trans_9 | It's the only way to be sure [Open]

Entry tags:

It's the only way to be sure [Open]

So many people had recommended the Media Library to Soren that it ended up being one of the first locations on-ship that he paid a visit to. As promised, there was plenty of information to be found in convenient, electronic format.

Convenient for everyone who wasn't essentially from a medieval time period and thus had no framework for understanding computers, let along databases.

Losing patience, Soren began mashing the controls on some kind of instrument panel, and was rewarded with a moving picture featuring humans being menaced by floating tin plates, a woman singing about less-than-optimal romantic encounters, and some sort of storybook featuring a blue-skinned 'space explorer' and his evil nemesis (both with rather improbable hair).

"Infernal machine," he hissed, hitting the table with one small, bony magefist. "I'll show you a bad romance."

As far as he was concerned, the future should be destroyed. With fire.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Rhiow needed sleep more often than normal these days, after a couple magical crises right in a row and a good chunk of memory restored. She avoided her usual places, and it wasn't very subtle that she was avoiding anyone who might know her enough to ask what was wrong.

The Media Library was usually a perfect place to sleep - quiet, few people came in here except to read or watch television, and out of the way. Rhiow was curled up in a nest of tablets someone had neglected to stack back up when the music blared through the room.

Ears laid back, she went seeking the source of the noise, leaping up on the table. The ehhif holding the tablet looked like he hadn't intended to wake her up at all, so Rhiow turned her severe gaze to the tablet itself. "I suppose you think that's funny, picking on ehhif who don't know how you work. Stop that this instant, that noise is worse than mating season."

Although she didn't appear to use any kind of magic, the tablet shut itself off immediately. Rhiow sniffed. "Gadgets with a mind of their own. Worse than Gates."

Soren was actually used to animals (close enough) with supernatural powers, so he didn't look terribly shocked when Rhiow showed up and began talking to the datapad.

"My thanks," he said. Unusual ability she had, there. "I had wanted some simple reference material, and instead I find my ears and eyes assaulted."

Technology. Bah.

"It's no trouble," Rhiow said, putting her whiskers forward in a smile. "Computers may seem like they're out to get you, but they really can't think for themselves. It's all about giving them very specific instructions."

She perked her ears forward and turned back to the tablet. "Stop sulking and turn on. Open search. Reference-" Rhiow looked up at Soren. "Most of them accept voice commands, since a lot of the crew doesn't have the convenience of fingers. You just have to tell it only and exactly what you want."

Soren sighed. "Of course. Leave it to the future to amass vast amounts of information and store it in finicky automatons."

He eyed the tablet with no small amount of suspicion, then addressed it directly. "I'd like to see a list of important technologies and inventions throughout beo-- human history. If you please."

"You'll be reading that for quite some time," Rhiow said dryly, watching the surface of the datapad populate with information. "The People have more sense than to worry about that kind of thing. Anything we can't do with our own four paws isn't worth doing."

She curled her tail around her feet. "Sorry - I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Rhiow, one of the ship's Councilors. I'm also part of the Magical Department."

"That's fine," said Soren. "I'll use this as a starting point, and learn as much as I can. Coming from the time period I did, I've quite a bit to catch up on if I want to be able to understand what everyone else already seems to."

He looked at her. "Even if it seems frivolous now. The past shapes the future. If I cannot understand the even the most basic technologies I'm expected to work with here, of what help will I be in dealing with space fleets?"

Soren nodded at her introduction, though he wasn't really sure what a Councilor was. "Soren, of the Greil Mercenaries. And most recently of the Magical Department, I suppose."

"I didn't say it was frivolous," Rhiow said, amused. "Just that ehhif always bother themselves with making more, more, more... so many things. I wonder when the last time was that they lied down for a nap in the sun sometimes."

Cultural differences. Rhiow had long ago learned to roll with them, but that didn't mean that humans didn't still confuse her mightily. "It's good to hear you're already finding something to keep yourself busy with, though. There's a lot of downtime here."

"No, only implied it. And while naps may be relaxing, they don't get things done."

"I am not keeping myself busy. I am woefully behind in recognizing almost every cultural and technological touchstone taken for granted by many of the crew, and I wish to rectify this."

"No, it doesn't get things done," Rhiow said. "It's restorative. Good for the mind and body, helps you stay on top of the things you do need to get done. I wake up in the morning, do my meditations and my rounds, head to the Council meeting, then nap. You should try it." All work and no play made people burn out. "Of course when there's a crisis on the ship I'll forgo my normal schedule but that's to be expected."

She laid down on the table and began grooming her forepaws, cleaning meticulously between her claws. "I didn't mean to make it sound like it wasn't important," she said. "It's commendable that you're making the effort. Many of our crew members are content to linger in ignorance."

"I don't sleep well during the day," Soren said. Well, he didn't sleep well at night, either, but that was beside the point. "And in any case, I'm not here to recuperate."

Ike could order him to do so, of course, but he wasn't here.

"But that is regrettable. And not particularly surprising. I am sure that not many soldiers know everything there is to know about the other side of the conflicts in which they become involved. Or about their own, for that matter."

"We know regrettably little about the Ohm," Rhiow acknowledged. "But we are trying to learn more with every opportunity. We hope that the Tapestry will be the key to doing that."

She had her own opinions about Soren's work ethic, or what she viewed as someone on the way to being a workaholic, but she would keep them to herself. Ehhif weren't the same as humans, after all.

"Ah. And has it been useful thus far?"

Saying Soren was on the way to being a workaholic was like saying Henry Ford maybe had something going with this automobile thing.

"I haven't conferred with it myself," Rhiow said. "It's not really my area of expertise. But from what others have said, I believe it's more of a guide than a weapon. My colleague Arhu will probably be better at understanding it since he's better at understanding the tense confusion that comes from talking about the future."

Speaking of Arhu, Rhiow hadn't seen him since they got their memories back. She needed to track him down and make sure he wasn't getting into any trouble.

Curious. He hadn't said it was a weapon. A prevailing opinion on the ship, perhaps? Or was this creature merely forming more assumptions about him?

"I see. Perhaps I'll try my hand at it sometime. In any case, thank you for your aid. But I should be going."

He bowed slightly, then left. So much more of this ship to familiarize himself with.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's the only way to be sure [Open]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject