Ham quickly pours Lirassa a stiff drink and then holds it out to her at arm's length. Lirassa snatches it like a donnar pouncing on a hiker and downs it in one gulp. Allowing herself a half-contented sigh, she hands the glass back to Ham without a word and then looks around for a place to sit.
"Oh, right," she says, fumbling out of her coat and handing it to Nekshi. She glances at Granite Spear, winces, and then plops into one of the simple but (definitely not) comfortable chairs with which the flat is furnished.
After a bit of moaning and wriggling her hips around, she gives up, chews her lip for a few seconds, and then says, "Um, you want to know what I did on the ship? The Fakrakkar?" [pronounced kind of like "Fush-rucker"] She tries to take a drink, realizes her hand is empty, and moans again. Then she crosses her legs and puts on an air of importance. "I was the executive officer! Number one after the skipper! The one whose job was to make sure the crew did what the skipper said! Yes, I did that." She takes a deep breath. "I also came VERRRY close to getting killed! I probably should have been killed." She sighs and shakes her head as unpleasant memories cloud her vision. "I still wonder how we got out of it. I mean, there I was...with my pants down...and this Alkan pirate sud...er..." She covers her mouth as her peach-white face turns Betelgeuse red. "Um...maybe he was...distracted...um..." She throws a horrified look askance at Ham and then buries her face in her hands.
"OHHH, I hate Alkans!" she moans behind her hands. Then she raises her face and looks anxiously around the room. "Weather Nose isn't here, is he?" Seeing that the notoriously loudmouthed Alkan isn't there, she sighs and attempts to sink lower in the chair. (She is not successful.) "Even that scary-looking, furry guy with sunglasses that was at Wirg's when I went back to get my..." She sits bolt upright. "Did you know the police stunned me? I outran that Yangae bimbo! Caught right up to her! Had her cornered! The little gidg was scared to brown! I was going to teach her some Besteeng honor! And then next thing I know..." She hugs her knees and shudders. "The police...said...that they...made a mistake! They said...they thought...I...was...someone...else!" She slaps both arms of the chair, winces, and tries to shake the pain off her hands. "Rakh! I thought Hergs read minds! But whatever skinny-assed, brown-skinned twerp came up behind me with a stunner..." The look in her eyes could probably stop a main battle tank dead in its tracks (or repulsorlegs, whatever...). "They said they were sorry! Gave me some tea and a backrub and sent me on my way! Ah...HERGS! So then I go back to Wirg's to get my stuff, thinking maybe I'll finally get some peace, and then fuzz-face in the dark glasses and his...his...Alkan bimbo sidekick...comes up to me and says, 'Hey, you da one dat chasin' da Foldorian woman, yes?' I was ready to tell this biktamma to go mate with a plasma furnace, and then his wench starts getting all in my face! OHHH...I hate Alkans! And Mr. Shades started getting really scary, too. They kept asking me who talked with that loyalist slut and if I was one of them. I told them what I knew, which wasn't much, and then that Alkan whore starts...licking...my...ear...." She shudders violently. "Then Mr. Shades says, 'Tank you for your be very cooperation," and he hurries out with his biktamig pink-skinned pet!"
She covers her face again and whimpers.
"And then Ham calls me and asks if I'm coming here!" she says with an irritable sigh. Then she glances up at Granite Spear and her eyes go wide. After that she looks around at everyone with furrowed brows and asks, "Aren't that Foldorian artist guy and his An-an-an-annuitis sidekick coming?"
58 comments:
I pour another drink for her... Letting her wind down with all that has transpired. I keep my expression carefully neutral throughout the outpouring.
"Yes Mon'Fargret and his friend will be arriving shortly. You just beat him here. You said you caught up to the woman, did she say anything before the police caught up to you?" I hand her the other drink.
Granite Spear cocks her head at the newcomer and shrugs. "I'm not going to eat you." Satisfied that Lirassa is in good hands, she moves to stand at the far end of the room, so as not to make her uncomfortable, but still keeping an eye on her.
Lirassa takes the drink, slams it, and hands the glass back to Ham.
