hexarchate_rpg | Move 21 [fixed numbering error] (at long last) (chapter 1.21)

Move 21

[GM note: PROFUSE apologies for how late this move is. The month of May got eaten by non-negotiable writing commitments and then health issues. So sorry!]

For easy reference:
- Move 20 Recap [wiki]
- the escape plan [wiki];
- Station Moongray timeline [wiki].

(Thanks to

zuhrovet for keeping this stuff updated for everyone's convenience.)

Year 361, Month Three, Day Seventeen (Monday), ~07:25

Confrontation at Administrator Nirai Paerani Shan's Office
Sulen and Virmad are facing off against Administrator Shan, having dumped a (friendly!) baby mothling (Crowned-With-Eyes) and faked evidence of Remi's "heresy" onto her desk, as per this thread from Move 19.

Shan makes a brief show of checking the faked datacube for the evidence, but she's clearly feeling pressured with two Rahal standing right there and it doesn't appear she finds anything out of order in the "evidence." "All right," Shan says. She pulls up an appropriate form on one of her data slates and signs over Remi and the mothlings to Sulen and Virmad's custody, then outputs it to a data cube and hands it to them. "Do you require assistance locating Nirai Remi? Or would you prefer to handle that yourselves?" Her expression is resigned.

On the "Bumblebee"

- Mikodez is in Sasha's bedroom, following this thread from Move 19. He is currently alone, trapped, and recuperating, apparently having dozed off.

- Sasha and Iawa have made preparations to talk to Mikodez (see above) as per this thread from Move 19. They have agreed to meet outside Sasha's bedroom and confront Mikodez together.

- Alaric is still currently closeted with Gerae (and Fluffy), continuing this thread from Move 19. Gerae looks abashed at Alaric's critique of heptarchate social control methods and says, "You're obviously very knowledgeable about us and our methods. Are you a scholar? I hadn't realized your team did research." (He's clearly fishing for more information about the Merry Crew he has fallen in with.) Meanwhile, Fluffy curls up on his forearm and appears to doze.

NPCs:
- Ashari is in their office.

- Kaliyan is still manning the cockpit in preparation for escape.

- Yehan graciously thanks Sasha for the box of Remy's journals and begins scanning them into the grid for further analysis; this is a process that can largely be automated so she has set the grid up to alert her if anything looks like it requires her immediate attention, and goes to get some more tea.

- Ankat is keeping an eye on Istradez, who is still woozy and concussed, as per this thread from Move 19. He is available if anyone needs an extra pair of hands.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Indeed, where I come from I am a scholar of some renown," Alaric said. Certainly there's got to be someone somewhere who reknows him, at any rate. "And I think the official description of most of us would be... entourage? Hangers-on? Whatever the correct term is for the regular people the faction members bring along to look pretty, maintain the ship, and push them around in float chairs when someone falls over drunk. The research is more of a hobby for when the Andan and Rahal are off doing whatever high-society things they get up to."

He wishes he could tell Gerae about the moth and his discovery - well, okay, his and Sasha's, but he gets first credit on the paper or there will be hell to pay - about moth communication, but that will have to wait until they're safely away.

Gerae looks suitably impressed; even not-very-good lockpicking Rahal have a certain learned respect for scholarship. "Yes," he says, "entourage is probably the word you want. The Liozh are theoretically supposed to look out for common citizens, but it doesn't always work as well as the system claims." His mouth crimps. "It's the kind of thing we wolves do discuss from time to time, in the hopes of cleaning things up. Research as a hobby, though--that's an interesting concept. Do you have a particular specialty?"

"Hmmm. I should probably say something like 'sociology' or 'calendrical mathematics'," Alaric says, "which would technically be true, but I've had a long day so I'm just going to call it 'comparative heresies' since that's probably the most accurate description around here."

Gerae looks, if anything, even more impressed. "And you're out here without any kind of supervising Doctrine officer, to make sure you don't fall prey to one of those heresies yourself? It must be very different where you come from."

Fluffy chirrups sleepily, and starts nosing about for snacks. [If Alaric can provide any, he will make a fickle friend!]

