Freedom's the answer, what is the question?

[astrogator]

Who: Arilanna Tayrey + You (plus closed prompts for CR)
What: Astrophysics, plotting, swimming
Where: Various places
When: Early/mid February



i. Gifts from home (Closed to Crichton)

[Ari Tayrey has had some interesting packages from Sundries before, but none that meant as much to her as the latest arrivals. It's doubtful that anyone has ever been so excited over astrophysics textbooks as the young astrogator was when she unwrapped them. There's only one problem. She's knowledgeable. She could certainly pass an advanced degree on Earth in the subject, despite her age - but Ari has her limits, and in what is a rare occurrence for her, she's struggling to understand the very advanced material she has been given.

There's only one person she thinks might be able to help. She seeks out Crichton, in the lounge. There's a large, spiral-bound book under her arm. Its pages are thin plastic, not paper.]

Commander Crichton? I have something from home. I have quite a lot from home, really - [She's smiling broadly at this] - but I want to ask your help with this. If you don't mind.

ii. The beginnings of an idea (Closed to CR)

[[This is for existing CR who Ari is certain support her efforts to escape from the ship and won't betray plans to the Captain or his supporters. If she likes you but isn't sure, you're not invited. If you're an acquaintance but she is sure, you are. Characters will have been invited via text.

See starter in top comment below. I'm going to try doing this as a single conversation thread, no tag order, but if it naturally breaks into separate conversations at some point that's fine.]]

iii. Friendly competition (Open)

[When she came aboard the ship, Ari didn't know how to swim. She's now a strong, confident swimmer, having put plenty of effort into practicing. She's also slightly more at ease with being seen in her Tommy Bahama swimwear. It still feels a little like standing about in her underwear, but others wear less, and nobody seems to care about any of it.

Always looking for a challenge, she has moved onto diving - in particular, retrieving objects from the bottom of the pool. Often she's alone, but today there's someone else there, and they've noticed what she's up to. An idea occurs to her, and she waves in their direction.]

You interested in a competition? I've got a handful of coins here. Say I throw them in and we see who can pick the most up? One at a time, swim over and put it on the side before we go for the next.

iv. A disappointment (Open, February 9)

[When the fair visit had been announced, Ari had expected they would be travelling by tender, and that between them, she and the other would-be escapees would be able to carry out the necessary recon to make their escape possible on the next trip. Alas, it was not to be.

Here she is, standing and staring at the metal detector as if it's some alien object - which, to her, it may well be. She's seen a person step through and simply disappear. Ari's hand goes to the energy weapon at her belt, as if for security.]

Well. I'm not going near that.

[The words are addressed to whomever happens to be nearby.]

v. Fun with printers (Open)

[Are you passing by Ari's cabin at the end of the corridor? You may hear a loud sound. It's not entirely unlike this.

The door is ajar, so she might not mind a visitor. The door also looks to have a little sign on it. It's made of a thin plastic, and has Lieutenant Arilanna Tayrey printed on it in solid letters. Want your own door sign? Or anything else printed? She may be able to help...]

x. Wildcard! (Open)

[Find Ari in any of her usual places. She's had deliveries from home and is wearing a new lapis lazuli bracelet and may offer you a cinnamon biscuit. She's also now training with a practice sword. Other ideas are welcome - PM, message on Plurk, or just throw up a surprise starter!]

Comments

ii.

[astrogator]

[Ari has called this meeting in her cabin. As usual, the screen separates off her sleeping area from her 'office' - this is how she stops feeling guilty about breaking rules. She hasn't been able to stop thinking about something that Dimitri said, and while she knows it might be nothing, that there might be a reason she's unaware of why it'll never work, it's always possible that she might have found something useful. If not? Maybe her bad idea will prompt the others in the room to have better ones. Either way, she tried not to make it sound too serious when she invited them. There are drinks, and a little box of sweets from Cardalek that she passes round.]

What we say in here has to stay secret for now. I may have something we can use, but if the false Captain hears of it, it'll never work. So don't tell anyone. Even your best friend, your lover, someone you're in contract with. If you don't want to be held to that, leave now. I won't mind. If you stay, you're agreeing.

[She waits a moment before continuing.]

It's just an idea right now. A thought. I have to share it, because... well, I need a second opinion. If it's plausible, I need help to develop it.

I was told that on a previous excursion, the tender took people to a place that wasn't of the false Captain's creation. A place full of real people, not ghosts. That suggests to me that there is at least one exit point from this bubble universe we're trapped in, and the tender is capable of making the transition between universes.