"Did she say anything?" she echoes. She ponders for a few seconds, licking her lips, and then she replies, "I seem to remember her saying something like EEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!"
She really does put some oomph into the shriek, too. Her face contorts and reddens as if she were terrified herself. Then she takes a deep breath, calms herself, and adds, "I also remember her saying that I didn't understand and begging me not to stop her. That's when I suddenly felt my whole body frying..."
Lirassa leans toward Ham, jerks a thumb toward Granite Spear and whispers in Brekka, "Da brakke me ka witt i komareda maz, ddo witt be? Go? Ka?"
I nod to Granite Spear across the room. "It seems like Granite Spear is satisfied that you are a guest Lirassa, as a Shurian I have noticed she takes her job very literally and a stickler for procedure, something you both have in common. You could appreciate that being Exec. Care to fill in Nekshi on our pirate encounter in more detail?" (I dont refill the glass this time with alcohol)
Nekshi hangs up the Besteeng woman's coat.
"Yes, about the piracy incident. It would be helpful if we could identify all the pieces of this puzzle and find the common threads. That should lead us to some sort of conclusion."
Mon'Fargret remains completely unaware of anything happening here. He keeps on walking towards the dinner however.
Lirassa's eyes light up.
"Oh, she's a Shurian!" she says delightedly in Yangae. "Right! Okay! I've just never seen one before...except in pictures back in my school days. Yes, I remember! In fact, I...oh, now I get it! A Zorlan...a Shurian!" She points at Nekshi and Granite Spear in turn. "It makes sense! You must make quite an effective team! How long have you been working together? But isn't it hard on you being out of the water so long? Don't you have to keep yourself moist? Speaking of which..."
She takes the glass from Ham and immediately slams it. The look on her face that follows shows that she doesn't entirely approve of its contents.
"You...uh...want to hear about the pirate attack?" Lirassa says sheepishly. She coughs a couple of times and pats her chest. Then she jerks her thumb toward Ham. "Um...he could probably tell you better than I could. I mean, I was...well...um..."
She turns and gives Ham a look that combines embarrassment, hurt, distress, confusion, and sheer resentment into quite an enigmatic cocktail of emotions.
"You really want me to...um...tell you about...? Well, I guess I was...I am...I mean...but I..."
Then her voice catches. She sobs once and wipes her eyes frantically.
"Um, I...uh..."
She quickly reaches under her strawberry-blond tresses and massages the back of her neck. Then she sighs.
"Anyway," she says levelly, "you want me to tell you what happened? Alright. On a single leaf, we were in hyperspace decelerating as we entered this star system. We had cleared the Oort cloud and were almost to the outer comet belt. Our velocity was about 5C and dropping. The ship was still in stand-down mode, twenty minutes to standby protocol.
"It was then that the pirates used some kind of hyper-grapple to pull us out of hyperspace. Gravitic turbulence when traveling through planetary debris fields is not unusual, so we didn't suspect we were in normal space, let alone under attack, until a boarding party was already on our ship. They'd used teleporters."
She looks at Ham intently. "It was sheer good fortune that we were able to turn the tides on them and regain control of the ship. We were able to fire on their ship at point blank range with full surprise. We damaged them, and they fled. That's why we were able to make it to the port on Tethar. We've been here ever since."
I nod to Lirassa first and turn to Nekshi "I think they were caught by surprise a freighter would give them this kind of resistance. The beam in of the boarding parties were was piecemeal rather than in force, suggesting their teleporter capability was limited, certaintly not a military standard engagement. I had dispatched a few before I linked up with Lirassa, who had done the same for the number that appeared in the officer suites. Together we mounted a successful resistance. They could have massed with time, but again numbers were small. They apparently hadnt anticipated our freighter to use ship weapons either, so this suggests a light vessel with an inexperienced crew - fortunately for us."
I hand Lirassa another drink, this one mixed and not at full strength. "You cant be in proper battle dress at all times of the day my friend - so there is no dishonor or disgrace in that. The ones that sought to dishonor you paid with their lives."
