'Far way? I know that. But where?' Smoke Alarm protested. She stayed on top of the talkiphone box as the Traveller hopped off, not quite ready to leave the safety of the tower. Instead she stood, balanced perfectly on the sloping roof. She could see the whole world from here, how it sloped up so high and all over her head. She didn't know if that was unusual or not, and Arsuran had done the same. It was impressive though. 'You should climb up here more often!' she called after Traveller as she footed away, but she still had so many more questions she couldn't ask them all. Like: Where's the Doctor and Mel? She'd not paid attention to all the Traveller had said at first, but there was a nagging fear she refused to listen to. If she wanted her answers to her questions, if she wanted a way to home, she needed to run with this Traveller.

Smoke Alarm jumped off the TARDIS and hit the ground running. Far from slow, she soon caught up with the Time Lady, even dancing around in front of her. 'Wait. We need to how you do. No to-do with how you do.'

Now I got her chasing me. As Trav trots, "how you do what or how I do what?" She's smiling, clearly enjoying her new friend. "How do you do! You're not a boy named Sue. What's your name?"

"Hello there." Stanley said whilst he crouched down next to the woman. "I am Doctor Stanley Newton and I'd like to examine you. Could you open your eyes for me and follow the movement of my finger. Good. I am now going to examine your neck, does it hurt if I press here? Here? Okay doesn't seem like you hurt your neck. Can you squeeze my hand, I'd like to test your strength."

Satisfied with the results, Stan wants to take a look at the head injury. He notices that someone has ripped off pieces of her jacket to use as a bandage. He carefully removes them to take a look at the wound.

Stanley stands up again, "She's going to be fine, it is just a simple concussion from what I can tell. She has to rest and if she's lucky she'll be feeling normal again in a couple of hours. We can carefully move her from here."

23:37, Fri 06 Dec 2013: Stanley Newton rolled 15 using 2d6+8 ((4,3)).
This message was last updated by the player at 23:17, Fri 06 Dec 2013.

Boy? The Traveller was nice, but she talked funny. 'Smoke Alarm.' she said, but there were no fire safety systems around. To Traveller's puzzlement, she touched her chest, stating 'Traveller.' then her own, 'Smoke Alarm.' It seemed to be her name, or at least some kind of title. 'And I'm not a boy, I'm a girl.' she said as if that was the most obvious thing around.

'I'm a Kang. A Blue Kang. Blue Kangs are best.' she declared proudly, then burst into a loud and raucous chant, pumping a fist in the air. 'Blue Kangs, Blue Kangs, Blue Kangs are best!' She looked around her, as if expecting someone to be singing it with her. It wasn't nearly as icehot without her sisters. Suddenly Smoke Alarm felt very alone again. Then she demanded of the Traveller 'So who's best?' with a dangerous air. It was a tribal ritual of challenges, boasts, and responses, and there might be consequences if they weren't followed.

Then she challenged 'Are you a Kang? What is your colour?' Smoke Alarm tugged curiously at the woman's sleeve, but none of her clothing was in the bright primary colours of the Kangs. But nor was she dressed like a fuddy-duddy Rezzie or in the uniform of a Caretaker.

Trav spins and faces Smoke Alarm, smiling, rolling her fedora into her hand. "I don't know what a Kang is, so I can't say. I'm all colors, so you can play your games and run. I protect the rules, so everyone is safe. I'm behind the stars and as new as a kiss. I'm the runner on roads, walker down paths, there to save the day, and gone again. I'm the Traveller, so everyone can compete and be fair and good and obey the rules. So - Kang and Cat person and everyone else, helping and being helped. My only reward is seeing beautiful things. That's more than enough." As she spins her hat on her hand, it shifts colors from grey to red to blue to yellow to green, transiting the spectrum. "The Doctor, he can't run anymore. He's now at rest. Someone has to run and keep everyone safe, so I do that now, carrying on for him. When my time comes, someone else will run and see and travel, helping and being helped." She flips her fedora onto her head, grey again with the black hatband. "People in that ship need help, Smoke Alarm. I can't run alone. Will you run with me? Help me helping them? That's what The Doctor taught me." She extends her hand, beckoning Smoke Alarm to join her.

