Case studies [Open]

[theprophet]

Tarrant strode along the bank of the River, eyes trained on the invisible, delicate web of power that stretched out even to this remote location. He picked out eddies in the flow, interpreting minute fluctuations as an animal might discern a faint scent in the air or vibrations along the ground.

There was life here, yes. And the river should provide adequate housing and space. Combined with the equipment in the Castle, supplemented with supplies from the various shore leave planets...

He pulled out his datapad, slender fingers dancing along the screen -- rapidly charting out the flow of the water, the depth, the amount of shade. Yes, this might do quite nicely.

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[dragonlordbight]

As he was analysing the flow of water and life within, he may pick up a rather large being making its way upstream through the river. One of considerable power. As drew closer a rather large head rose from the water, the massive dragon stopping not far from him.

It did not take the dragon more than a second to recognize just who was by the bank, "Greetings, Lord Tarrant" He greeted with a calm look and a slight dip of his large head, "Congratulations on your new position as Councilor,"

[theprophet]

Well, there were only a few people on board who this might be. Tarrant thought he had pretty good odds for a guess.

"Lord Bight, I presume? You certainly weren't exaggerating about your stature." He gave the dragon a smooth, polished bow. "Thank you. I'm glad the crew has seen fit to entrust me with the responsibility. Have you been well?"

[dragonlordbight]

At one hundred and fourty feet long, there was little mistaking the Bronze dragon for those who had heard of him prior. Moving closer to the bank revealed the true scale of his form.

"Indeed, that is I, though many know me as Crucible in this form," He replied easily with the slightest hint of amusement at the comment as to his stature, "You are welcome. I am sure that you will serve them well,"

"I have been well, thank you, and what of yourself?"

[theprophet]

Tarrant nodded. "Crucible, then. Is there any significance to having two names?"

He sighed, motioned to the riverbank. "As well as can be expected, I think. I've been toying with doing a study of the animal and plant life in this river -- it's an old hobby of mine. I used to be Erna's version of a scientist, you could say."

[dragonlordbight]

Crucible dipped his head, "To a degree there is, Hogan Bight is the name I often go by in my human form, it is by that name that the people of Sanction knew me as their Governor, it is a name that suits the form,"

He followed the gesture with his gaze, before returning to the other, "Indeed, that is understandable given our situation. Is that so? Life in the river has grown bit by bit as the days and weeks have gone by, I have swum the entire length of the river, from its end in Escherville to its beginnings by the outer wall of this city," Nodding in the respective directions, showing some interest in Tarrant's wish to study it.

[theprophet]

"Understandable, I think," said Tarrant, flicking a mote of invisible dust off his shoulder. "Names have power attached to them, whether they're chosen deliberately or not."

Crucible's words piqued his interest. "Have you? For sport, perhaps? I'd like to know what the source of the river's water is, and what happens to it once it reaches this Escherville. I assume it doesn't empty out into a sea."

[dragonlordbight]

"So it would indeed seem," Crucible agreed with the slightest incline of his massive head.

"I have. For leisure primarily, I am as much at home in the water as I am in the air," He cast a gaze toward the port side end of the river, "The source would appear to be a greater reserve of water from within this vessel. If only that were so, no, it appears from as far as I have been able to follow it to flow back into this vessels inner workings, likely to another reserve,"

[theprophet]

"Recycled, then," said Tarrant. "A tighter cycle than you'd find on a planet, no doubt, since I doubt this ship is quite so large. It would be interesting to trace the flow of water from one end to the other. Perhaps later." There was, apparently, plenty of time to take on new projects.

"I noticed there doesn't seem to be many places to stretch one's wings aboard the ship."

[dragonlordbight]

"Indeed, that is quite likely the case," Crucible gave a slight shake of his head with a hint of amusement, "Perhaps not that of an entire planet but from what I have seen myself and heard it is the size of a moon, it would however be interesting to trace the path it flows indeed, when time permits at some stage,"

"The city provides some opportunity, not that of an open sky but it is something, otherwise the sensorium's can give one the illusion of an open sky," Crucible commented as he peered to the artificial sky above.

[on_errantry]

"Dai Stiho, and well met on errantry."

The voice came out of empty air for a moment before Rhiow stepped sideways in a magical way, appearing from just to the left of normal reality. She blinked, her vision adjusting to the normal light. "I see you're enjoying the river, Councilor. Congratulations."

[theprophet]

"Well met," said Tarrant, sweeping himself into a bow as he heard the sound of her voice. It was second nature to him at this point.

"It seems congratulations are in order on both sides. I look forward to following your performance as chairman."

[on_errantry]

Rhiow's ears flicked backward and she started washing her leg purely out of embarrassment. "Oh, that's - I'm sure it'll bring me more headaches than it's worth soon enough," she said.

She shifted her attention back to the river, focusing on the fish swimming around underneath the water. "What brings you here?"

[theprophet]

Tarrant smiled. "I hear responsibility and headaches are a package deal. But someone needs to bear them, I suppose."

He followed her gaze back to the water. "Curiosity, mostly. I never thought I'd see a river on a spaceship. Or a spaceship, to tell you the truth. Do you know if many people frequent this area?"