Nekshi listens closely as the two shipmates relate their tale. She wonders how she would have handled the attack and is surprised to see her hands are shaking.
After Ham has finished his account she takes a moment to gather her thoughts and regain her composure.
To Lirassa and Ham, "I wish I knew the Brekka and Biton terms for 'Hero' for you have both lived up to that term, and I am honored to have met you." She bows to both of them.
"I can now see why Ham was slow in filling us in on the details of the attack, he was awaiting his superior officer's account before informing a group of strangers of Ship's business. He is rather noble for an Ibitonian and should be commended for his recalcitrant stance."
Nekshi summons Granite to her side with a gesture and places a hand on her shoulder. "Granite, we can learn much from these two. You as a warrior, and myself as a tactician. Such knowledge is painfully bought, however." (She draws Granite's attention to the seemingly neverending drink glass.)
To Lirassa, "Now be at rest, honored guest. You are amoung friends here. Relax and enjoy yourself. We will ask you no more questions."
(Sorry for the double post!)
Nekshi will send a message to Mon'Fargret and ask for his and Dabid's whereabouts and their eta to the party.
She will also inquire about a certain salad promised and cancel said promise since the Farbett has taken care of such nuisances. Thank the Controllers!
Lirassa accepts the latest drink from Ham with pursed lips. Then she says, "The Brekka word for 'hero' is 'takker' and Ham really is one. But things could have turned out very different. The pirate boarders were few in number, but they had chosen their teleport points very carefully. By all counts, they should have been able to render us helpless before we could mount any kind of resistance. I don't think 'inexperienced' is the word I would choose. I would say they were 'reckless'. Considering the extent of the piracy problem right now, they might have been overconfident. Give the local defenses a break; they did come to our aid almost immediately, but it wouldn't have been quick enough. We never follow ed a regular schedule, obviously but we did come to this system a lot, and we always had a plan filed in advance. That makes me wonder if someone had tipped them off we were coming."
"What I don't understand," chimes in Kuluf thoughtfully, "is why the Alkan who teleported into your quarters upset you so much when he was exactly what you had been...oh. Never mind."
Retreating under Lirassa's multi-megawatt glare, the N'gaina mutters to himself (but still loud enough for his translator to repeat), "Invasive sexuality is so confusing..."
Ham shrugs his shoulders, "meh ...just lucky I would say - I started with myself nose to the floor of the cafeteria ..because of the first lurch of the hull...I stayed there for the second. It was only because the first boarder made the mistake of materializing 2 meters in front of me and facing the other way. It would have been a lot more interesting if he came in 2 meters behind me."
Zeton listened to Lirassa's account with the pirates in silence while sipping his drink. When Lirassa is finished, he is truly glad he did not start off on the wrong foot with Lirassa in Wirgs.
"That is a amazing Lirassa. I wish I had a nice glass of Âbr'eĕn to honor you and Ham with after such an experience."
Zeton pauses, finishes his drink and then turns to Nekshi. I'm going to follow up on the Hergoths that were attacked in the drive by as well as look for other information related to the pirate attacks, our loyalist friends and the people who earn second chances. I wonder if there may be a connection..."
Returning to his computer Zeton continues to search for information.
Nekshi says to Zeton, "Good! See what you can learn of any connections. It may help our enterprise if we can figure out 'why' this is happening. I mean, what does this unknown group (I'll refer to them as Organization X) hope to accomplish through piracy, a lethal runner up program in a gameshow, and local attacks on Hergoth youths?"
She pours herself a drink of water and ponders the data. "The most logical conclusion I can muster at this time is Organization X is somekind of Yangae holdover from the 'old days' and seeks a return to power. Perhaps by destablizing local trade and inducing a low-level psychological fear of resistance. Seems rather far-fetched! We definitely need more data."
Info search turns up the following items of interest:
- The Hergoth youths targeted in the drive-by shooting were apparently locals, i.e. from Ekr'in. They are apparently members of the same school sports team.