'I'm a Kang.' Smoke Alarm tried to say, as if that explained everything, but the Traveller went on. She watched in amazement as the hat changed colours, but she only grew wary at the Traveller's bold words.

She backed off a step as the Traveller held out a hand, suddenly defensive and with a hand on the crossbow hooked on her belt. 'Rules? You sound like a Caretaker.' she spat suspiciously, but softened, giving the other woman a chance to explain herself. Apart from rules, the rest sounded okay, and there were bad rules and good rules. If the Doctor had taught her like he taught the Kangs... And what had happened to the Doctor? 'What rules?' she asked.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:19, Sat 07 Dec 2013.

A couple of the Farhaven monks assist Stanley and Henzler in moving Rivvan out of the ship.  Amanda gives Stanley her report.

"I've got a couple of people with sprains over there," she says, pointing, "but most of them came through that in pretty decent shape.  They're saying the Draconian helped everybody to work together, and that girl with Trav showed them how they could ride out the crash.  Most of them seem like they're just suffering from the stress more than anything."

In reply to The Guardian (msg # 46):

"Well done, Amanda. Seems like the people in the ship were lucky." Stanley looks around at the group of people. "How about we first move the patients that need further treatment to the building?"

"Sweety." She sighs. "Games have rules. I make sure everyone plays fair. I don't know where you come from or what games you play there, but I make sure no one cheats, that everyone is safe, and that everyone can RUN RUN RUN - or sit down, if they need to. Come on, some people need help. What did the Doctor teach you? He was a big man, he had a lot going on inside of him. Maybe he showed you different things than he showed me. That means I can learn from you. I take care of people, like the Doctor did. You make it sound like taking care of people is a bad thing. The world is more than your rules and your games."

"But people need help. Catch up if you can! Icehot, isn't it?" She sprints after Stanley, who is as usual doing the real work.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:44, Sun 08 Dec 2013.

But I want to how you do! How could they be friends if they didn't how you do? Smoke Alarm sighed, frustrated and feeling lost in the carrydoors. Why couldn't she get anyone to understand her? Well, she wouldn't get the Traveller to play now, and there were broken people and youngsters and oldsters and scaredy-cats to help. Mayhaps they could how you do later? It seemed like there would be a few people she'd need to how you do to.

But the Traveller's rules did seem fair. Smoke Alarm took after her, hollering 'No ballgames, no flyposts, no making unalive!' She caught up with the Traveller, declaring 'Those are the Kang rules.'

Then she slapped the Traveller on the shoulder, 'You're it!' and sprinted off back to the ship. 'Catch me if you can!'
This message was last edited by the player at 02:05, Mon 09 Dec 2013.

"Smokie, when we've rescued the people that need help, then we play chase. 1st rule of Trav's game - Help those who need help. But later, I'll play at Smoke Alarm's icehot game!" She smiles. It seems she's gotten that much of Smoke Alarm's patter down!

The Draconian shook his head; life was not a -game-. He then however, proceeded after them.

"If you need help; allow me to be your assistant. I don't know much about medicine I'll admit; but I know how to listen."

'Mayhaps!' Smoke Alarm called back at the Traveller.

Swiftly returning to the base of the ship, she barrelled into the group. 'Leg-it Sereth! Here I am!' she announced, knowing the egg-head would get lost in the carrydoors without her.

She saw the oldster Rivvan, and moved closer to see, noting her band-aid had been removed. 'Is she all sound and safe?' the Kang asked, concerned.

He shook his head, before finding his way back.

"Calm down, little one. Just... call me Sereth."

Her pronunciation of Legate actually cracked a smile, but he was quick to hide it.

With the number of hands that have turned out to help, getting the refugees settled and the injured attended to is brisk work.  While Stanley oversees first aid for those who have been hurt or are suffering from shock, Zheng Ru directs some of his monks and the other people at the temple in making space in the shelters and fixing up cots for people.  "We don't have what you would call truly harsh weather on Farhaven," he explains.  "However, it will be night here before too long, when the temple passes into shadow with the turning of the ring.  It does become a little chill, of an evening."

