Noticing the quiet conversation between Jago, Ash and Shui, Saskia wonders what they might be talking about.  A second later the answer comes to her and it's pretty obvious.  That'll be talking about the dolphin of course, what else could they be talking about that would require any degree of secrecy?

With a sigh, she sets the tech data aside and gets up, interested in what's going on.  Of course she also has a good reason to go over there.  At the very least, she thinks, I might be able to keep Keryn busy so that she's not listening in on the private discussion.

Sitting cross-legged at the edge of the hull she smiles at the young woman, "How's the swimming going, Keryn?"

Marina turns, regarding Tylen with her other eye, "I do not think you were touched by anything dangerous."

"I find it odd that humans will often come from widely variant environments.  This is rare among dolphins.  Apart from the fact that we require aquatic environments for survival, our teams will usually come from the same world.  In fact, team members are often related."

Jago nods at Ash and Shui's assessment of the dolphin.  "It's a big ocean and, as I recall from the maps, the human settlement and starport, such as they are, are far enough away that they couldn't have been much help in getting her here to meat us."  He shrugs, "Maybe it really is just a coincidence."

"Still, we should be careful, I suppose, just in case."

Keryn laughs at something Yas whispers to her, then looks up as saskia sits nearby, "I'm doing quite well, I think." she replies to the questions from the two female crewmembers, "Better than Tylen anyway."

"Me neither." Tylen responds as he treads water.  "It is just the surprise of a contact I wasn't expecting.  A reaction I can't help." the ex-scout continues, then grins broadly "And I guess if it had been dangerous either you or someone on the ship would have been shouting by now.  The sensors are set to scan the area, and someone on board will be watching the tell-tales. And I expect you are doing the same sort of thing." he adds half alluding to the equipment strapped to the dolphin.

"Ahh.  With us, it is a sign that we are fully grown when we leave our families and make our way on our own.  Having said that though, most people don't travel this far from home.  In some ways, these people here, on the ship, have become a bit like a family to me.  We travel together,  live together and fight if we have too." he adds with a bit of a shrug.

"But you say that Dolphin teams are often from the same family?  Does that mean you are related to the other two you spoke of?" he asks as the thought strikes him  "Can you keep in contact with them?  Do you get any company out here?" he  suddenly realises quite how lonely a life this dolphin could have. "And I damned well hope they are paying you well for this work." he concludes as he lays back on the water.  A few sculls from his hands and he starts to move feet first, slowly, through the water.

Ash nods to Jago, "Of course, with the only settlement as far as it is - there are other coincidences required if she has been aided.  Even at top speed an air-raft or other grav vehicle would still be pressed for time.  As well as having the need to be specially fitted for a cetacean... "  He purses his lips, "However, it is quite possible that the Imperial census data may be stale as well."  The data was already dated since the presence of the dolphins was not noted yet.  But it could just be plain incorrect - the presence of another colony of people here legally or illegally has to be entertained, however briefly.

Another curt nod to the Captain when he concedes (rather belatedly) caution.  "Of course, sir." the navigator soothes, "I am monitoring the feeds now."

"Most of the equipment, apart from the translator, comprises assorted sensors for measuring water conditions.  Other modules allow me to record my observations.  Impressions regarding fish populations, odd phenomena, and the like.  There is also, I believe, an inertial tracker which records my movements for later analysis."

Marina seems quite happy to talk about her mission here, "Every so often I travel to one of the six collecting stations and all of the recorded information is transferred automatically to the station's databanks."

"The other two are related to me, yes.  One is a brother.  The other is, well, I believe the closest human equivalent would be a distant cousin.  We can use our natural abilities to communicate over distances of forty to fifty kilometres, depending on exact conditions, so we are alone for most of the time here.  One reason I was so pleased to have company."

"I am being compensated for my work here, though not quite in the way a human would." the dolphin continues, moving slowly to keep pace with Tylen, "We have little need for personal possessions, and no way to easily carry them.  Typically, if a dolphin is hired by humans to perform a task, all payments are made into an account which benefits the whole pod.  So my work here pays for purchase of medicines, specialised tools and equipment, transportation... for my whole family."

Jago sighs, "Typical.  I thought we'd get a nice rest out here, in the middle of nowhere.  No stress, no worries.  Instead we have a visitor who presents us with things to worry about.  And we're, literally, dead in the water for the time being."  He checks his watch, "We're going to be stuck here for a bit longer, until the tanks are full.  I suppose the best we can do is try to enjoy it.  The only good thing is that we're far enough out in the wilderness that we've got at least a few more hours before an air-raft or anything can come nosing around."

