Abe and Charles seem to create confusion on the other end.  If nothing else it buys time for Florence to catch up.

From the other side of the door they hear "Please wait, I don't understand this.  I must get help."

There  is a delay, but eventually, another voice takes over.  It is a man and he sounds older and more assured.  There's a slight Earth-Asian accent.

"I am Dr. Toh.  I can let you in with your suits on, and we can decontaminate the exterior of your suits, but its important that we protect our work here, and this station is secured against off world microbes.  You'll have to stay suited and that may be uncomfortable, but if that's okay with you we can process you through decon."

Charles nods at the Camera a bit confused by Florences do not lie 'order' one he wasn't fully on planning to follow. But as the whole deal takes long enough for her to catch up with them he might not need to.

"Good day docter Toh i am Charles. That sounds like a reasonable demand from your side and one we can comply with. Florence here really loves to know all about your work and as Abe and I deem it safe enough lets do that. We been used to being suited up."

He gestures at their new spokes person and keeps an eye on all 34 drone feeds. One zooming to the field of pods one monitoring the structure they where in from a nice angle to make sure there where no surprises and the other now hovering over his shoulder ready to follow Florence and again he was wishing he had more drones.

ooc: I expect i will be mia for the rest of the week. Might check in to read but not more.

At Charles' side, Abe nodded, "We're happy to stay suited. It was a standard practise in the Corps"

Whilst he waited, he let his eyes wander on the airlock, trying to eke every clue from its make, model, assembly and positioning. With Charles flying his drones, he had left his own back aboard the Nellie Bly

He risked a short text-based based on their private channel once Florence joined them in the airlock, ++ Something changed? ++

Once it is understood that the characters will stay suited, they are decontaminateed.

This is a procedure commonly done when visiting Earth, which by Governate decision must be shielded from alien life to prevent a potential catastrophe to Earth's ecosystems.  It is also done in places with questionable microbial life- there are several known worlds where the local microbes are known to be hazardous to people.  It's not everywhere, and activists and scientists have on occasion fretted that it should be, or else the different "bio-regimes" of the Hundred Worlds will be hopelessly mixed together and cross contaminated.
 According to most scientists, that ship has sailed, the process is ongoing and irreversible, and stopping it could not be done unless Humans were forbidden from every living planet beyond Earth.

It consists of a spray of sterilizing cleaners- mostly bleach and alcohol, regardless of where you are, chemistry is chemistry and those two are highly reactive yet not so toxic that they will easily kill humans- and a quick flash of intense ultraviolet light.  Vac suits are designed to cope with far worse, so the characters are in no danger at all.

Once past that they are admitted to the habitat.

The people inside are dressed in the simple clothes favored by habitat dwellers- light, utilitarian, designed to cope with an unchanging indoor environment.  Dr. Toh is a middle aged man, Asian from the look of it, and his suit is the typical conservative casual one expects of academics.  The others... one of whom is likely the one who spoke to you earlier... they are all wearing very simple outfits, with no logos, embellishments, or ornamentation at all.  Except.. they are all wearing thin white gloves. Every one of them but Dr. Toh.

And that's not all that strikes you as odd.  There are about a dozen of them here in the "main gallery" that serves as the habitat's entrance foyer, equipment storage, and airlock control center.  They are all of similar build- small and slim.  None of them look older than their early 20's, and a few look like teen agers.  There skin color, though.. definitely "off".  There is no shading, no variation whatsoever.  Just a pale "peach" color everywhere.  Not a mark, freckle, or anything else. Even their thin lips are the same shade.  Their hair is pure white.  All of it.  They look on with curiosity.

"Welcome to our home," Toh says.  "We have never had visitors before who are not our sponsors.  I do not think this can be an accident, I suppose their best efforts to conceal the trail have not been good enough.  That possibility was anticipated, though mostly by me.  I am Dr. Francis Toh."

