Episode 2.02: Rivulets of Copper, Eyes Aflame

[Doug Burke]

"Son," Spalan intones. "I was just informed that T'Kiri's district has called in all off-duty personnel. Do you two need to reschedule your visit? Your sisters are...looking forward to seeing you."

"There is no need to reschedule, father," Sorak replies. "T'Kiri extends her apologies for being unable to attend,  but encourages us to proceed in her absence." He raises an eyebrow and his expression grows sardonic, "Tell my sisters I, too, am looking forward to our time together."

[Nolmir]

Their ritual complete, T'Kalla's facade of stoicism returns as she returns her hand to her side and asks, "Will you be staying for the remainder of the performances?"

Tobin grins like a schoolboy. "Yes indeed. I was planning to enjoy every drop of the entertainment. My ship is at Eridani for a checkup after her maiden cruise, so I have a plentitude of shore leave to take." He gestures back toward the amphitheater with a sweeping motion. "Perhaps we could sit together and enjoy the balance of the evening?"

[Renny]

"However, it is also fortunate that I happened upon your encampment. I am being hunted."

"Hunted?" Cole's eyes lift and scan the horizon in the direction from which Sadek has come. "I assume you're talking literally?"

[Davy, aka GM]

Cole
"Yes. A sehlat," the Vulcan boy says. "It has been stalking me for three hours, sixteen minutes, keeping a distance of between 46 and 53 meters."

OOC: Renny, please have Cole attempt an Insight + Security task vs. Difficulty 2 (Animal Handling focus applies)

Something's Control + Security (8/3) vs. Difficulty 2 (Stalking focus applies)

Rolled 2d20 : 2, 11, total 13

[Davy, aka GM]

OOC: 3 Successes vs. Difficulty 2. Success, plus 1 Momentum generated. Cole has to match that, at least.

[Renny]

OOC: Hmm. Ok, here we go

Insight (9) + Security (5) vs Difficulty 2 w/Animal Handling focus

Rolled 2d20 : 7, 18, total 25

[Renny]

OOC: Not good enough, unfortunately.

[Davy, aka GM]

OOC: 1 Success vs. Difficulty 2. Failure.

The Something wins the opposed task, generating 1 Threat.

Current
Momentum 0
Threat 9

Cole scans the desert and surrounding rocky hills to the horizon, but find nothing in the area.

"Its coat is remarkably well suited for this environment," Sadek notes. "Although it's smaller in stature than other species, like the Forge sehlat."

[Davy, aka GM]

Tobin
"That would be most agreeable," T'Kalla replies. "Come. My parents own a box in the balcony."

As she leads him back the way she came, Tobin observes her gait. She exhibits a slight limp and it seems like her foot doesn't articulate well, but she still moves almost as gracefully as he remembers. They reach a lift, and an attendant opens the door for them to enter.

It begins its ascent, the pair standing side by side in the close quarters. T'Kalla says, "Tell me of your ship. My memory is unreliable before my return to Vulcan, but I do recall you were seconded to Starbase 24 after you were cleared for duty."

Sorak
Long ago, the large villa Sorak called home for his youth was a walled fortress and manor house for a great warlord in the time before Surak. It survived countless battles, skirmishes, and the atomic horror of the Wars of the Raptor; fortress walls were incorporated into a grand manor house that served as the official mansion of a provincial administrator for many centuries before it was acquired by Sorak's 6th great-grandfather more than 350 years ago.

OOC: The Wars of the Raptor is one name given to the 4th Century AD atomic conflicts that killed Surak and facilitated the Awakening.

The building has many times been renovated and retrofitted in its residential service, but the ancient stone remains, still marked and scarred by conflict that serves as a reminder of what it means to allow emotions to control one's actions and the dangers of unchecked aggression.

Now, the orange and gray stone in which Sorak played and studied is filled again with his sisters, private solicitor T'Mat and V'Kor investigator T'Mag, and parents, V'Kor commander Spalan and law professor T'Chele. T'Mat's husband Vintar (a flitter technician) and T'Mag's husband Storvant (a V'Kor safety enforcement inspector) are both present, making the family home quite "busy," in the Vulcan sense of the word. The dining table - now used almost exclusively to entertain Spalan's official guests - is filled with the remains of faire that would be considered familiar to the engineer, including what could be termed "childhood favorites." Mother apparently decided to outperform expectations out of an admitted "emotional desire" to please her children, who were all together again for the first time in many years.

