Looking up as Yas calls to her, Saskia shakes her head and calls back, "Not just now, thanks!  I'm busy!"  She lifts her hand computer as if to illustrate her point.

"Maybe later." she adds, but it isn't clear if it's directed at Yas or Jago, both of whom are urging her to swim.

Then she settles down, laying flat as the computer tells her all about the latest developments in flux capacitors.  The lenses of her dark glasses polarize selectively, allowing only indirect light from the two suns to reach her eyes.

Interesting information from their guest...and Shui is pleased to see Marina isn't at all concerned about the gathering crowd.  In fact, the dolphin seems to enjoy the attention.  Pods.  They travel in pods, they are gregarious and friendly.  Information learned in her brief check on the dataglove.  An outgoing species then, even to beings nothing like themselves.

So much different from humans, then.

Treading water, she reaches out and assists Keryn for a moment.  "Not...too much seawater, no.  It's not the same at all as drinking water."  Keryn no doubt is aware of this by now, but she's probably not aware that injesting too much will bring it right back up, along with the rest of her stomach contents.  "One hopes you are enjoying yourself?"

Returning her attention to Marina, Shui nods her head politely - she can't exactly bow in the water.  "Shui Tiesi, ship's steward and doctor," she introduces herself.  "A pleasure to meet you."

Another "Fascinating." escapes from Ash lips, as Marina explains some of the nuances of her sonic abilities.  He is ready to ask her some additional questions, when Yas asks about crowding and Marina turns her attention to the Security Chief.  Ash bites his tongue and purses his lips, bobbing up and down as he treads water.  He realizes that he is one of the crowd and that he should likely curb his enthusiasm.  Ash is not sure if the schoolboy or the scout in him got the better of him.

When Shui introduces herself to the dolphin, Ash tacks on with a wave (which causes the rest of his body to dip lower in the water), "...and I'm Ash, the ship's navigator."  A crooked smile crosses his lips before he adds, "Communications and wave theory are just part of my hobbies..."

Tylen floats on his back, sculling gently as he listens to the others questioning Marina.

"That's good, that's good..."

Yas nods at Marina and looks around, making sure that Keryn is afloat, literally but not figuratively.  Seeing that she seems A-OK Yas heaves up and dives under the surface.

From below it looks kind of fun, all the legs and then the grey, sleek form of Marina.  Kicking out she dives a little deeper and over towards Tylen, wondering if the scout is asleep or not.  Maybe if she pulls at a leg he will awaken...

Then she reaches out to snap the back of his bathing shorts instead, trying to do so before he realises she is there.

The dolphin tilts her head to Shui and Ash, as if mimicking the medic's nod, "And I am pleased to meet you.  This is the first company I have had in several weeks."

Keryn finally gets close enough to grab hold of Ash's shoulder, coughing and spluttering more water.  Marina swivels her body to more precisely bring one eye to bear on the young woman.  "You are a poor swimmer, even for a human."

"This is true." Keryn replies.  Looking about, she asks, "Where did Yas go?"

At the ship, Eneris and Corlan are finally ready, and step off into the ocean, leaving Jago and Saskia alone.  Jago ponders for a moment, then says, "So there's only two of us here now, and I'm the Captain.  Go and fetch me a drink, something alcoholic, that tastes of fruit, and has a parasol in it."

Not even taking her eyes off the text, Saskia replies in a bored tone, "Go frell yourself, Jago."  Then, after a slight reconsideration, she does look away for a moment, "No, wait, you can fetch me one of those instead, with ice.  If you want the engines to lift us off this rock, that is."

She looks back at the document, "Please.  And be quick about it."

Tylen smiles to himself as the conversation meanders on and he enjoys both the sun and the water against his body.  Kerryn’s ‘Where did Yas go?’  makes him wonder. idly, if there could be something around that the Dolphin didn’t spot.  He is just starting to push himself upright just to make sure that everything is alright as he feels something get him from below.

With a huge kick of his legs  and a sudden pull with his arms, Tylen surges awake and pushes himself away from the spot where he was floating, turning in the water as he does so to try and see what it was.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:43, Thu 28 July 2011.