- The only info you can find about the Second Chance performers is promotional statements from the Free Channel. They give a list of the recipients and claim that most of them gave "wildly successful" performances at "high-class establishments" that gained tremendous audience approval. There is no additional data.
- The Ergothei News Bank (i.e. the state-run media library) has a whole section dedicated to the recent surge in piracy and/or terrorism. However, you have trouble accessing many if not most of the linked files on the list. You tend to get either "File not found," "Unable to access file," "This file has been restricted," or no response at all. You have trouble gleaning anything useful.
Zeton frowns and wonders why the information about the pirate attacks has been made unavailable. This is not a good sign. Thinking of bad signs, Zeton wonders where Mon'Fargret and Dabid are.
"Nekshi, have you gotten any replies from Mon'Fargret about his and Dabid's where abouts?"
Gazing over at Ham, Zeton asks, "Ham, I really don't know that much about scanners. Can you tell me a bit about your scanner and if you can determine individual races with it, or do you just make educated guesses? I ask because I'm wondering who paid us a visit. Were they Foldorians or Hergoth?"
Drink course is ready. Braised meatballs in sweet sauce, vegatable rolls with nice leafy greens,spicey dipping sauce, toasted seeds, very salty, good with ale. The black ones are seaweed nibbles nice ocean flavor, good crunch. Main course should be ready by the time your friends arrive.
Why do you think the pirates and the show second people are related? I don't understand why you connect things.
In response to Zeton's question, "No, I haven't heard anything from our Foldorian friend, but I won't start worrying until I hear sirens. I'm sure he can take care of himself, besides, he has Dabid to watch out for him."
Nekshi heads to the kitchen to fetch the food. "I think we may as well commence eating. This will be Mon'Fargret's punishment for being late. Sit where you like and I'll bring the first course to everyone."
To Widj, "That's a very good question, and one I don't have a good answer for. Perhaps you could call it a 'hunch' or a 'feeling', although my Situational Logic teacher would wilt with shame to hear me say such nonsense."
Nekshi finishes loading the meatballs and rolls onto a serving platter. "I have yet to do a complete statistical analysis on the pirate attacks, and all of the data on the 'second chancer's' is ancedotal, at best: yet the timing of the two and the lack of Yangae targets for both hints at coorelation."
For the past several minutes Lirassa has seemed remarkably calm and collected compared to when she first came in. Even intense. She doesn't seem to be paying any attention to any of the dialog going on around her, focusing instead on her com unit. The drinks don't appear to have phased her at all.
But then she starts to look a bit agitated, like something is bothering her just a little bit but all the time, like an itch in a very bad place. Finally, with a sigh, she starts to massage her neck again.
Then she becomes unsteady.
Looking around a bit glassily, her eyes level on Zeton.
"Um...hello," she says. "Um...I'm very flattered you remember I like Âbr'eĕn! Now, what were all of you talk...oh, what's that smell? Whatever it is, it's lovely!"
Nekshi looks at Ham, and then to Lirassa and then back to Ham and raises her eyebrows as if to ask,"Is this behavior normal?".
"Is anything ever really 'normal'," retorts Kuluf, "or is it all just your own personal ideal?"
"Why?" asks Lirassa, looking around at everyone. "Is...there a problem?"
(Engaging Gamemaster override...)
Info Geek said...
Zeton types more into his computer and then looks up.
"Problem? I don't think so..." Zeton gets up and fixes a plate of food for Lirassa and politely hands it to her. "We've all had a stressful day and are a bit jumpy."
Zeton smiles and turns to Ham. "I really am interested in your scanner. Why don't we step outside so you can give me a quick demo?"
Making sure the front light is off, Zeton guides Ham toward the door.
Just as he gets there, however, the doorbell suddenly rings, startling Zeton and Ham. Zeton cautiously opens the door and finds Mon'Fargret standing there with Dabid.
[Heelllo, we're the Church Police. Why is there a dead bishop on the landing? And what diocese?]
[That didn't happen.]
Mon'Fargret greets Zeton. "Uh, hello. Er, is everything okay here? We heard a rather startling scream on the way up and hope that it was just partying or something."
