Sime~Gen Roleplaying on IRC: Snake River Dam Scenario
Episode #25: A Monkey Could Do It (8/6/00)
Sgt. Edka stands at the top of the cliffs which tower over the Dam canyon, carefully but efficiently inspecting his equipment.
Sgt. Edka looks rather smart in his bright-orange Demolitions Corps uniform, and he is well aware that the "can do" reputation of his unit requires a good performance in front of the Simes.
Sgt. Edka personally can't figure out why they planned to do the wall-reshaping by hand, anyway, instead of doing it right: with precision use of explosives.
Sgt. Edka might be a bit prejudiced in favor of explosives, however.
Starlin stands watching Team Manager Sayward, who he considers pretty okay for a Gen, and this clown in the orange suit and the offensive nager who has been shipped here from Deep out-Territory.
Sgt. Edka straps on his rappling harness and carefully secures his ropes.
Starlin has heard there has been a radical change in the construction plans, and wants to get every detail.
Sayward squints up the cliff face at the tiny bright orange speck that is their demolitions expert. This should be an interesting show.
Sgt. Edka is aware that today's job is merely a survey of the cliff face to pinpoint the proper spots for the charges, which is rather less fun than setting off a "big boom", but any trip down a cliff is exciting.
Sgt. Edka does the mandatory last inspection of ropes, harness, and tools, then walks to the edge of the cliff and casually steps off.
Starlin watches in amazement as the crazy Gen prepares himself to dangle in mid-air, a job that everyone knows should only be done by Simes.
Sgt. Edka expertly starts to work his way down the cliff, stopping at frequent intervals to inspect the rocks.
Starlin turns to Sayward.
Sayward hopes this little demonstration will not end up with them trying to run for cover.
Starlin: Why ever would you assign a Gen to do this kind of work?
Starlin: What if he falls?
Sayward: He is an expert and we Gens have been doing this kind of work for a very long time.
Wise Snake walks curiously up behind Starlin and Sayward and follows their gazes.
Starlin: But, you people are so weak and clumsy. It's ridiculous to take that kind of risk.
Starlin stares up the cliff side and shudders.
Sgt. Edka pauses at a bulge, dangling over the drop, in order to look for cracks, flaws, and other weaknesses.
Sayward: Starlin! That is a prejudiced point of view.
Sgt. Edka is humming to himself in the ~~ contentment ~~ of doing what he does best.
Starlin imagines the deathshock if Sgt Edka did fall.
Starlin: And he's not just risking his own life.
Starlin: Other people nearby could be affected!
Wise Snake transfers her attention to Starlin and Sayward's conversation.
Sgt. Edka puts a daub of paint at the critical spot, then writes a few cryptic symbols for his crews, informing them of drill angles, hole size, and what charge to use.
Sayward is trying to think of an answer for Starlin that won't vent her anger at his prejudices.
Starlin thinks he has had more incidents that threatened to throw him into killmode since he came to the Dam than in all his previous years after change-over.
Sgt. Edka notes another large bulge to the side, and starts to work his way carefully over to inspect it.
Wise Snake: Oh, I don't know, if he fell far enough, nobody would be particularly affected. [conversationally]
Wise Snake: Unless, of course, he fell into the open, or directly upon somebody else.
Sayward: We, Gens, do what we must to get the job done.
Sayward smiles at Hajene Farris' comment.
Sayward: He is a professional and knows what he is doing.
Starlin responds to the Channel's powerful attention.
Starlin: Very true, Hajene Farris.
Wise Snake: And, if you zlin carefully, you will find that he has perfect confidence in himself.
Wise Snake: Perhaps it is you who are feeling insecure?
Starlin: It's just the very thought of a Gen, uh... splatting on the rocks... makes me feel ill.
Sayward: Cris, is he [nods in the direction of Starlin] serious?
Cris: Yes, he is.
Sayward: Is that how you feel about this?
Cris: Simes in-Territory are very protective of Gens.
Cris is, after all, in the Diplomatic Corps, so casts around for a diplomatic way to phrase her answer.
Sayward: [under her breath] Sounds more like oppression to me.
Sgt. Edka would be highly amused by the thought that a tough, highly trained military expert like himself required protection.
Cris: I know that out-Territory Gens have skills our in-Territory Gens lack.
Cris: However, yes, I feel as he does.
Wise Snake herself finds high falls onto rocks provide a diverting challenge, although fortunately she has been blessed with enough heavy channelling work that it isn't anything she'd try to actually make happen.
Cris: We try so hard to stamp out all vestiges of the old days--Killing Gens and hurting them.
Cris: The very thought of a Gen in pain makes us cringe.
Sayward: Sorry, Cris. But you can't learn and grow without some pain.
Wise Snake studies Sgt. Edka's progress thoughtfully.
Sayward: But don't worry folks, the sergeant knows his stuff.
Cris: But perhaps you do not completely understand that your pain hurts us, perhaps worse than it hurts you.
Sgt. Edka's boots dislodge a few pebbles, which take a very long time to fall.
Sayward: All the Demo experts I have ever been around are the most careful people I have ever seen where their work is concerned.
Sgt. Edka recalls once more that they were planning to send Sime amateurs to chip the rock, and shakes his head at the insanity of the plan.
Sgt. Edka doesn't think tentacles make up for knowing what one is doing.
Sgt. Edka is glad that professionals have been recruited to do the job right, as that will lead to far fewer accidents--none, if he has anything to say about it.
Starlin: [agrees grudgingly] Yes, he zlins confident.
Starlin: I would not have thought a Gen could hang suspended like that without fear.