They prepare hot soup and bread to fortify those who've merely been shaken by the experience.  Sereth and Smoke Alarm are surprised to find a steady stream of food and supplies being brought up by small rolling robots with a single large grasping hand.  (To Smoke Alarm, they're eerily reminiscent of miniature Cleaners.)

Ru seems to be all over the place, trying to greet everyone who's helping at the same time that he's endeavoring to get things done.  (Trav finds his level of energy remarkable, even though she can tell that the years have had their way with him a bit.)

Once Henzler is satisfied that Rivvan is being well looked after, he heads back to the Lucky Drifter, saying he's going to make a detailed inspection of the damage.

Eventually night does fall, although the glow of the planet beneath Farhaven means the darkness is far from absolute.  Looking up into the skies around, those who know what they're looking for -- Trav and Sereth, notably -- can pick out the brilliant shine of a couple of the other orbiting habitats, and the slow movement of the blue and gold pinpricks that are the lights of ion thrusters and antimatter rockets.  Someone is still flying in the skies around Arsuran Regis.

Trav plops down next to Ru. "Hey, Buddy. Aside from a few creases, you're still rocking it. Look at you, taking care of all of these people." She dusts her hands, and leans back against whatever wall they may all be sitting at. Sure, her body language and speech patterns are somewhat different, but she's essentially the eye glass wearing alien girl who Ru knew all of those decades ago. It's just that she's been through hell and back.

She has with her a basket of biscuits. "Sergeant Patel sends her love. Too bad you're a Monk, I can tell she is crushing on you. She's just way to shy to admit it." Matters of romance would make old Trav blush and stammer. "Kept these in a stasis field generator I have down in my vault that I usually use to keep terrible weapons in. Love is just as important to protect." She also has a thermos of hot coffee. She pours for Ru, as well as anyone else who has decided to join them.

In particular, she bows respectfully to Sereth when he and Smoke Alarm join them. "Lord Sereth, I thank you for you and Smoke Alarm's assistance. I'll do everything I can to get you and these refugees transport off of this ring and back to their homes. But you may have landed in a war zone, of sorts. Your species is not normally native to this time zone. With your permission, I'd like to scan you and determine your origin point. After this is settled, I'll be happy to take you and Smoke Alarm back to your homes."

She sits back down and turns to Ru. "Please tell me about this 'Fist of the Nine Suns'.  You called for my help Ru - here I am. You are far from incapable of taking care of yourself. There's also sorts of madness happening, and there's someone behind this madness across time and space who is terrifying a lot of people, and is doing bad things. This may tie into some events that have occured since I.. returned." She sips her coffee, as her mind is made weary with Time Lord troubles - The Chamber of Time Unwrought, their prophecies of the Great Beast, the TAROT, the deadly wreckage of the Last Great Time War.

Trav sips her coffee quietly, waiting for her old comrade and sifu to speak.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:43, Mon 09 Dec 2013.

A nod towards the Traveller; but he raises his brow at other words, and listens carefully to what the old monk has to say. This seemed like it could be of interest.

"You may scan; though I'd be incredibly curious as to how it happened; as I don't recall using a time travel device."

He grunted as he eyed the skies.

No idea about any readings she might get. I know the Draconians were at the height of their power in about the 26th century; but not too sure about when they became extinct.

Smoke Alarm tried to help the others sort out the ref-you-gees, though with more enthusiasm than skill. Her knowledge of first-aid was basic and all self-taught through hard practice experience; one got the impression the girl would chew her arm off to escape a trap. But she could put a bandage (or "band-aid") on a cut or add a splint to a broken bone, and her energy was certainly infectious. She also helped carry people who couldn't leg-it or foot-it to the shelters, enjoying giving the youngsters piggy-back rides. She was more use tidying and setting up the shelters; the Kang could make a bed out of any soft bit of rubbish.

She certainly took being a refugee herself in her stride, but she'd been living like this for as long as she could remember, and didn't know of anything different, not in the shambles of . Falling out of the sky on Arsuran Orbital Prime hadn't changed anything for her, and fleeing the Fists hadn't either. There were some people that the universe just chewed up, spat from one to the other

But the robots disturbed Smoke Alarm greatly — she even drew her crossbow on the first one she saw, accusing it of being a Cleaner, and had to be calmed down. Even then, she snatched her food away from it before it could snatch her, and avoided them like the plague, watching them suspiciously as she ate furtively of her soup and bread.

