Chapter 3.2: Old and new friends, old and new enemies

[zuhrovet]

Sasha has distributed flutes of sparkling water and small glasses filled with a clear liquor. She finds a clear place to stand near the edge of the party--Jedao and Alaric are to her left, the cluster of people around the mothlings falls at about 3π/8--and signals the grid to adjust the light so that she is highlighted and the other partygoers are very slightly in shadow. She asks the grid for a ringing sound and waits for people to quiet. Her voice slightly amplified by the grid, she says, "Welcome, everyone. We have a unique combination of expertise, on the Cantata. I'm glad that you are here." (It's a formal situation, so she uses the plural 'you'.) "While we are gathered, let us toast to the success of the rebellion."

Sasha waits for an answering murmur, then raises her own glass and knocks it back. The liquor tastes like snow and homesickness; but these are her people now. A slight gesture of her left hand makes illumination linger on Jedao for a moment, before the room lights return to normal.

Sasha sees Remi trying to explain that shot glasses are not for mothlings, and grins in genuine amusement.

[We have some really fascinating conversations running in the previous move. I don't want to cut them off, but please put new threads here!

Also, an out-of-character public service announcement: Remi is a youthful, apparently non-sociopathic version of Kujen, plucked from an earlier timeline. He has not yet interacted with Jedao.]

Comments

Re: lingering near doorways - paging Ione, Sulen, and Xiulan

[stormglass]

“Perfect, thanks.” Xiulan nods to Sasha and, with a quick look to Ione, makes for the door.

She draws her slate from a pocket as she goes. Gauging how much there is to review, she leaves the correspondence to a later moment, but quickly skims then Cantata’s weapons specs.

Re: lingering near doorways - paging Ione, Sulen, and Xiulan

[zuhrovet]

[It will take a little while for Sasha's query on code names to finish. She will eventually turn up the fact that Crow and Vulture joined the rebellion at about the same point in its internal timeline, and will forward this information with a sarcastic note on the benefits of randomization.]

the Cantata's armaments

[yhlee]

[Let's say the Cantata is currently equipped with a rack of missiles, two laser turrets, a basic antimissile defense system, and a basic chaff generator. Since the Cantata was a former pirate vessel, these weapons are intended for use against civilian moths and it would ordinarily want to avoid combat encounters with, say, Kel warmoths.]

Re: the Cantata's armaments

[stormglass]

[Great, thanks so much! That's just the sort of info I was looking for. Without yet having more specific data about the potential threats in this timeline, she's in general planning mode on the evacuation plan.]