(IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

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

Hm... I wonder how Starpus find stuff to pick up... Maybe... Slam is pretty bored right now, "Hey Slam, can you hide this pen somewhere for me?"

Assuming he does, Julian will fumble around with Telekinesis until he finds and retrieves the pen.

Originally Posted by ericthered

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."

"Sure, but, like, why? After all this I'm going to be so wealthy, I won't need to do anything for the rest of my life. Why bother hanging out in a hospital bed, having literally every aspect of my life managed to death, when I could just, well, not?"

"Clones of me is something that apparently can't be negotiated. The difference between a hundred clones and a hundred plus one seems entirely academic."

Originally Posted by ericthered

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

"There was a more important heist 300 years ago? What could possibly be a more valuable target than Starpus?"

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Hm... I wonder how Starpus find stuff to pick up... Maybe... Slam is pretty bored right now, "Hey Slam, can you hide this pen somewhere for me?"

Slam: "Sure...." He picks up the pen and hides it somewhere.



Julian can't find the pen.

"Sure, but, like, why? After all this I'm going to be so wealthy, I won't need to do anything for the rest of my life. Why bother hanging out in a hospital bed, having literally every aspect of my life managed to death, when I could just, well, not?"

Florence: "That's fair. I suppose you may as well do something with the rest of your life, but that's the way I think. You may be happy lounging on a beach for the rest of your life. I wouldn't be."

"Clones of me is something that apparently can't be negotiated. The difference between a hundred clones and a hundred plus one seems entirely academic."

Florence: "But the difference between one boundary-breaking astropic now and a dozen ten years from now is not. Time matters. You're important."

"There was a more important heist 300 years ago? What could possibly be a more valuable target than Starpus?"

Florence: "I'm just building in a margin of error. I don't study heists like the rest of you."


Seven: "This might be the most important heist of all time."


Royal: "There's some Political espionage that might beat us out. but I'm pretty happy with our prospective notoriety."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Slam: "Sure...." He picks up the pen and hides it somewhere.

Julian can't find the pen.

"Well I guess you're better at hiding stuff than I am at finding it. Where'd you hide it?"

Then I try to retrieve the pen, without seeing exactly where it's been placed.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Florence: "That's fair. I suppose you may as well do something with the rest of your life, but that's the way I think. You may be happy lounging on a beach for the rest of your life. I wouldn't be."

"I might get bored of lazing about a beach too, but I doubt a lying around a research facility would be any better... 'Sit up, another injection, we need to calibrate this sensor, your meal's carefully measured so eat your broccoli, you need to exercise now,' and on and on and on."

I look at the tank, "And well, unless you boffins come up with an alternative to me, 'Astropic to the liberated Starpus' is probably a far more interesting and in-demand job."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Florence: "But the difference between one boundary-breaking astropic now and a dozen ten years from now is not."

"They're also probably among the best years of my life. Sorting my **** out, acquainting myself with all the modern technology, deciding what to make out of my life... Probably better use of time than guinea pig."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Royal: "There's some Political espionage that might beat us out. but I'm pretty happy with our prospective notoriety."

"Maybe even something we could boast about without having anyone come after us one day..."

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"Well I guess you're better at hiding stuff than I am at finding it. Where'd you hide it?"

Slam: "On top of my head. After I made it disappear and take a little trip. Why did you want me to hide it?"

Then I try to retrieve the pen, without seeing exactly where it's been placed.

Knowing its on Slam's head seems to be enough. Julian grabs the pen from across the container.

"I might get bored of lazing about a beach too, but I doubt a lying around a research facility would be any better... 'Sit up, another injection, we need to calibrate this sensor, your meal's carefully measured so eat your broccoli, you need to exercise now,' and on and on and on."

Florence: "That sort of thing can be done in style, I think."

I look at the tank, "And well, unless you boffins come up with an alternative to me, 'Astropic to the liberated Starpus' is probably a far more interesting and in-demand job."

Florence: "It should be possible to do both. The actual sensors and duties are quite light and fully compatible..."


Slam: "Flor! you're not going to be the one to convince him. He doesn't need to know that he CAN do it, he needs to know why its GREAT. And you're pressuring him. Wait until we're rich and then get an agent to sell him on it."



Seven: "A Boffin... that's not a word I've heard before. A scientist, Engineer, or Technician. Branch of Root English. You're just full of surprises"

"They're also probably among the best years of my life. Sorting my **** out, acquainting myself with all the modern technology, deciding what to make out of my life... Probably better use of time than guinea pig."

Florence: "Its all compatible."

"Maybe even something we could boast about without having anyone come after us one day..."