When she had a chance, she rejoined the Traveller and the others. In fact, she'd never really left the Traveller, having been loitering close by as much as she could since meeting her. On one hand, the Traveller seemed to be the only one who could bring her home, and she didn't want to lose eyespy of her. On the other, Smoke Alarm was curious about the other woman who knew the Doctor, fascinated even, and in need of a fellow sister-Kang.



Finally, she got her chance to how-you-do the Traveller, and she seized on it. 'How you do, Traveller.' Then, with face set hard and stern, her movements slow but strong, she advanced on the Traveller with intent. Stepping forward, making a fist, her right arm came up and across, somewhere between a punch and a block. But her left hand brought it, the fist released with an open palm. Then she stepped forward again and did the same with her left. Next, she brought both hands up and clapped. Then she held both hands up, palms forward to the Traveller, encouraging her to place her hands on them. Finally, she bobbed in a curtsey, bowing her head, before stepping back.

Then she went through the whole procedure again with the Draconian. 'How you do, Sereth.' Both the human monk and the Draconian warrior found it to be a surprisingly war-like display, at home in any martial arts pattern. The Traveller and Stanley Newton found it be based on pat-a-cake. But ultimately, the how-you-do lowered defences and put away aggression, letting there be peace and play between two people.



Smoke Alarm bobbed her head. 'Ta. My home-sweet-home is Paradise Towers. Or I could be outgoing to Doctor Sam at the Universe-City of Mars.' she said, thinking of the one other person who could help her. But then, hadn't she wanted to go out and explore, to eyespy, to have fun adventures? Wasn't this what she was doing? Smoke Alarm hesitated out loud then said 'But it is no to-do, not lickety-split. I want to be outgoing and to eyespy, to other Towers and peoples. Only need to know where here-I-am and the tracks and carrydoors to be outgoing home-sweet-home one day...' she said wistfully, hoping the Traveller could show her such places on the way to home-sweet-home. The Kang certainly could not walk over back 170 centuries and however-many-light-years on her own.



OOC: This is handy. "Paradise Towers" on-line, if you've not seen it. Starting at 6:00 is the how-you-do.
http://www.dailymotion.com/vid...ers-part1_shortfilms
This message was last edited by the player at 13:54, Mon 09 Dec 2013.

"Sometimes, I wonder.  It is not like the old days, something new to see every time the TARDIS doors open.  I suppose it has become comfortable to teach and care for people, as they come and they go.  Too comfortable, perhaps."  Ru shrugs.  "It is the way of most of us in this world: we see nothing beyond the life we inhabit; if we are fortunate, we have the strength and opportunity to contribute more to the world than we take from it.  Before our days run short and the universe remakes us again."


The old monk's face colors.  "She was a kind person, and there aren't enough of them in any time and place.  I hope she hasn't spent too much of her life imagining me to be something I am not."  But then he smiles.  "But, please, if you see her again, do tell her that I think well of her."



"Since that message I sent, the Fists are now the Fists of Thirty Suns, which I find quite alarming," Ru says.  "I have met a few of their number in the past, and I do not know where their aggression has come from.  It used to be that they taught a doctrine of personal improvement, striving for perfection in mind, spirit and body.  While they did not pair this with an abandonment of personal ambition or desire, they nevertheless were people who valued peaceful pursuit of those goals.  Something has changed.  Every word that has come to me of late has told of another world that they had seized and begun to enforce their teachings upon."

He frowns.  "I could not see a solution.  For myself, I could resolve to live and resists in peace under whatever strictures they might impose, but I could not accept that for the millions and millions they have forced under their rule."  He meets Trav's eyes.  "And you know that I have not been afraid to counter force with force, when no other doors remained open.  But they were too many, their strength too great.  So... at last I thought of the Marshall."

"Please, young woman, lower your weapon."  It's the shave-headed oldster who seems to be in charge.  "I will not say that I have not seen murderous machines in my time, but these are only harmless Scudders.  See, they are even polite fellows."

