Sime~Gen Roleplaying on IRC: Snake River Dam Scenario
Episode #136: Beware of Elk (3/8/01)
Nick hikes behind Arat, on the trail back from Palisades, where they have been doing a spot check on the facilities and a little bit of hobnobbing with the town officials, who are starting to get fed up with the whole Dam business.
Nick is wondering exactly what is in the envelope with the crisp "official Tecton business" on the outside, and whether it is hopelessly outdated, after being shipped the long way through Gen Territory and held for three weeks in Palisades.
Nick was not able to find a discreet moment in which to open it, while they were meeting the Palisades officials, or on the boat trip back along the lake shore to the Dam.
Arat walks along somewhat ahead of Nick, pretending they are not together. This is the usual for him. He is also not with either of his personal body guard, the one ahead of them or the one behind.
Nick is, genetically speaking, 25% self-indulgent and 75% unable to resist temptation, and so eventually risks taking off his gloves long enough to open the envelope.
Arat is pondering ways to avoid ever going to Palisades again. It really shouldn't be necessary for such a small Sime Center to require such vigorous oversight... or for a small town government to require so much hand-patting.
Arat is not exactly cut out for hand-patting duties. He functions better in the "aloof and greatly respected leader, whose mere presence in the chain of command is reassurance enough" role.
Nick pulls out a piece of official Tecton stationary, with some carefully controlled ~ trepidation ~
Nick skims the first two lines, and the controlled ~ trepidation ~ becomes less-well controlled ~~ consternation ~~
Arat, to his irritation, finds Nick's nager distracting enough to remind him that other people (and himself) exist on the planet.
Arat glances back at Nick.
Nick: Arat, I've been invited to give a talk at a big Tecton conference that's being held in Capitol this coming summer.
Nick: On "Management of Atypcial Examples of the Farris Mutation"
Arat almost, but not quite, trips over the root of an (erstwhile) tree that is sticking out of the path.
Arat stops, the better to stare at Nick without breaking his neck.
Arat wonders what constitutes an atypical example of a Farris, and why anyone would assume Nick was knowledgeable on the subject.
Arat doesn't particularly like the direction those thoughts lead in.
Nick is half ~~ flattered ~~ and half ~~ terrified ~~
Arat's tentacles curl at the mixture of emotions.
Nick: There will be hundreds of channels and Donors there, Arat. Some of them the best in the Tecton.
Arat: It is not necessary to accept all such invitations.
Arat: Nor practical.
Arat supposes it would work out well enough if a Farris-grade Donor was shipped out to the Dam to cover for Nick, but it would certainly be a massive waste of Donor-hours.
Nick: I wonder why they asked me? I haven't even been a Tecton Donor for a full year, yet.
Arat: It is possible that is the very reason you were invited.
Nick: They want a new voice at the podium?
Arat gives Nick a contemptuous look. The "poor cute me, I have no idea of my potential or worth to ordinary people" bit had seemed like something Nick could be trained out of at first, but he now realizes it is a permanent - and not particularly endearing - part of Nick's personality.
Arat: Different speakers are invited each year. They are chosen on the basis of what might interest the attendees.
Arat: As a new Farris-grade Donor almost no one has met yet, you would be of interest.
Arat assumes (possibly because the alternative is simply too awful to bear consideration) that the topic Nick was requested to speak about is simply a sham, and that the planners of the conference just want to give people a chance to zlin Nick's nager.
Arat is certain that the number of requests for a shot at an assignment with Nick would skyrocket after such a speech.
Nick: Oh. It sounds much like those Tecton-sponsored gatherings we attended in Capitol.
Arat: Yes, it is.
Arat: Although of course the content is considered to have considerable educational value.
Arat: To have attended places a positive mark upon your record.
Arat: And to speak is considered an honor.
Arat has little hope that Nick will perceive said honor, but he feels compelled to include that for the sake of completeness.
Arat is a Farris after all, atypical or not.
Nick tries to figure out if Arat is encouraging him to accept, or just reciting the official Tecton position.
Arat appears to find the entire conversation very uncomfortable. Or is that Nick's nager?
