(IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Big Digger: "Astropics assure us they just like other humans, except they can talk to us. Are they lying about that too?"

"Maybe I'm just getting hung up on small differences. Or maybe the genetic thingamajig is a really big difference..."

I look at the Starpus, and take a moment to think... If that's a person, and all the Hawkin and Muggraggle and so on are all people too, then I have to be a person, too, right? Maybe I've been around people more interested in what they can get out of me for too long... This isn't Rattan or Bumundo.

I go up to Slam. I search for my words, and then just blurt out, "I can move stuff like the Starpus can!"

I'd be a bit surprised if Slam just took Julian at his word here, so he'll also demonstrate.

Originally Posted by ericthered

OCC: are you really asking an alien who says "Fidget" instead of "Maintenance Worker" what it means to be human? Lol.

Well, it was convenient to talk to someone who couldn't say anything to anyone, but maybe Julian's turning a corner on his trust issues...

Originally Posted by ericthered

Gentle Arms: "That doesn't sound so bad."

Oh well, what do you know? You thought being kept fed, not killed, and able to play with spaceships was a swell deal yesterday.

Julian keeps his snideness to himself

Originally Posted by ericthered

Hungry singer: "He didn't tell us what was bad, he said it was bad, and then talked about the only things that weren't bad."

I remain silent briefly, before beginning, "... If I wasn't obedient, I was hit. Sometimes I was hurt, just because they could... I had, I was forced to give things, more than I could without stealing. I saw my friends vanish, one by one. I told someone I trusted, and they were killed to keep them quiet..."

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"Maybe I'm just getting hung up on small differences. Or maybe the genetic thingamajig is a really big difference..."

Gentle Arms: "To us being able to speak is a big difference. But you can't tell the difference between an astropic and someone else without fancy fidgeting, right?"

I go up to Slam. I search for my words, and then just blurt out, "I can move stuff like the Starpus can!"

Slam: "What? You can teleport stuff? you're sure?"

I'd be a bit surprised if Slam just took Julian at his word here, so he'll also demonstrate.

Slam is expecting teleportation, not telekinesis... how does Julian handle that?

I remain silent briefly, before beginning, "... If I wasn't obedient, I was hit. Sometimes I was hurt, just because they could... I had, I was forced to give things, more than I could without stealing. I saw my friends vanish, one by one. I told someone I trusted, and they were killed to keep them quiet..."

Hungry Singer: "That sounds awful. They murdered their own. How did you run away without them catching you?"
Gentle Arms: "Remember humans run fast."
Big Digger: "Let him tell his story. Its hard for him."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Gentle Arms: "To us being able to speak is a big difference. But you can't tell the difference between an astropic and someone else without fancy fidgeting, right?"

"That's what I understand too."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Slam: "What? You can teleport stuff? you're sure?"

Slam is expecting teleportation, not telekinesis... how does Julian handle that?

I clarify, "No, not like that, like how they tipped the truck." Then I get a little quieter, I feel embarrassed making a big deal out of something so much smaller than he expected, "Only smaller..."

Then he shows him.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Hungry Singer: "That sounds awful. They murdered their own. How did you run away without them catching you?"
Gentle Arms: "Remember humans run fast."
Big Digger: "Let him tell his story. Its hard for him."

"It was about a year after I saw them kill someone that I ran. I couldn't pay them anymore, not that would matter. I was stopped by another, and, I stabbed them. I feel sick just thinking about it... I hid for a month, I didn't know what to do... That's when I appeared in the place where they used rocks to travel."

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"That's what I understand too."

Pleasant Caller: "Then I'm glad we all agree we're all people. I wouldn't like it if the humans decided to start shooting us."

I clarify, "No, not like that, like how they tipped the truck." Then I get a little quieter, I feel embarrassed making a big deal out of something so much smaller than he expected, "Only smaller..."

Then he shows him.

Slam stares at the demonstration. "Umm... Wow. That's something. You just figure this out? Lets ask Florence about it."

"It was about a year after I saw them kill someone that I ran. I couldn't pay them anymore, not that would matter. I was stopped by another, and, I stabbed them. I feel sick just thinking about it... I hid for a month, I didn't know what to do... That's when I appeared in the place where they used rocks to travel."

Big Digger: "So you have no clan, because your old one wants you dead"
Pleasant Caller: "Human clans are confusing"
Big Digger: "Sometimes. I don't think this one is though."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Big Digger: "So you have no clan, because your old one wants you dead"

I decide it's simpler to just agree with Digger's explanation. "Pretty much."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Slam stares at the demonstration. "Umm... Wow. That's something. You just figure this out? Lets ask Florence about it."

"Yeah, the Starpus taught me just now. Do you want to radio Florence, or wait until we get out of this container?"

[ericthered]

Slam: "Lets tell her now. No need to wait"


He leaves unspoken how bored he is.