He steps in front of Smoke Alarm and bows to the one she's aiming at.  It reaches its arm forward until it starts to tip, and then quickly retracts so it rocks backward on its wheels again.  Then the oldster shakes the robot's hand solemnly.

In reply to The Guardian (msg # 58):

Stanley has joined the others after finishing up some things in the medical building and is now listening to Ru talking about "the Fists". He takes another look at "Smoke Alarm" and Sereth. From what the patients had told Amanda and him, they were, at least in part, responsible for the lack of serious injuries. The girl is a bit peculiar, with her unusual way of greeting and talking, but her and Trav seem to get along.

When Ru mentions "The Marshall", Stanley gets a concerned look on his face. That was the name from the message, the "nom de guerre" of Trav... He hopes that Ru knows what he is asking for.

He sighs, not wanting to restart the argument from before. "Do we know why the Fists attacked this ship?"

Trav takes a quick scan, and see that he is native. "My apologies, but I'm familiar with the Draconian Empire of the 26th century. It's terrific that your people are still vibrant and active in this age! And as far as time travel goes, I've seen literally hundreds of different methods, including going to sleep and waking up."

Trav holds her hat in her lap. "Well, when I was the Marshall, I learned only two lessons - you can't win a Time War, and violence is never a long term answer. Things have a weird way of working out. While I have yet to see empirical evidence of karma, it's a good thing I went through my crap before I came back here. Ru, baby, don't lose faith. While I am a second amendment believing American, on the other hand force must be limited to self defense and as restrained as possible. We're going to do things the Trav way. I'm the Nanoha Takamachi of time travel, not the Ikari Gendo anymore. Oh, yeah, no one here watches early 21st century japanese 2D cartoon shows."

She hops up. "It definitely sounds like some clown is behind all of this. Ru, if you can get me everything you know about these Fists of the 30 Suns, including martial arts techniques, technology, everything, I'd be grateful. Legate Sereth, if I presume correctly, you have the bearing of a Draconian noble and military leader. The weak are threatened and peace in this sector of space is being destabilized. I wish to call upon your assistance, and mayhaps that of your government, in dealing with this growing threat. Stan and Amanda - well, you know my deal, and I know how awesome you two are."

To Ru it's strange - there's a bit of the Marshall's straight spine in the small blonde, but the infectious smile and nodding of the head from when he first met her is there as well. The Traveller he travelled with would have been stammering and somewhat terrified, and probably finding a leader type to filter her ideas through - this blonde easily takes center stage, yet has a collaborative air.

Just as she's about to turn to Smoke Alarm, she gets the whole Kang greeting -



Trav initially steps back, her eyes a bit widened, but then, when a punch isn't incoming, she perceives that it's a kind of greeting. When she sees Smoke Alarm repeat the movement set with Sereth, she says to Smoke Alarm, "How do you do, Smoke Alarm." She carefully makes that fist, right arm up and across, bringing it with her left, and then releases her first into an open palm, repeating the movement with her other fist, engaging in the hand touch. Then, she finishes with the curtsey, bowing her head.

She finishes with that hat roll. As she places her fedora back on her head, she says, "Did I do that right? Hello."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:24, Tue 10 Dec 2013.

He frowns at Smoke Alarm's greeting, but nods quietly. It was... strange. A girl having such an almost military bearing.

He then responds to the Traveller.

"Not only that; but I was on a mission to -stop- the Fists of the thirty suns. We don't usually pay much attention to human groups. But this group? Yeah, we've noticed. I've done my research on them myself."

Ru bows his head.  "Indeed.  That you have come and that you are, as you say, dedicated to 'the Trav way' lifts a weight from my soul."


"Well, my recollection is that they teach a style of t'ai chi ch'uan drawing elements from both the Sun style and the Yang style, and minor adaptations from Southern Praying Mantis--"  Ru notes the expressions starting to tune out around him.  "--Yes.  Perhaps a few practical tips would be more to the point.  Technically -- I am no expert there.  Some of the refugees might be able to tell you better; I will ask."


"Attempting to control news of their movements?  As I say, their actions run very much counter to what they have espoused."
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:47, Tue 10 Dec 2013.