Sayward considers what Cris has said. She has been learning "manners" from her but wonders if some of the phobia that Simes have about Gen pain isn't overkill.
Wise Snake: Accidents do happen. [remarks]
Starlin meets Wise Snakes eyes.
Wise Snake's unusual white eyes seem to glint with humor, although perhaps not of the politically correct sort.
Starlin: Yes, they do.
Sayward: Do you fear to do you fear your job, Starlin?
Starlin: This is nothing.
Starlin: I am an expert myself in aerial work.
Sayward is proud that her Simelan has been improving steadily. She rarely has to ask for translations anymore.
Starlin: I was expecting to hang as he is hanging and chip the entire mountain down by hand.
Starlin: Making little holes as he is doing is very simple.
Wise Snake rolls her eyes.
Starlin is entirely ignorant of demolitions, and perhaps does not appreciate the precision of some of Sgt. Edka's less acrobatic maneuvers.
Sayward: Yes, but knowing where to make them is not.
Sayward: This work requires more that just a hammer and chisel.
Starlin: Well, I am prepared to learn, and teach these new skills to the workers.
Sayward: It requires a great deal of knowledge of how stone works and where to crack it and how much explosive to use and... the list goes on and on.
Starlin is very concerned that this change of plans brought on by the selyn shortage will reduce the number of SWAT members hired.
Starlin is far more afraid of a rebellion against his leadership than any explosion involving TNT.
Wise Snake clears her throat.
Wise Snake: Ah, I'm curious.
Sayward turns to look at the channel.
Wise Snake: Are you going to offer hazard pay for this work and give it to your more preferred members, or will you raffle it to the unemployed? [to Starlin]
Wise Snake has a naturally inquisitive mind.
Starlin: This work will go to our preferred members.
Starlin: It is a chance to learn skills not known in our Territory.
Starlin: Once we know their tricks, we will leave these Gens gaping in astonishment at our proficiency.
Sgt. Edka would not be amused if he could hear Starlin's boasts about Sime proficiency: one of the basic principles of his profession is that haste is useless, and slow deliberation essential.
Starlin turns to Sayward.
Starlin: You will see.
Starlin: But yes, we will want hazard pay.
Wise Snake smiles.
Starlin: Can you authorize that?
Starlin thinks if he can grab the plums of special training and high pay for the most influential members of his group, he may still be able to hold the union together.
Sayward: Our demolitions people get hazard pay also. That is a given in Gen Territory.
Starlin nods.
Starlin: We will expect the same when our members complete their training.
Sayward: When they start the work they will be compensated.
Starlin turns to Wise Snake.
Starlin: We can set the new recruits to carting out the rubble.
Wise Snake finds Starlin's bravado amusing.
Wise Snake smiles lazily at him.
Sayward: That will be good for the unskilled laborers and keep them occupied.
Starlin is unsettled by zlinning that the Channel seems to think what he says is funny.
Sgt. Edka finishes his second bulge and drops twelve feet down and six to the side to inspect his next target.
Starlin: ~~terror~~
Starlin darts to the edge of the cliff, ready to make a hopeless attempt to catch Sgt Edka, but then realizes he has come to a stop at a different elevation.
Sgt. Edka notes the idiot running into the rockfall zone below, and instantly freezes his feet so no pebbles will be dislodged.
Sayward: What's the matter?
Wise Snake snorts.
Starlin: ~~sheepish~~
Sgt. Edka glares down at Starlin.
Wise Snake: He was looking with his eyes, instead of zlinning.
Sgt. Edka: Get back, you idiot!
Wise Snake: It happens, you know.
Wise Snake: He thought he was falling, and did not zlin that his movement was deliberate and controlled.
Sayward: Oh.
Starlin retreats to his original position.
Sayward had been about to get worried by Starlin's sudden jump.
Sayward: No harm done.
Wise Snake: The mistakes made in life can also be made in politics. [observes]
Wise Snake: And now, I must be off. I'm expected in the blast ward.
Sayward remembers Cris telling her about going, what was that, oh yeah, hypoconscious when she expected a Gen to hurt himself.
Wise Snake smiles pleasantly, and disappears between some large rocks, where there is a trail back to the main buildings area.
Sgt. Edka confirms that the rock zone is clear, then continues his careful way down the cliff.
Sayward hopes that Hajene Farris will have very little to do in the blast ward.
Starlin: Well, that didn't look very hard at all.
Sayward: The work itself wouldn't be. The knowing where to put the holes and how much explosive to place in them is the hard part.
Sayward: That is where the training comes in.
Sayward: Cris will you be able to handle the translations for us?
Starlin has to admit that zlinning is not much use when it comes to evaluating stone.
Cris: Yes, certainly. I may have to bone up on my geological vocabulary a bit.
Sayward smiles at Cris.
Starlin: We have members with mining experience who may have an advantage in learning these skills.
Sayward: Good! That will make it much easier to get up to speed quickly.
Starlin: I will make up a roster including those in the first training teams.
Starlin: As well as the ones who are used to working at high elevation.
Sayward: Any help you can give will be appreciated, Starlin.
Sayward: Mr. Birch is truly unhappy with the delays and I want the crews up and ready by the time he gets back.
Starlin: The SWAT membership is truly unhappy about the selyn shortages and the augmentation limits.
Starlin: We must put as many people to work as quickly as possible to keep their morale up.
Sayward: You get no argument from me on that.
Starlin: Good afternoon, Tuib Sayward. Tuib Cris. You'll have your demolitions volunteers by tonight.
Starlin thinks, if the membership doesn't riot at the idea of working in mid-air with clumsy wild Gens.
Go on to Episode #26: Boom-Boom Chorus
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