As he and his sisters and brothers-in-law begin to clear dishes for cleaning, Storvant is explaining how he was dispatched to investigate a public safety claim against Sas-A-Shar Institute  - that an older Vulcan complained about anomalous emissions from one of their research stations; Storvant detected ionized atmospheric molecules above the station and spent three days investigating, eventually discovering that someone planted an ionizer on the cowling of a sensor emitter.

"It was mounted in such a way that it fired small jets of ionizing radiation into the air, but only in amounts large enough for detection," he concludes. "It would be a threat only to an unprotected individual standing immediately over it. Such ionizers are built as sources for testing passive receivers for sensors, but never in the field, and certainly never mounted as this one was. My lab technicians are still attempting to trace the manufacture of the item."

OOC: Sas-A-Shar is an academic research institute that is independent of, but closely associated with, the Vulcan Science Academy. It focuses on environmental studies, especially the field of eremology (the study of desert features and phenomena).

[Renny]

Despite his inability to see anything in the direction indicated, Cole's nerves were jangling. He keeps his eyes on the near distance while speaking.

"What are you doing out here, Sadek, if I may ask? If we're in danger, I can have us transported up to my ship."

[Davy, aka GM]

Cole
"I am on my kahs-wan," Sadek explains. When it becomes clear the Terran doesn't recognize the term, he adds, "It is a survival ritual, a test of courage and resilience. This is my second attempt."

[Doug Burke]

Sorak, out of habit, falls into troubleshooting mode while listening to Storvant. "Since it seems the device's only purpose was to be discovered, I would suggest three possible motives: direction, misdirection, and irritation."

He lifts a finger for each option as he explains.  "Whoever installed the device wants the research station to be examined closely, either to reveal something or to conceal something else. And the last option is the province of what humans call a practical joke"

[Patrick Goodman]

Asha's eyes narrow, like they always do when she's gearing up for one of their scientific debates, but the corner of her mouth turns up slightly as she quips, "Listen here, Mr. Specialization-Is-For-Insects, just because you received poor marks in geology at your little Academy is no reason to cast aspersions on a legitimate subdiscipline. The poor sods who are forced to study it are very dedicated..."

Treyva feigned umbrage as he said, "Excuse me, but my marks in geology were more than acceptable at the Academy." He paused for a moment before adding, "I got bad marks in geology at university back home on Denobula."

"This morning, a group from the Starfleet Corps of Engineers were talking about research to replace current bulk material fabrication technology with a process they call 'raw material synthesis & replication manufacturing.' "

That actually sounded intriguing to him, and he made a mental note to look up the SCoE papers on the subject later.

"Now, you haven't said word one about it since I arrived, so I'm just going to come out and ask you: What do you think of your new ship, my love? I know how much the old Drake meant to you."

He smiled at that.  "Oh, she's beautiful," he said. "And really big compared to anything else I've ever served on. I need to show you the labs when we get a chance; they're the best Starfleet has to offer. I've been very impressed."

[Renny]

Cole
"I am on my kahs-wan," Sadek explains. When it becomes clear the Terran doesn't recognize the term, he adds, "It is a survival ritual, a test of courage and resilience. This is my second attempt."

His eyes flick from the desert to the face of the young Vulcan, then back again to the middle distance, willing his eyes to pick the threat out from the  arid haze.

"How's this one working out for you, mate?"

[Nolmir]

T'Kalla says, "Tell me of your ship. My memory is unreliable before my return to Vulcan, but I do recall you were seconded to Starbase 24 after you were cleared for duty."

Tobin nods. "From there, Starfleet assigned me to the Drake, an old Anton-class, though I have to divulge I barely spent any time aboard her before she was decommissioned. Thankfully, this time the damage occurred before I was put under Capt. Treyva's command," he adds, smiling ruefully. "But they gave the captain command of her successor, a new Constellation-class ship, and she is beautiful. Cutting-edge sensor suite, too. But I'm most impressed by the crew -- we've seen more than our fair share of adversity in my short time with them, and we always seem to rise to the moment."

He pauses, glancing towards T'Kalla. "So, what about you, T'Kalla? You've never been one to sit still for long."