Sime~Gen Roleplaying on IRC: Snake River Dam Scenario
Episode #38: The Kingdom of the Dam (9/14/00)
Cisst leads her charge towards the outlying camp where Lemuse and Roliver are working.
Cisst is used to running all over the mountain by now: Controller Arat decreed that all people in the area must be chased down, and guess who had to do the chasing?
Cisst is as prone to grumble at the boss as any flunky, but it is mostly good-natured, as she prefers the tenuous order that is emerging to the chaos which preceded it.
Elte follows his guide, neck craning in all directions to take in the entire landscape.
Cisst occupies herself by attempting to give her charge a bit of background on what is expected of him.
Cisst: ...And please do remember that for the safety of everyone concerned, you must not interfere in any way when a channel and Donor are working.
Cisst looks over her shoulder to make sure that the reporter has assimilated that vital information.
Cisst has noticed during her career that reporters have a tendency to forget minor things like field gradients when there is a story to be found.
Elte flashes his trademark smile and his blue eyes twinkle.
Cisst smiles in return.
Elte: I'm only here to observe.
Elte thinks Cisst's serious-minded intensity is quite attractive.
Cisst: I'm glad to hear that. I think you'll enjoy the chance to get to know Sosu Lemuse and Hajene Roliver. They've been doing some very good work in the camps.
Elte of course doesn't have a clue about field gradients; luckily he is low field.
Roliver resigns himself to another day in paradise with Lemuse the Happy, Arat the Mad -- er Less Happy and all the other wonderful folk who people the Kingdom of the Dam. Someone seems to have had the bright idea that he should play model channel for the O-T press. Oh yeah, life is good.
Elte: I look forward to seeing how your channel-Donor teams manage in this wilderness.
Elte: At least it's not snowing yet.
Cisst: Yes. Very fortunate, indeed.
Elte: In a few months, the conditions here will be as rough as at the Battle of Shen.
Cisst hopes that the incentive plan will coax a lot of these unemployed people out of the mountains before the weather gets really nasty.
Cisst: We're not in the middle of a war, though. That should help.
Elte would have liked to be able to report on a full-scale war, instead of simple riots and police actions.
Lemuse: Well, isn't it a beautiful day today! [exclaims]
Lemuse genuinely enjoys the crisp breeze of early fall, and the delicate shade of yellow-green which all the deciduous trees (that haven't been cut down by drifters for firewood and camp planks - 1 or 2) have turned.
Elte unfortunately does not know of any major wars planned at the moment.
Lemuse's ~~enjoyment~~ isn't overpowering, but it isn't difficult to detect either!
Cisst tops the last rise and starts down into a hollow, in which various tents, shacks, and other temporary structures are scattered among the tree stumps.
Roliver takes a deep breath and swears to himself that he will be kind to his Donor today of all days. He runs his tentacles through his dark blond hair and smiles as sweet as you please.
Elte: Nevertheless, exciting times lie ahead, I am sure.
Lemuse: Well, I think things are definitely improving here. See how they have dug a new latrine? And that little girl's infection was much better.
Cisst: Here we are. Roliver and Lemuse should be....
Lemuse: Last week I wasn't sure if she would... Oh! Look, here they are! ~cheerful~
Roliver: Yes.
Cisst scans the area for the pair, and waves as she catches sight of them.
Elte follows Cisst in the direction of the people in the Tecton uniforms.
Roliver is a rather tall and oddly broad channel with dark brown eyes and a permanent scowl.
Lemuse is a young (25 or 26 natal years) perky Gen with brown hair and always just the right size grin.
Lemuse is one of Arat's favorite 2nds, and he demonstrates this by repeatedly assigning her to the most difficult Simes.
Lemuse doesn't mind, though. She always enjoys every assignment.
Cisst: Sosu Lemuse, Hajene Roliver, this is the out-Territory reporter, Elte.
Cisst is not usually so formal with her colleagues (Controllers excepted), but feels that the circumstances warrant it.
Elte's trained gaze scans his quarry thoroughly.
Elte notes the Sime's frown and the Gen's smile.
Elte flashes a smile in their direction.
Elte: Elte Andover here. New Washington Times.
Cisst: He's looking forward to learning more about what you are doing.
Elte: It's a pleasure to meet you both.