“I'd bet,” commented Florence a touch sarcastically about the lack of visitors. To Abe, she replied, “If I'm right - and note that I'm not sure at all - those around Toh are Ecosentience. Which means they're aliens, subjects to some illegal research. Which, at best, would be a clusterfuck of epic proportions.” Alright, maybe not that bad, but...

To Toh, on an open channel, she asked, “And did whatever contingency you came up with imply explaining what you're doing with them, here, and what your 'sponsors' expect exactly?” After a brief pause, she added, “Because at the moment, it really doesn't look good.”

"Good?" the man asks.  "This does not look good?  You don't even know what you are looking at.  Would you mind identifying yourselves?  Are you from the Governates?  I am not a lawyer, and I am not a businessman, so I am not prepared to discuss things in either of those spheres.  I can only answer you in purely operational and scientific terms.  I am their caretaker.  You would hardly want to throw them into human society unready."

He gestures to the beings around him, who smile and nod.

Charles looks between the unhealthy smooth looking humans and their caretaker and then Florence and takes a wild shot.

"I dare to ask? What are they?"

It might also be clear from his stance he was ready to leap into combat action as soon as provoked. His lone drone taking a position to keep an eye on the experiments.

Exhaling slowly, Abe leant on his experience in the Corps; he knew his adrenal response ached to kick in, the confrontational and accusative stance taken by his crewmates ratcheting it up.

Instead, he forced a smile, offered his gloved hand, 'Dr Toh, a please; I'm Abe Nelson, ex-USSC and presently the pilot on the Nellie Bly"

They shake hands... just a little awkward with the gloves on.

"Ex marines?" Toh asks.  "So you are not now... hmm... Perxi, would you look up the Nellie Bly with the computer?  It would be good to know more about our guests."

He returns his attention to the party quickly.

"Why have you come here? There is nothing here to be stolen, and I don't think you are agents of the Governates.  They make things clear.  That... and they would bring a lawyer, because they would have a hard time stating exactly the law we have broken.  As you may have noticed, I am the only human being here... excepting yourselves, of course.  Just a man taking care of some research. There must ten thousand small research stations scattered around."

"Ex-marine, singular", clarified Abe with a polite smile, talking slow and easy, "Pilot for the Nellie Bly now, though I have some responsibilities in keeping them safe, too"

Letting his gaze gesture to the base-pack they called home, he raised his hands lazily to emphasise his next weeks, "We're curious folk, both me and the crew. We follow itches, loose threads on a ship suit..."

His words trailed off, an opportunity for another to take up the thread in a less combatative manner, he hoped

Toh sighs.

"Even one ex-Marine has me outmatched.  There isn't much I can do, and my... projects... here, they cannot engage in violence, not even to protect themselves.  It was a necessary condition.  So, I am curious, are you here to buy, sell or steal?  I must warn you, I cannot do much, but this project has some special backers."

One of the beings, in the voice you heard on the radio in the airlock before, asks, "Who are they, doctor?"

"I do not know yet," Toh says.  "People who have discovered us."

"We knew discovery would happen.  It would be good if they like us," the being says.

Charles was getting a little itchy with the whole situation. Was this some alien experiment? was Florence right in her observations? Charles sends his drone around the room and looks at the being speaking as Abe deals with the scientist and lets his computer scan for connection signals if needed getting information might be a neccecary thing before they left.

"Why should we like or not like you my friend? I think the first question that needs to be asked is what are you and how morally wrong is your existence if they have to hide you this far away and surround you with this much secrecy."

Wincing at Viper's blunt words, Abe continues to smile at Dr Toh, "Let us perhaps start with introductions, eh Charles? Florence, Charles, our host Dr Toh. Doctor, my companions Florence and Charles, also off the Nellie Bly..." and he pauses for a moment that they might add anything about themselves

Gesturing at the rest of the module's inhabitants, he asks softly, "Do you charges have names? Perhaps we might meet some of them?"