"Oh, if I showed up back home trying to institute Hexptarchate doctrines without the right permits and studies, there would be all sorts of upset and mayhem. Besides the mayhem that comes inherently part of it, I mean." Alaric shrugs. "Also, I've been increasingly suspicious that the people in charge of this visiting scholar-slash-explorer program don't think many people will come back alive. The Heptarchate isn't unique in being a bit hostile to outsiders. I, of course, will be an exception."

Gerae nods, his expression solemn. "So your academicians are as cutthroat as ours," he says. "We don't duel the way Kel or Shuos or Andan do, but the social ostracism that happens if you lose support for your position in a magistrates' debate--well, wolves travel in packs, they say, and 'lone wolf' really isn't a favored mode among the Rahal."

"Cutthroat, yes, that's a good way to describe it at times, especially for anyone competing for a slot to study abroad or explore," Alaric agreed. "After all, if you can't make it at the Academy where people aren't trying to kill you - well, deliberately. Usually. Aren't supposed to, at any rate, then what chance do you have outside the academy? I imagine it's the same philosophy among the Rahal. If you can't defend a position in a debate, how can you properly judge whether a behavior or thought edges into heresy in the real world?"

"That's it exactly," Gerae says. "It's a little perturbing how well you understand us, but then if you're a renowned scholar I suppose that only follows." Gerae eyes the cage. "I don't suppose I could take that off your hands?"

[Reminder: Sasha warned Alaric there are at least two lockpicks hidden in the cage.]

"Oh, this?" Alaric holds up the cage. Even if Sasha hadn't mentioned the lockpicks, giving a prisoner something that could be broken into sharp, pointy objects seemed a bit unwise.

"I don't think that's necessary. If the room keeps you in I'm sure it'll hold Fluffy just fine. No reason to keep her confined more than necessary. Actually, is Fluffy trained to keep out of mechanical spaces? If not I can get our matter printer started on creating some kind of larger habitat in the common area, but otherwise once we're underway I don't see any reason not to let her roam freely. No promises about the more uptight members of the crew."

Gerae fusses over Fluffy. "She doesn't chew on wires if that's what you mean. But if there are coffee makers or anything that makes noises, she likes to imitate them to get attention, and that can get loud. She'd really love a larger habitat, though, especially with a litter box in the corner so she can take care of her own business."

"Oh, in that case, I can definitely find something useful for her to imitate," Alaric said, immediately distracted. Never mind ethics, there were new avenues of mothling interaction to explore. "Do pseudodragons just imitate what they immediately hear, or are they smart enough to learn words and phrases? Like parrots, or hypercorvids?"

Gerae is all too happy to talk about Fluffy. "Fluffy is a bit stubborn about experimentation, but theoretically they can learn simple words and phrases. They're tricky to train because they want to be entertained, you know how it is."

"I think we can definitely give her plenty of entertaining sounds, along with more room to play and some companionship. She was playing with a mothling when I took custody of her from one of my more dubious shipmates - its a very long story and makes no sense, so probably best not to waste time explaining - and they seemed to be getting along quite well for creatures from entirely different biospheres."

That reminded Alaric he should probably check on the other guest. The one that they were supposed to be liberating, not the one they were apparently kidnapping-slash-rescuing because he was cute or stumbled across their secret plan or something.

[Possibly an opening to either segue into the 'On the Moth' thread, or bring Virmad here?]

[Virmad would like to chat with Gerae so it would be great if Alaric fetched Virmad. :D ]

"Tell you what," Alaric says, "I'll track down someone who can actually tell you when you'll be getting out of here. Be back in a minute." He's smart enough not to turn his back on the prisoner as he leaves. He does get halfway out the door before reaching back in the snag the cage, though. He takes a detour to the matter printer to queue up some part for an larger, and less lockpick-filled, cage, then goes to find Virmad.

[By your command!]

[I am touched by Alaric's willingness to share authorship!]

[Now all we have to do is find somewhere to publish without being publicly executed!]

Move 21 [fixed numbering error] (at long last) (chapter 1.21)

Chatting with Gerae

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