Move 19 (Chapter 1.19)

[yhlee]

(Thanks to zuhrovet for keeping the Station Moongray Timeline on the game wiki updated.)

Year 361, Month Three, Day Seventeen (Monday), ~0550

Just outside of Medical

Sulen has just been abandoned by Mikodez, who has headed into the reception area of Medical. They can hear Fluffy chirruping now that she's finished gobbling down the treats that Mikodez has fed her. Would it be best to go after Mikodez and try to contain the damage, or stand guard outside with the voidcreature? Baby Crowned-With-Eyes is wriggling very alarmingly in the sack and making ridiculously cheerful humming noises--and the spilled coffee still hasn't been cleaned up, and is probably a slipping hazard.

In Medical: antechamber

A triage nurse gives Mikodez a distinctly unfriendly look as he approaches with a caged Fluffy in tow. "You've had enough warnings," he says. "I don't care if you're Andan Bokali's special guests, you're disturbing our legitimate patients." He reaches over to a desk and pushes a red call button marked SECURITY.

In Medical: the actual patient

Istradez is, despite being awfully cavalier about his own condition, smiling reluctantly at Iawa for their solicitousness. Meanwhile, although Alaric has instructed Mikodez to fetch a nurse with float chair and discharge paperwork, he hears the triage nurse shooing Mikodez out. If they want a float chair, they're going to have to wrangle on themselves; it's clear that relying on Mikodez is not...the best idea considering how annoyed Medical is with him.

[Assuming that Alaric has called the "Bumblebee," Ashari (running as NPC) responds via lokwor.]

Ashari sounds very concerned about Istradez's status. "Bad enough to need a float chair? I'll dispatch one of the Kel to prep Medical," they tell Alaric.

on the "Bumblebee": the thieving Rahal

Gerae, taking Virmad's silence as a license to spill all his emotional upsets, will continue babbling about what a stressful year he's had unless Virmad interrupts him. If Virmad doesn't bring up the topic himself, Gerae will add plaintively that he could use some coffee (or stronger stimulant) and that he hasn't had food for a full day and could they get an early breakfast?

on the "Bumblebee": "xeno"mathematics the Cartesian way

The moth ponders Sasha's symbols and graphs for several minutes, then returns a graph with y = log₁₀x, y = x, y = x², and y = 10^x. Its humming has definitely quieted--perhaps the math is distracting it, or is taking more of its concentration.

[It's too bad I don't remember any LaTeX...?!]

Comms to EVERYONE, marching orders from Ashari

Ashari (running as NPC) calls everyone via lokwor, sounding grim, and instructs that they would like everyone to be on the "Bumblebee" and prepared to make a run for it within the hour. This means that Ashari expects Sulen and Virmad to prepare for a (remote) confrontation with the station administrator as per the plan.

Comments

graphing and singing

[zuhrovet]

Sasha sends the moth two versions of the graph y=x, one with the usual scale and one where the vertical axis is labeled log₁₀ x:



She adds a yes/no query. Then she writes a bit of code to graph the volume of her singing versus time, using the standard logarithmic scale. Assuming the moth responds affirmatively, she sings the same note softly and a bit louder, softly and a bit louder, five or six times, then sends the moth the resulting graph, with the vertical axis labeled as logarithmic.

[If Dreamwidth can handle MathJaX, I'm going to be really grumpy about the number of HTML subscripts I've typed in the last year. But it looks like it probably can't.]

Re: graphing and singing

[yhlee]

The moth sends back a continuation of the graph of log₁₀x -- it seems to be getting the idea. It responds in the affirmative.

The moth goes completely silent as Sasha begins to sing again. It continues to be silent after she sends the graph. Just as she's starting to wonder, it warbles softly back at her, sending a slightly wobbly graph of its own that approximates its own loudness versus time. (Possibly moth hearing doesn't work exactly the same as human hearing? Who knows.)

[Heh, I'm going to handwave the psychoacoustics here, as it's been over a decade since I read that particular textbook...XD ]

graphing and progress updates

[zuhrovet]

Sasha's impressed with the moth's precision. She's not sure how carefully she could measure her own singing volume, without the grid's assistance.

She finds Alaric's sketch of the ship at the station, and sends it back to the moth, together with a copy of the volume graph that the moth has just provided. Then she sends a diagram of the ship at some distance from the station and a graph where the volume has increased, though she's careful to keep it in acceptable human-hearing ranges.

She also messages Yehan:

the moth quiets down when their thinking. maybe we should send them some puzzles. do moths like magic squares

and Kaliyan:

fixed the air filters.