Nick: If I were to go, would they try to keep me there afterwards? Or send me someplace else entirely?
Arat: If you made a good impression, it is likely you would not return. [stiffly]
Arat: If your theories impressed them, you would be offered additional training of a sort which could not be realistically turned down.
Arat: And many would request transfer with you. Many more important than Wise Snake and I.
Nick feels a chill which has nothing to do with the weather.
Arat doesn't often include Wise Snake and himself in the same thought, and he doesn't plan on making a habit of it either.
Nick: They might send anyone as a replacement. Another Pylor. Or expect you both to make do with poor Beni.
Arat: I am aware of the difficulties inherent in the situation.
Arat thinks Nick is being a bit dramatic when he suggests the Tecton might force Snake and Arat to share a single Donor, however.
Arat has faith that the Tecton will provide one apiece. Not necessarily ideal Donors, but one apiece.
Nick looks at the letter again.
Nick: It took two months to get here. I suppose it won't hurt if I think about it for a few days, before I answer.
Arat nods in agreement.
Nick thinks that mastering Tecton politics is like bushwhacking through the woods on a moonless night: you keep running into heretofore unsuspected obstacles.
Young Elk lopes over the snow, jumping over boulders and stopping now and then to butt his antlers against a bush too straggly for even desperate firewood-seekers.
Young Elk's antlers seem fine and handsome to him, although the ladies of the herd were unaccountably not impressed.
Young Elk has therefore gone wandering in search of a companionship with more refined sensibilities.
Young Elk tops a rise and spots something moving on the trail below him.
Young Elk is feeling very full of himself, and rather lonely, and therefore heads down the slope with a bellow, antlers at their showiest angle.
Arat hears the elk before he zlins it. He turns, startled.
Young Elk catches sight of an elk-sized nose, and is entranced.
Nick looks up, following Arat's gaze.
Young Elk snorts and throws out his hooves impressively, turning slightly to show his three-quarters profile.
Young Elk has noticed that some lady elk really go for the old three-quarters profile bit.
Young Elk is determined to make a good impression.
Arat is taken aback to see a large wild animal poised on the edge of a precipice practically over his head.
Nick looks at the large beast, coming at them rather too quickly for comfort.
Arat hadn't thought any of the wildlife would come this near the camps, because of all the people and the lack of cover.
Nick has never cared for large animals, especially ones which are more active than Pumpkin was.
Nick takes a step or two closer to Arat, in hopes that this will provide some protection.
Thureal and Gashnom, who had been standing around waiting for Nick and Arat to start walking again, come up from either side of Nick and Arat. They, too, are looking up.
Young Elk sees a rival approaching the object of his affections, and lowers the business end of his antlers.
Gashnom's stomach gurgles as he thinks about sitting and enjoying hot elk stew while looking at a beautiful rack hanging on his tent pole.
Young Elk charges Nick with much bellowing and stomping, hoping to force a retreat while looking really impressive.
Nick looks around desperately for cover, but all the trees are long gone.
Gashnom whips out his gun, while Thureal tackles Arat, knocking him out of the way.
Gashnom and Thureal can't handle the elk and Arat and Nick, of course.
Nick tries the standard Narosian solution to attacks: running away.
Young Elk notes Nick's retreat with pride, then swerves to run off the other intruder who's actually dared to lay a hoof on the object of his affections.
Young Elk assumes that the intent is to lay rather more than hoof on said object, which might make sense if it was Jeniard, not Thureal.
Thureal having accomplished the obligatory knocking-the-client-flat-on-his-face-for-his-own-protection, rises to his feet just in time to get thrown off the trail by a well-timed butt of the elk's antlers.
Thureal: ~~pain~~
Young Elk's adolescent-elk pride burgeons at this second successful routing-of-rival.
Young Elk has been dreaming of this sort of thing ever since the older males threw him out of heard with no real effort whatsoever.
Young Elk still hasn't quite figured out how that happened.
Young Elk isn't about to waste time worrying about past difficulties, however.
Young Elk lowers his head and nuzzles Arat tenderly.
