Log Date: 3/16-3/17/96
Log Intro:
	When you're an old Crystal Singer in the Heptite Guild, life
can be hard. It's very easy, once your memory starts going, to forget
everything but the need to get out and get the crystal to renew your
credit balance -- and occasionally, how the younger Singers with their minds
still intact, able to fly and cut coherently, do it better than you.
But even old and cantankerous Crystal Singers occasionally remember
common decency and kindness -- even if only as dreams.
	After his latest mishap with his sled _Smeghead_, Tance Vokrim has
had an abrupt reintroduction to common decency and kindness. A sled tech,
Rondel, has offered to buy him a meal; a medic, Nadine, has broken with
long tradition to be kind to the crystal-mazed Singer; and another Singer,
Kesya, has even tried to converse with him. They MUST be crystal-visions --
after all, the medic has pointed ears, and Kesya is _green!_. Besides, _nobody_ 
talks to Tance Vokrim....
	Do they?

----------
Radiant Tub Room
Bulky radiant tubs fill most of the available space in the room. A few tubs 
  are occupied by Singers comatose with exhaustion from cutting in the ranges. 
  They lay in the tubs, slack-jawed, supported only by the harness around 
  their shoulders. Some of the Singers are so full of crystal resonance that 
  the hair on your arms raises when you approach them. A medic wanders through 
  the room, checking on the occupants. The room is pleasantly warm.
Contents:
Mint Radiant Bath
Sand Radiant Bath
Coral Radiant Bath
Peach Radiant Bath
Gray Radiant Bath
Obvious exits:
Lift

Outside the bath, Kesya walks in and shivers unconsciously.
Outside the bath, Kesya wanders in, looking idly around the tubs for someone. 
  Her face is a little tear-streaked, and she rubs at one eye tiredly.

Tance is here still -- or perhaps again. That he is occupying a different tub 
  than before is about the only sign that he has, in fact, moved.

Outside the bath, Kesya peers at the tubs, her soft voice calling quietly. 
  "Delvan, you here?" She blinks as she comes to the coral tub, surprised. 
  "You're still here? Didn't I tell you not to turn into a prune?" She quickly 
  scans the other tubs, and seems disappointed that the person she was looking 
  for is nowhere to be found.

Tance jerks his head up, then frowns absently out at the other Singer. He 
  snorts, lowly, shifts, and glowers at the opposite end of the tank he's in.

Outside the bath, Kesya glances around the tubs, curious now to see who else 
  is soaking here. She turns back to you at the soft snort, her brows arching. 
  "Oh, you still aren't talking to me, huh?" Her voice is a little hoarse, as 
  though she's been talking or crying for a while. Or both.

Tance, without looking up, mutters, "So what if I'm not?"

Outside the bath, Kesya sighs slightly, slumping tiredly into a chair near 
  the tubs. "Doesn't matter, I guess. It's up to you. Just seems pointless, is 
  all." She plants her chin on one hand, quiet for a few minutes. It's obvious 
  her mind is on something else today. "I'm not in the mood to argue with ya 
  today anyway, Tance."

Tance frowns, uncertainly, turning his head as he hears his name. His name? 
  How's this person know... he blinks, then, realizing that it's the green 
  one. His scowl remains, but it's a trifle less grim even as he barks, "Fine, 
  I'm not in the mood to talk."

Outside the bath, Kesya doesn't seem affected by Tance's harsh tone, her gaze 
  focused on the floor. "Hrm," she acknowledges faintly. "I am though. Tance, 
  have you ever had a close friend you were really, really worried about?" She 
  babbles on, as much to herself as to you. "I mean, when Del was in a coma, 
  that was bad, but he still looked okay. Scorpion now... she doesn't even 
  look like herself. Looks more like... I dunno." Her voice trails off.

Tance gahs, disgusted, as the radiant fluid cools off, and he moves to snap 
  the harness off and clamber out of the tank.
Tance stares at you oddly, at your further comments, then announces 
  brusquely, "Don't have any."
Tance turns then, towards the next steaming tub in line.

Kesya doesn't bother looking up, her gaze still focused on the floor 
 contemplatively. "Mrm. Gads though, I hope she pulls through." She rubs at 
  one eye again, and continues. "Meds don't even know. Kaylin's staying with 
  her though, that's something." She looks up at the coral tub, surprised to 
  find it empty. Glancing around for you, your words finally register. "Don't 
  have any? Well certainly you must have had a few, if not right now."

