Log Date: 12/22/96
Log Cast:
	Bernadette, Kevlan, Astaris, Kirin, Tance, Azaria, Ssudia, Sabia,
Hannah, Aeric, Kesya, Aralan, Dreatha
Log Intro:
	It's been quite the stressful day on the main Hangar floor of the
JPF; the co-Head of Training, Shana t'Matari, has been brought in from
the Ranges, after being missing for longer than a week and through a
mach storm to boot, and demonstrated to be in perfectly horrible condition.
Kevlan Sharr, in addition to witnessing Shana's rescue, has also seen
Yelira Dal Rin -- one of the few Singers in the Heptite Guild for whom
the acting DGM feels actual antipathy -- harass a recruit. The recruit
in question, Daline, has wound up with a broken arm for her troubles,
and although Kevlan determined that Yelira was buzzing with resonance,
which no doubt helped motivate her attack on Daline, Kevlan has taken
the conflict as yet one more burden heaped on his shoulders.
	With Shana safely hastened off to the Infirmary where Aeric and
Krellin can attend to her serious wounds, Kevlan has taken his wife back
to the Deputy Guildmaster's Office....

----------
Bernadette walks in from the outer office.
Bernadette has arrived.
Bernadette sits quietly in the corner, her winter jacket draped over the arm 
  of the chair.

Kevlan, as you've watched him, has striven to return to the ever-present 
  paperwork on his adopted desk... but your husband is clearly badly rattled. 
  He seems to have problems concretrating on the work at hand, and at last, 
  sighs heavily, pausing, dropping his head into his hands.

Bernadette, shaken up herself, as her recently over-active imagination has 
  almost convinced her that it could have been HER that the search party was 
  looking for this evening, says quietly, "Maybe you should quit for the day, 
  Kevlan...."

Kevlan sighs, and looks up at you plaintively. "Shana... was awful bad hurt, 
  honey," he drawls, more thickly than usual. "Ah-Ah guess it just shook me 
  up."

Bernadette swallows and nods, saying slowly, "Yes...she was hurt bad...but, 
  we've been hurt bad before...." She downcasts her eyes to the cast on her 
  arm, "And we've healed up. She will, too."

"It's jes'..." Kevlan frowns. "Ah gotta report heah, honey, on a couple othah 
  Singers come in, jes' about that bad banged up... somethin' ain't raht..."

Bernadette shrugs her shoulder. "Storms can be nasty," she says, then adds, 
  "I...I don't think I want to talk about this..." suppressing a shiver.

Kevlan rises, and moves to you, to embrace you softly.

Bernadette allows herself to be held, unable to withhold a yawn, scrubbing at 
  her eyes with her fist. "When can I get the cast off?" she asks, trying to 
  change the subject.

"Well, whenevah th' medics say you can, darlin'...."

Bernadette blinks. "I..I forgot my datapad in my sled...I need it..." she 
  murmurs. "I'll be right back."
Bernadette walks out to the assistant's area.
Bernadette has left.

[In the meantime, CS Tance Vokrim, clinging to his memory that Kesya has
 cleared him for returning to the Ranges on his own -- heads to the Hangar
 floor, intending to ask for a new sled....]

You head purposefully through the doors to the floor.
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 Plataeu 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. Looking around (+view), you notice several signs posted. 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:
  Tance, over by the wall. 
  Azaria, over by the wall.
  Ssudia's sled 
  Inanna's sled 
  Duncan's sled 
  Yelira's sled 
  Repair Bay 
  Sled Tech Desk 
  Radar 
  Corbin 
  Hangar Terminal 
  A large map, for instructional purposes 
  Sled rack
Obvious Commands ("." for list):
  .wait  .sleds  .desk  .radar  .map  .hangar door  .floor
Obvious Exits:
  Processing  WWSF Transport  Met Transport  Equipment Room  Simulators  
  Catwalk  Sorting  Ready Room

Astaris steps out from the cramped interior of the airsled "Rose By Any Other 
  Name."
Astaris has arrived.

From sled 'Sapphire Orchid', With a look of determination, Kirin tackles a 
  particularly stubborn stain.

