Log Date: 12/12/94 Log Cast: Michael, Tamber, Kevlan, Jerrik, Morgan, Sean, Samira Today's story begins with Yelira Del Rin, when the older Singer brings in for sorting a huge cut consisting of several octaves of deep rose, a good quantity of very pale greens, and a handful of very pale blues. Tamber al-Acorrin is the Sorter on duty when Yelira brings in her haul... and he settles down to busily sort the multihued assortment of octagons while Yelira looks on with a proprietary gleam in her eyes. While Tamber is at work, Michael Turlough happens onto the scene... and something oddly familiar about the greens catches his attention. He listens closely as Yelira proudly speaks of the cut, and seems airily unconcerned with having had her sled stuck in the marshy ground where she'd gotten the greens. Michael grows more suspicious when Tamber, equally airily, asks Yelira if it wasn't the key of E minor in which she'd cut the octaves. Yelira does not stay on hand, however; claiming that she must return to the Ranges to pick up some blues, she regally strides out. Tamber in the meantime continues the sort... ---------- Michael watches the sorting with half an eye. He appears lost in thought. The crystal is quickly packed and removed by Heptite Guild workers, as the computer voice says "Transaction complete. Sorting computer reset." You tap a few keys on the computer and deposit 2051 credits to Yelira's account for the crystal in grouping 776637137. A wage of 293 credits has been deposited to your account. Tamber flips his eyes back into their normal mode, and peers at Michael intently. "Singer?" Michael shakes his head, clearing it. "Hmm...?" "There's something on your mind." It is not a question. Michael nods slowly. "Just working on -- sealing the edges of a few pieces, I suppose you'd call it. I've put them together; now I have to make them visibly airtight." Tamber frowns softly. "Well," he ventures, "if you need any assistance from me... you have but to ask, dear boy." Michael suddenly turns and looks at Tamber, hard. "How good *is* your memory for what you've Sorted? And how well-known?" Tamber returns the gaze quite levelly. "My memory is eidetic, dear boy. And what I do not remember - which is very little - I can usually call up on the sorting computer." Tamber smiles, mirthlessly. "As to how well known... " He gives a brief, almost but not quite modest shrug. "The older Singers do well to remember my name, but they do remember to come to me." Michael answers with a thin, taut smile of his own. "In this case, maybe it's better that the older Singers *not* remember just how good your memory is. Yet." Tamber asks blandly, "Any particular older Singers you have in mind?" Michael does a slow survey of the room, with the practiced eye of one used to being watched, before speaking. "You knew that green. Will you say so under oath if I make a formal issue of this?" Tamber pitches his voice to carry no farther past you, still looking you in the eye. "If I am asked... I will provide honest answers to any questions. Under oath, or no." Michael nods thoughtfully. "I need that green from Marketing -- I can't afford it, but I see no other way -- and I need to talk to Elissa and Bernadette. I think I'm in a position to prove things that other people may not be, but I can't do it yet." Tamber quirks his eyebrows... and nods gravely. He suddenly frowns, then... Michael glances at Tamber with a wary curiosity. Tamber asks softly, "You did know about the sabotage, did you not?" Michael's forehead creases in concern. "No, what's this? I'd not heard." Tamber says solemnly, "Galahad's cutter was sabotaged. As was Bernadette's." Michael's frown deepens. "Sabotaged? How?" You say "Two ways, it would seem; a wire was cut in Kevlan's, and a weight was placed into Bernadette's, to throw it off balance. This is at least according to the tech who inspected both cutters." Tamber smiles slightly. "I'm also given to understand that Kevlan punched this tech, but that was for Royce's" - he slides into an imitation of Kevlan's drawl - "'not bein' proper t' a lady.'"" Michael chuckles quietly. "That sounds like Kev." He frowns again, thinking a moment. "I'll have to tak to them about that... and to a cutter tech..." Tamber says thoughtfully, "Last I knew, Kevlan was out in the Ranges, wishing to clear his blue claim... " Michael nods. "I'll try to catch him when he gets back, then. That balance trick has me wondering about something." Tamber nods quietly. "He's been gone a whole day now, he _should_ be checking in soon." Michael nods abstractly, then abruptly looks away. "I'm going to go find a cutter tech. And talk to Marketing. Try to stay where you're reachable for a little while, all right? I may need that memory of yours for some legal questions." He smiles, without humor or warmth. "I wasn't a bad amateur lawyer at home, but I've never tried it here yet." Tamber inclines his head solemnly. "I am always reachable, Singer; besides, where would I go?" Michael grins. "Well, all of us are going somewhere for the storm season, but that's