Arat grimaces.
Arat: Would you shoot it already!
Gashnom notes that if he shoots the elk now, it will fall directly on Arat.
Nick stopped running when the elk went after Thureal, and is now watching with disbelief.
Young Elk nuzzles down Arat's neck and back, getting visibly excited.
Young Elk is an adolescent, after all, with all that implies.
Arat tries to decide whether it is more dangerous to lie still or to try to escape.
Blue is staring with disbelief at all this. He knew Young Elk was a little... well... maladjusted, but he didn't expect this.
Blue thinks this is more fun than chasing the the blue jay ladies.
Arat doesn't realize that the elk is getting horny in a less than literal sense, or he might have less trouble making his decision.
Blue lets out a brief snatch of a song, to call other blue jays to see this. An elk in rut, out of season.
Young Elk notes that this presumed lady-love has responded to his courtship by staying still, instead of running away.
Blue thinks, and blind, to boot.
Young Elk lifts his head and dances around in a circle to celebrate this unprecedented event.
Arat decides now would be a good time to run away.
Arat jumps up and darts down the trail at high augmentation.
Blue thinks, well now, let's see what that blind elk does.
Young Elk bellows in anguish, and pursues.
Blue pursues, as well. This is going to make for one good story to charm the ladies with.
Gashnom doesn't manage to get a shot off while the elk is near, and he certainly isn't going to fire in the general direction of his client with a pistol, not at that range.
Thureal has finally managed to work his way out of the six foot deep snowbank he'd been embedded in head first, and runs after the elk and Arat.
Young Elk pauses to take out his frustrations by butting a tree stump.
Young Elk also hopes that this display of prowess will change his beloved's mind.
Blue laughs. This is too fun to watch! He lands on a tree branch, right where he can watch the action.
Thureal takes advantage (er, so to speak) of the elk's distraction and leaps on it, grabbing it around the middle.
Thureal's only thought is to keep it from running after his client. Of course, he hasn't had any training specifically in subduing elk.
Blue's beak falls open. Whoa. Didn't those two legged things know better than to jump on a elk? Ok, a near blind one, but....
Thureal has some vague notion of throwing it off balance or at least distracting it.
Thureal's job is, after all, to take the danger on himself in protection of another.
Young Elk bellows in surprise at this unfair and un-elklike fighting tactic, and plunges, trying to escape the attack.
Thureal augments to keep his grip, and then wraps his legs around the elk as well.
Gashnom gallops (well, runs) up the trail at a significantly slower pace than any of the previous passers by had gone.
Blue is hopping up and down the tree branch, trying to see all players.
Young Elk's survival instincts finally percolate through his distracted, testosterone-soaked brain.
Young Elk bucks, then bolts back down the path towards Gashnom.
Gashnom arrives to see his partner essentially riding on the elk's back. That doesn't look very safe. Also that makes it a bit difficult to shoot at the elk, at least from anything less than point blank range.
Gashnom sees that he is going to have that opportunity very soon.
Gashnom braces and aims.
Thureal clings for deer... er, dear life.
Blue bounces up and down in anticipation.
Young Elk sees Gashnom and swerves suddenly, heading up the bank.
Thureal curses.
Thureal grabs the antlers with his hands and tentacles, since the alternative is to get conked in the forehead by them.
Young Elk has lost all interest in Arat, at least for the moment, and wants only to get away from the cougar on his back.
Thureal is now upright astride the elk, an incredibly uncomfortable position considering the animal's style of movement.
Gashnom stares in disbelief as the elk bounds away, bearing his friend.
Young Elk has not yet figured out that you can't outrun something that you're carrying.
Gashnom is, of course, trained to make split second decisions in the case of emergency.
Gashnom decides, on the basis of the current data, that he should go find Arat and leave Thureal to his fate.
Gashnom therefore does so.
Blue sings out in joy. Wait until the stiffs in the elk herd heard about this!
Nick passes by a moment later, views the elk tracks heading up the slope, and prudently follows Gashnom's bootprints, instead.
Go on to Episode #137: Porta-Doilies
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