Florence: "You have some of the starpus ability to move things? that's... that's... amazing. You'll have to show me. But then that means you aren't a typical astropic, but something else. Let me pull up your scans -- yeah, I'm going to have to do a lot more scanning. Is <giant pile of medical jargon>? I'm glad we're both staying with the starpus for a while. There's too much to do. I'll have to see if Royal can bring in someone else. Or we might have to wait for the transfer. I wonder what else you can do."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Florence: "You have some of the starpus ability to move things? that's... that's... amazing. You'll have to show me. But then that means you aren't a typical astropic, but something else."

"The Starpus said as much, too."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Let me pull up your scans -- yeah, I'm going to have to do a lot more scanning.

More scanning... If plain ink can make me light up, I wonder if a scanner could too? Hopefully whatever the scanner does is random enough not to trigger that.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Is <giant pile of medical jargon>?

"Uh, could you explain the part I didn't understand?"

If asked, 'which part'
"The part after you said 'is'."

Originally Posted by ericthered

I'm glad we're both staying with the starpus for a while. There's too much to do. I'll have to see if Royal can bring in someone else.

"How much help could they be with only one of me?"

Well, I guess they could have two or twenty of me, in a decade. Not that I particularly want that.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Or we might have to wait for the transfer. I wonder what else you can do."

I remain silent... She's happy about it; that's good, right? I'm not getting tied up, or having a knife shoved in my face. I feel a bit queasy; I guess I just have to see where this goes

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"The Starpus said as much, too."

Slam: "Hey, you could do some pretty crazy stuff with that. You'd make an amazing lock hacker. Half the time you just open the door from the other side"

More scanning... If plain ink can make me light up, I wonder if a scanner could too? Hopefully whatever the scanner does is random enough not to trigger that.

GM laughing in the Background.

"Uh, could you explain the part I didn't understand?"

Florence: "What part was that?"

"The part after you said 'is'."

Florence: "Ok, how much do you understand about <very long gibberish>? nothing? What about Cerebral <gibberish> on the <gibberish> Cortex <gibberish> with <gibberish> Theory?"


She Sighs. "This is why I went into research."


Florence: "Your Cortex has <gibberish> structures on the <gibberish surface and connections. Some of these are related to astropics. I'm wondering if other <repeated gibberish> structures are related to your other astropic-related abilities, and if they match homologous structures in starpus brains."

"How much help could they be with only one of me?"

Florence: "One patient can keep a team of twenty busy, under the right circumstances. In this case, we have both you and all the starpus to look at. We have your genetics, your brain activity, your metabolism... you could keep a team of twenty busy, if we had them."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Slam: "Hey, you could do some pretty crazy stuff with that. You'd make an amazing lock hacker. Half the time you just open the door from the other side"

"Lock hacker?" I say confused, then understanding "I guess picking them is a thousand years out of date."

I set my pen down at the front end of the truck and walk around to the back of the truck. Then I try to pick up the pen.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Florence: "What part was that?"

Florence: "Ok, how much do you understand about <very long gibberish>? nothing? What about Cerebral <gibberish> on the <gibberish> Cortex <gibberish> with <gibberish> Theory?"

She Sighs. "This is why I went into research."

Florence: "Your Cortex has <gibberish> structures on the <gibberish surface and connections. Some of these are related to astropics. I'm wondering if other <repeated gibberish> structures are related to your other astropic-related abilities, and if they match homologous structures in starpus brains."

Explaining back is always a way to practice learning... "So my brain is structured differently from typical brains. Some of the structures resemble structures in Astropic brains, but other structures don't. And you think these other structures might be related to sensing and doing telekinesis, and may resemble Starpus structures..."

So what am I going to do when they find the structures that make me clairvoyant..? Act confused... They'll believe that.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Florence: "One patient can keep a team of twenty busy, under the right circumstances. In this case, we have both you and all the starpus to look at. We have your genetics, your brain activity, your metabolism... you could keep a team of twenty busy, if we had them."

"Oh, so I could have a wonderful future as a guinea pig ahead of me. Where do I sign?"

No, I don't have to worry about that... It'll be, not-me. I feel a little ill.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"Lock hacker?" I say confused, then understanding "I guess picking them is a thousand years out of date."

Slam: "Huh? Oh, yeah, right."

I set my pen down at the front end of the truck and walk around to the back of the truck. Then I try to pick up the pen.

No problem at all. The pen goes up just like you want it.

Explaining back is always a way to practice learning... "So my brain is structured differently from typical brains. Some of the structures resemble structures in Astropic brains, but other structures don't. And you think these other structures might be related to sensing and doing telekinesis, and may resemble Starpus structures..."

Florence is silent for a second, and then says: "more or less."

"Oh, so I could have a wonderful future as a guinea pig ahead of me. Where do I sign?"

Seven: "Florence, that's sarcasm. Be careful"



Florence: "I've told you before, you can walk away any time you want. At least, from the testing. There's no need to be sarcastic about your 'wonderful future' changing the world. You can generate more wealth than any of us."


Seven: "Wanna Bet?"


Florence: "Ok, than if we weren't in the middle of the most important heist in 300 years."