Looking vaguely uneasy, and moving with a hesitant tread, Tance Vokrim 
  proceeds out onto the floor of the Hangar. His brown gaze creeps with the 
  same pace as his feet, scanning for what personnel are on duty.

Astaris steps into the airsled "Rose By Any Other Name."
Astaris has left.
Astaris steps out from the cramped interior of the airsled "Rose By Any Other 
  Name."
Astaris has arrived.

Azaria leans against the desk, merely watching at the moment.

Astaris gazes up at the hangar status display for a moment.

Eventually, the weathered Singer's gaze makes it to the duty desk. He 
  straightens a little, then makes his way in that direction.

Azaria lifts an eyebrow. "Singer," she nods curtly.

Astaris wanders through the sleds, and pokes her head in a couple, noticing 
  that her classmates have already started them. She nods, and heads off for 
  the sims.
Astaris escapes the wind that whistles through the hangar to the simulator 
  area.
Astaris has left.

Ssudia escapes from the sled "Rose By Any Other Name" just as it is hoisted 
  into the racks!
Ssudia steps in, her green skin and hair shining in the light.
Ssudia steps out from the cramped interior of the airsled "Rose By Any Other 
  Name."
Ssudia's sled has left.

Once he's in range of the tech, Tance meets Azaria's gaze for a moment, then 
  straightens again, and says gruffly, "I'd... like a sled, please."

Azaria looks at you for a moment.
Azaria shakes her head. "You fit to fly, Singer?"

Sabia steps out from the cramped interior of the airsled "Outer Dark."
Sabia has arrived.
Sabia gazes up at the hangar status display for a moment.

Tance shifts uneasily from foot to foot, not quite meeting Azaria's gaze with 
  his own slightly absent brown one. He bobs his head repeatedly, though 
  whether to the tech's question or to punctuate his own reply is unclear. 
  "Passed. She said so, Jade said so... I remember." Again he straightens, 
  rough-edged voice taking on a hopeful tone. "I gotta cut. Need a sled."

Azaria nods. "Who do you cut with?"

Sabia nods politely to the Guild Members.

Tance blinks; that gets him to look fully at the sledtech. "With?" he echoes 
  blankly.

Inanna's sled has left.

Azaria nods. "You aren't fit to cut by yourself, Singer." Although her face is 
  expressionless, her tone isn't quite caustic.

Sabia ducks into the ready room, escaping from the swirling wind.
Sabia has left.

Tance, if he registers the nod from Sabia in his direction, doesn't give any 
  signal of it. His brow furrows under his rumpled greying hairline, in 
  evident bafflement. Then he protests, voice rising a little, "I can cut. 
  Jade said! I can cut..." Anger? Or alarm?

Azaria frowns. "Who is Jade?"

From sled 'Sapphire Orchid', Kirin uses her cleaning implement with vigor.

Tance doesn't look back at the tech, this time. "She said," he mutters to 
  himself, anxiously. "Said I could cut. Said so. Stabilizer for the sled. 
  Said I could...!"

Azaria sighs. "Bring your 'Jade' up here, Singer, and we'll see."

From sled 'Sapphire Orchid', A large crane begins to approach from overhead.  
  You have two minutes to exit this sled.
From sled 'Sapphire Orchid', Kirin has left.
Kirin steps out from the cramped interior of the airsled "Sapphire Orchid."
Kirin has arrived.
Kirin gazes up at the hangar status display for a moment.

Tance scowls at Azaria; if he recognizes who she is past the simple visual 
  evidence that she's leaning against the duty desk, he gives no sign of that, 
  either. But, oddly, he doesn't launch into her for her reluctance, either. 
  "Get Jade," he mutters distantly, by way of agreement. "Get Jade..." His 
  head lifts, and something like surety enters his eyes. "Said she'd help."

Azaria stays where she is, her expression altering only very slightly.

From sled 'Sapphire Orchid', The magnetic grapple clangs violently onto the 
  top of the sled and you quickly duck out just as it leaves the floor!
Hannah escapes from the sled "Sapphire Orchid" just as it is hoisted into the 
  racks!
Hannah steps out from the cramped interior of the airsled "Sapphire Orchid."