[on_errantry]

"Well, I originally helped build it for a friend, but he's since been taken back into the pods. I come to fish once in a while, now that the population is somewhat stable. The crew built a bathhouse along the river since it had a steady water source." Rhiow stared hard at the water for a moment, tracking the shapes of the fish.

Her paw darted out into the water, but she jerked it back quickly - she'd missed. She shook off the water with her ears laid out to the side, annoyed. That's what I get for trying to show off.

[theprophet]

"You helped to build it?" Tarrant looked interested to hear this bit of news. "In that case, do you know where the river empties out into? And from where the water originates?"

He watched her make an attempt at one of the fish. Ah, of course. Not everyone used a rod and reel. Or a net, for that matter.

"To tell the truth, I've been contemplating a project that involves stocking the river with additional fish species. Of course, they'd have to be managed and adapted for this particular body of water, but I believe that is no real issue. And besides, it could provide some benefit to the crew -- at least to those of us who enjoy the occasional fish."

[on_errantry]

"I won't deny that I'd be personally interested in a project of that kind," Rhiow said, licking her whiskers at the thought of it. "Carp is lovely but the taste gets tiresome after a while."

She stretched out, yawning, and then resettled herself on the bank. "We asked Stacy to divert a portion of her water pipelines. The source of the current is that pipeline emptying from the City wall, although I've never been that far down the river myself. It empties out deep in Escherville, back into Stacy's pipes, and presumably gets cycled through the ship again."

[theprophet]

Tarrant nodded. "As I thought. I've never been to Escherville myself, but Crucible mentioned it earlier. Perhaps some other time."

He clasped his wrist behind his back, but made no move to sit down, looking instead down at the water. "I'd imagine that eating anything repeatedly gets tiresome. In any event, perhaps the rest of the crew would also be willing to make some suggestions. Freshwater species first, I think, though I should be able to adapt certain salt water specimens as well."

He looked thoughtful. "Of course, the change in living space would most likely cause a shift in taste... but that can be ironed out over time."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Congratulations on beating the goons." Howard squints at the datapad and then the water, trying to figure out what the new Councilor's looking at and writing down while still standing far enough away to give Tarrant a wide berth. It's not easy. Maybe he should invest in glasses. "I totally voted for you."

[theprophet]

Tarrant didn't comment on Howard's choice of positioning, but he did smile slightly at the greeting. "Thank you. On both counts. It was a close race, or so I hear."

In fact, he was surprised at how many people had turned out to support Lash. This was supposedly a civilian position and most of her credentials had been in military service. "What brings you here? Or do you often make trips to the river?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"I like to check and make sure the water's still running." He pantomimes leaning in to see it, seeing that it is in fact okay, and nodding with satisfaction. "Honestly, you were the only one I figured wasn't going to sit around or blow us all up. It wouldn't have been a close race if people weren't dumb."

He tosses a rock into the river. "Apparently I'm a liaison to you guys."

[theprophet]

Well, it looked like Howard was the type to get right down to the point. Tarrant appreciated that. "Some of the other candidates had experience, but in a completely different arena than the one we find ourselves in now. And I suspect what the Council responds to best is someone who can play politics. Or maybe that's just what the crew wants. Part of the crew."

"In any event, I intend to get a few things done, regardless of whether or not I have help from within. You're welcome to make suggestions, the same as anyone else. I meant what I said when I promised I'd listen." For reasons he probably wasn't eager to get into at the moment, Tarrant took his promises seriously. Very seriously.

He arched an eyebrow at Howard. "I thought Mer Bight was our liaison. Is he sharing that position now?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"I suspect that people respond best to candidates who aren't proven liars or explosion junkies." A chance to bash the Council? Howard says sure! He tosses another rock in. "Do you have plans for making us self-sufficient?"

Because if not, Howard's going to regret his vote. He hopes that datapad's about fish.

"He's the liaison with the crew. I'm the liaison with Command. What's left of it, that is." Figures he'd get hired and then his boss would leave his first week on the job.

[theprophet]

"Yes, as a matter of fact, though true self-sufficiency will take quite some time." Tarrant motioned to the water. "I thought I'd start off by stocking the river with some freshwater fish species. That is, after all, what the Council is for -- civilian legislation, public improvements. Or so I'm told, anyway."

He'd be absolutely crushed if you regretted your vote, Howard. Really.

"How... specific. And the reason the Council can't liaise with the crew and Command on its own?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"That's a beautiful idea." Howard smiles the widest he has in about a week now. "What are the fish going to eat, though? You gonna introduce mosquitoes?"

Not like Howard is opposed to that if it means fish.

"Because Command's a bunch of incompetent nobodies who can't do their own job, so they outsource it to teenagers. Feeling excited about working with them yet?"

[theprophet]

"I'm afraid that might get me thrust out of office before I can even put the plan into motion," said Tarrant. "Algae, freshwater vegetation, waterborne insects that already exist in the river, fish fry. It may require some supplementary fish meal, though the extent to which we may need some of these is dependent on the species we want to stock." Hence the river study!

"As for Command, perhaps I can provide some needed impetus. Or maybe it's the crew that will bear Command forward. A significant portion of the crew appears set on acting whether the chain of command is prepared or not." He wasn't too worried about the people in charge. In his experience, a small, agile force, guided properly, could vastly outmaneuver any bureaucracy.