Lemuse makes sure she's covering Roliver properly, as Elte is plainly from OT and has no clue about where to stand and what to do with himself.
Roliver zlins the new arrivals closely then zlins Elte more closely. Something is just out of his range of sensitivity.
Lemuse notes Roliver ogling Elte and adjusts herself to help him zlin as well as possible under the circumstances.
Roliver: Yes Mr. Andover. Pleased to meet you too.[slightly distracted and zlinning harder]
Elte reminds himself that Simes read emotions, so does his best to think welcome as well as say it. He is not quite sure how this is done.
Lemuse: We're just super thrilled to have you here with us today. It's not too often we get to work with the press, you know.
Elte is distracted by Lemuse's brilliant smile. Enchanting!
Elte is peripherally aware of Roliver's attention as well, but Roliver isn't as pretty.
Elte: ~~turned on~~
Elte: Well, we're just like anyone else you know. We just ask a lot more questions.
Cisst notes with approval how genuinely welcoming Lemuse is, and concludes that Controller Arat made a shrewd choice of channel-Donor pair.
Roliver is wondering what kinds of questions. He has given up on trying to zlin what is different about this reporter fellow and calls himself back to his duties.
Lemuse thinks Elte is cute in a mentally-13-years-old sort of way, but is far too dutiful to forget about Roliver on that account.
Elte has heard people in-Territory are not real sticklers about marriage and purity and like that; he wonders if he will have the chance to find out.
Cisst: Controller Arat asks that you allow Mr. Andover to view as much as practical of what you are doing, so that he can understand what the channels are doing here at the Dam site.
Elte: What I'd like to do is follow you around on your standard routine.
Elte: Don't change anything because I'm observing.
Elte: I want to see the real thing.
Lemuse: Great! [says, before Roliver can say anything sarcastic]
Lemuse: We're glad to have you.
Cisst hadn't noticed that any routines around here were particularly routine.
Roliver: Well, if you are ready, Mr. Andover, we can get started. Would you like to join us at the dispensary? We have some work to do there. [gives Lemuse a dirty look]
Cisst: Good, then. I'll be back for you in a few hours, Mr. Andover.
Lemuse gives Roliver a genuinely fond smile while Elte is distracted.
Elte: Thank you, Sosu Cisst.
Elte: Lead on, Hajene Roliver.
Cisst starts back along the trail towards the main camp.
Roliver: This way then. [strikes off toward the "Sime Center"]
Elte strides after Roliver.
Roliver: So, Elte is it, how long have you been working as a reporter?
Elte: ~~hurt pride~~
Lemuse is glad to see Roliver taking the initiative to find out more about Elte.
Lemuse worries about Roliver sometimes since he gets so depressed. But learning more about others is a positive sign.
Elte: I've been a correspondent since the day I reached my majority.
Elte: I was reporting even before then, as a child, though that wasn't formal.
Elte: You may not be familiar with the New Washington Times, but I'm a household name throughout Gen Territory.
Roliver is still trying to zlin the newcomer.
Roliver zlins the hurt feelings.
Roliver: Sorry, I meant no offense. I was just curious.
Elte: ~~low-field, thrumming with healthy production of new selyn~~
Roliver: My English has gotten rusty. Haven't used it since before changeover.
Elte: Oh, were you raised in Gen Territory?
Roliver: Yes. I was wondering if you ever traveled much near Dura. That is where my family is from.
Elte: ~~happy, excited by new experiences like a kid with a new toy~~
Elte: Yes, I was in Dura to cover the launch of Cross Lanta-Sea Expedition.
Elte: Wonderful town.
Roliver: It was when I was a kid. Glad to know it still is. I haven't been back since but I get a letter every now and then.
Elte: All those ships with their sails fluttering in the ocean winds.
Roliver: Yeah, my Mom used to take us out for a sail on weekends. Don't get much chance at that working for the Tecton.
Lemuse thinks Elte and Roliver have hit it off remarkably well. Roliver doesn't usually talk to people about anything but business, much less start gushing about his childhood experiences.
Lemuse thinks Arat will find that very interesting, and takes careful mental notes.
Elte: So how'd you get posted up here in the mountains, sailor-boy?
Roliver reminds himself that he is talking to a reporter and that his Donor is a recorder.