Mon'Fargret and Dabid can't help but notice the rather tall (6'), strawberry-blond woman with the colorful headband sitting on the sofa. At first they don't recognize her behind her wary but glassy glare.
"Um," says Lirassa to Nekshi. "They look familiar. Um...who are they?"
"Mon'Fargret, Dabid! Scream? Oh, that was Lirassa. She was just venting after describing her experience today."
"Ham was just going to give me a demonstration of one of his toys, why don't you two join us?"
Zeton quickly gets Ham outside with MonFargret and Dabid and closes the door.
Zeton can tell from the quizzical looks he's getting from everyone that his actions are a bit mysterious, so in a hushed tone, he rapidly relates to Mon'Fargret and Dabid what happened in Nekshi's flat concerning Lirassa before they arrived.
Zeton then continues, "Ham, I've sent a quick text message to Nekshi explaining my concerns, but I didn't want to talk about them in front of Lirassa."
"I understand anyone would be agitated after what she's been through lately, but I'm worried. She keeps rubbing the back of her neck... could it be that you missed an implant when you scanned her?"
"I wonder if Kuluf can detect what's going on? Is there anyway you can re-scan her without her becoming alarmed?"
Zeton then turns to Mon'Fargret and Dabid. "We can't stay out here too long. Let's all head back inside, but please remember, Lirassa my be under someone influence, so we need to be careful what we say right now until we can confirm what's going on."
Before opening the door, Zeton turns to Ham and says, "If you discover something, let us know as subtly as you can, but honestly I don't know what we are going to do about it."
With that Zeton opens the door to Nekshi's flat to a group of slightly surprised people. Ushering Ham, Mon'Fargret and Dabid into the flat Zeton says, (now in a normal tone of voice),"Wow Ham, that was really interesting, you'll have to explain that again to me some time, I really didn't understand everything."
Closing the door behind him Zeton finishes by saying, "As you can see the food is ready, help yourself and when you are settled, please tell us what's kept you so long."
Zeton hopes his quick actions to bring Mon'Fargret and Dabid up to speed on the situation without alarming Lirassa has worked...
Nekshi throws a dark look at Kuluf as she reads her beeping comm. unit.
She watches the activity at the door with Zorlan detatchment as she puts the serving tray down on the main room table.
"Granite, Kuluf, would you like to go outside and see what you can find to eat in the river, or would you like to stay inside and have some of this yummy cooked food?"
"Oh, I'm content with my last splash," replies Kuluf. "That handy box of water you have in there is most thoughtful!" Then he cocks his head. "Would it save everyone some trouble if I just went ahead and told you that Ham already knows about Lirassa's implant? Or would that be interfering too much?"
Then he gasps and makes a muffled outburst. His translator says, "Oops!"
Lirassa gasps loudly.
"Um...my implant?" she says. "You're, um, worried about my implant?" She glances around the room. "Uh, yes...I have an implant! It's right here!" She gathers her long hair up and pulls it away from her neck. "Thought Driver. Top-grade model, too. It helps me keep focused when I...uh...need to keep focused."
She crosses and uncrosses her legs and giggles behind her hand.
"I just hate keeping it on all the time. I, uh, start feeling like...well...like someone who doesn't feel anything. Like a demon-damned machine or something. I really hate it!"
She drums on the sofa with her hands. "I know, I know! I can get a bit, um, flaky when I turn it off. Especially if I'm worked up over something...like TODAY!!!" Her eyes practically bug out of her head when she says that last word.
Then she takes a deep breath and calms herself.
"Sorry," she says sheepishly. "I'll be myself again in a little while. They say it...um...takes a little while for my midbrain to get used to not having that...extra control. You know what I mean?" She sighs. "I know...I shouldn't have come, but now I'm here, and now you know, and now things are what they are, and now I just want to relax, okay?"
Then she looks up at Mon'Fargret and Dabid. "Oh, yeah! Now I remember you two! The light was different at Wirg's! You're really a brave one, aren't you?"