Shui watches Keryn with narrowed eyes, judging and assessing.  Not panicked, not yet...it's far, far too easy to panic in the water, the steward knows.  When Keryn reaches out for their pilot, she almost intervenes, but Ash knows his swimming, and the pregnant girl isn't hysterical, only looking for support.  In other words, not a drowning hazard.  Children have killed strong swimmers, their body unconciously treating their intended savior as a flotation device.

Fortunately, that doesn't look likely to happen here, but Shui stays close, with a thankful nod toward Ash.

"It sounds terribly lonely," Shui confesses to Marina.  "You do not have many visitors?  How long will you be staying?"

And Tylen moves.  Fast.  Hard.  Sudden.  It triggers warning bells in Shui, and she sweeps herself around in the water to face him.  "Mr. Ogresh?" the doctor exclaims, her tone tight with concern, her eyes sweeping what she can see of his body in a hunt for wounds.  Her left arm shoots out of the salty ocean, barring Keryn on one side with Ash on her other.

A hopeless gesture of protection when in an ocean, but an instinctive one.

Keryn's splashing and movement towards him, pulls Ash from his little revelry about Marina's aquatic abilities.  A tilt of the head and a crooked smile touch his lips as he pushes just a little harder with his legs, trying to maintain his position in the water.  Ash extends an arm to offer the young lady what support he can.  He is not the strongest person in the universe - far from it.  It is generally not an issue in this day and age.  But here, he knows he needs to work a little harder to maintain buoyancy.

Ash bobs up and down gently his hands moving to ensure that his and Keryn's EVA lines don't get tangled with either him, her, each other, or themselves.  Moving in water isn't quite like moving in vacuum, but many of the same safety precautions apply.  And with an inexpert swimmer like Keryn, that could be a problem - but, Ash tries his level best to ensure that there are no issue.  He passes the two lines of cord with slack to his far hand, offering some support for Keryn with the hand (and shoulder) closest to her.  "Take it easy, Ms. Taylor." he notes calmly, "Focus on a nearby object to remain oriented and centered ... and don't fight the water too much and try to relax ..."

When Tylen startles, moving quickly out of the water, Ash's eyes flick towards the sudden movement, and his body tenses slightly, but with Keryn using him for support and the doctor between him and the movement the same instincts that serve him in EVA: to stop and assess.  Plus he needs to follow his own advice here as well.  Panicking and flailing about in either the Deep Black or underwater only causes more problems.  Ash is more than well aware of that.

Either the scout was overly paranoid or he has actually noticed something, but he takes off, leaving Yas to only briefly grab hold of the lining.  Such a spoilsport.  Even as it snaps back she decides to dive down a bit deeper again and back towards the spot where she came from, momentarily concealed by the violent splashing Tylen produces, planning on resurfacing as if nothing had happened.

From below she can see people waving their legs about and is again amused at how clumsy they are in the water, compared to Marina.  No matter how good a swimmer and how skilled you think you are, in the water you are like a fish on land, almost.

At least it is fairly quiet and relaxing under here, not shouting like above.

Jago sighs, "We really need to clarify the chain of command on this ship.  You can't tell me what to do.  I thought we'd gone through this before."  After a moment or two pondering the situation, the Captain stands up, smiling.  He's reached a solution that should work out well.

"I'm going to fetch myself a drink.  Would you like anything, Saskia?"

In the water there is a certain amount of sudden movement.  Something has startled Tylen, and Yas is nowhere to be seen.  The unexpected excitement sends Marina darting away to observe from what she judges to be a safe distance.

"What's happening?" Keryn asks, more puzzled than worried at the moment...
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:22, Sat 30 July 2011.

Ash shakes his head slightly, "I... I don't know, Ms. Taylor."  He tries to keep his tone even and this body from making in any sudden moves, since Keryn is trying to use him for some support.  He is reasonably successful in the latter course of action, but only partly successful in the former; his tone has a slight edge to it, and a vague sense of urgency.

