Day 5.5: The Boats The Beacon Builders Built

[Amanda Rose]

[Sjet]

"To answer your question, my friend, I do not come from Earth," Arkady nodded towards Gary "He does. I come from the planet Mars, a colony that is very different to Earth in terms of...equality and resource management."

Given that on Earth water and air fell from the sky, and you didn't have to worry about mould growing in your air filters, Arkady was being very fair in his statements. He waited, listening to odd talking aliens until the very end he raised a hand.

"Before we discuss what is on offer, perhaps my associates and I could take a moment in private to discuss something? Before we begin to make offers?" Arkady said as pleasantly as he could. He didn't want to tell the aliens how bad their lot was right now, being stranded millions of light years from home with no resupply in sight. But what Arkady wanted was a chance to make sure Gary wasn't going to try and sell them all down the river for three magic beans. Of course the odds Gary would allow a break in the meeting for that sort of level headed discussion were slim, but he had to chance it.

And if the captain wanted to sell off medical supplies, he might find himself being treated by them first.

TAG-All

Arkady Sjet
Ships Physician
USS Horizon

[Sjet]

And the silence dragged on, far longer than the Russian liked.

Giving Gary time to think was like giving a child a hand grenade, after spraying the pin with WD-40. There was only one result, and the result would be messy.

"Might I remind you that we are not bottomless pit of resources. What we have is finite, and in some cases irreplaceable. I would...advise." Arkady bit out the word, chewing on it slightly "A general consensus on anything we trade. With perhaps a few items blacklisted as of paramount importance to ship survival."

He looked to Vigano.

"I am sure as an engineer you have an idea of what we need for our long-term survival here," he said, reaching out an olive branch of cooperation for the relative unknown. He knew of Vigano, as small a ship as this there was no way they had not met a hundred times in passing. But he did not know the man, and more importantly did not know if he was doggedly loyal to Captain Gary and his sunshine philosophy.

Tag-Vigano

His eyes then looked to Commander Wells, wanting to see at least the same level of concern at the haste of this meeting and the possible largest of Gary's trade proposal.

Tag-Wells, and anyone else who wants the weigh in.

Dr Arkady Sjet
Ships Physician
He'll Start Breaking Things Soon

[Ciara Mei]

Ciara hadn't wanted to say anything. It wasn't her place right now to do so. But, at this point, she had to agree with the doctor.

"I'm going to admit I don't know for sure, but with all ze resources we have been using on repairs, can we really get an accurate say on how long we would be able to survive out here?"

She leaned forward, her arms resting on the table, looking to the guests.

"We have limited scans of ze area. We could not even see ze force field or whatever it was that was keeping us down there until we bounced off of it. Perhaps we can find ways to help each other without straining to many resources on both fronts?"

Woah, since when had she ever attempted to be a negotiator? She ran through many French swears in her head, most at herself for even stepping into that spot. But if only Gary spoke up, they'd likely either be here forever or end up losing things they really did need.

[Dante_Vigano]

[KendleRJ]

Ensign Flowers could read between the lines... the building of walls that were being erected quicker than people could step beyond them. "What types of things are you looking for?" she asked, curious about the needs of people in this part of the galaxy. After all, without knowing and just assuming? It put them into a mindset far more precarious than discovering information about probably the largest and most dangerous organised group out where they were.

After all, they just tangled with land sharks on a planet that would have kept them all trapped on it had it not been for these two people. They were skittish, to be certain, but they to were more than happy to share information, and the first, as they say, was a freebee. "We should at least know the kinds of things that might be worth something out here in case it works out to everyone's advantage, don't you think?" Straining resources, formal conversations... these people needed to hear the honesty behind the tact, the solid meanings instead of the fancy words. She sat at the table, waiting, wondering how much more information she could put together about this species before beginning to extrapolate from the phrasing and their manner. She could already surmise about their home planet, and types of predators, and where on the scale of evolution they had been. The most curious part was their ship... and if they had developed it themselves or scavenged it from others who might have been like themselves, explorers.