Elte has caught the Eastern cadence in Roliver's accent; he thinks that Simes really aren't all that different from Gens if you avoid looking at their arms.
Roliver: I often get outlying assignments. That just seems to be the nature of what I do.
Roliver is not going to tell an O-T Gen that his rather un-positive attitude and willingness to express it has gotten him sent to the back of beyond on more than one occasion.
Elte: So you do a lot of traveling?
Roliver: Yes. In point of fact the Tecton moves all of us around quite a bit.
Elte: Well, we have something in common then. Me, I'm never in the same place for more than a few weeks. Always chasing the next story.
Elte regards Lemuse.
Roliver is trying to figure out why this Gen makes him feel that he can be trusted.
Elte: And do Donors also travel a lot?
Lemuse: Sure! [grins]
Lemuse: I get to try out all sorts of places.
Lemuse: Why, just before this assignment, I was in Capitol. And before that, in Maple Leaf Territory.
Elte: And how does this assignment compare?
Lemuse: Well, it sure is a challenge! The vistas are so beautiful, and I've had a chance to meet so many different people.
Lemuse: Of course, I always enjoy working under Controller Arat.
Lemuse always kisses butt big time too, which is why she is usually in her Controller's good graces.
Lemuse is always so sincere that even her butt-kissing is genuine.
Elte: Ah, you've worked with the Controller in the past?
Lemuse: Yes, I worked with him for a couple of years in Capitol.
Lemuse: I was glad I was one of the ones chosen to come here when he did.
Lemuse cheerfully implies that 1) a person would be glad to come here at all, and 2) that she had any choice when Arat picked her.
Elte: And why was that? I'd think a pretty woman like yourself would prefer the comforts of city life.
Roliver zlins the two Gens interacting. Something about this Elte seems to make everyone around him relax. He has no delusions about Lemuse's "happiness". But even she seems to be relaxing, if only a bit.
Lemuse: Oh, you charmer! [not falling for it particularly, but giggling well due to years of practice]
Elte wonders if Lemuse had to leave behind some handsome boy friend.
Lemuse is not being relaxed by interaction with Elte per se; she's more relaxed because Roliver, her channel, isn't as uptight as usual.
Lemuse is grateful to Elte for proving inarguably that Roliver is capable of loosening up. Even she had been beginning to wonder.
Roliver suppresses a smile at the less than gentlemanly interest Elte is radiating over Lemuse. If he wants her he can certainly have her. The reality of Need makes him reconsider that slightly. Oh, well, any port in a storm.
Elte notices Roliver's odd smile and wonders if Lemuse is already spoken for. They do work very close together and he has heard the relationship between a channel and Donor can be quite intimate.
Roliver: Did you get down to Maynard's for the Pig Pickin' while you were in Dura?
Roliver can no longer eat meat but has fond memories of BBQ sauce and slaw from his childhood.
Elte meets Roliver's eyes.
Roliver smiles despite himself.
Elte: No, I'm afraid I was mostly on the wharf. Pretty good seafood, though. Hope I don't offend by saying that.
Elte has heard Simes find the idea of eating meat distasteful.
Lemuse: Hey, I'm on a see food diet myself.
Lemuse quoth the beginning of a very old joke.
Roliver looks at the Donor askance, wondering did she actually make a real joke?
Roliver realizes that he has never spoken English with Lemuse before. Maybe it's the language barrier. Nah, that isn't it.
Roliver: No, not at all. Dura is known for both. But most people, the locals anyway, lean more toward BBQ than seafood.
Elte: Now I've traveled a lot of places, but I have to admit this is my first trip in-Territory.
Elte: I've been in border cities, but never over the border before.
Elte: So if I put my foot in my mouth, please help me extract it.
Elte: What's the best thing on the menu here at the Dam site?
Roliver: Anything that won't get up while you are trying to eat it.
Roliver can't believe he said that!!
Lemuse grins at Roliver. She's never heard him joke around before.
Elte: Any decent barbecue around here?
Lemuse hadn't noticed Roliver loosening up this much around the local Gens, so thinks it must be Elte's charm and experience.
Roliver: I mean, it is a bit rough up here. The food is okay but you won't be getting any meat here unless you shoot it yourself.
Elte's eyes gleam at the thought of going hunting.