Florence listened quietly for a while, frowning, but she smiled at the non-human's wish, “If I'm guessing right, I would love to talk to you and I don't doubt I would like you.”

She turned back to the doctor, “I am much less sure I'm going to like what is happening here however, to say nothing of why but hopefully I'm wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. Before that though, let me answer some of your questions. It wouldn't be friendly of me to expect you answer mine if we don't answer yours, right?”

Before the doctor could answer, she continued, “You already know our names as well as our ship's. We're part of a documentary team who followed tracks left by your 'sponsors' which led us here. Though while we knew there was something here, I can certainly tell you that we were not expecting this.” She paused, then looked at the alien, her head tilted to the side, “A documentary team is... Hmm, we look for interesting things, learn from them, what they are, where they come from, how it works and so on, then make a movie of it to explain to others who can't look into that subject themselves.” She didn't want to exclude him from the discussion after all.

“You're talking about governate lawyers, laws broken and whatnot. Technically, that might be true. Here anyway. This is not an illegal colony so regulations surrounding those don't apply, and since it's not a colony, it's not part of the Commonwealth so not subject to its laws. On that, you'd be right.” She frowned then, “However, there are a lot of things that while not illegal are not right and should not be done, for a variety of reasons. Ethics for one. Diplomacy for two. Things that happen to matter to Governors just as much as the laws themselves. Details of which, I'll point, are more often out of the hands of the Governors themselves in a lot of cases.”

“Anyway,” the young woman shook her head, “What's your research subject here exactly? They're part of the Ecosentience, right?”

"They have names," Dr. Toh says.  "Otherwise it would be hard to keep track of them. And they are individuals, with individual differences.  Pia makes excellent tea.. I suspect using senses that are not yet present on any automated system.  Joey watches old movies.  I don't fully understand why."

With the mention of the Ecosentience is the first actual smile from Dr Toh... and all of the other beings seem suddenly very interested.

"Do you know about the Ecosentience?" he asks.  "I mean, apart from what they are teaching at the standard schools these days?  It is my life's work.  It is without a doubt the most alien of the life forms we know.  Not biologically so, it is still carbon based.  But psychologically.  Single entities thousands of kilometers across.  Communication has been nearly impossible, and understanding them... I have put decades into that.  It is like.. if bacteria were intelligent, how would they communicate with you?  How would they even realize that the blasts of air you expel through your mouth are forms of communication?  The scale differences between our lives, and the lives of the Ecosentience... how could that ever be overcome? And then, one day, something came to me. I mean that literally. Do you have time?"

"Do you mind if we do a quick security sweep of the place and determine if its safe enough for us to loose the suits. Then i can take on my role as normal cameraman and we can do this properly and well documented. I also think our boss might want to be present when you are going to do any big reveals. This story seesm to be her lifes work."

Listening to the explanation, Abe's shoulders loosen a touch, revealing tension he thought he had had under control. Everyone has stepped back from the brink, for now, and whilst Charles remains wary it is a sensible kind of wariness. He nods, approvingly, smiles as he catches himself treating his crewmate like one of his battalion. Those days are behind him

His eyes rove the module interior, "We have time, I think, Dr Toh. But our boss is the documentarist and it would be a better tale told with her present... if we can be confident of her safety"

“I know a bit more on the subject than many I'd wager.” Which wasn't saying much of course.

“I'd be delighted to be able to enjoy Pia's tea.” She said with a smile to answer the doctor's question about time, though she was much less sure than the other two that Lilana would want to come.

They do not mind Charles' "security sweep" although perhaps they see no real option. Dr. Toh sends along a couple of his.. whatever they are... to accompany him.  It seems odd, with Charles in full suit ambling along with the two beings in nothing more than light utility clothes, very simple clothing not meant for anything more than light use in comfortable environments.