Tance takes a few steps away from the desk, absent and distract of expression 
  now, but still apparently resolved. He fumbles at his pockets with one hand, 
  till he locates a battered datapad, all the while muttering, "In here. Get 
  Jade. Said she'd help. Get Jade..."

Kirin blinks, and watches the Singer, "I thought Kesya was in the infirmary or 
  something."

Azaria looks absently at the recruit. "Is that who he means?"

The datapad comes open, and the dazed-eyed Singer punches at the keys for a 
  bit. Kirin's observation appears to go right over his head, as the datapad 
  chirps and beeps in response to his awkward punchings.
"In here. How to find Jade..." comes the tenor mutter. "In here..."

Kirin nods, "I heard him call her that yesterday when he brought her in from 
  the ranges."

Azaria shakes her head. "He's not going out like this."

Kirin frowns and looks at Azaria, "Perhaps you should call someone for help?"

Azaria looks back at Kirin. "Oh really, recruit? He's not my responsibility, 
  just his sled."

Once more the datapad cheeps, and the Singer holding it abruptly beams, a 
  large, giddy grin lighting his face. "Jade," he mutters happily. "Go there. 
  She's there... get Jade, said she'd help..."

Astaris arrives from Simulator Control Room.
Astaris has arrived.
Astaris waves on her way out.
Astaris ducks into the ready room, escaping from the swirling wind.
Astaris has left.

Kirin shakes her head, "And people wonder why Singers don't like them?" She 
  turns and walks towards the lifts.

Bernadette emerges from the ready room with purpose.
Bernadette has arrived.

Azaria makes a rude noise at Kirin's back.

Bernadette, looking dismayed with herself, enters the hangar and heads for the 
  sled rack. "Of all the stupid things to forget," she murmurs to herself, 
  making a wide berth around most people in the hangar.

Oblivious to the remark from Kirin, Tance grins goofily at the datapad, 
  muttering aloud, "Go there... find her there..." With that, still carrying 
  the pad in both his hands, he turns to wander more or less in the direction 
  of the observation deck.

Bernadette, in her attempt to avoid a group of techs, steps right into Tance's 
  path and bumps into him, uttering a startled little yelp.

Kirin speaks urgently into her wrist unit, summoning a MediTech.

Tance's head jerks up. He blinks down at Bernadette, uncomprehendingly; all he 
  mutters is, "Not Jade..." And he wanders on past her, crossing the floor.

Kirin speaks urgently into her wrist unit, summoning a MediTech.

Bernadette frowns a bit as she watches Tance go. "He looks...familiar..." she 
  murmurs to herself, and turns back to the sled racks.

Azaria's wristunit beeps and she listens to it carefully. You can just make 
  out "... you... duty?"

Kirin's wristunit beeps and she listens to it carefully. You can just make out 
  "... coming..."

Azaria speaks softly into her wrist comm. You can just make out "..."

Aeric emerges from the ready room with purpose.
Aeric has arrived.

Azaria's wristunit beeps and she listens to it carefully. You can just make 
  out "Problem... something... the floor. You... a hand?""

Bernadette stops near the racks as she hears the word "problem" and listens 
  curiously.

Azaria speaks softly into her wrist comm. You can just make out "... It's 
  okay."

Aeric looks at Tance, "Tance..."

"Go there... Training..." Then Tance Vokrim pauses, scowling vaguely at his 
  datpad screen. "Or... which?" When Aeric calls his name, he doesn't answer 
  immediately, but after a moment or two he jerks his head up, blinking 
  scatteredly.

Azaria's wristunit beeps and she listens to it carefully. You can just make 
  out "... twelve... you..."

Bernadette blinks, startled. Tance?! THAT'S Tance Vokrim?? Her mouth drops 
  open a bit before she realizes it's open and shuts it.

Kirin nods, "See?"

Tance frowns vaguely at Aeric. "Who're you?"

Aeric looks at Tance, "Aeric McCallister... Meditech... can I help you Tance?"