Elte: Uh, I thought that was a big no-no this side of the border.
Lemuse: It is. [assures him] But the border's right across the lake. Only take you a couple of days to go there, hunt, and come back.
Lemuse isn't too worried about Elte doing that; there are plenty of people who'd be willing to do the dirty work and Elte would appear to have money.
Elte: Ah....Well, right now I'm on assignment.
Elte: Tempting thought, though.
Lemuse was forewarned about giving Elte any dangerous ideas, but she may not be fully cognizant of Elte's tendency to rush off into foolish risks.
Lemuse was, after all, briefed by Arat who tends to understate.
Elte can practically smell the fresh deer meat sizzling on a open fire among the tall pines.
Roliver zlins the wheels turning in the Gen's head but of course can't actually read his mind. However he can guess.
Roliver: Uh, Elte I was just kidding about shooting it yourself. That would not be a good idea.
Elte: I'd heard there was some kind of food shortage here. Has that affected you?
Lemuse: It hasn't affected us personally, but we work with the people out here every day.
Lemuse: As you can see, there are a lot of hungry people out here.
Elte nods.
Elte: I understand that you have unemployed from both Territories, hoping to be hired on.
Lemuse: Thousands of them. [confirms]
Lemuse: All living like this.
Lemuse indicates the various huts and makeshift tents on the denuded hillside.
Roliver: Yes. It makes for a volatile situation.
Lemuse: But things have gotten a lot better since a couple of months ago. [confidently]
Elte: What's changed?
Lemuse smiles. "Controller Arat and all the new personnel arrived, and we did the census. Now they are working to settle the selyn shortage so work can go on. The situation isn't ideal, by any means, but it's so much better than before."
Lemuse: Now when they try to bring in supplies and work out the logistics, they at least know what they're working with!
Lemuse leaves out a whole lot about how the natural ecology of the entire area is being trashed, how winter is marching down upon them and labor relations are on the brink of breaking down, and the poor are eating the equivalent to bread and water.
Lemuse was told to accentuate the good and noble, with Elte.
Lemuse wouldn't lie if asked directly of course, but she does know how to accentuate the positive!
Elte: And what's the big picture?
Elte has already gotten some of this information from other sources, but he always likes to see how individuals see things.
see note 1
Lemuse: Well, of course we like to say... HOLY SHIT!
Roliver: Bloody Shen--!! [grabs Elte and Lemuse and makes a mad dash at augmented speed for the Sime Center.]
Lemuse trips and falls as Roliver yanks her off her feet without warning.
Lemuse will have to speak to him about the difference between adventure novels and real life escaping-from-danger scenes, assuming she lives to do so.
Roliver reaches down and grabs Lemuse, tucking the Donor under one arm and the Gen under the other in a dual football carry and keeps moving.
Elte is startled at being snatched up by an augmenting Sime, but lets himself go with the flow, as it were.
Elte thinks that a lot of Gens would be freaked out by being grabbed this way; he is luckily not one of them.
Mud slides down hill, carrying stones and tree stumps with it, and washes out the trail directly behind the fleeing threesome.
Elte compares the motion to the time he tested a prototype gliding mechanism; that had a lot more comfortable movement, except for when it hit the ground.
Elte hears an ominous grinding noise behind him. He tries to crane his head, which is difficult in the football carry grip.
Roliver forces himself to think. From the direction of the mud slide the direction he is running will put them out of harm's way. He zlins around just to be sure.
Elte begins to struggle in Roliver's grasp.
Elte: Hey, let me go! I gotta see what's happening!
Lemuse would tell him to calm down, except that her breath is being cut off by being held by a Sime's scrawny little arm pinned around her middle and jouncing her up and down with his running.
Roliver realizes that they are pretty much out of the path of the slide. He slows and then stops.
Roliver: Sorry. [puts both Gens back on their feet]
Roliver: Are you two okay? [zlins both of them to be sure]
Elte whirls around and stares at the mounds of mud and tree stumps and wreckage littering the path behind them.
Lemuse: Huh. Third one in two days.
Lemuse tries to sound casual about it, although her adrenaline is still pumping.
Roliver: Gets old fast.
Lemuse: Thanks, Roliver.
Elte extracts the camera from his back pack and takes aim.
Roliver: You're welcome.