The whole laboratory is about the size of six train cars- a small freighter could move the whole thing, assuming it could be easily extricated from its current position.  From what Charles can see, it's exactly that- modular, so the pieces could easily be separated, and the whole thing hauled off.  The modules are linked alongside a central corridor, itself a modular component.  It looks like something typical of the many, many habitats scattered across known space, built from a menu of common parts in a factory in a core system, dragged out here and set up.

Oddly, there doesn't seem to be much devoted to science, at least, the sort of thing Charles expects Science to look like, not being an expert on whatever is being studied here.  There is one section that looks like a medical facility.  Maybe more serious than the typical sick bay of a small ship, but less than even a minor hospital.

Much of the place looks like a school, especially one for younger children.  There are classrooms, lounges, activity and recreation areas.

Charles's companions are curious about him, and ask questions, like "What are you looking for?" and "Do you like this?" and "Does this make you happy?".  They seem uninterested in the equipment he is using, but very interested in his emotional state.


Toh, meanwhile, invites Liliana to the habitat, deciding that Abe is right- if she is in charge, she ought to be here.

He has his charges start on the tea, which, apparently, is prepared the "planetary way" and not as one might expect on a distant outpost: no powder, but real tea leaves to be infused into hot water.  He seems to consider this to be important.  He takes some time to oversee the beings as they set to work, and he is very proud when they do it correctly.

"You must know that communications with it has been a near impossible task," he says to Florence as they wait on Liliana and tea.  You may also know that in the vicinity of some of the Kayon settlements there have been strange sightings of creatures, including humanoids, that vanished when searchers tried to find them in the forest.  I came to the conclusion, the Ecosentience was trying to learn about us.  Approaching us on our scale, as we might use a tiny probe to investigate microbes. These were semi independent organisms- like our white blood cells, capable of independent action, but made for reconnaissance, not defense.  They could gather experiences on our scale, with senses that mimicked ours, but their independent lives were very short.  We've been evolving as independent organisms for billions of years, the Ecosentience was new to this and did not know how to keep them stable.  They collapsed into dying biomass quickly, and were reabsorbed.  In reabsorbing them, the Ecosentience would try to acquire some of their stored sensory memories.  But it had so little to go on.  Years, and it could not get it right.  So we started to help."

Charles does a thorough sweep of the place and as he does he answers the questions of these strange humans.

"Things that might be dangerous to me and my people. Hidden weapons or crew members with malicious intent. If there are things here that will not rhyme with your story and if your environment is safe for us seeing you have a security airlock. Are there for example particles in the air that explain why you are so docile under our visit."

For good measure he shows them the readings of his enviro scanner and what he is looking for slowly coming to terms that this might be that alien thing Florence was talking about but he clearly isn't entirely convinced. Probably because that concept is too far fetched for him. Human shaped aliens was just a no go.

"Do i like this? What do you mean? Searching this place to make sure my companions are safe? Or invading your private domain and ignoring that you have not yet done anything to deserve my actions?"

He chuckles dryly well aware of the irony as he goes through the medical facility just to see if there was anything out of the ordinary that might support the fact that these people where aliens. When they ask if this makes him happy he genuinely laughs.

"Not really but it pays the bills. I'd rather park my ass on a paradise world for a permanent vacation but i'm too poor for that."

He is still laughing when he finishes his round and rejoins the others.

"This place seems safe enough. I'd say you can loose the suit and enjoy their hospitality."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:24, Mon 21 June 2021.

"You don't trust me, but it is safe," Dr Toh agrees. "Safer here than anywhere else, the reason for your decontamination before coming in is the need to keep the interior of the habitat biologically secure until we are sure that our beings have sufficient resistance to pathogens."

By now everyone has noticed that the "beings" present always watch anyone speaking attentively, but they rarely show any sign of emotion.  Sometimes they'll smile if the speaker says something nice.  Anything technical results in only blank faces.