How did the others KNOW what was required? Their theories revolved around their shared requirements of resources... oxygen, water, sustenance... even imagining their ship's fuel might have developed along the same lines as their own. They hadn't even looked within it to determine that fact, or even analysed the hull to determine its makeup. Layers of evolution could be gleaned from all of these facts as she had researched and uncovered long dead species. This one was alive, and right in front of them... how fascinating. How informative. How well they could use this to everyone's benefit... as long as no one decided exploitation was the way to go. Survivors were unpredictable sorts, and dangerous situations could arise from even the most innocent of exchanges.

Or assumptions...

Talia looked around the table, waiting on answers. Because she had a lot more to ask before the end of this meeting. And probably had to pour a lot more alcohol. Metabolism in action... fascinating...

Tags everyone

[Sjet]

[Amanda Rose]

Gary smiled warmly at KAT. She asked the right questions. However, the moment that Sjet went off on his soapbox, Gary gave him a frown. In response, Gary said to him, "Arkady, clearly you are suffering from your wounds from the landsharks. Such an outburst was unnecessary. And it is hardly appropriate in front of our guests." He gestured at the dwarven aliens. Though, if truth be told, it was they who were the aliens, not the dwarves.

He breathed deeply and asked, "Perhaps you would like to tend to those injuries, Arkady? I certainly can handle matters from here."

tag - Arkady

Continuing on, Gary looked at his skeptical crew. "Certainly our friends here have earned some trust. After all, they helped warn us about the landsharks and they helped you," he pointed at away team, "get untrapped from the planet with the password." He paused dramatically and said, "We will barter. What we need is information: maps, documents, the politics including everything about the Congo, and anything that you consider common knowledge around here."

Whit stroked his beard. "Yer not talkin' cheap. Might be easier to take us witcha?" The sides of his mouth moved upwards, "Yes, that be da price."

Gary looked at his crew. This was going to be touchy. These two might be criminals. Yet, they had no guide. They had no information. They had nothing to go on. Letting them go could provide its own set of issues, including causing every ship in this galaxy coming and hunting down the Horizon.

"Your offer requires a great deal of consideration. If you do not mind, we will discuss your offer. Ms. Flowers, would you escort our guests either to their ship or another meeting room while we discuss things here?"

tag - Flowers, rest of the group

Once Whit and Dolly left, Gary turned to his crew and said, "Well, we have a decision to make and no matter what we decide, we are going to be affecting our entire position in this galaxy. We have little information upon which to make an informed decision."

tag - all

[Ciara Mei]

[KendleRJ]

Talia's eyebrows raised as the Doctor threw his weight around and she noted with some objective consideration that Kat had started to move towards him to help. 'Help what,' she wondered and sat back, letting the tirade wash over her like a fine mist. She kept her counsel and waited for everyone to state their objections, again making assumptions about what was required, or even desired... focused only on the dissension rather than the community. It seemed rather... interesting behaviour to note, and she observed the proceedings with some dispassion.

Her interests were purely scientific, and her observations were helping her to round out her conclusions about some species in this part of the Galaxy. Her green eyes took in everyone around the conference table and considered each on in turn.

Gary looked at his crew. This was going to be touchy. These two might be criminals. Yet, they had no guide. They had no information. They had nothing to go on. Letting them go could provide its own set of issues, including causing every ship in this galaxy coming and hunting down the Horizon.

"Your offer requires a great deal of consideration. If you do not mind, we will discuss your offer. Ms. Flowers, would you escort our guests either to their ship or another meeting room while we discuss things here?"

Looking up, she nodded at the Captain and smiled easily at the two visitors. "Please, let's head into this conference room while we wait, thank you." She didn't give them the opportunity to object, simply gestured to a room in close proximity and headed that way, turning around to make sure they were following her. Talia was sure there was something that would be resolved, but she certainly hoped that cooler heads prevailed.

Especially hot-headed Russians from Mars who jumped to all the wrong conclusions for all the right reasons... or perhaps it was the other way around?

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