Tance ohs. Then says straightforwardly, "I have to get Jade."

Aeric nods, then glances at Kirin, "That's Kesya, right?", he looks to the 
  others in the hangar, "Had anyone seen her?"

Bernadette clears her throat and asks, "What's the problem?"

Tance, as the people around him look at one another, starts to scowl. "Gonna 
  get Jade," he mutters, and turns.

Azaria sighs, sits back against her desk, and stays out of this.

Bernadette follows Tance and asks "What's happened, Tance?" putting her free 
  hand on his arm.

Kirin nods, "As near as I can tell, He called Kesya 'Jade' when he brought her 
  in last night."

Aeric walks over to the sled tech desk and pushing the sledtech out of the 
  way, he punches up the current location of Kesya.

Bernadette listens to Kirin as she waits for the older Singer to answer.

Tance, stopped, whirls back around a little too quickly for easy comfort. For 
  a moment, annoyance flares in his weathered face, but he then seems to 
  register the lack of threat in Bernadette's own features. "Gotta cut," he 
  says plaintively. "I gotta cut. Need a sled. Can cut..." He starts to bob 
  his head again, repeatedly. "She said so."

Bernadette steps back a step as Tance whirls, and nods, "You're a Singer. 
  Singer's cut. Is your sled damaged?" she asks.

The computer announces, "The current location of Kesya As'shoriah is Kesya's 
  Office, Level 8, Joslin Plateau Facility."

Tance's face falls. "No sled," he whispers. Apparently the notion makes him 
  distraught, for his dark eyes turn utterly dejected. "Need a sled. Jade 
  said. Stabilizer!"

Aeric looks at Tance, "Kesya is on Level 8 Tance.. shall I call her for you?"

Tance, still clinging to his datapad in both hands, blinks twice at the medic. 
  "You can get Jade?"

Aeric nods at Tance, "Yes... do you want me to call her?"

Bernadette quirks an eyebrow and nods again. She gently closes her hand around 
  Tance's wrist and draws him with her toward the sledtech's desk. "CS Vokrim 
  needs a sled, please," she says politely to Azaria.

"Jade said," Tance tells Aeric, as if this explains everything. He blinks a 
  little, but follows Bernadette as though he were a puppy on a leash, and as 
  she speaks to Azaria, he puts in firmly, "Stabilizer!"

Bernadette looks up at Tance then back at Azaria and adds "With a stabilizer, 
  please."

Azaria says calmly, "He is not fit to fly one. I will not jeopardize a sled 
  with him flying it."

Bernadette quirks an eyebrow and then smiles, "Have you checked his records to 
  confirm that he's unfit to fly?"

Tance scowls, for real now, petulantly. "Jade said I could," he barks.

Azaria's expression doesn't change. "*I* decided. If he has a partner, he can 
  go. I don't care about whether he's fit to cut or not."

Aeric frowns, "Let's clear this up."
Aeric speaks softly into his wrist comm. You can just make out "... you..."

Kirin looks at Aeric, "If I ever become a Singer, and I act like that, don't 
  let me out in the ranges."

Aeric's wristunit beeps and he listens to it carefully. You can just make out 
  "A... What's..."

Bernadette features harden and she says sharply, "First of all, Tance Vokrim 
  is a Singer and outranks you, Sledtech. Second, it is not YOUR place to 
  decide. With a few simple touches of a few keys, you can confirm whether he 
  is fit to fly. If he says he is, he is."

Tance eyes Azaria for a moment, then snorts, and turns slightly away -- 
  lowering his eyes, glowering down at his datapad still in his hands, and 
  past them to his own boots. "Partner. Hah. Not karkin' bloody likely..."

Aeric speaks softly into his wrist comm. You can just make out "... here in... 
  hangar..... a little problem..... was wondering..... come down here?"
Aeric's wristunit beeps and he listens to it carefully. You can just make out 
  "Sure,..."

Azaria's own expression tightens. "Outranks me in the hangar concerning a 
  sled, Singer? In your private fantasy, perhaps. His sled is grounded. What 
  he does otherwise with his life is his own damn business. Not mine OR yours."