Zeton silently heaves a sigh of relief and is grateful the implant is there to help Lirassa and not harm her. He rubs his eyes and can feel the stress of the day beginning to take its toll on him.
"Mon'Fargret, Dabid, please, help yourself to food and drink and then tell us about your day after we left you. Were you delayed at all? You are later that I expected."
Zeton does not wait for Mon'Fargret or Dabid, but goes over to where the food is and fixes himself a plate and then pours himself a drink. He has the feeling it's going to be a very long night and he wants to fill up on food while he has a chance.
Once he has food and drink he returns to where his computer is and begins to eat while he waits for Mon'Fargret and Dabid to tell their story.
Mon'Fargret says to nobody and everyone, "I apologize both for our lateness and our social ineptness at not bringing food. Please believe me when I say that circumstances had other plans. Don't be surprised if you see me on Free Channel news tonight and tomorrow. I had one of their people accost me with a camera about the incident at Wirg's. I hope you forgive us, but Dabid and I are starving. I hope to reciprocate with information."
With that Mon'Fargret heads over to the food table for a small plate of food and a stiff drink.
Nekshi rubs the back of her head in sympathy for Lirassa's condition.
"Well, I'm glad that's all settled. Does anyone else have any conditions or allergies which may affect their behavior and send us spiraling off on another tangent?"
She looks around the room and catches Widjgleeby grinning in the kitchen.
"Hrrumph! Now everyone relax and enjoy the food. Wigj has more food coming, so try not to over consume on individual items, as that might lead to a lack of gastronomical reserve for latter tidbits."
She soon realizes that no one is listening to her and sits down and helps herself to a few of the seaweed rolls.
With a full mouth she tells Kuluf, "Help yourself to the items in the aquarium if you like, but don't eat the yellow one. I think it's poison."
Granite Spear steps towards the aquarium protectively. "Um, Kuluf, I would rather you don't eat from here... If you like, we could walk down to the river and fetch something less... personal?" Granite turns to Nekshi, "Te tskoolaff?"
"Excellent!" replies Kuluf. "We both need wet, so let's leave the dry ones here for a spell and go wet ourselves!"
As he flops closer to Granite Spear, he adds, "Are you sure you want to walk there? I mean, sure it's only about fifty meters to the river, but..."
Nekshi wrinkles her brow and throws a hearty "Pa Kepft!", Granite's way. And manages to look slightly confused and sad at the same time.
Lirassa's face takes on a look like something puzzling has just occurred to her. Rising from the sofa, she strolls over to where Zeton is seated behind is computer.
Easing her 6' Viking-esque frame into as demure a pose as possible, she says melodically (though a bit awkwardly in Yangae), "Um...you kind of left me in the lurch back there in Wirg's, you know. I mean...I know you're...did you say you were a reporter or something? You were asking me about my friend." She clicks a heel anxiously and moves a little closer. Her voice scarcely above a whisper, she goes on, "All of you seem really worked up about something. I mean, all this coming and going, making excuses to step out, Ham with his scanner, you guys getting all edgy about my Thought Driver... I mean, I may be jittery, but I'm not stupid! Something is going on here! And if it has anything to do with my friend or with that bitch in the bar, then I am now officially involved! Now is there anything I can do to help?"
"I think you officially became involved when you were zapped by the police, but I'm glad to hear you're willing to help."
Zeton pauses to collect his thoughts and then continues.
"To be honest, I'm not sure how you can help us. I think I can also safely speak for the rest of us when I say we don't really know what's going on either.
"We have many pieces to a puzzle, or many pieces to different puzzles and we don't have a clue how they fit together or what pattern they may form. We were hoping to work some of that out tonight over dinner."
Zeton looks at the group for help to explain to Lirassa what has transpired during the day in a way that doesn't sound completely crazy or unintelligible.
Lirassa grins a knowing sort of grin.
"Well," she says, "I might be able to help you with your file access problem. After all, one of the ships attacked by the pirates was mine...or at least partly mine. You're using "little brother" for protection, right? I guess it's better than nothing."
"Any help you can offer to learn more about the pirate attacks would be grand."