not just yet. Where are you heading, by the way, do you know yet?" Tamber smiles a little more earnestly. "I had not yet given the matter thought." Michael smiles ruefully. "Have a good time, wherever it is. I'll be staying on Shankill; I can't afford to go further right now." He chuckles dryly. "Probably be the only one there except for the new crop; they won't have time after they get out of adaptation to make that kind of money, I expect." Tamber smiles quietly. "I had considered a stay on Shankill myself; there is someone I'd like to keep an eye on. We will see." Michael lifts an eyebrow curiously. "One of the new kids? Should I ask?" Tamber chuckles a little... and, oddly, looks for a moment as if he might blush, although he doesn't. "I am... interested to see what he adapts to. I shan't leave until I am notified of his condition." Tamber glances out briefly from the table, and quirks an eyebrow as he spies Yelira's regal figure striding towards the storage shed. "She's back already?" Michael grins. "Hoping for a protege, Tamber? It'd be nice to have another Sorter I trusted around here." He looks sharply over at Yelira, and the grin vanishes. Tamber murmurs, "A quick trip into the Ranges, indeed." Michael's voice carries no farther than your ear, but is perfectly clear within the short range. "Aye. I wonder what she's got this time. I don't like this at all." Tamber glances after the woman's figure as she departs the sorting bay, and says, "Well... let us go have a look." Moving purposefully away from the table you return to the unlimited chaos of the sorting area. Movement in the main area is hard, but finally you make it back to the center of the area. You move across the room towards the unsorted crystal storage. The sounds of screaming whining voices is suddenly replaced by silence. You pick up the carton. Feeling the weight of the carton, you hold onto it securely, protecting the precious cargo. You walk toward the nearest and busiest table..taking the business for a good quality sorter. 1st Table Area The line here is long, giving plenty of opportunity for scrutiny of your surroundings. The table here as well as the computer is nondescript. Around you Singers and handlers wait their turns for the sorter's attention. After what seems an eternity the sorter turns toward you and reaches for the cartons. Contents: Michael Sorting Table Obvious exits: Out Your approach causes the sorter to look a little panicked. Tamber returns with a carton, flashing an engaging smile over his shoulder at a fellow Sorter as he promises breezily, "I'll handle this!" You set the carton down with care. Tamber frowns thoughtfully at the carton, peering down at it. Michael says, carefully before the carton is opened, "If you find anything in there that you... recognize... as the kind of thing I'm looking for, mark it for me, would you? Just a single cheap piece if possible, all I need's a sample." You say "Blues. She did say she was going back for blues...." Michael swears quietly. "I wish I could fly with this damned wrist..." Tamber frowns softly, tapping a few keys on the sorting computer, and eyeing the carton again. "There are no greens in this carton," he murmurs. Michael shakes his head. "No," he murmurs, his voice barely audible. "Seen those blues before?" You say "This shade, yes... she's brought in this shade before." Tamber runs his fingers across the top of the carton, staring at it. "But something's... " Michael stares distantly at the crystals for a minute. His eyes flicker to the box label briefly, searchingly, then back again. Tamber frowns again... and unpacks the crystals, inspecting them with his eyes flipped to red. Tamber opens Storage Carton - Yelira and looks inside. Tamber carefully lifts each of the 16 crystals out. He arranges them reverently on the sorting table. Tamber asks quietly, "How good is _your_ memory, Michael?" Michael says quietly, "My memory hasn't started to fade yet, I've been here not much more than a year. And I was trained to carry forty-page sets of orders in my head at home." Tamber waves a lean hand across the table. "Indulge me, then, for a moment... imagine if you would that these crystals are black. Would they seem... familiar to you?" Michael's eyes narrow. "Kev was working a blue claim this time, wasn't he?" he asks quietly. You say "That is what Galahad told me..." Michael says very evenly, "May I suggest that you hold those for a while, Tamber? At least until Kevlan comes in?" He stops a moment. "Or is brought in..." he murmurs finally, so softly you barely hear it. Tamber nods gravely, his eyes gone sharp. Michael runs the fingers of his left hand over his right wrist, lightly, then with pressure, checking its strength. Tamber carefully repacks 16 crystal(s) into a storage carton to give back to the singer to be sorted at another time. Michael says abruptly, "I'll be back by dark. If I'm not, there's something wrong." You pick up the carton. Feeling the weight of the carton, you hold onto it securely, protecting the precious cargo. Tamber nods. "I will be