Aeric looks at Bernadette and snaps at her, "And I'm a meditech.. okay.. so if 
  anyone in here is gonna decide if he can go out it's me."
Aeric looks directly at Azaria, and gives her a please be quiet look.

Kesya emerges from the ready room with purpose.
Kesya has arrived.

Aralan emerges from the ready room with purpose.
Aralan has arrived.

Kirin watches the ongoing battle with wide eyes.

Aralan paces over to the sled tech desk.
Aralan flips through the notes on the counter.

Tance lifts his head again, glowering now at everyone, suspiciously. The 
  datapad cheeps as he hugs it to himself as though it were some kind of 
  talisman -- if that's the kind of treatment he usually gives it, it's no 
  wonder it's battered. "Jade said," he growls.

Bernadette turns to Aeric and snaps back "You watch your tone, Medic." She 
  says in general to the whole gathering, "Just because Tance has lost his 
  ability to remember a lot, doesn't mean any of you can decide for him what 
  he can and cannot do. If he says Kesya has cleared him to fly, he can fly, 
  dammit." She scowls at everyone.

Azaria pulls out the repair manual from her pocket and flips through it.

Aeric backs up from the singer, but stays firm, "YOu know as well as I that 
  medics are the final word on who is active and who isn't..."

Kesya strides out onto the floor, a weary expression on her face. She almost 
  moves to Aeric as she sees him, but Tance's voice diverts her attention 
  towards the sled tech desk. Making her way through to him, she asks, "Is 
  there a problem here?"

Azaria taps a few keys on the hangar terminal, keying in the sequences to 
  effectively ground Tance's sled.

Aralan settles at the desk after a glance to Azaria, letting her know he's 
  arrived. He picks up his coffee mug and a notepad.

"My point is the NO ONE has taken the trouble to check is fardling records!" 
  Bernadette says exasperatedly. "What kind of a shabby outfit is this, 
  anyway? Wait until the Guildmaster hears about the way Singers are being 
  treated up here..." She fumes.

Aeric walks over to Kesya, "Yes...Tance and Azaria here have a disagreement 
  about Tance singing... he kept mentioning you, so I thought you should be 
  here.

Tance's gaze shoots around to Kesya immediately, the moment she announces her 
  presence. His face transforms, from suspicion, to deep anxiety, to pleading. 
  "Jade?" he greets her, taking a few steps in her direction. "You said... I-I 
  gotta cut, Jade..."

Aeric pulls out his medical scanner and scans Tance slowly, the mention of 
  things being 'shabby' seems to annoy him immensly.

Kirin stays out of the way.

Bernadette continues on her own little tirade, "And as assistant to the Deputy 
  Guildmaster, you can bet Maxwell WILL hear about this little episode." She 
  shoots a sharp look at the sledtechs, then at the medics as she steps away 
  from the desk, now that Kesya has arrived to clear up the matter. "Imagine, 
  SLEDTECHS decciding and declaring who's fit to fly and who's not..."

Aeric looks at Azaria, "His physical condition is satisfactory for flying and 
  cutting.. his resonance is a bit high considering his condition... but not 
  unacceptable..."

Kesya nods, frowning, her demeanor completely one of authority and 
  professionalism. "He's cleared to cut." She turns to Azaria, hands lightly 
  placed on her hips. With a nod and a reasurring pat to Tance's forearm, she 
  addresses the sledtech. "Azaria, you may have had reason to ground CS Vokrim 
  in the past," she says with polite authority, "But there's no reason now. I 
  have tested him, and he even flew my sled in, by himself, in the mach storm 
  we had, without putting so much as a scratch on it. He is fit to fly."

Aralan looks up from his clipboard, "You folk want to keep it down. I can 
  almost hear you."

Aeric nods in agreement with that, "In that case.. I totally agree with Kesya 
  and Bernadette, Azaria... sorry.. lower his sled..."

Dreatha's sled has arrived.
A sled with 'Bright Moon' spelled out in bright paint on the hull slides 
  precariously in for a landing.