Re: graphing and progress updates

[yhlee]

The moth quiets again as it contemplates Sasha's map, then hums (very quietly) a line of the Kirrish round, and sends back the map with a reasonable radius/distance marked with a rather hopeful "???"

Yehan messages back:

I feel like I should have listened to more Nirai on my last assignment. By all means try the magic squares. The moth seems to be in a fairly good mood and hopefully we won't wander into some form of interspecies deadly insult.

[The GM is familiar with the concept of magic squares but not much of the details. Thank you for the link!]

Kaliyan messages back:

That's a relief. Thank you. Have you actually slept yet?

[venndaai]

Sulen hears the message notification sound from their lokwor, but can't check it with their arms full of voidmoth. They lean around the entranceway and direct a glare at Mikodez, emphasized by expressive eyebrow wiggling.

another waiting message: Sasha to Alaric, Iawa, and Sulen

[zuhrovet]

The teenager is trained on Rii's printer. If you don't want to explain Andan artistic decisions to security, I suggest searching him. Tech support available at your request.~Tech.
Bayan.

[pengwern]

Mikodez can't check his lokwor! Muffled gleeping is coming from Fluffy's cage, and this time it probably isn't a fascinating example of vocalisations in Vraselian fauna.

He tells the nurse, "Look, I'll be in the visitor quarters if anything changes," and edges away to see if there's intent to pursue him.

This also puts him in sight of Sulen, but he doesn't understand stern eyebrow-waggling any more than how there could be Rahal who don't love paperwork. Why don't you have the soul of a bureaucrat, Sulen. Wasn't that the goal of Rahal academy. (It hasn't occurred to him that nine-stepped paperwork chicanery should be explained to potential accomplices.) With a look of wide-eyed confusion, Mikodez steps close enough for Sulen to grab, if they can manage it around Fluffy and dearest trilling Crowned-with-Eyes.

[venndaai]

Sulen manages to get Crowned-with-Eyes bundled mostly under one arm, and reaches out with the other to snag Mikodez's sleeve.

"Give me the cage," they say, "and clean up that spilled drink." That should hopefully keep him occupied for a minute until Alaric or Iawa gets back to them with a situation update. If he tries to run for it maybe they'll take a page from his book and throw the creatures at him, see how he likes it.

oh no brer wolf please don't throw the moth baby at him

[pengwern]

Mikodez uses one of Fluffy's piercing shrills to stumble into Sulen's other arm, hopefully hard enough to propel Crowned-with-Eyes out of the pack again. He wants it back, damn it, and he's practiced convincing falls enough times at the academy. (He also wants a look at Sulen's lokwor messages, which is bound to be more interesting than his.)

Medical

[slybrarian]

"Why is he leaving?" Alaric asks himself as he watches Mikodez fail to follow instructions. Then, after getting the message from Ashari, he sighs. "Next time, I think we need to do some team building exercises before we go anywhere..."

He walks up to the nurse, trying to look as respectable as he can. "Excuse me, sir, I'm terribly sorry about all this. I fear that my companions' worry for our shipmate -" he leans in a little closer, and adds sotto voce "- and I suspect whatever they've been imbibing on shore leave, has really done a number on their sense of courtesy. If it's no trouble, could we borrow a float chair of some kind? We'll transfer the patient to our ship's medical bay and all get out of your hair."

Re: Medical

[yhlee]

The nurse's expression thaws marginally at this show of respect for medical decorum. That, or he's just grasping at this chance to reduce the disruption in Medical. "No problem at all," he says. "I'll fetch one myself." With that, he bustles off.

checking on the Rahal - paging Virmad

[zuhrovet]

Sasha pauses as she reaches the hallway leading to Gerae's room.
Virmad's still in there. How long does it take to feed and water a magistrate? Have the two men been meditating on every leaf of tea?

"Rahal Virmad," she says through the grid, "I can handle the breakfast dishes, if you'd like to prepare for your meeting."

Re: checking on the Rahal - paging Virmad

[lleullawgyffes]

Virmad struggles for a moment to remember Sasha’s pseudonym, fails, remembers that she’s posing just as a technician, and replies, “Thank you, technician, I’ll just be a moment.”

To Gerae he adds: “I’m sorry about the food situation — I do have to go to this meeting, but I’ll ask someone to bring you something.”

Re: checking on the Rahal - paging Virmad

[yhlee]

Gerae bobs a grateful nod at Virmad. He seems to be intimidated by the sound of Sasha's voice over the grid, even though she's nowhere in sight. "Thank you," he says to Virmad, eyes downcast. "It's much appreciated, and I hope--I hope your meeting goes well."