Royal: "That's the hope. At least for some of us. We're going to go down in the history books as politically motivated, I think. And our Benefactors should be strong enough to protect us. Though I don't fancy having a government appointed body-gaurd watching over my shoulder for the rest of my life."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Slam: "On top of my head. After I made it disappear and take a little trip. Why did you want me to hide it?"

"Wanted to try and find it with telekinesis. Either I can't or you're too good at hiding things."

That last one isn't unlikely...

Originally Posted by ericthered

Florence: "It should be possible to do both. The actual sensors and duties are quite light and fully compatible..."

If it is so easy, then well... I'd have to explain everything, wouldn't I? I don't know if I'm ready for that.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Seven: "A Boffin... that's not a word I've heard before. A scientist, Engineer, or Technician. Branch of Root English. You're just full of surprises"

"Root English? Wait, no, 'Branch' of Root English?" I scoff, "Americans win again."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Royal: "We're going to go down in the history books as politically motivated, I think."

I shiver at the thought that one day I might be blamed for saving Panagos's cloning system... I want to help the Starpus, and I'm greedy. I don't want that...

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"Wanted to try and find it with telekinesis. Either I can't or you're too good at hiding things."

Slam: "I'm too good at hiding things. I'll take it easy on you next time."

"Root English? Wait, no, 'Branch' of Root English?" I scoff, "Americans win again."

That gets a mix of chuckles and wonder.

I shiver at the thought that one day I might be blamed for saving Panagos's cloning system... I want to help the Starpus, and I'm greedy. I don't want that...

Julian is in the box for quite a while, but eventually they start moving again. This time its a lot slower and the Starpus complain a lot less. They make it to the Aquarium, and start setting up the giant pipe to connect the two tanks (without getting water all over the floor this time).



Royal is present to help, as is Florence.


Royal: "We've made the news. The concordance is livid. Panogos has given permission for their forces "Help" search for us, and they're on Curry Station... but they won't know which station we're on, which widens the search field a lot."


Florence: "We've succeeded!"


Royal: "From your point of view, maybe. We're still stuck on Curry, and we need to watch the war in order to get the right buyer."


Royal: "Rook, the important thing here is to seal the deal with the Starpus. when we went in, we didn't know how smart they were and what motivates them. What can you tell me about that? I know you've been working hard on this during the transport."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Royal: "We've made the news. The concordance is livid. Panogos has given permission for their forces "Help" search for us, and they're on Curry Station... but they won't know which station we're on, which widens the search field a lot."

"So, the Concordance doesn't trust Panogan forces, or...?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

Royal: "From your point of view, maybe. We're still stuck on Curry, and we need to watch the war in order to get the right buyer."

Well that certainly explains why Slam doesn't know the plan.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Royal: "Rook, the important thing here is to seal the deal with the Starpus. when we went in, we didn't know how smart they were and what motivates them. What can you tell me about that? I know you've been working hard on this during the transport."

"The previous deal the Starpus had with the Concordance is that the Concordance gives them food, shelter, survival, and the opportunity to travel. The Concordance gets to decide when they go, where they go, and what they go in. As far as I can tell they think this is a pretty good deal. I guess if Starships are really expensive, they might be right."

"They kinda have a diversity of opinions. Gentle arms wants a break, Hungry Singer wants to explore the places they go. Continued access to travel is obviously a big deal; a ship just for them is part of what got them to come over. They're pretty mad about the Concordance keeping them hidden and the fact that they're intelligent a mystery... Not sure how we can do that without going, 'Hey Concordance! Here's the stuff we stole from you!'"

"They seem reasonably smart. The Astropic telepathy, they have some problems there; like big words 'hurt their brain'. I don't know exactly what that means; maybe words that refer to things far outside their experience are incompatible with telepathy? Or maybe they find them complicated and prefer not to think them. Obviously they have a concept of deals and enough of an ego to be offended about being hidden. They're not that gullible either, I told them that on Riask they made stuff travel with rocks and they didn't believe that. Though they seemed more accepting that non-humans could exist there."

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"So, the Concordance doesn't trust Panogan forces, or...?"

Royal: "They may lack trust in Panogan forces, but more important, they're mad and scared. They want us found now, and they're going to be sloppy about it. They're going to show their hand and weaken the Panogan government in their haste. But that's not what we're counting on. We're counting on them being sloppy. I think I see our way off Curry."

"The previous deal the Starpus had with the Concordance is that the Concordance gives them food, shelter, survival, and the opportunity to travel. The Concordance gets to decide when they go, where they go, and what they go in. As far as I can tell they think this is a pretty good deal. I guess if Starships are really expensive, they might be right."

Royal: "They might be self-selected. Or over-awed by the technology. They certainly can't build a ship by themselves."