"I would personally be pleased to see other visitors," Shui notes.  "Corroboration is a good thing, though we have no reason to distrust Marina.  It is simply that..." She glances up.  "It is a serious thing for us to alter the signals.  If this were a human, would we be so quick to do so on their word alone?"  She holds up her hand.  "I am not saying we should not, but merely noting that we should be sure we are doing this for the correct reasons, and not simply because we have had an immediate reaction to Marina that could simply be based upon subconcious feelings of parental superiority.  We are most certainly not 'superior' to her."

"I like her," Shui confesses after a moment's further thought.  "I do not believe she intends us any harm at all, either.  I am merely advocating caution in precipitous action."

Ash notes with a slight smile to Jago, "You may relax, Captain.  I am monitoring the proximity feeds."  He adds soothingly, "I am sure that it is merely my own paranoia and that there is nothing out there."  But, true to form, Ash does not stop his vigil or splitting his time between scanning the horizon and watching the streaming displays in his small display glass.

He does think to add, "Of course, you can only relax after getting the others their drinks..." Another slight smile crossing his face.

As he keeps tabs on the conversation with Jago and Shui, Ash watches and listens to the the Profit Margin's steward carefully.  Her words are measured and tactful, something that he has come to expect from her.  Ash readily agrees with her, "We are hardly superior to the dolphin.  That is especially true, here in the middle of an ocean."  He purses his lips and pauses for a moment, debating whether to say more, but his paranoia wins out apparently.  "Unfortunately," the detached duty scout ventures, "in my experience, humans have not cornered the market on either ignorance..."  Another shadow crosses his face, "or deceit."  He falls silent as his eyes move back to scanning the displays and then the horizon again.

Saskia unfolds one leg and dangles it over the side, lowering her foot into the water next to Keryn.  "Oh!  It's not as cold as I thought it would be." she says, sounding genuinely surprised.  She looks up at the sky, "Then again, with two suns and such long days I don't suppose that's too much of a shock.

"I'm just waiting for Jago to fetch me a drink.  Once I've had that, I might risk a swim."

The long day of 728-907 continues, and the hours slip by without incident.  Saskia eventually gets her drink, and takes a swim afterwards.  Keryn enjoys some respite from the, for her, abnormally high gravity.  Even Jago spends some time with his feet in the water, though he doesn't take the opportunity to swim, but instead lays flat on his back with his legs, from the knee down, hanging over the edge of the hull.

What with it being a special occasion, and all, he even lights his cigar...

Marina stays nearby, apparently happy to answer personal questions, and equally happy to ask them.  She seems curious about the refuelling procedure, and is interested in Saskia's explanation of the extraction of fuel from sea water.  And she definitely enjoys swimming with the humans.

Eventually though there is a faint chime from Jago's comm.  The ship is telling him that it has full tanks, and can depart at his convenience.

The Captain sits up and looks about, then asks cheerfully, "Does anybody remember where we parked?"

Having spent her time in the water, Shui enjoys some sunbathing on a towel, taking her own pleasure from others' enjoyment of the waves.  Even Saskia.  The ship's hull warms in the light, lulling the doctor and leaving her dozy as the rays beat down on her.  Occasionally she makes forays out to speak to those in the water (including Marina) and find out if anyone needs food or drink...otherwise, the steward enjoys the peacefulness.

Not that their lives are hotbeds of violence by any stretch of the imagination, but 'peaceful'?  Does not fit.  Always something to do, something happening.

At Jago's amusing query, she pushes herself up onto her elbows, eyeing him with one brow cocked.  "Are we leaving then, Captain Lanza?  Has there been any decision regarding action to be taken?"  Slowly Shui looks around, taking stock of who sits on deck, who is in the water, and who has gone down below.

Ash remains top side patrolling the hull and monitoring the sensor feeds for the rest of the afternoon.  He does not reenter the water, though he gets close to edge, especially when Marina is nearby - and he is willing to continue to ask questions of her as long as the cetacean shows any interest in answering them.  He is also willing to answer most questions about himself or his training, though he is circumspect about answering anything dealing with weapons, martial training, or any sophonts that he may have injured or killed in the past.