Tance doesn't turn around. His bare back, ridged with myriad old scars, 
  shifts with stiff effort as he turns the faucets on the tank with his one 
  working hand; all he says by way of reply is, "Don't rember."

Kesya resumes her contemplation of the floor, though she keeps speaking. 
  "Must be lonely," she observes. Curious, she glances up at you again. "You 
  havn't been in here since the last time I talked to you, have you?"

Tance glances around sourly and demands, "What's it to you?" Whether he's 
  answering the first or the second question, he doesn't specify.

Kesya's mind seems to still be mostly on Scorpion, as she attends to the 
  conversation with half an ear. "You're nice, I don't see why you should be 
  lonely. And as for the second, I was just curious." She falls silent again, 
  leg swinging idly under her chair as her thoughts turn back to her injured 
  friend.

Tance freezes, and stares at the other Singer, dumbfounded.

Kesya doesn't notice the stare for a few minutes, but eventually gets that 
  'feel' one gets when someone's looking at them. She glances up at you 
  expectantly, surprised. "Hrm?"

Tance blurts, "I'm... _what_?"

Kesya seems confused as to why you're so bothered by what she said. "You're... 
  nice?" she stammers. "What's wrong with that?"

Tance finally blinks, several times, then barks, "Got me mixed up with 
  somebody else." He turns, then, and clambers into the next tub, grimacing 
  when he has to move his arm.

Outside the bath, Kesya begins to chuckle under her breath, surprisingly 
  amused by your gruff attitude. "I don't think so, Tance."

Tance glances warily out of the tub as his name is spoken again. "_You_ got 
  hit on the head," he accuses.

Outside the bath, Kesya gets up wearily from her chair, moving to rest her 
  forearms on the edge of your tub. "Nah, I'm as healthy as they come." She 
  moves her knee about experimentally, "See, they even took off my brace. Good 
  as new." A long lock of her sea-green hair falls from her shoulder to droop 
  in the radiant fluid, and she makes a scene of wringing it out. "Gah."

Tance stares. Then jerks his regard away, quickly. "Must want something then. 
  Won't tell you where my claim is."

Outside the bath, Kesya fiddles with the damp lock of hair idly, though she 
  looks directly at you as she speaks. "Don't be ridiculous Tance, I don't 
  need your claims. I've got my own. Besides, it's *your* claim. I don't cut 
  from other people's claims."

[Before Tance can bark, "Why not? Doesn't everybody?" the young Singer is on
 her way. Troubledly, Tance goes on his.... eventually heading to the Singer 
 Common Lounge, desperate for something to eat. His credit balance is
 positive, for once -- although he hasn't yet remembered to fix the catering
 unit in his own quarters. But again he runs into Kesya, who offers to treat
 him to a meal. Stunned that _anybody_ would want to buy _him_ food, Tance
 agrees, and plows through the roast duck as if it's been his first good
 meal in years. For all he remembers, it is.

 Even though he doesn't dare trust Kesya's overtures, that they have happened 
 at all lingers powerfully in his erratic memory. It is perhaps out of
 astonishment that anyone would call him _nice_ that Tance forgets to insult
 a cutter tech when bringing his old and worn cutter for service -- and
 that the cutter tech's calling him the 'scum of the planet' and ordering him 
 to get his 'smelly hide' out of the cutter service bay actually... bothers
 him. Irritably Tance hauls his worn cutter to the Hangar anyway, where he
 stuns Gyles Lee by simply demanding whether he's a sled tech instead of
 attacking him on sight.

 Returning to a claim that got him a pricey shade of green, Tance is
 dismayed to get only one more usable crystal out of it before he is forced
 to give up. And, almost inevitably, the _Smeghead_, sneaking out of her
 pilot's wandering attention, goes down hard. Tance's already broken right
 arm is dislocated out of his shoulder socket, and the sled's emergency beacon,
 wired to go off automatically now in the event of a crash, attracts the
 attention of sled tech Jerrik Rawn Deegan....]

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, please, medic to 
  the hangar floor. CS Vokrim has been hauled in. Again.".

Daron has arrived.
Daron slowly runs his medical scanner over Tance'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 Tance...

A plasticast ranges from Tance's right shoulder to the wrist, lending support 
  and stability to the bone while it heals. Various bandages cover the backs 
  of his legs, protecting newly regenerating skin. He is trying to hold his 
  right shoulder, but every time he touches it, he gasps in pain. The shoulder 
  joint is rolled forward indicating a major dislocation.

