Sime~Gen Roleplaying on IRC: Snake River Dam Scenario
Episode #90: Mothers, Mice and Moose (12/21/00)
Storm looks around the infirmary, relieved he doesn't see any channel or nurse running around. Because if they knew what he was about to do....
Storm slowly reaches over to the drawer, which is leaning heavily to the right because of a cracked leg. Slowly, because his ribs are doing the tango.
Storm pulls open the drawer in the chest. He isn't all that thrilled to see a pen and a sheaf of papers. It means he'll have to write to his mother. Step didn't need a letter; Ma'd tell him all about it. In detail.
Storm swallows hard, and yanks the equipment of his torture out of the drawer. If only someone could write for him... legibly. Taking up a pen, he looks around again. If those channels knew he was writing, they'd find him someone to write for him.
Storm thinks on second thought, how to explain to the letter writer... oh no, better to do it himself.
Letter: "Dear Ma--I got kicked by Moose, the mule they assigned to me."
Storm: No, that was... abrupt. How about:
Letter: "Dear Mama, I'm far from home. Can you send me your macadamia cookies?"
Storm: Well, good start.
Letter: "And while you're at it, would you send me my heaviest sweater? It's gonna get cold here before too long... well, more than it is now. "
Storm: Yeah, that's good... now to give her the first piece of bad news.
Letter: "You remember I was assigned to the messenger corps? Run around like chickens with heads cut off?"
Letter: "Well... remember the last letter I sent you? About the general who was being cheated on by his wife? He caught her. And um, in a fit of temper, sent me down here. Down here, being Sime Territory. Where the dam is."
Storm winces, as if his mother was standing at the base of his bed, howling at him. She might as well be, he thinks. She'd never talked about Norwest Territory, but did insist on teaching all her kids Simelan.
Storm: Probably have a heart attack once she finds out. [muses] Can't be helped.
Letter: "Anyway, Moose and me, Moose being my mule, got here in good time. Two weeks. The snows were covering the passes, so the fact we got here is great in itself."
Storm smiles happily. Step certainly remembers Moose. Moose'd killed Step's hat--the Border Patrol hat he was so proud of. Snatched it right off his head and ate it.
Letter: "I had to donate, but it was just like Faith Day. Only every month, they told me. The channel wasn't too bad. She did have funny green hair, through. And other things." 1
Storm thinks Wise Snake really hadn't been too bad. Just a little... odd. And after what Edka's told him about her....
Storm shrugs and glances around the room, making sure no medical figure of authority is standing there, shaking fingers at him. Or tentacles.
Letter: "The next day, I had to go to IDAS." [Now this was the second piece of bad news.] "But before that, something happened. Moose bit HT, Sgt. Edka's second in command. Really hard. I found out later from Riyyh, a channel here--I think he's a Sectuib, whatever that is--told me that one of HT's feet, his left one, has a bone broken in it. He called it a tarsal bone. You'll know, Ma."
Letter: "Anyway, back to the IDAS. Getting the visa signed wasn't too bad--oops, I forget to tell you--that general sent me down here without papers. That's why I had to go see IDAS. Borgmann's the IDAS guy's name. Funny--he looks like a mouse. Talks like one would, too. Squeaky, I mean."
Storm thinks Ma wouldn't believe Borgmann... but the guy really does look like a mouse. Storm wonders if Borgmann's mother had been frightened by a mouse when she'd been pregnant with the IDAS official. Could explain a lot of things.
Letter: "I got permission from Borgmann to stay, but then Moose came in--he'd chewed his way free, and no one noticed. He walked right in the IDAS building. Ma, that place looks like a hard wind, or snow, would blow it down. I tried to get Moose out of there before the place fell apart--did I tell you about Devore and Duart? Devore's the Gen union leader here, and Duart... I think he's the opposite, only he's the Sime leader."
Letter: "Ok, ok, Ma, I'm getting back to the story now."
Storm shifted. Man, did his ribs hurt. They'd been wrapped so tightly he felt somewhat like Big Muldoon had, when he'd fallen onto the fabric table and gotten himself tangled up in fabric. The women of the town refused to talk to Muldoon for two weeks after that.
Letter: "Moose kicked me, Ma. But first he bit this Sime named Hurl. I supposed we're all lucky Moose bit him high on the arm. They dragged me off to the infirmary and Devore took charge of Moose. The IDAS building was destroyed. There's not much left of it."
Storm thinks there's no way in hell was he telling Ma--and Step--what Riyyh had slowly and carefully explained to him after he'd gotten conscious. How close Storm and Hurl had come to dying. Hurl was still shell shocked, from what he'd heard. Poor man. But wasn't everyone involved alive?
Letter: "Four of my ribs are broken. They're making me stay in bed until the ribs heal. I even have to go in a little pail."
Letter: "The channels and the nurses are good, so don't worry, Ma. Just send me that sweater, and I'll be happy. And before you ask--no, I can't go on the ferry. First, my orders were to stay with Edka once I'd delivered the message. And for some reason, Edka can't leave. Something to do with dynamite. If he doesn't leave, I can't leave. And the snows've closed the passes. I think we're gonna be stuck here for the winter."
Letter: "It could be worse, though. I hope I get better soon. They say 3 to 4 weeks, they'll let me get up and around, and I want to see that Naros bathhouse--it's a thing of awe."
Letter: "Remember, Ma, send me the sweater. And please don't come. I am really all right, Ma. See you in the spring. Love, Danny."
Storm is alerted by a noise, and looks up to see a nurse.
Nurse shakes her head at him, and sighs. "Pvt. Storm, you're going to be the death of me. What's her address?"
Nurse walks forward and picks up the envelope and pen. Sitting in a chair, she looks at him expectantly.
Storm: "Eh... it's my mother, ma'am. If I don't write her..." [sighs] "Her address's Elie Storm, 2342 Greenward St., Pinkass, Gen Territory."
Nurse looks at him with surprise. "Pinkass? Is that the town's name?"
Storm laughs. "Yes, and before you ask it's a long story."
Nurse scribbles the address on the envelope, then lets Storm put the letter into the envelope.
Nurse: "I'll get this on the afternoon ferry. Meanwhile, you get cracking sleeping. Hajene Wise Snake'll be in later on, and I want you well rested for her exam. Deal?"
Storm: "Deal."
Storm's eyes had been fluttering during the conversation, and he slides further down the bed, falling asleep.
Nurse pulls the blanket up to his chin. My, she thought, he looks just like a child. You wouldn't know he's Established.
Nurse smiles and leaves the room.
Storm sleeps on.
Notes:
1) Wise Snake does not have green hair. This is possibly in reference to SRD Episode #50 in which Snake sported green lips.[return]
Go on to Episode #91: The New Washington What?
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