"I should tell you something important, because you might be drawing false conclusions," Dr. Toh says.  "Our standards of humanity are out of place here.  These are not humans, and they are not sentient as we understand sentience.  All these beings have short life spans.  Their bodies are not made to repair and sustain themselves like our.  They have senses like we do... their senses were copied from ours, deliberately, so they could experience our world... but their lives are short.  When they break down, the Ecosentience will absorb them, and try to access and understand the sensations and memories these beings have acquired.  They are meant to experience and die, though for the Ecosentience it is not death at all.  They are... I suppose we can say temporary avatars of it, living probes.  Not creatures with their own lives."

It is at this moment when Lilana gets through the decontamination procedures and comes aboard.  She introduces herself to Dr. Toh, and at first, to the various Ecosentience beings scattered around.  They smile.

"I've been listening in," she says.  "And now I'm trying to figure out what to do with the biggest story I've ever encountered."

Charles who had the feeling of having won a lot more then they bargained for with the revelation that they are now indeed having contact with the Ecosentience recalls all his drones to him to be able to get the most footage where it counts and takes on his role as cameraman for the group documenting the place and interviews.

Lilana is a professional.  She waits for the camera drones are in place, and maneuvers to make sure there is a clear shot of Dr Toh while she is speaking to him.

"One thing seems odd," Lilana says.  "I mean, it all seems odd, but something I don't understand.  If these creatures are a way for the Ecosentience to... to learn about us?  Communicate?  Why keep it a secret?  What's to gain from hiding?"


Dr. Toh sighs.  It's clear this question troubles him.


"It's not an official project," he says.

"There a lots of unofficial research projects," Lilana replies.  "They don't hide.  Not usually."

"I don't know," Toh says.  "Intellectual property rights?  Patents on the spin off technology?  The commercial and legal sides of this are not my domain, really.  I am just here overseeing their development, they do not tell me where they are going."

Charles taken on his roles as camera man now was just there to watch and record. He still kept an eye open for potential trouble but mostly he was doing his 'new' job now.

“You started to help.” Florence sighed, then shook her head, but didn't add anything for a while. After Lilana's questions though, she frowned.

“You might have a noble goal, but that doesn't mean those who finance this do. In fact, you can be pretty sure they do so because they see some gains in it. Maybe something as innocuous as wanting to be in the lead when the Ecosentience starts to trade, and even then...” She grimaced slightly, “I'm not sure 'innocuous' is the word for it.”

“But you cannot play the card of 'I'm just a scientist, I just do research'. No, ethically, you are as responsible as your patrons to whatever happens maybe even more so because you made the whole thing possible. You may not have looked too deep into it when they offered you that chance to do all this, which I presume you dreamed about for quite some time.”

“But that doesn't absolve you of whatever happens next. Hopefully, it'll be something good. But...” She waved around, “If that were the case...” She waved around, not so much at the tent but to indicate the moon, “Can you honestly tell me you are not worried about whatever they have planned? That as you go to sleep you never pause to consider that maybe everything is not right?”

“Don't take me wrong, I'd love to learn more about the Ecosentience. I have a... Well... Let's say 'alien studies' are a...sort of hobby of mine. For example, consider the impact a language can have, I would suggest not using English as the language to talk with them...or it...but droyne for whom the concept of individuality is much less predominant. It might allow you to better convey some ideas.”

She sighed, “I'm just concerned this is not done right. I mean what do you think our other alien allies will think of us? If it's not presented just the right way, it'd be a disaster. And that's if everything is respectful, ethical and so on.”

“And that too would be on you. Hell, you can be sure that if it does in fact go to hell, your patrons will throw you to the wolves in a hurry. At best. Who knows what else they'd do and the consequences that can have. Thankfully...” Florence paused, “Hopefully, it's not too late to make things right.”

“We can help. In good PR,” she waved at Lilana “if nothing else, and maybe some more...hmm...official...Recognition.” Maybe. Possibly. Though she couldn't promise anything... “But you need to be honest with us, stop hiding behind your 'I'm just a researcher' and face reality.”