I have also been told that people are usually rendered unconscious for journeys - but that didn't happen last time. Complacency, maybe? A relaxing of security measures?

If we can seize control of the tender during a journey, we may be able to escape.

[She waits to see what the others think. Even if she's absolutely right, it still doesn't get her home - but it would be a good first step.]

[theotherright]

[ You had Arthur at sweets.

Arthur nods very seriously at Ari's instructions for secrecy, and he means it. No worries here. When he holds something close to his chest, it stays held.

As she explains her idea, his face -- severe when at rest -- starts to brighten with inspiration. ]

That-- you know what, that- that might just work.

[ Ari Tayrey, we'll make a pirate of you yet. ]

Has anybody here seen how the tender is piloted? Are we facing a closed brig door situation if we try to get to the steering-wheel?

[ss_buttcrack]

[Crichton doesn't have to worry too much about not telling a lover, since he's sitting right next to his. He's got a little plate of confections for himself, although he half expects Arthur to start in on them when he finishes his own.]

It's not the worst plan I've heard.

[Don't mention the raft. Don't mention the raft.]

I wish I'd paid closer attention to how it was being driven. My first concern is that it might need a key to operate. I doubt we can dupe Friday into giving one to us. We have to think about fuel and supplies, too.

There's also the, you know, possibility it's going to go over the edge same as last time.

[Aw, shit. He mentioned the raft.]

[theotherright]

[ Just closing his eyes and exhaling. He has tried not to care about winning two prizes for dying stupidly and horrifically, really he has. ]

Yes. Well. If the tender can move from one small or, or fenced-in universe into another, roomier one, then the hope is that we won't encounter a-an edge like last time.

[astrogator]

[Ari is delighted that there's no immediate reason why her idea shouldn't work. She smiles at the two of them.]

Yes. When we're taken to other places, there's no... edge. [Her words are careful. She doesn't want to say anything to hurt Arthur.]

Supplies I can take care of, no trouble. Does it have fuel? This ship isn't... conventionally powered.

[That's one way to put it. Ari thinks carefully.] Maybe we have to be patient. Those of us who plan on going on the next excursion can gather information while they're on the tender. See if there's a key, and what Friday does.

i

[ss_buttcrack]

[He looks up from a book of his own, a Michael Crichton novel because, well, he would have an affinity for an author he shares his name with. He carelessly sets that aside to smile in greeting to her.]

Oh yeah? I'm happy to help. What ya got?

[astrogator]

[Ari sets the book down in front of him, and flips it to the right page. The text is tiny, but even a brief examination reveals it to be very advanced astrophysics material, concerning the nature and manipulation of spacetime. It's the sort of thing that might challenge a graduate student on Earth, let alone someone Ari's age who hasn't been in full-time education since age thirteen.

She points out one of the equations on the page.]

It's this. I don't see why it should work that way. [She frowns.] I know it's right, and I could just memorise it and move forward, but Savitskaya always told me not to do that. That it would get me in trouble later if I didn't understand properly. I thought you might know more about it.

[ss_buttcrack]

[That's a textbook if he's ever seen one. Damn, that brings him back.]

Whoa, this is some advanced stuff. Are you really at this level already?

[astrogator]

I'm a certified lieutenant of the Tradelines.

[She says it a little stiffly, before she realises that he isn't questioning her competence, he just has no idea what that actually involves. She amends:]

I know this stuff. Or at least, I know this stuff up to this particular point. But now I'm... [she smiles, faintly] in uncharted territory, so to speak. Does it look familiar to you?

[ss_buttcrack]

I'm impressed. I didn't start learning this level of physics until my doctorate program.

[He looks again at the exact equation she's pointing out.]

Yes. I know this. But... this is about wormholes. Why are you studying this?

iv

[konpeito_aji]

[Nobunaga thinks long and hard.]

[Is literally shoving her through a betrayal?]

[He's gonna try it anyway!]

[Don't worry, he's going through too.]

[Or do worry, since that's not really reassuring.]

[astrogator]

[He gives Ari a shove from behind. She staggers towards the metal detector - but as she was keeping her distance, she manages to avoid going through by flinging herself to the side, landing in a heap on the floor.

She's up very quickly, gun drawn, although when she sees who her assailant was, she lowers it, and clips it back to her belt.

Ari strides towards him, grabbing him by the arms as if to shake him.] What were you thinking? Don't attack a Tradeliner like that! I could have shot you!

[But as quickly as it flared, the anger is fading, and now she does look betrayed. Hurt.] What was that for, Oda?