Seeing Marina delibarately move away to observe from a safe distance, Ash follows her cue and begins to slowly paddle back towards the Margin.  He tries to place as much distance between the commotion and himself (and Keryn).  Since, the young lady is relying on him for support and safety, he can't think of much reason to remain where they are - as vulnerable as they are.  You know, just in case.

"That's very kind of you, Jago.  I'll have a Mora sling, please, with crushed ice, a slice of lemon, and one of those little parasols.  Failing that, an iced tea would be very nice, thank you." Saskia responds.  Then the movement in the water catches her eye.

A hint of mild concern tinges her voice as she asks, "What do you suppose is going on out there?"

"I have no idea." Jago says, turning to study the activity in the water.  Ash and Keryn are coming back towards the ship, perhaps she's in some difficulty?  Corlan and Eneris are still heading away from the ship.  Tylen seems to be reacting to something.  Shui is with Ash and Keryn, coming towards him, but smimming backwards, as if watching for something...

The dolphin has moved further away from the ship.

That leaves only Yas unaccounted for.

Jago, for the first time in his life, finds himself drawing a handgun that he's fairly certain he could use, from here, to down a starship in low orbit.

Belatedly he recalls the sensor feed, and starts checking the display...

Feeling that she needs to surface soon Yas pushes a bit harder, especially seeing that Sushi and Ash begins to retreat with Keryn.  At least they are taking it easy, she thinks as she begins to resurface, aiming towards near the Margin, just in case something else is going on beyond her little stunt.

Tilting her head up the hair is pushes free of the face as she as gently as possible breaks the surface.  Inhaling deeply she begins to look around to assess the situation.

"There's Yas!" Saskia says, pointing at the Security Chief.  "I wonder how deep she managed to get with that high bouyancy.  I mean, she's strong and all, but the water's got a lot of salt in it."  Then she notices Jago with a gun in his hand.  Only one person on the ship owns a revolver of that size, "You do know she'll probably kill you if she finds you playing with her baby, right?"

Jago scowls at Saskia and then turns his attention back to the sensor feed.  Everything looks clear - there are no traces that he can't account for.  He jams the revolver back in the holster, acutely aware of the weight of the .50 calibre weapon as he slings the gun belt over one shoulder.  It is, after all, Yas' gun... the belt is unlikely to fit around his own waist, even if he has it on the last notch.

Shui and Ash arrive at the side of the ship, escorting Keryn between them.  "I'm just going below to grab Saskia and me some cold drinks.  Would you three like anything?"

Keryn pulls herself up until her arms are resting on the hull, so that her mouth is well clear of the water before she answers, "Some fruit juice would go down much better than all this water.  Thanks."

Away from the hull Corlan and Eneris  arrive in the general area of Yas and Tylen.  Corlan comments on the salinity of the water as he stops swimming, "It's nice to be able to simply float with so little effort.  Very relaxing."

And further out still, Marina starts back towards the group of humans.  For some reason, she seems interested in Tylen, and closes in on him.

Tylen spends a moment or two looking towards the place he had burst away from and pushes his head under the water to see if he can see anything there, but then surfaces and shakes the salty water out from his eyes.  Warily he paddles slowly, wondering if he had imagined the touch, when he sees Marina heading towards him.

Slowly he turns to face her.

Ash shakes his head in response to Jago's query, adding, "No, Thank you, Captain."  He casts a glance at Shui to see her reaction to the Captain doing the Steward's 'job'.  But, as Shui occupied with the other needs to the passengers; so, it makes some sense.

Once Keryn is situated and stable against the edge of the hull, Ash starts to pull himself from the water.  He motions to Jago for the items that the Captain has been gracious enough to hold for him.  "You were right, Captain." he notes apprciatively as he towels off, "The water is quite refreshing and the company beyond compare."  He casts a smile in the direction of Shui and Keryn and then glances out further towards Yas, Corlan, Eneris, Tylen and Marina.