Lemuse is impressed by the miniature camera. She's never seen one like that before.
Elte: ~~totally focused on covering the story~~
Roliver is shaking. Coming down from augmentation always gives him a sick headache.
Lemuse: Zlin anybody injured?
Lemuse supports Roliver automatically.
Roliver shift gears again and zlins the area. He is not happy with what he finds.
Roliver: There are three people that I zlin from here hit with debris and at least one pinned under something.
Elte rushes forward to where he can get a good angle on a demolished hut with the remains of a welcome sign by the door.
Roliver zlins around more carefully. He spies most of the people getting themselves up.
Lemuse: Well, let's go help them out!
Elte sloshes ankle deep into the mud to get a different perspective.
Lemuse forgets Elte and starts off confidently, with the assumption that Roliver will pass her up and lead the way.
Roliver: Wait!!
Lemuse stops.
Lemuse looks back at Roliver.
Roliver: You have no idea where those people are and there are probably some buried where I can't zlin from here.
Roliver: I'll go first but be careful this stuff is not stable.
Lemuse wonders why Roliver is treating her like a small child.
Lemuse: OK.
Hurglen is hoping that someone knows where he is, because he has a sinking suspicion that he's going to be where-it-is for quite some time, or at least until someone can get the large tree stump off of his leg.
Lemuse waits to see if Roliver will actually take charge.
Lemuse had hoped he'd do so automatically in response to her nager.
Roliver picks his way careful through the soggy mess that use to be a path. There is someone trapped and that is where he is headed.
Lemuse waits until Roliver is well and inarguably past her, before following.
Hurglen pushes some roots aside and zlins out across the muck.
Hurglen: Is anybody there?
Elte sees the channel and donor headed heroically into the morass and starts trailing them.
Roliver has the direction now and starts moving a bit faster. There is someone trapped under a large tree remnant.
Roliver: Elte please be careful.
Roliver: There!
Elte catches sight of the casualty trapped under the stump.
Roliver runs without augmenting to the spot that just looks as if a large tree stump has just come to rest.
Roliver: We're coming don't move!!
Lemuse follows Roliver, trying to calm him down a bit.
Lemuse inadvertently blocks Elte's shot as she circles around for a better angle.
Elte grins happily, remembering the newshounds' hoary motto: If it bleeds, it leads.
Hurglen: How the bloody shen can I move, with half a tree on top of me?
Hurglen has not been having a good day.
Elte moves into position where he can get some good shots of the rescue.
Roliver finally makes it to the tree stump in question.
Roliver: Hold on. Let me zlin a bit.
Elte hopes Roliver will remove the stump in some spectacular fashion that can be captured on film.
Hurglen: ~~ middle-aged, grouchy renSime with twisted ankle ~~
Elte notes that Hurglen is rather more feisty than most Gens would be in the same circumstances.
Roliver is relieved to find that aside from being miffed the renSime is only slightly hurt.
Roliver: Okay, lets see if we can't get you out of there. [projecting soothing calm which he is getting from Lemuse]
Hurglen quiets under the influence of Roliver's projection.
Hurglen subsides into the mud to await unpinning.
Roliver walks around to stand next to the pinned Sime. He checks his leverage and reaches under the stump. Augmenting he lifts the stump about half a meter.
Roliver: Try to get out now.
Elte joyously snaps a shot of the channel making like Hercules.
Roliver hopes that the Sime can move fast enough, as his feet are slipping.
Hurglen gingerly squirms out of the muddy hole under the stump, onto the top of the slide.
Elte also catches a shot of Hurglen's less than inspirational backside wriggling in the mud.
Roliver lets the stump go and jumps back out of the way.
Roliver gets spattered with more mud for his trouble.
Elte catches the rather startled look on Roliver's face as the stump tumbles to the ground; he figures he probably won't use that one.
Hurglen sits up cautiously and reaches down to zlin his ankle more closely.
Roliver: Now let me see that leg. Sorry, I didn't catch your name.
Hurglen: Hurglen.
Roliver: Hello, Hurglen, didn't you come in for transfer last week?
Hurglen: Yeah.
Hurglen looks past Roliver and Lemuse, and zlins Elte curiously.
Hurglen: Who's the Gen with the camera?