waiting." Michael nods sharply, turning toward the hangar entrance and striding out with less caution than he's used since his injury. ---------- Michael flies out in his 2-person sled, sternly ignoring the information from the Hangar that Meteorology has put out a storm warning. Meanwhile, out in the Ranges, Kevlan Sharr begins to feel the effects of the coming storm, himself.... ---------- Crystal Vein There are signs of fresh paint nearby marking this vein as claimed. The vein subtly sings to you in a scale of A. You catch a sparkling glimmer of deep blue. The crystal rings with a sweetness and purity of tone. A gathering of white clouds, dazzlingly lit by the sun, slowly drifts overhead. A gentle breeze cools your face. Kevlan lies sprawled face-down along the stone floor of the vein, unmoving. A shadow drifts across the sun. You glance up, and feel faint worry at the sight of the darkening mass of clouds overhead. A dull pressure begins building up inside your mind, and your hands tingle. The symbiont is warning you of impending rain. Kevlan stirs faintly, a flicker of a frown crossing his face as he tries, and fails, to lift his head. Something's wrong... he has to move... The breeze dies down, leaving behind the overheated choked stillness that comes just before a storm. The mass of clouds overhead is a washed-out blue-gray color, pregnant with impending rain. The storm begins deceptively and quietly: small dark circles appear on the ground where the raindrops strike. A smell of water fills the air, and your hair is quickly soaked. The rain increases in intensity, forming rivulets of water that worm their way along the ground. Thunder rumbles in the distance. Michael has arrived. Michael clambers into the entrance of a crystal vein site. Kevlan lies sprawled face-down in the increasingly damp dirt-and-shard-littered floor of the vein. He stirs faintly, a flicker of a frown crossing his face as he tries, and fails, to lift his head. Something's wrong... he has to move... Michael mutters something in his own language, the intensity marking it as a curse or a prayer, it's impossible to tell which. He supports Kevlan's head quickly and expertly, avoiding any pressure on anyplace that isn't obviously intact and spreading the pressure there is out along his arm. "Hey, steady there, Kev. It's all right, don't try to move." Water is pouring down in sheets as you gasp for breath in the sudden deluge. Thunder cracks somewhere close by. The pressure in your mind is now a dull swirling pain along your bones as the symbiont implores you to run for shelter. Kevlan moans, but whether in response to your words or the crack of thunder is difficult to tell. Michael slides his left arm under Kevlan's legs, swearing again as his right protests painfully under the weight of the other man's head. He braces himself carefully, his head bent to allow a dry patch of air to breathe, then gets to his feet. Michael You are being carried by Michael, held securely by arms stronger than you might suppose from looking at him. Long distance to Michael: Kevlan hangs limply in your arms, a whimper escaping him at each crack of thunder. The wind picks up, flinging water into your face at an angle. Your booted feet slide and slip in the churning layer of mud that now covers the ground. Michael pages: What I just posed was Michael glancing back at the cutter and deciding he can't risk trying to carry it and Kev too -- not on a still-bad wrist and in the rain. You'll just have to replace it. :P Michael's sled A sublime air of sterility and cleaning solvent pervades this spotless sled, faint echoes of acrid antibacterials wafting up in the atmosphere. The instrument panel has been lovingly restored, with every nick and dent taken out of it and repolished. The safety couch looks clean enough to eat from, its surface reflecting your face in its polish. The bedding has the precision of a military display, and the sanitary unit praise your deity of choice, has been gone over with an attention to detail that borders on masochistic. You almost hate to actually _use_ this sled, and spoil its paradigmatical cleanliness. This is a 2 person capacity sled. There is room in this sled for 8 cartons, 1 have been checked out. The console is on. The emergency beacon is blinking rapidly. The speaker is off. A small metal plate is fastened to the upper left corner, you can just make out "Flaming Heart" scratched into the surface. There is a slight breeze, occasionally the sled goes off course. ( Type 'sled help' to see available commands. ) Contents: Michael Carton 4 - Michael Scanner Michael puts Kevlan down gently on the mattress in the back of the sled, then takes his own place, trying to peer through the storm. Thunder crashes almost directly overhead, jarring your very bones. A white bolt of lightning crashes into the ground not all that far away, searing your eyes and leaving a burning afterimage on your retinas. Kevlan crumples where dropped, his face gone flushed. Not quite conscious, he winces and tries to curl up in on himself, as if to escape the