shut the damnable beast up, it's been going on and on with those kettle noises all night. Just let me call the Administrator's office for authorization."

[Going to distract the guards with a fire, is that the plan?]

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[pengwern]

"Is it aggressive?" asks Mikodez, looking cautiously at the room. "I was asked by the Rahal who arrived here with Andan Rii, Magistrates Dar Chresh and Virmad. If...if they didn't go through station administration, I can always leave and come back later."

[Only if the guards are recalcitrant! (on the subject of rogue centrifuges (which was last mentioned as why the guards left) we had a centrifuge that kept trying to decapitate us :< and worse, it'd close on samples and spill them :(((]

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[yhlee]

Shorter Guard says to Taller Guard, "I don't know that Shan wants us to bother her at this hour. Especially about something as trivial as a pet."

Taller Guard looks like they're wavering. "It's true that all the whistling is giving me a headache..."

[Mikodez gets the sense that they just want to seize on a plausible-sounding excuse to get rid of Fluffy. If he suggests something reasonable-sounding, they'll probably go along with it. And get chewed out by Teo later, but that's not Mikodez's problem. *g*]

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[pengwern]

Mikodez huffs out a breath. "I'm up already, so -- I can bring it and the files over tonight, and if Nirai Shan wants it back I'll return it here bright and early tomorrow." He rubs at his eyes and says, "Seriously, though, is it dangerous? A mix of machine and pet or something? I don't want to carry it the whole way..."

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[yhlee]

The two guards glance at each other with that distinct "ah, we can cover our asses on this one" look. "Sure, kid, take it easy," Taller Guard says. "We'll just put it in our notes and if Administrator Shan has an objection, she can take it up with your lot in the morning."

Shorter Guard adds, "The critter isn't dangerous, just really noisy. Feeding seems to shut it up for a few minutes before it starts up again. It's already in a cage, so at least you won't have to corral the thing."

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[pengwern]

Mikodez mouths "Thank you," at the guards, with the "I guess" going unsaid, and opens the door to Gerae's room slowly, stepping in only after nothing starts attacking. He goes to Gerae's shelves and gathers a few things, checking the screen of his tablet, and gingerly hefts Fluffy's cage along with a jar of brightly colored "PSUEDO-DRAGON CHOW".
[How big is the cage?]

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[yhlee]

[The cage is about the size of a medium parrot cage, let's say. An encumbrance, but not that heavy.]

The teakettle noise grows louder, and there is a flurry of wings. (There's a cover over the cage, which doesn't do much to muffle the racket.)

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[pengwern]

With the steadily shrilling cage, Mikodez takes the closest route to...the visitor quarters. Just to check that pretend Istradez is still there, you understand. And the hatchling is starting to make its own noises in his pack. No other reason.

Once he gets there, he takes the cover off and studies the cage and the jar of food.

[Is it simple bars, or an aquarium type deal, and can Mikodez toss treats in?]

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[yhlee]

Fluffy switches to a much more appealing crooning once the cover is off. She bats her wings almost flirtatiously and tilts her head toward the jar of food.

[Simple bars. Fluffy isn't a quasi-Lovecraftian horror, so bars will keep her confined quite nicely. Mikodez can easily toss in treats.]

Istradez stirs a little at the noise, but doesn't rouse.

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[pengwern]

"Only one at a time, dear heart." Which he administers by flinging the treats at her in ever-increasing arcs, until Fluffy stops snapping at them quite so eagerly.

Just to be fair, he releases the hatchling from his pack too, and dumps it on top of Fluffy's cage to see how they'll interact.

[...what if Teo's calling because Mikodez is hoarding Fluffy here, like someone very easily distracted. Also, I don't want to keep you from packing/preparations - I could leave Mikodez here with two darling friends to use in pranks Gerae will just have to deal. >:D]

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[yhlee]

[Yeah, I have to go to bed about now since we're getting up at 4:30 a.m. to drive down to the airport, heh. Teo could indeed be concerned about Fluffy's well-being! Ha. Mikodez and pranks, I'm terrified now. XD ]

Re: 01:00-ish: Mikodez on Fluffy theft

[pengwern]

[Then good night, and safe travels!

Rudimentary prank idea: Mikodez tells Gerae that he has Fluffy! In the cage....is a horror of tendrils!
Mikodez: [mild concern] eh, she's probably molting.
Gerae: D:D:D:]

Mikodez should have warning systems up if you plan on storming the visitor quarters though

[pengwern]

[Let's say he snuffed the monitoring systems and rigged up both mechanical and electronic proximity alarm things before letting the stolen Nirai experiment out, some point between 21:00 to 1:00. Lots of inconvenient boxes at the very least.

and to GM (in the new year, ofc!) are there...alternate exits from the visitor quarters other than the main door? convenient ventilation shafts?]

Re: Mikodez should have warning systems up if you plan on storming the visitor quarters though

[zuhrovet]

[There are definitely convenient person-sized ventilation shafts somewhere on station-- Sasha checked-- so why not here?]