Now that Kesya is present, Tance's attention locks itself on her and stays 
  there, his dark eyes going rather startlingly liquid for a man reputed to 
  rant like a lunatic. His face slowly but powerfully lights up as Kesya 
  speaks, a radiant grin spreading out towards both his ears.

Azaria makes a rude noise. "As the woman sleeping with the deputy 
  Guildmaster," she says bluntly, "you have no power in this hangar." She 
  looks at Kesya for a long moment, then nods. "Amazing how hard it is to get 
  what you're asking for." She taps a clearance on the terminal. "I still 
  think he should have a partner, but I defer to someone who actually knows 
  what she's talking about."
Azaria taps a few keys on the hangar terminal, keying inthe sequences to 
  release Tance's sled.

Dreatha steps out from the cramped interior of the airsled "Bright Moon."
Dreatha has arrived.

Aeric looks at Azaria and sighs, obviously annoyed by her attitude.

Bernadette shakes her head and laughs mirthlessly. "I can't believe none of 
  you thought to check his records. This whole mess could have been 
  avoided..." She shakes her head again and says to herself as she walks 
  towards the lifts.

Dreatha steps out of her sled clutching a bloody cloth to her hand. She looks 
  up and blinks at the crowd in the hangar, her eyes picking Aeric out of the 
  crowd.

Kesya's expression betrays a little of her surprise at being acceded to so 
  quickly, but she merely nods politely to the Sledtech. "Add a stabilizer 
  too, please. If he hasn't the credits for it, charge my account."

Aeric looks over at Dreatha, then heads towards her, "Dree, hun.. what did you 
  do? cut some more fingers off?"

Bernadette's spine stiffens and she turns about, staring in disbelief at 
  Azaria. She walks back towards the desk. "WHAT did you say?" she asks in a 
  low tone.

Aralan chuckles as he sets his coffee back down. "Always nice to see one 
  singer helping another get out there to cut crystal. And here I used to 
  worry about claim jumping."

Azaria doesn't move. "I thought I was the one with the imperfect hearing, 
  Singer."

Dreatha nods, "One more, same hand..."

Bernadette glares at the other woman, "You, Sledtech," and she spits the title 
  as though it leaves a bad taste in her mouth, "Have made your last mistake." 
  She turns again and stalks out of the hangar.
Bernadette ducks into the ready room, escaping from the swirling wind.
Bernadette has left.

Kirin shakes her head, "If I become a Singer, I don't want to end up like 
  that."

Aeric sighs and pulls the bloody rag away from Dree's hand to look, "OKay.. 
  lets get you down to the infirmary and I'll clean it up for you...", he 
  looks back over towards Azaria and when he's sure she has his attention 
  says, "Azaria... you check the computer.. if a singer is set active.. you 
  lower the sled.."

Evidently, the annoyed comments being fired back and forth by the people 
  around him have now completely left Tance Vokrim's cognizance. He continues 
  to grin ear to ear at Kesya, gaze utterly worshipful.

Kirin looks at Aeric, "Is that Singer alwasys so...nasty?"

Azaria makes sure Aeric is looking at her. "Medic, if I think ANYONE is going 
  to crash a sled, I'm not releasing it. That includes Maxwell. If that means 
  I get bumped out of a job yet again, I'll deal with that. My responsibility 
  is for these sleds, medic. Don't try to tell me my job."

Kesya, now that that's over, moves to Tance's side. "You're all set up, 
  Tance... stabilizer and all."

Aralan chuckles, "Someone oughtta slip Assistant to the Deputy to the Chief 
  Bottlwasher lady a valium or twelve."

Aeric sighs and looks at Azaria, "Your job is the maintenance and well being 
  on the sled... mine is that of the singers."

Azaria says calmly, "You're head medic now?"

Aeric's face turns red, "No... but do you want me to get Krellin out of bed??? 
  Just so he can come down here and agree with me?"

Aralan says "Decaf. Definitely changing the catering units around here to 
  decaf.."

Kirin sighs, "Who cares, at the rate yee all are going, someone is going to 
  have to be in charge of who can piss when, where and for how long."