When Jago makes his query, Ash, who was staring out in a direction towards aft portion of the Margin, turns and dutifully begins to report their exact geographic coordinates on the planet and starts to begin to give a summary of how far they have drifted from their original landing position before he realizes that the question was more rhetorical and playful.  His voice trails off with a quick "Er ... Nevermind." and he falls silent to listen to Jago's answer to Shui's question.

"Not right away, no." Jago says, looking out to the horizon, "But the tanks are full, so we can go whenever we want.  I was thinking of maybe a little more R and R, followed by leisurely preparations, then we get out of here."

"Just give the word, Jago.  Everything should start up with it's usual smoothness, as soon as your ready to go." Saskia assures the captain.  Then, noticing Keryn nearby, she adds in a loud voice, "We'll need to pump all water out of Keryn's cabin, of course, and make sure we get all the fish out this time, so that there isn't a big pile of them rotting under the bed."

As an afterthought she asks, "Any idea where we're heading yet, Jago?  I fancy somewhere with good ski slopes next."

After swimming and chatting to Marina, Tylen makes his way back onto the top of the ship again.  Once dried and properly dressed he recovers both his data glove and revolver.

"So does that mean a BBQ after all then?" he asks

"I'm looking at Denotam.  Two parsecs from here, half-way decent port, slightly lower than standard gravity.  Enclosed cities because of the thin atmosphere.  Oh, and it's inside the Imperium, with an IN base and a Marine garrison, so it'll probably be safe enough.  Keryn should be able to make herself comfortable there, if she wants to, or she can stay with us until we hit somewhere she likes better on the Main."  The captain stretches and yawns.

"Not sure about an actual barbecue, but I could do with something to eat.  Maybe grab some food, and then leave?"

"Cruel, Ms. Blake," Shui murmurs with an amused smile.  "Mr. Orgesh, Captain Lanza, I may be able to do something about that 'barbeque'," she considers, tapping her lip thoughtfully.  Abandoning her towel, Shui rises to her tip toes to shake out her stiffness - swimming has forced muscles to work in unfamiliar ways - and adjusts her hair.  "Please allow me to take orders.  We have a variety of spices and sauces aboard I have been saving for just this sort of occasion...I might be able to come up with something that simulates BBQ Chicken quite well."

It might do everyone a great deal of good, she considers, to have the time to sit outside and watch the sun set.  "Might we stay until nightfall, Captain Lanza?" she inquires.  "I can go prepare the food while everyone continues to relax."

As soon as Jago mentions Denotam, Ash's headband reticule begins to scroll information.  It corroborates pretty much what the Captain has stated.  "Hmmm..." he muses rather quietly, dictating to himself more than anything else, "90% liquid - surprising given the thin atmosphere."  Ash rubs his chin for a moment, before continuing to read from his display, "A balkanized frontier world."  He pauses again, and this time ventures an opinion not in the library, "Wasn't Denotam the site of a fairly recent uprising or disturbance of some sort, Captain?  Or am I mistaking it for somewhere else?"

When Shui asks for food orders, only then does Ash notice that his stomach is rumbling.  "I would love something to eat, Ms. Tiesi."  Ash ventures as his revelry about their next destination is broken and he resumes watch.  "I am sure that whatever you might prepare will be excellent."

"Do you need a hand?" he asks the steward, remembering the ladder they need to negotiate to get  in and out of the ship.  "I want to set up some music out here.  Marina said she liked music and, seeing as she has kept us amused for a while, it would be nice to return the favour."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:10, Fri 09 Sept 2011.

"Denotam?"

Saskia considers Jago's reasoning on the choice of destinations and adds her own opinions, "We should be good for any spares or supplies we need at least.  Should be able to pick up some news too."

Ash mentions something about trouble there, and Saskia tries to remember if she's heard anything similar, but comes up blank.  "I don't know anything about trouble there, but it wouldn't surprise me, with the tensions in the sector over the last few years.  Where did you hear that?"

Ash shrugs slightly and notes a bit sheepishly, "Well..."  He purses his lips and then continues, "The last freighter I was on, the Midnight Express, the Captain was from Denotam."

"Uh," Ash continued rather haltingly, "after our falling out, Jeb, the Captain, told me that I was far less reliable than his home country's standard invasion policy.  Well, with a lot more expletives and a more forceful delivery.  But in any case, he had previously noted that policy was like clockwork - every twelve years they invaded a neighbor.  Conscripts galore - and they were just about due..."