"But duty calls." he states simply.  Then he casts a glance at Jago, "Unless you would prefer that I grab the drinks, Captain..."  It is the Captain's prerogative to delegate after all...

Jago returns the gear to Ash as he says, "No, thanks.  I promised Saskia I'd fetch her a drink.  It wouldn't do to make a promise, then order somebody else to fulfil it for me."

His voice drops slightly as he asks Shui and Ash, "What are your opinions on our guest?"

The guest in question moves to within arm's reach of Tylen and turns slightly so that one eye is staring directly at the man, "You do swim well, for a human.  Better than some of the others.  Are you all from different places?"

"I grew up by the sea." he grins "And we were always playing about in the water.  The others all come from different places, but I don't know if any of them lived by the sea." he says with a smile.  "Sorry I startled you just then, I thought I felt something touch me from below ...." he lets it hang there waiting to see if Marina, with her advanced senses understood it better than he did.

Shui pats Keryn on the shoulder.  "You have done well for your first time in the water.  I recall swallowing close to a gallon, though that might be memory playing tricks."

Knowing Jago as she does, Shui doesn't panic at the thought of him fetching drinks.  After all, it would take that much longer for her to get up, get dried, she'd leave salty, wet footprints on the deck (and guess who does the cleaning when everyone else is sleeping?)...  No, if Jago intends on gathering drinks, she'll let him.  "Thank you, Captain Lanza.  I believe another fruit juice would be fine for myself."  Alcohol and her are a poor idea.

It makes her talk.

Besides, Ash seems to be leaving them.  "I am certain everything is well, Mr. Tescali," she begins, before the captain asks his question, sotto vocce.  One eyebrow rises, and the steward lowers her own voice.  "She seems to be friendly and 'on the level' as the saying goes."  One corner of her mouth droops glumly for a moment.  "However...I admit to a lack of capacity to 'read' her; it is quite possible we are behaving in an overly arrogant manner, treating a 'talking animal' like a friendly child, rather than the intelligent, alien species it is." She doesn't like this line of thinking, but the captain did ask.

"It is certainly possible she has an agenda."  Frowning, Shui considers the situation.  "Did she not say there are humans on this world?  Six?  I wonder where."

"How you doing then, young lady?  Stopped drinking the local beverage, I hope?" Yas asks Keryn with a grin, staying close to her and making sure the girl is indeed staying above the water.

She leans in and whispers something, taking several seconds to do so, and ends up chuckling. 

"Hey, fetching drinks, Jago?  I'll have a Twin Star with a Gas Giant, thanks!  Failing that, some nice, cold pineapple juice!" she shouts at her captain with a big grin plastered over her whole face.  "Thank you," she adds, using her best mock seductive tone.

Ash nods to Jago regarding who will get drinks, "As you wish, Captain."  After he accepts the equipment back from the Captain, Ash cradles the large holstered pistol in one arm and he slips his wrist computer and headset back on.  Ash pauses for a moment as he stares through the reticule checking statuses and calibration of the unit.  Satisfied, his focus returns to the foreground and he turns his head slightly to encompass both Jago and Shui in his field of vision.

He shrugs slightly when the converstaion regarding Marina begins, Ash acknowledges readily, "She is fascinating to talk to."  His voice lowers a notch to match the Captain and the Doctor's level, "A bit of an enigma though."  Ash pauses for a moment, before venturing, "And I am puzzled by her actual presence.  We may have been scanned when we first precipitated - but even at her best presumed swimming speed of, say, 35 kilometers per hour ..."  A short mental calculation later, he continues, "Our transit time was not in days or weeks.  And the planet is still nearly 50,000 km in circumference and has over 50% of the surface covered by water."  He pauses for a moment, "Let's just say that I still find it highly coincidental that she is here when we are."  He leaves rather unspoken, but obviously implied - especially given Shui's direct question about the other inhabitants of the planet - that Marina could have had help getting here.  And thus, possibly that someone else is out there fairly nearby, currently undetected.

Ash's eyes dart instinctively back the sensor roll-up displays on his headbands reticule.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:07, Tue 16 Aug 2011.