roar of the storm outside the sled. Michael radioes back to the JPF: " Michael Turlough, bringing in an injured Singer. Get a medic there please." Kevlan tries to curl his head under his arms, awkwardly, trying to muffle out the sound of the storm... You hear a quiet tone on your wrist unit, and then a voice says, "A message to all on Ballybran from Jerrik: Medic to the Hangar floor, medic to the Hangar floor. We have an injury coming in.". Michael brings the sled to a gentle landing. Michael has left. The rain subsides to no more than a gentle dripping. The pressure relaxes as the symbiont realizes the immediate danger is past. The rain has stopped altogether, and bright sunlight is breaking through the clouds. The storm warning signals all stop and a green light is displayed on the console of the sled, indicating good weather. ---------- OOC note: Originally as the scene was played, it was Ruth who responded to Jerrik's summons, but Ruth and Michael had to leave shortly after Ruth's arrival. Later that same evening, the scene was picked up again, this time with Morgan on hand. IC: Jerrik, having responded to Michael's distress call, immediately gets Morgan up from the Infirmary, while others - Sean, the Singer Sparhawk, and Samira - gather in the Hangar. Michael himself barks orders for Kevlan to be attended to, while he himself continues on to further investigate his own suspicions.... ---------- Morgan ducks her head as she steps in to the sled. Kevlan lies curled up in the back of the sled, moaning softly, his head burrowed under his arms. Morgan goes quickly to Kevlan's side, turning him over gently and examining the head with a medscanner and with careful fingers. Kevlan whimpers; his eyes are pressed tightly closed. The scan reports a rather nasty blow to the back of his head. Morgan slowly runs her medical scanner over Kevlan's body. You hear a slight hum and lights on the small, black gadget flicker. Two beeps sound, and a red light stabilizes, indicating a medical condition for Kevlan... He drifts in and out of consciousness, and his face is extremely pale. The back of his head is covered in dirt and blood, and there's a huge bruise on the right side of his forehead. He shivers often, soaked to the skin in wet garments. Kevlan mumbles, "'Sa storm... Ah-Ah-Ah gotta... " Morgan hmms, "We'd better get you to the infirmary." Morgan attempts to lift Kevlan onto the gurney. Kevlan is hard to move, and he groans as he's hoisted up, but at last he crumples onto the gurney. Gurney You are on the soft mattress of a medical gurney. It's strong shock absobers prevent you from being jolted much. A big fluffy pillow is beneath your head.. If you want to see where the gurney is, 'look/outside'. You are helped onto the gurney by the medic. Hangar Floor The immense cavern that serves the guild faces the eastern sky. The blue sky merges with the harsh browns of the long plain of the Joslin Plateau far to the east. The smoothly tiled floor is scarred by myriad gashes and scratches caused by wind-tossed sleds. The northern and southern walls contain over-large double doors while the western wall is set with observation windows. The shadows are complete on the hangar floor as Scoria has passed her zenith. The blocks of the guild complex cast sharp shadows on the great plain. Contents: Sean Samira Michael's sled Sparhawk's sled Spolar Old, battered sled Radar Corbin Hangar Terminal A large map, for instructional purposes Sled rack Obvious exits: Met Transport Equipment Room Simulators Catwalk Cargo Storage Sorting Ready Room Morgan steps out from the cramped interior of the airsled. Morgan frowns, "You do seem to be having your fair share of accidents Kevlan." Sean looks at the gurney. "Kevlan? What happened?" Kevlan mumbles something dazed-sounding; if he hears Morgan's words, he gives no immediate sign. Only half-conscious, he groans something about a "storm..." Samira tsks tsks...more simulator time, my dear. Morgan says "I don't know the full story, Michael apparently rescued him." Morgan pushes the gurney out of the room. [Morgan briskly sees Kevlan down to the Infirmary, murmuring assuringly to him as she wheels the gurney he lies on through the lifts.] You require the immediate assistance of a medic and enter the emergency room. Morgan walks into Short Term Care looking for medical assistance. Morgan moves Kevlan over to the medibed. Kevlan cries out raggedly at the wash of noise that hits his storm-battered hearing as he's wheeled down to the Infirmary... but he subsides again as the Infirmary's quieter atmosphere sinks in. You are helped off the gurney by the medic. Short Term Care This area is dedicated to fixing minor emergencies, such as broken bones and severed fingers. Medical cabinets on the walls are filled with bandages, ointments and medicines. The gleaming white walls help to sooth anxious nerves while providing medics with bright light to work by. The room has a sterile, antiseptic smell. Movable gurneys can be used to transport an injured Guild member from place to place. There is a button