Daron gives Tance a pain-killer not that he's likely to notice anything. and 
  easily resets the shoulder.

Tance after a time groans thickly, his head turning from the left to the 
  right.

Daron unenthuastically picks up Tance and hauls him out of the sled

Tance remains groggy, mumbling vaguely dismayed sounds as he's carried out.

You step out from the cramped interior of the sled "Smeghead."
Hangar Floor
Contents:
 Tance, over by the wall.
 Jerrik, over by the wall.
 Tance's sled
 Aralan'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:
 WWSF Transport Met Transport Equipment Room Simulators Catwalk Cargo Storage 
 Sorting Ready Room
Game INFO: This is a room that may be monitored via +watch.

Daron steps out from the cramped interior of the airsled "Smeghead."
Daron has arrived.
Daron presses a button on his wrist unit and speaks into it, summoning a 
  gurney.

Gurney 2 has arrived.

Jerrik looks over as the medic emerges with the Singer, and asks dryly, "He 
  in how many pieces this time?"

Daron says "amazingly mostly in one piece."

Jerrik looks at you for a moment.

Daron settles the uncounscious singer on the gurney

Jerrik looks the Singer up and down, hrfs, and sets to work on the damaged 
  vehicle. "Thanks, son, for coming down to get him.... man needs all the 
  mending time he can get."

Gurney 2
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.

Daron nods with a resigned air as he pushes the gurney out.
Daron pushes the gurney out of the room.

[Down to the Infirmary with the muddled Singer.]

You walk into the clinic of the infirmary.
Infirmary(#403RAM)
A complex array of computers monitor patient condition in the various rooms 
  of the Infirmary. In front of this bank of terminals are two comfortable 
  chairs for the medics on duty. Across the screens streams a constant flow of 
  data. While there is 'monitor help', only fully trained, professional 
  medical personnel are permitted to utilize this facility.
Contents:
Catering Unit
Obvious exits:
Long Term Care Short Term Care Lift

Daron walks softly from the lift area.
Daron studies Tances injuries a moment before deciding on a course of action

Tance mumbles slurrily, "Just a little farther... pay rent..." Then in a 
  strangely plaintive tone, "_Had_ a bath..."

Daron tries not to laugh at the bath comment.
Daron frowns as he notices a crack where the right arm was broken and now, 
  restressed has fractured.
Daron carefully removes the brace and finds the calcifier to do a little 
  patchwork.

Tance wavers up out of unconsciousness, a few centimeters at a time. 
  "Where'mI?"

Daron says "Infirmary. You crashed."
Daron uses the calcifier to patch the fracture before resetting the brace.

Tance blinks owlishly. "Wha? Don' 'member. Greens... no... she's green...."

Daron shakes his head and continues to do his work.

Tance frowns vaguely into the air. His usually sullen expression vacillates, 
  for once, between a scowl and a more relaxed if obviously more disoriented 
  look, as the painkiller floods his system. "Weird'n. Green. Why's she... up 
  to something... nobody talks... don't want nobody...."

Daron works on propping Tance up so he can bind the arm.

Krellin walks softly from the lift area.
Krellin enters Short Term Care.

Tance very nearly faints as he is lifted, and he gives a hoarse little gasp.

Daron steadies the abused arm and binds it against your side.

Tance jerks, startledly. Or tries to. With a vague look at the medic he 
  mumbles, "Why's she talking to me?" He seems visibly troubled.

Daron finishes up and lets Tance regain coherence or incoherence as he will.
Daron sniggers then resumes a semi-serious expression.
Daron frowns at Tance wondering what the singer is talking about.

Kesya walks softly from the lift area.

Daron glances at kesya, "May I help you?"

Kesya wanders in slowly, smiling faintly as she sees Daron. "I was just 
  visiting Scorpy again, Daron. How's she doing today? I can't tell much by 
  looking at her, really."

Tance, with no answers forthcoming from the only source his blurred vision 
  can make out in immediate sight, settles into scowling vaguely and muttering 
  about "no reason, no sense... worthless...."

Daron shakes his head, "Still in a coma I believe."

Tance, evidently unaware that Daron has finished the task of tending his 
  shoulder, remains sitting on the gurney and staring distantly off towards 
  the nearest wall. "Dream... hit my head. Nobody talks."