Lemuse: He's a famous journalist. [smiles]
Lemuse: Elte Andover, have you heard of him?
Lemuse had, but only because she serves 2nds and therefore spends a lot of time reading during channels' recovery time.
Hurglen: Just my luck. A famous reporter comes by snapping his camera, and here I am covered with mud.
Hurglen: Ah, well, it could have been worse.
Elte snaps a few shots of the channel making doctor-type motions.
Roliver examines Hurglen's ankle carefully.
Hurglen has been telling himself that it could be worse ever since arriving in the area, and sure enough, it usually does get worse.
Elte, satisfied with the photo selection, moves in to observe the interaction more closely.
Roliver masks the worst of the pain for Hurglen.
Hurglen sighs in relief as the pain lessens.
Elte watches Roliver's tentacular manipulations with interest.
Roliver switches gears again. He goes into channel's functional mode to heal the badly twisted ankle.
Roliver is leaning very heavily on Lemuse. He is still trying to deal with the headache he gets from augmenting. His focus is on the injury to the exclusion on all else.
Lemuse weathers the rapid attention shifts with reasonable success, having some experience with flighty channels.
Elte can't see the channel doing anything as comprehensible as bandaging the man's ankle, but there's something about the writhing tentacles that gives him an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach
Roliver balance the fields to just the right pitch.
Lemuse thinks Roliver should have sent for help instead of beginning to heal this man now, but that is only her opinion and she must support him while he is working.
Hurglen is pretty well relaxed under the concentrated attention of channel and Donor, but can't help noting the reporter's interest.
Roliver would rather this could be done in the infirmary, but such is life.
Elte edges a bit closer.
Lemuse: Don't get too close. [quietly, to Elte] You don't want to disrupt his concentration.
Elte blinks, startled.
Roliver's attention slips. His grasp on the fields is disrupted.
Roliver: What the bloody....
Roliver turns to see Elte moving up behind him with that blasted camera.
Lemuse is surprised at Elte's violent reaction to her quiet words, and Roliver's apparently not being adequately served by her blocking and support.
Roliver realizes he is too keyed up to be trying to heal anything right now. Such a small disturbance shouldn't have effected him.
Roliver: Give me a minute.
Lemuse moves closer to Roliver, hoping he will tell her what he wants from her.
Elte wonders what is wrong. Did he bother the channel by just watching him?
Roliver looks at Lemuse.
Lemuse: What is wrong?
Lemuse is a skilled Second, but she still can't zlin and there was probably something going on she hadn't anticipated.
Roliver: It isn't you.
Roliver make another attempt at functional mode. This time he gets a better grip on in and himself. But there is a small fear perched in the back of his mind. This has happened to him before. Now is not the time to deal with old wounds though.
Elte follows Lemuse's instruction and stands back a bit more.
Lemuse proceeds to offer her support and block for him as before, her eyes alert for subtle visual signals of either the intentional or unintentional varieties.
Roliver starts the healing process again. He is very glad that Hurglen doesn't seem to have been effected by his slip.
Roliver feels it happening again. He leans harder on Lemuse's support and manges to finish the job.
Hurglen is not about to object to anything that seems to be getting his ankle healed; he still has to gather firewood, and now thanks to the mudslide, he'll have to walk farther for it.
Roliver: There that should do it for you, Hurglen.
Hurglen wiggles the ankle carefully as Roliver releases it.
Hurglen: Good as new. Thank you, Hajene, Sosu.
Elte wishes he understood better what the channel and Donor were actually doing.
Roliver smiles at the renSime.
Roliver: I think I should get down there. [point toward the other injured]
Lemuse: I think you, [firmly] should get some rest.
Lemuse: Let us go get help.
Lemuse: If anybody is too injured to leave on their own, they'll be waiting when we get back.
Lemuse knows the limitations of Seconds, being one herself. And she doesn't know what happened to Roliver just now, but he is obviously nowhere near his best.
Roliver can't argue. His head is about to split wide open and his chest is on fire.
Roliver: Yes, Sosu Lemuse. [falls back into Simelan]
Lemuse leads the way back the way they came, hoping they will find a bunch of people to send down here so she can get Roliver some quality rest.
Notes:
1) At this point, a landslide commences upslope of our heroes. [return]
Return to the Index of Episodes