Aralan kicks his feet up on the desk.

The cloth around Dree's left hand now soaked, small droplets of blood begin to 
  seep to the floor.

Azaria says "If you feel you need to. Since you're trying to run the hangar, I 
  just thought you might want to run the infirmary as well."

Aeric looks back at his injured wife, he ignores the sledtechs ramblings and 
  putting his arm around her leads her towards the infirmary, "Come on hun."

At Kesya's assurance, Tance beams at her, says happily, "Remembered what you 
  said!" He holds up the datapad, which, once it's returned to a more normal 
  viewing angle, displays a note about how to find Kesya. "Found it. How to 
  find you. I remembered."

Kesya finds herself chuckling softly at the datapad-waving singer. "It wasn't 
  too confusing? I never know when I'll be in my office or my suite, so..." 
  she shrugs. "But it worked out. Are you going into the Ranges?"

Aeric ducks into the ready room, escaping from the swirling wind.
Aeric has left.

Dreatha ducks into the ready room, escaping from the swirling wind.
Dreatha has left.

Azaria makes low comments under her breath about the blood on the floor and 
  looks around for a recruit.

Kirin ducks into the ready room, escaping from the swirling wind.
Kirin has left.

"I...." Tance shifts, frowning a little, uneasily. But his attention remains 
  on Kesya as he tells her, "I gotta cut, Jade, I gotta."

Kesya nods slowly, concern showing in her gaze. "I know Tance. And you're free 
  to go and cut. I'm sure you'll find something good... but we never finished 
  that green claim we were on, and our carton is still back there. You can 
  have that one."

Tance blinkblinks. "Other... other carton?"

Kesya gestures towards sorting with one hand. "Tamber said the other carton 
  wasn't there.. he only has one with five green prisms. So he sold those -- 
  which reminds me, I'll transfer that credit -- so that means the other is 
  back on the claim."

Tance blinkblinks a few more times, then says blankly, "Your claim. Yours."

Kesya shrugs offhandedly, patting Tance's shoulder. "Nah. I told you'd I'd 
  give you that other one, but it only had two crystals. So this one, 
  instead." She adds informatively, "I do that for everyone I shepherd."

Tance's brow furrows. "Don't remember another carton..." He blinks a bit at 
  the datapad, then snaps it shut and slides it with surprising care into a 
  pocket. Then, he pauses, uncertain of expression, as he lifts his gaze back 
  to Kesya.
Tance finally says troubledly, "I'll.... I'll forget, on the green, Jade. I'll 
  forget..."

Kesya frowns vaguely. Not too reassuring that Tance doesn't remember the 
  crystal he himself cut -- but then, to leave it there in the first place was 
  something that surprised her. She looks at Tance concernedly, biting her 
  lip. "You want to start on another colour?"

"I don't..." The man's voice turns gruff, his eyes scared. "I don't wanna 
  forget, Jade. Don't wanna forget."

Aralan takes one last drink from his gallon mug and then leaves it at the back 
  of the desk next to the terminal. "Well, don't stop the party on my 
  account." He inclines his head politely, "Kesya. Tance. Call, that's the 
  blue button on the right, if you can't find the hangar on the way home."
Aralan ducks into the ready room, escaping from the swirling wind.
Aralan has left.

Kesya casts a quizzical look at Aralan's back, and tugs Tance's sleeve as she 
  pulls him over to a set of chairs out of the hustle and bustle of the main 
  area where they were standing. "I know, Tance." She sighs, frowning. "I 
  know. But what else can you do? I know you need to cut... and cutting 
  something other than green will help."

Tance is tugged, his banged-up cutter swinging against his skinny jumpsuited 
  frame as he goes. "Hafta cut green," he mumbles. "Always cut green. Find it."

Azaria gives the two singers one last, almost disgusted look, then moves 
  toward the catwalk herself.
Azaria climbs the metal stairs to the catwalk on the western wall.
Azaria has left.

Kesya bites her lip, flopping into one of the chairs. "Maybe it'd help to use 
  your datapad, writing down everything," she offers. "Or find someone to go 
  with you, to... " She smiles wryly, "Sock you in the jaw when you get too 
  deep."