Granite looks at Kuluf and then down to where his feet are (I'm guessing these are hidden by his cloak?), and then back at Kuluf.
"I know of no other way to travel there... If you have other means, then I have no objection, but you'll have to excuse me as I'm limited by my own legs." Granite gestures to the back door, "Shall we?"
Kuluf shrugs. "As you wish."
He proceeds to flop toward the door.
Nekshi perks up. "If you can grant us access, we would greatly appreciate it! Of course, we'll only study such material under your supervision or that of an appointed representative."
She looks thoughtfully at Ham.
[stupid frogs!]
[What about frogs? I like frogs!]
[What if the blog wiiiiiiiiiiiiiinds around a power line?]
After shoveling an impressive pile of food into his mouth, Mon'Fargret works his way to Zeton and group. He says, "I understand there was a shooting. I heard the sirens and saw the emergency vehicles. We tried to steer clear to get here. I hope we succeeded. I appreciate you all waiting for us. When the waterborne revive, a have a few tidbits for you. In the mean time, maybe we can look for my ugly mug on the holovid. I would like to know how they are twisting my words."
[Climb up and get it!!!!!!]
(Since Zeton is already searching for news on the shooting, the Free Channel Evening Report is already displayed in the search list, should you wish to watch it.)
Lirassa sneers and says, "The Free Channel News? Oh, I'm sure they loved the fact that the Hergoth police had a...what is the Yangae word..."
"Encounter?" suggests Dabid.
"Yes!" Lirassa snaps her fingers eagerly. "Ecnouter! The Hergoth police had an ecnouter with a Manager caste person! Your name will probably be in the news for weeks!"
Dabid sighs. "Bet on it," he says. Then, very deliberately, he adds, "His lord will be a face to some ridiculous cause."
Lirassa's lip curls at the obvious hint, and she turns toward the computer again.
Mon'Fargret turns on Lirassa and nearly yells, "If you have a question or a request, why don't you just ask me?"
He continues to gaze fiercely at her waiting for an answer.
Zeton was just beginning to access the Free Channel Evening Report for everyone to watch when Mon'Fargret's outburst stops him. Zeton is puzzled. He's not sure why Mon'Fargret acted this way and he's curious to learn why Mon'Fargret is upset.
He looks at Mon'Fargret and then to Lirassa, waiting to see her reaction.
[**ribit** spark ...pop***]
Shifting his tone more thoughtfully "Mon'Fargret ...Im sure Lirassa meant no offense to you. I think she just has a fresh row against the Constables right now, and still excizing it out of her system"
I gave Lirassa an intent look.
Ham looks thoughtful at the moment at hand "Zeton I will be happy to show you the working of the scanner once more. We dont have to step outside I have the file stored in here ... and I can run it back and analyze on a more specific setting."
Lirassa looks at Mon'Fargret with surprise-widened eyes.
"You f...?" she starts timidly, but then some vehemence enters her own gaze. "I didn't mean anything by that," she says. "I only wanted to understand. This isn't my native language, you know."
Nekshi frowns at Mon'Fargret's outburst and raises her wrist with the comm unit, computer attached.
"Ham, would you please be so good and scan the output waves from the video, you can trade tales with Zeton later. This might be important."
She furrows her brow, "Or I might be chasing spirits. Mon'Fargret, explain yourself!"
Zeton, hoping to avert attention from the possible dispute between Lirassa and Mon'Fargret, quickly activates the Free Channel Evening Report and swivels the screen so everyone can watch.
As the report begins to feed, Zeton says, "Mon'Fargret can explain after we watch the news. What we see might help us understand what's going on."
Mon'Fargret throws his hands up. "Look, I am sorry. We can watch the news...but I've had people messing with me ALL DAY and I'd had enough. I'll explain more later."
I dump the last couple scans to safe storage on the scanner card and reattune the receiver to the broadcast reception both in visual and audio.
I chew on my lip idly. "Im including a wider selection both up an down the spectrum -if there is more to this than we see, but Im not entirely sure about psy resonances"
Time for a new post.
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