"They kinda have a diversity of opinions. Gentle arms wants a break, Hungry Singer wants to explore the places they go. Continued access to travel is obviously a big deal; a ship just for them is part of what got them to come over. They're pretty mad about the Concordance keeping them hidden and the fact that they're intelligent a mystery... Not sure how we can do that without going, 'Hey Concordance! Here's the stuff we stole from you!'"

Royal: "They want continued access to travel? Why? Why is that important to them? That sounds like work, not payment."


Royal: "We will eventually need to display what we have. At this point, we can start making claims and they will be believed here and even spread off system. The fact that we have them gives us credibility. Even if we can't prove things, forcing the concordance to talk about it is probably a win from the Starpus point of view. Our clients may wish for some additional spin, but I satisfying the Starpus on that account should be easy."


Royal: "Others can make similar claims, though establishing a powerful client backing our claims would help. They would need to risk war with the concordance, or already be engaged in it."

"They seem reasonably smart. The Astropic telepathy, they have some problems there; like big words 'hurt their brain'. I don't know exactly what that means; maybe words that refer to things far outside their experience are incompatible with telepathy? Or maybe they find them complicated and prefer not to think them. Obviously they have a concept of deals and enough of an ego to be offended about being hidden. They're not that gullible either, I told them that on Riask they made stuff travel with rocks and they didn't believe that. Though they seemed more accepting that non-humans could exist there."

Royal: "And there is no way for me to talk to them except through you? I wish I could speak with them frankly. I'm unsure if their minds are inflexible or if they simply haven't learned the right language. I need their psychology. Perhaps I need to talk with them through you for a while. Do they mind talking? Is small talk possible?"


Florence (To Royal): "I don't see a way to alter your brain that way yet. Maybe in seven years."


Seven: "Its easy to believe an alien who tells you about more aliens."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Royal: "I think I see our way off Curry."

"Well as long as that way off involves a day outside of this container."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Royal: "They might be self-selected. Or over-awed by the technology. They certainly can't build a ship by themselves."

Royal: "They want continued access to travel? Why? Why is that important to them? That sounds like work, not payment."

I recall what Hungry Singer said, "'It feels good to Travel so far, to have our mind's strengthened.' Maybe it's like being an athlete?"

Then I decide to answer the question without further speculation; "What do like about travelling? I know Hungry Singer mentioned 'mind strengthening', but is that it?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

Royal: "We will eventually need to display what we have. At this point, we can start making claims and they will be believed here and even spread off system. The fact that we have them gives us credibility. Even if we can't prove things, forcing the concordance to talk about it is probably a win from the Starpus point of view. Our clients may wish for some additional spin, but I satisfying the Starpus on that account should be easy."

Royal: "Others can make similar claims, though establishing a powerful client backing our claims would help. They would need to risk war with the concordance, or already be engaged in it."

"Well, it's not as if the Starpus have an independent way of verifying it, at least for a while."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Royal: "And there is no way for me to talk to them except through you? I wish I could speak with them frankly. I'm unsure if their minds are inflexible or if they simply haven't learned the right language."

"Well, surely it's possible to rig up some kind of waterproof computer that they could use. Maybe one with great big buttons. If they can yank a truck into a skid, surely they can push a button. Maybe then we could try teaching them a proper language."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"I need their psychology. Perhaps I need to talk with them through you for a while. Do they mind talking? Is small talk possible?"

"Oh, sure. They love to talk." Or at least that's the impression I got earlier.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Seven: "Its easy to believe an alien who tells you about more aliens."

I mumble something about it being true.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"Well as long as that way off involves a day outside of this container."

Note: You're outside of the container, in the aquarium they built.

I recall what Hungry Singer said, "'It feels good to Travel so far, to have our mind's strengthened.' Maybe it's like being an athlete?"

Then I decide to answer the question without further speculation; "What do like about travelling? I know Hungry Singer mentioned 'mind strengthening', but is that it?"

Gentle Arms: "It feels good. We like it. It feels like traveling. Its pleasant. What else is there to say?"
Hungry Singer: "It makes my blood flow. It fills me with excitement."

"Well, it's not as if the Starpus have an independent way of verifying it, at least for a while."

Royal: "True. We will see if it is to our advantage to change that."

"Well, surely it's possible to rig up some kind of waterproof computer that they could use. Maybe one with great big buttons. If they can yank a truck into a skid, surely they can push a button. Maybe then we could try teaching them a proper language."

Florence: "I suppose we can at least give the tools of a lab animal."


Royal: "What about speaking to them? How can we signal them?"

"Oh, sure. They love to talk." Or at least that's the impression I got earlier.

That's the impression I tried to give!
Royal: "That's good. We have a lot to talk about."