Re: checking on the Rahal - paging Virmad

[zuhrovet]

So Gerae's rolling over and showing Virmad his belly. Sasha would be a lot happier if she knew the magistrate wouldn't have the same reaction to Quill.

"Any dietary restrictions?" she asks, through the grid.

Re: checking on the Rahal - paging Virmad

[lleullawgyffes]

“I’ll come by again when I can,” Virmad says, smiling encouragingly. “In the meantime, hang in there, friend.”

He leaves, then, regretfully. He should probably ask the grid to make the door disappear again, but... Ah, let Sasha do it if she feels it’s necessary.

chatting up I MEAN chatting WITH Gerae

[lleullawgyffes]

Virmad listens patiently and sympathetically to Gerae talk for a while, nodding and hmm-ing at appropriate intervals. Eventually, at a point where Gerae pauses, he interjects, “It sounds like this science station was getting a little lonely, especially being the only Rahal on the station.”

[sorry for being so uncommunicative! February was ridiculously busy and then I just got sucked into doing other things and wasn't thinking about this.]

Re: chatting up I MEAN chatting WITH Gerae

[yhlee]

[No worries! Life happens. :) ]

Gerae turns wide, almost shimmering eyes on Virmad. "You don't know what it's like," he says wryly. "I was told that serving on a Nirai station would be like...well," and he lowers his voice slightly, "serving with a bunch of aliens. But I didn't realize it would be quite so isolating. Even if I'm not the best specimen of a magistrate ever." Quite frankly, he looks like he's ready to follow Virmad around like a hopeful puppy (wolf pup?).

Uh-oh Re: chatting up I MEAN chatting WITH Gerae

[vass]

[Almost shimmering? Hmmm. Are they still grey? Or are they turning blue? Are we certain he's really a Rahal?]

Re: Uh-oh Re: chatting up I MEAN chatting WITH Gerae

[pengwern]

[maybe, in an attempt to make friends with the local nirai, Gerae allowed them to make some unwise mods
No reason why Istradez shouldn't still have his lokwor, I think.]

[Gerae's eyes]

[yhlee]

[They're still gray and they're not changing color, just going mildly iridescent in a body-mod-for-vanity's-sake kind of way.]

Re: chatting up I MEAN chatting WITH Gerae

[lleullawgyffes]

Virmad places a hand on Gerae’s shoulder and gives it an encouraging squeeze. “Well, you’re out of it now, at least — I’m sorry my shipmates feel they need to keep you locked up; you gave us something of a surprise with the lockpicks. Once we’re away from the station I’ll do my best to convince them you should have some more freedom of movement. Out of curiosity,” he smiles to demonstrate that there’s no malice or judgment behind the question, “how did you end up at the Rahal academy, much less as a station magistrate? It seems like you would have been better suited for...other careers.”

[Rahal “wolf pupy” Gerae: https://twitter.com/wolfpupy/status/948933832522125312]

In Medical with Istradez (paging Sulen)

[vass]

Iawa has one eye on Imsayed, one eye on Alaric's back as he approaches the nurse, and doesn't have any eyes to spare to look in the direction Avrayen went. The Shuos motto is finally making sense to her.

One hour should be plenty to get back to the ship if nothing else goes wrong, but they don't like the chances of nothing else going wrong. They send their own lokwor message to Sulen: "The kid's heading your way. Can you make sure he stays with you? Damion's getting a float chair for pt, and I'm staying with him."

To Imsayed: "Do you still have your lokwor with you?" If he doesn't, she passes on Ashari's message and decides not to mention the missing lokwor until everyone's back aboard so we can get out of here.

Re: In Medical with Istradez (paging Sulen)

[yhlee]

Imsayed casts about for the lokwor and finds it pinned to his left sleeve. "Found it!" he says brightly. But he gestures to Iawa that something seems to be wrong.

[Can Iawa lip-read? At any rate, little miming/gesturing will indicate that the lokwor is not where Imsayed originally pinned it.]

Iawa thinks she's subtle (paging Sasha)

[vass]

Iawa can't lipread, but the gap between Imsayed's cheerful tone and his facial expression and attempted gestures clues her in. She raises her eyebrows. Someone got at Imsayed's lokwor while he was unconscious? Shit. How compromised are we? And for how long? Iawa definitely wants Sasha's input on this.

[How security-unaware is Iawa? Enough to send a lokwor message telling Sasha that the lokwors may have been compromised? I am literally rolling a d20. If it's over 10 she'll have an attack of good sense and not do the thing. *rolls* ...10. Okay, she'll *try* to fudge it.]

Iawa sends Sasha this message: "Remember what happened to my tablet? Do you think that could happen to the lokkis too?"