hexarchate_rpg | Move 18 (Chapter 1.18)

(Thanks to

zuhrovet for keeping the Station Moongray Timeline updated for everyone's ease of reference.)

Year 361, Month Three, Day Seventeen (Monday), ~0515

Iawa is with Istradez in Medical. The chart indicates that Istradez (CORRECTION: "Imsayed") has mild concussion that is apparently aggravating a pre-existing head injury. Istradez moans, then his eyes open. He blinks blearily before focusing on Iawa. "This isn't the ship," he says intelligently, sounding hazy.

Next thing Iawa knows, Istradez seems to come fully alert and attempts to sit up too quickly. "My brother--!" He seems apt to scramble out of bed and after Mikodez unless prevented.

Mikodez, just outside Medical, is bearing both Fluffy the Vraselian pseudo-dragon and Crowned With Eyes (CWE for short) the newly hatched mothling. He is being confronted by Alaric, who brought four caffeinated drinks, one additionally dosed with a sleeping drug, and who is hinting strongly to Mikodez that CWE needs to be united with the adult moth on the Bumblebee. Sulen has, by chance, grabbed the sleeping-drug-enabled drink, and was not prepared for Alaric also showing up to deal with Mikodez--a command-and-control snafu, apparently; Sulen has not yet drunk the drugged beverage, although it's not clear that they have understood Alaric's attempts to warn them from doing so.

The last response in that thread, an exchange between Mikodez and Alaric:

"I know, right? I had no idea that the term was so literal either until it started chatting," Alaric said, happy both that Mikodez was being distracted and that someone else was actually enthusiastic about this. "I'm not sure exactly what it looks like because it's in its own compartment and we're communicating over a primitive text interface, but it does seem friendly enough. Mostly it wants to bring Remi's baby moths with it when we leave, and fortunately Remi wants to bring them too. So, one the one hand it's yet another bit of terrible behavior by the authorities, but on the other an exciting scientific opportunity."

Just on cue, CWE the mothling hums happily and launches itself out of the pack, followed by an angrily whistling Fluffy, who seems to think the mothling is escaping property.

Virmad has received permission from Ashari to check on Gerae. The camera has revealed that Gerae is agitated and pacing the room. He does not appear to have any weapons, although given his talent for legerdemain, this is not an absolute certainty. If Virmad enters, Gerae will prostrate himself in a frankly embarrassing fashion and beg for an update on Fluffy's status, and oh by the way is Virmad's leader Ashari really going to slit Gerae's throat and leave him for the fishes?

Sasha overhears Gerae's plaints as she makes it to environmental. Her first inspection reveals that the filters are, indeed, poorly seated. Judging from the cruft around them, they were probably messed up even before Alaric and Remi started banging around the Bumblebee making modifications. While she's busy with that, Yehan [running as NPC] messages her and says that she's done with her meeting with Ashari and is now overseeing comms.

Threaded | Flat

Sulen drops the drink to grab haphazardly at the mothling.

[Istradez' pseudonym is Imsayed. He doesn't have a separate one for this mission; perhaps he told Sasha it was already a fake name when she was printing ID.]

[continuing from this response in Move 17]

“Magistrate — Gerae,” Virmad says. “I just wanted to tell you that we’ve recovered Fluffy; she should be on her way to the ship as we speak.” He lets some of his actual sympathy show: “How are you holding up?”

Gerae sags in relief. "Thank you," he says, sounding numb. "I'm so sorry to put you to all this trouble. It's just--it's Fluffy. She's been a good and loyal Vraselian pseudo-dragon all this time, and she doesn't deserve to be punished for my sins."

He smiles wanly at Virmad. "Thank you for checking in. I was starting to fear that I'd be left here to starve to death..." He draws in a deep breath. "It's been a harrowing few weeks. I honestly was starting to think my luck had plunged me from bad to worse."

[There is a pitcher of water in the room, now mostly empty, and it does open into a water closet.]

This ship is a ball of allergens and sticky tape. The large-particulate filters could surely stand to be washed; better to do it now than to fret about remembering, later.

Sasha goes next door to engineering to unearth some shop rags. It's a mess; if the ship accelerates or decelerates suddenly, Alaric's going to be fucked. Sasha wonders if the moth can hear her rummaging around-- it's just on the other side of that bulkhead, right?-- and whether it can tell the difference between large humans and small ones.

Iawa hastily moves to stop Imsayed from getting up.
"Careful! You've had another knock to your head. No, we're not on the ship right now."

In first aid class, Iawa was taught three questions to ask a concussion patient. What is your full name? Do you know where we are right now? What's the date today?

She can't remember what name Imsayed's going under on the station. With everything that's happened it's only with a stretch that she can even remember what she's calling herself here: Jaghan, after a character in an obscure novel she liked as a child. At any rate, if 'Imsayed' is a pseudonym and he's confused enough to respond honestly, she shouldn't ask him his name. And if Imsayed is his real name, she definitely shouldn't ask him.

What's the date today, when asked by a Vidona, is the point where the patient gets combative if they're going to; or so a reminiscent instructor once told Iawa's first aid class. It'd be an even more stressful question for someone who's been through enough rifts in short succession. Better leave it.

And he's just said we're not on the ship. Maybe he thinks he's back home, wherever home is. With his family. "We're docked at the station," she offers. "Do you remember which station... no, wait. What's the last thing you remember?"

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Gerae and Virmad

environmental, engineering

Medical