Kesya nods, expression downcast as she bites her lip. "No sign of her 
  regaining conciousness yet then? I don't suppose I could be notified when 
  she does wake up?"

Daron gnaws on his lower lip as he watches Tance, "Sure."

Kesya follows Daron's gaze, only now noticing the gurney is actually holding 
  someone. She arches a brow, smiling faintly. "Did yourself in again, huh 
  Tance? Same arm, too."

Daron says "looks like he's having a blast from his past."

Kesya cocks her head to one side, her query directed at the room in general. 
  "What happened?"

Daron says "He crashed, like usual."

Tance's scowl tightens a trifle, and his head turns towards Kesya, but not 
  entirely. "Not real. Can't be real. People don't talk. People never talk. No 
  reason, worthless, don't bring in the crystal, crazy old son of a..."

Kesya snorts softly, almost seeming amused now. "I sometimes wonder if 
  everyone just starts falling asleep up there. I mean, I've lost track of how 
  many times Shi has crashed, and she's even newer than me." Her gaze turns to 
  the singer again as he speaks, her tone teasing. "Of course people talk, 
  Tance. You expect them to use sign language and secret decoder rings or 
  something?"
Kesya leans towards Daron, quietly resuming her conversation about her 
  half-dead friend. "Scorpy is still expected to come out of coma sometime 
  though, right?"

Tance swings his fogged gaze around at last towards the other Singer, though 
  it's anybody's guess as to whether he actually sees her. Something in his 
  scowl shifts, though; the man's eyes seem actually... sad, as he mumbles, 
  "Don't care, never talk to me anyway, fix his bones, throw him in the sled, 
  lock him in the tank, not a crystal anywhere..."

Daron says "Hopefully. 'Miko took months to get out of her coma."

Kesya nods assent to the medic, and turns curiously to regard Tance again. 
  "Whaddya mean, nobody talks to you? What do you think I'm doing now?" She 
  crosses her arms, as her lips purse thoughtfully. "You should put your 
  energy into getting better, instead of feeling sorry for yourself."

Tance blinks. And blinks again, trying to focus his gaze. As he does, the 
  scowl returns. "Not sorry," he snarls, gutterally. "All right. All of 'em. 
  Worthless. Stinks. Won't fix my gear..."
Tance starts to get up, and half-falls, half-climbs off the gurney, scowling 
  all the while at the floor.

Kesya seems to have decided that Tance is too drugged-up to make any sense. "I 
  have no idea who you're talking about, but you just get better, okay?" She 
  reaches out to pat his arm amiably. "Worry about talking when you're not so 
  drugged up."

Tance nearly falls over at the pat, and he wails at the younger Singer, "Not 
  real...! Can't be...!" Actively frightened, he lurches backwards, looking 
  for the nearest escape route. "Out of the crystal..."

Kesya glances wide-eyed at Daron, not sure what she did to get such a reaction 
  from the older Singer. She backs off, so as not to alarm him, and speaks 
  softly. "S'okay Tance, I'm not gonna hurt you or anything. I just wanted to 
  help. Okay? You all right?"

Daron watches Tance and mumbles, "reverse amnesia? nah...can't be."

Tance bumps into a wall and clutches at it with his one working hand. "Nobody 
  wants to help," he growls, suspiciously. His tone is at odds with his wide 
  eyes, though.

Daron says "Tance?"

Tance, at the sound of Daron's voice, flicks his attention to the medic, 
  warily.

Kesya mumbles in Daron's direction, "What'd I do?" She regards Tance from the 
  opposite side of the room, now a little less alarmed. "What's so surprising 
  about people wanting to help?" She smiles wryly, "Heck, it's the way I was 
  raised. I can leave if I'm causing problems though..." Her voice trails off, 
  as she looks to Daron for guidance.

Daron talks calmly to Tance, "Don't worry. You're in the Infirmary. You 
  crashed. You may have had a concussion."

"Hit my head. Must have hit my head. Seeing things..." The old Singer seizes 
  desperately on the notion, bobbing his head rapidly. "Hearing things. 
  Dreams, all dreams..."

Daron takes a step toward Tance and stops, "No, you're not. This is the 
  present. Reality.

Kesya frowns, muttering to herself. "This can't be healthy." Louder, she 
  speaks to Daron. "I think he thought he was seeing things earlier when he 
  was sorta baffled by Nadine's ears, but I kinda thought he was over that. I 
  mean, it's not *that* strange."