next to each bed that can be used to summon medical help. The monitor in this room is off. Noone is checked into this room. Contents: Morgan Gurney Obvious exits: Infirmary Morgan makes Kevlan comfortable on the medibed, turning him on his side and activating the scanning machinery. Morgan uses her computer access to check Kevlan into this room. Morgan slowly runs her medical scanner over Kevlan's body. You hear a slight hum and lights on the small, black gadget flicker. Two beeps sound, and a red light stabilizes, indicating a medical condition for Kevlan... He drifts in and out of consciousness, and his face is extremely pale. The back of his head is covered in dirt and blood, and there's a huge bruise on the right side of his forehead. He shivers often, soaked to the skin in wet garments. Morgan clinically strips Kevlan of his wet clothing and furnishes him with ulitarian dry clothing. Kevlan coughs, and his arms come up unsteadily; he seems intent on trying to shield his ears. "'Sloud... " Morgan smiles and softly says, "You're back at the center now Kevlan...." Morgan carefully cleans the back of Kevlan's head of dirt and blood, trying not to cause any more pain to the distressed Singer. Morgan murmurs softly, "You took quite a knock there." Kevlan blinkblinks, and stares blankly upwards. "Who... wha... " Morgan speaks softly, "Kevlan, it's Morgan, do you know where you are?" Morgan brings a cranial scanner down and sets it to scan Kevlan's head. Kevlan frowns vaguely as you address him, almost as if taking a beat or two to figure out exactly that it's _him_ you're addressing. "Miz... Miz Morgan.... ma'am....?" His voice is very slurred and thick. Morgan holds up her hand with 3 fingers extended, "How many fingers am I holding up?" The cranial scanner hums in the background as it continues its scan. Kevlan stares fuzzily up at your hand, and seems to be having trouble focusing his eyes. "Ah... Ah cain't... cain't tell... " Morgan smiles, "It's early yet, and your symbiont will be doing all it can for you. Do you need an analgesic?" Kevlan frowns confusedly, as he mumbles, "Ah... Ah don't.. f-feel too good, ma'am... " Morgan hmms, and looks at the report from the scanner, "I'm not surprised, you have a fracture, some trauma and more than a little bruising, what happened?" Morgan selects an analgesic from the medical supply dispenser and applies it in a hypo spray to Kevlan's neck, "That should reduce the pain but you shouldn't sleep if you can avoid it for a little while." Morgan runs a steriliser over the back of Kevlan's head, "We can avoid infection at least." Kevlan mumbles slurrily, "H-Happened... ma'am?" Morgan selects a small medilaser and walks behind you, you can feel a slight tingling as she applies it to your skull. "What's the last thing you remember?" Kevlan suddenly looks frightened. "Ah-Ah-Ah ain't s'posed to start forgettin' yet!" He tries to sit up and immediately turns white. Morgan firmly presses Kevlan against the bed, "It's not the singing that does it this time, it's the rather nasty crack your head got, that normally brings a partial amnesia." Morgan speaks mock sternly, "If you don't lie still I'll have to strap you down." Morgan reaches above the bed and turns the medical monitor on. Morgan hmms, "We'll have to keep a close eye on this...I've sealed the fracture, thought the bone will take a bit longer to fully knit, it's the trauma that worries me. You'll be staying here for a while." Morgan sprays something over the back of your head which hardens into a softish but tough film. Morgan turns her attention to the bruise on Kevlan's forehead. Kevlan sinks back groggily. "Ah-Ah-Ah don't remember," he moans softly. Morgan smiles, "Don't worry singer, you will." Morgan carefully bandages the bruise, economically reinforcing the dressing on the back of Kevlan's head. Kevlan looks up at you frantically, looking immensely younger with his eyes so huge in his face. "Ah-Ah-Ah was gonna record ever'thin'...! Ah cain't write somethin' down if Ah cain't recollect it...!" Morgan checks the monitor over the bed, "You can sleep now Kevlan, try to rest and let your symbiont do it's work. Kevlan looks around dizzily, still seeming skittish. "H-how did Ah-Ah git here...?" Morgan says "I heard that Michael brought you in off the ranges, I brought you down." Kevlan sinks back along the bed, his gaze wounded. He starts to nod, thinks better of it, and simply mumbles, "Yes'm... " Morgan brings up a silver coloured blanket and covers Kevlan with it, it starts to make people feel warmer almost immediately. Morgan sets up an intravenous feed for Kevlan. Kevlan's eyelids start drooping, and his shivering subsides as he mumbles, "Cain't... cain't think... " Morgan smiles, "There, just sleep now, the feed will supply your symbiont with the energy it requires." Kevlan shivers occasionally, still, as he mumbles hoarsely, "Mah ears're rangin'... " Morgan gives the monitor a last check and quietly leaves. Morgan leaves the busy emergency room. ---------- And Kevlan drops into troubled slumber. [End log.]