Tance stares distantly at the floor. "Partner," he mutters, to himself, then 
  he snorts brusquely. "Not karkin' bloody likely."

Kesya shakes her head. "Or just someone who's willing to come out and watch 
  you." She pauses, and offers, "I could cut with you again, except you'd be 
  subject to my schedule; and that tends to take over."

His tone dejected, Tance mumbles, "Who the freg'd wanna cut with me, 
  anyway...?" In self-directed disgust, and apparently not having registered 
  the offer, he half-turns to his companion, smirking, to explain, "I ain't 
  exactly prime partner material. People want... cute, young, rich... like..." 
  The Singer lifts a hand, gesticulating frustratedly. "What's his name. Kid 
  with the shaky legs...."
Tance finishes, bitterly, "Partners with minds that ain't broke. That's what 
  they want. What they all want..."

Dreatha emerges from the ready room with purpose.
Dreatha has arrived.
Dreatha steps into the airsled "Bright Moon."
Dreatha has left.
Dreatha steps out from the cramped interior of the airsled "Bright Moon" 
  carrying a carton of crystal.
Dreatha has arrived.
Dreatha enters the processing room as the automatic door swings open for her.
Dreatha has left.

Kesya frowns, not registering the shaky legs description. "Correction Tance," 
  she says, nudging his chin briefly with one finger to face her, "You didn't 
  /used/ to be prime partner material. You used to holler at everyone and 
  never treated them like they were human." She gestures vaguely with one 
  hand. "Do you realize how much you've changed though, in the past year? I 
  mean, look at the Hangar today! You had people backing you up who not long 
  ago would've thrown you out the hangar door."

Tance allows himself to be nudged into facing the younger Singer; his 
  disgusted expression falters a little at the mention of other personnel 
  intervening on his behalf, but he seems to shrug that off. "Not the same," 
  he insists. "Different. Betcha none of 'em'd partner me. Crazy ugly old 
  karker. Yeah right."

Kesya just shrugs, weary eyes blinking. "They don't know you the way I do."

Something gentles in Tance Vokrim's face, though the self-deprecation lingers. 
  "Just bein' nice to an old man, girlie," he chides, sounding almost amused.

Kesya suddenly turns back towards the other singer, brow furrowed. "Tance," 
  she says quietly, "You ought to know me better than that. Do you think I've 
  done all this just to 'be nice'?" She sighs, "Dammit Tance, you're a 
  talented Singer, and you've more experience than I have in your little 
  finger. You shouldn't put yourself down like that all the time!"

Tance smirks. "'Strue," he says gruffly, looking down a bit.

Kesya arches a brow, unsure. "Which part?"

Tance studies something nice and safe and unconfusing, the casing of his 
  cutter. "Old, ugly, and crazy," comes his muttered response.

Kesya's chin drops as she looks at the other Singer in astonishment. "Is that 
  how you think of yourself, Tance?" She sighs, casting an arm out to loop 
  comfortingly around the singer's shoulders. "Tance, you're none of those."
Kesya continues stubbornly, "I mean shards, Maxwell has a century or two on 
  you, as do quite a few other Singers." She moves away from you a bit, to get 
  an objective look. "And I told you before you looked good with your hair 
  actually cut to a decent length. I think you know what I think about the 
  'crazy' part." Biting her lip, she looks at you thoughtfully. "Now," she 
  says with an impish smile, "Are you going to tell me I'm /wrong/?"

At the arm put around his shoulders, Tance's harsh expression falters further, 
  but wrestles to keep its place as he argues, "I'm... I'm... well, _old_! 
  Head's all jumbled, can't think straight, and I sure as hells ain't cute!" A 
  blush starts darkening his gaunt cheeks.

Kesya arches a brow, her voice sarcastic. "So you're saying you're not 
  attractive in the slightest, and you don't have any redeeming features 
  whatsoever."

"Well.... yeah," replies Tance, voice roughening, the blush going even 
  brighter.

[To be continued....]