[konpeito_aji]

[Nobunaga just laughs. It's about what he could have expected from Hideyoshi, unless they actually went through together.] I'd have deserved it. Come on, let's go through. [Dropping his voice a little for just her ears:] You've got your supplies, right? Don't waste chances.

[astrogator]

No. I'm not going to be... disintegrated, or whatever that machine is doing.

[She hasn't let go of him yet, and she still hates being laughed at.] I have a plan now. This isn't part of it.

[konpeito_aji]

It's not disintegrating, or we'd see the ash residue. Besides, that's too much work for no purpose. It's a mechanical wormhole. Come on, we have to investigate, or you'll never get anywhere.

I'm going in. Are you really going to miss out just because of a smaller setback?

3 also!

[konpeito_aji]

[Oh heck yes. This is something he can do. Pure swimming is right out for him, but as he's already not wearing his armor and doing some basic cooldowns after their usual training sessions, he totally loves this idea.]

Like ama? [Might literally translate to "sea woman."] I'm already dressed the part. [All white.] I've never heard of a male ama though. Women are better at it because of the cold temperatures, and women hold their breath better than men. I wonder if that's why women are better in space too.

Ah, do you know the ama whistle?

[astrogator]

[Ari grins. She'd thought he wouldn't be able to resist a competition.]

Well, this water isn't cold, and I don't know about holding your breath being all that useful in space, but we can test it, right? Woman of the sea, man of the sea, let's see who wins.

I don't know the whistle. Show me?

[konpeito_aji]

Maybe it's for the same reasons, then?

I don't know it, exactly. So I'm probably laughably wrong to an actual ama. But let me see... [Does his best approximation of the breathing whistle.] Yare yare, I don't think it works without diving first.

I wish I remembered the poem about them. Let me think... [Shakes his head.] No, mostly I just remember Yakamochi's other poems about love and death. [2 guesses why.]

[He hops over and dives in carefully, to see if he can do the whistle better after getting wet and needing to catch his breath at least!]

[astrogator]

[Ari's still amused by his assertion that women make better spacers than men - but it's flattering, so she's hardly going to complain. She grins when he dives into the water.]

Let me try.

[She dives down, taps the bottom of the pool, and then comes back up. As she breaks the surface again, she tries to copy Nobunaga's whistle - but of course it's even further from correct than his was. Ari laughs.]

Maybe it takes practice! We'll have that in our competition. And if you can't remember the poem, maybe you can write one yourself someday.

[konpeito_aji]

[That's not just his own idea, Cesar and Crichton told him that!]

My love is
As seaweed reaped by fisher-girls,
Ever tangled, and
Not a moment dry
Have the weeds beneath the waves…

[Not his own, but one he remembered finally. And another dive! A better whistle attempt when he comes back too.]

iii. Friendly competition || The walk-in here might encourage a different greeting

[seethesun]

A girl walks in, clad in a diving suit, though her helmet is not on her head and is instead orbiting her body in a loose elliptical. She seems faintly surprised to find someone in the actual pool - the hot tub seems far more popular - but not necessarily displeased. Ari gets a friendly wave.

The giant needle behind her hand really spoils the effect.

[astrogator]

[Yes, that's a look of alarm on Ari's face, at least momentarily. That is a terrifyingly large needle. However, Ari's trying not to overreact. She swims to the side, clambers out, and wraps herself up in an oversized white Mohonk robe. It's warm, yes. It's also where she keeps her weapons while she's swimming, just in case.]

I don't believe we've met. [She speaks up as she approaches the stranger.] Peace and prosperity to you.

[seethesun]

Eleanor blinks at the unfamiliar greeting but quickly recovers, "To you as well miss. Sorry to startle you, I am afraid they are attached to the suit." She flicks the tip of the needle, smiling wanly. "Eleanor Lamb, miss, my pleasure."

[astrogator]

Lieutenant Arilanna Tayrey of the Tradelines. [She smiles, because she doesn't believe the other young woman means her any harm.] I suppose I should welcome you, Citizen Lamb. To this ship, such as it is.

[She looks over the suit again.] It's certainly... striking. Meant for deep sea exploration? But what are the needles for?

[seethesun]

Ah shit. The 'ah shit' expression is in fact on Eleanor's face; she's not practiced at lying, is the thing, so getting an awkward question still hits her sideways like a loose hot dog cart. One hand goes to the needle on the other arm, holding it loosely. "...They were designed to extract fluids from large life forms, to be examined and processed later."

Of course, Tayrey is an attentive kinda spacer. It may occur to her that the tubes extending from those needles don't go to the tank on the suit's back (which is labeled as an oxygen canister in any event); they vanish inside the suit.