"Of course," the navigator perks up slightly and offers the others a crooked smile, "Jeb also claimed that their new navigator could navigate, too.  And as far as I could tell, the woman could only find her way into his pants - and even for that she required guidance and a very detailed map."  He shrugs again and then offers, "I may not be much to look at, but I am pretty sure that I can astrogate just fine."

Mr. Ogresh," Ash gestures to Tylen when the other scout mentions music, "you should be able to use the ship's speakers even while they are immersed, but remember that sound travels very differently underwater - it's a much denser medium.  So, watch the volume and the high tones."

Ash returns with some truly interesting planetary facts, and Shui pauses to consider the information.  Ninety percent water with a thin atmosphere?  How curious.  If it were frozen, that might make sense, but otherwise...

She cannot help but shake her head at Ash's further explanation to Saskia, with a small, aggreived sniff when he describes his former captain.  "It sounds to me you are well shy of that ship, Mr. Tescali.  Well shy."  She can't quite decide to be amused or irritated on his behalf, and settles for both.  "A fine summation of the situation, indeed."  The steward offers up a lopsided smile for the pilot, and touches his shoulder in commisuration.  "We are well-satisfied with both your looks and skill, Mr. Tescali," she assures him.  "I have always preferred an honest face to that of a vapid ladder-climber."

Pausing, Shui taps her lips as she considers Tylen's offer.  "Assistance would be appreciated, Mr. Orgesh, assuming it will take you some time to set up the music.  I do need to cook the food, unless we have a handy, portable grill?"  She shoots a glance at Saskia, not really expecting anything in the affirmative.  "I would hate to juggle all the food on my way up the ladders -" a near impossibility, though perhaps she could rig some kind of system to draw them up behind her...ridiculous, no "- and the company would certainly be welcome," she admits with a smile.

Jago nods as Ash explains his source - local information is sometimes reliable.  "We can always check for any sort of advisory when we get there, and pick where we land, if at all.  I expect there'll be an orbital station, the tech level and port quality are good enough to support one, and anything in orbit is definitely going to be protected by the Navy and Marines.  If it looks like there's trouble on the ground, we'll just dock in orbit."

"If Keryn decides to leave us at Denotam, it has the advantage that the tech level is similar to what she's used to on Frenzie, and the local gravity is a little lower than standard."

The captain looks up at the sky as the topic of conversation comes round to food, "I'm sure we could rig something up with a tray and a couple of lines, and somebody up here could haul the food up from below." he suggests.

Ash nods to Jago's 'wait and see' attitude; it is eminently pragmatic.  He shrugs slightly when discussing Denotam further, noting dismissively, "It is just heresay, for my part.  I have never been to Denotam myself."

He does purse his lips, when Jago mentions that Keryn may be leaving them at the next stop.  He lowers his voice, "Do you really think that Ms. Taylor will be leaving us so soon?"  His tone belies a level of geniune affection and a little regret, he has found the young lady to be a welcome dose of innocence and naivety.  He glances in the direction of Keryn with Yasmine crouched near her.  After a pause and a raised eyebrow, Ash also ventures " And does Ms. Crow know that Ms. Taylor might be leaving us?"

"Captain," Ash suggests to Jago when the discussion returns to the barbeque, "perhaps a tarp or umbrella for some shade is also in order.  Prolonged exposure to the sun for both the food and passengers may not be advisable; but, the view is worth keeping for as long as possible."  With some passengers still in the water, Ash knows that someone will have to stay topside with them (even if all of the crew has gone hullside to dry off).  However, with Yas keeping an eye out, Ash feels able to offer, "I can see what I can cobble together, if we don't have anything already."  He glances at Saskia, knowing that the ship's engineer might have her own ideas or devices already and he does not want to step on her toes in such matters.

He glances out over the water as he instinctively checks the sensor feeds momentarily, "And does our guest, Marina, have any requests or special dietary needs?  We are including her in our picnic, correct?"

Tylen follows Shui down to the galley area and lounges in the door as he uses his data gloves connection to the ship systems to search for an appropriate play list.  Once he finds a list of light music that contains a significant amount of piano, he channels it to the ships speakers, instructing the ships computer to regulate the volume so that the music is audible but becomes a part of the background - both in the air and the water.

"Maybe we should build a portable grill while we are en route to Denotam?" Tylen suggests, without looking up from his dataglove, as the gentle music starts to flow from the speakers inside the ship as well as outside.