Daron frowns listening to Kesya, an eyebrow arching up.

Tance cries, "Can't be!" Then, again, more softly, almost a whimper, as he 
  slides clumsily down along the wall. "Can't be. Nobody's nice when it's 
  real. Can't be..."

Daron moves over to Tance, "You're not hallucinating Tance. I'd pinch you to 
  prove it but I don't think you'd appreciate it."

Kesya starts walking slowly towards the older Singer, concern evident in her 
  expression. She sits down on the floor a few feet from him, speaking softly. 
  "Er... you okay?" She glances up at Daron, obviously unsure of what to do 
  next.

Tance quivers visibly, his scowl completely vanished now, as he flicks a 
  frightened glance from the Singer to the medic and back again.

Daron
You see a young man in his mid-twenties you'd guess, perhaps 5'8" with a more 
  lanky than muscular build. His hair is black, kept trim and neatly parted to 
  the left. His skin is tanned with an angular face and a prominent nose 
  jutting from a wide high brow and a strong jaw. You notice scars here and 
  there on his face, a thin scar on his ear and one or two faint ones on his 
  cheeks. He wears a utilitarian work jumpsuit of meditech green, a wide 
  leather belt with a device of some sort hanging from it and black ankle high 
  boots. Over this he wears a white medical jacket with the Heptite Guild 
  Emblem prominently placed on the left breast pocket, beneath the meditech 
  emblem while there is a pin on the right pocket that reads | D. Truen |.
Daron notices your glance and looks back a you with fatigued brown eyes.

Kesya murmurs softly to Daron, eyes troubled. "Have any ideas?" She doesn't 
  say anything to Tance, not wanting to make him more nervous.

Daron shakes his head, mumuring, "My forte's not in the psychological 
  sciences."

Tance mumbles plaintively, "I want to wake up now."

Kesya grimaces, then smooths her expression as she turns back to the Singer. 
  She leans forward a bit, speaking softly. "S'okay Tance, you're perfectly 
  safe. You're probably just... in shock from the crash or something." It's 
  obvious she's searching for solutions here. "You're not dreaming, Tance. 
  What's wrong? Why do you think you should be dreaming?"

Tance stares uncertainly at Kesya. Finally, perhaps lulled a little by the 
  soothing words, he mutters brusquely, "Talking t' me. Nobody talks t' me."

Daron chuckles as he kneels down, by Tance, "C'mon. Tance." He snaps his 
  finger. "You are awake."

Tance automatically jerks his head towards Daron's fingers, then gives another 
  wide-eyed, if groggy, blink.
You say "Not... not dreaming?"

Kesya shrugs unconcernedly, hoping her casual attitude will calm the singer. 
  "I do. Daron is. It's not such an inconceivable notion." She slides over 
  towards the wall Tance is crouched against, and leans against it herself. 
  "Nah, you're not dreaming. Just dazed."

You say "My... my arm, I..."

Daron nods, "Yup. You dislocated it and fractured the bone just as it almost 
  healed."

Kesya remains silent, her blue-eyed gaze flicking between the two men.

Tance, as if the words are half-incomprensible to him, frowns vaguely down at 
  his right shoulder. Then, slowly, starts toppling in that direction, as if 
  his head's momentum is enough to knock him over.

Daron grabs hold of Tance's good shoulder and steadies the confused singer.

Kesya blinks surprisedly, and reaches quickly out with one hand to snag 
  Tance's clothing at his left shoulder. "Woah, you're listing."

Tance mumbles tinily, "Don't feel very good...."

Kesya frowns at the singer, "How not good? Pain? Nausea?" She glances up at 
  Daron, her brow creased. "Side effect from the crash, maybe?"

Daron has his scanner out and is monitoring the singer

Tance, by way of reply to Kesya's inquiry, simply faints.

Kesya rests one elbow on an upraised knee, her right hand still on Tance's 
  shoulder to steady him. "Oh, geez," she mumbles as Tance passes out.

Daron ohdears as Tance passes out. "he must not be used to having people be 
  nice to him"

Kesya look skeptical, to say the least. "Oh, right. Such a reaction, from 
  people being *nice*? Gimmee a break."

[Baffling as it is to Kesya, it is even _more_ baffling to Tance, and his
 dreams are strange as he sleeps in the Short Term Care unit. End log...]