Log:Riftgate - RG-1 - 04 - Colorful Squids

Riftgate_-_RG-1_-_04_-_Colorful_Squids|RG-1 Colorful Squids 2009/01/18 	 Jade Diamond Imaginary Girl Kismat Lightray 1

Riftgate Chamber
The walls, floor and ceiling of this chamber are constructed of the same shiny metal as the Security Area. The expense of entirely enclosing an area some twenty yards wide and the same distance deep, and fifteen feet high, with Questonite must have been considerable. Dominating the chamber is the Riftgate itself. The glittering black metallic ring is ten feet in diameter although the portal diameter itself is a mere eight feet across. There's a definite warping of local gravity which can be felt close to the Riftgate. When active the interior of the ring displays a shimmering silvery surface with rippling reflections.

On the left side of the chamber as you enter is the control console, several banks of electronics and optical computing systems, and a small but self contained cold fusion generator capable of powering the Riftgate independently of external power. At each corner of the chamber are ceiling mounted automatic weapons just in case something unwelcome comes through.

The Riftgate Chamber has the usual scene of semi-organized chaos as the technicians prepare to open the gate. What is unusual is the warning tape set up around the gate to keep people away from the face of the torus.

Jade enters the chamber, complete with long scarf today, "What's-particularly-dangerous?"

Lightray looks a the warning tape across the gate once he enters the chamber, then turns his attention to Colonel Farrel. He smiles and nods to the others present.

Janet nods to Jade, as does a harried looking Alex half hidden inside an opened control console. "Hello Jade, Imaginary Girl, Lightray, Olivia, and Kismet. Thanks for coming." She looks over at the gate, "Jade, Alex has managed to trace the dimension the school building went to... he thinks."

Jade says, "Oh-excellent-I'll-have-to-look-at-that-once-I'm-back!"

Having followed Lightray into the place, Imaginary Girl eyes the warning tape. "That wasn't here the last time I was in this place", she comments after a bit. "Did something happen since then?", she wonders.

Olivia comes into the chamber and glances around. There is a wariness about her almost as if she expects something to happen. She looks around a little. She is wearing a flattering jumpsuit, boots and has her backpack on her back. She glances around and dips her head to the others and seems to look around again, "Not a problem, sorry haven't been able to participate recently."

Janet points to the warning ribbon around the gate. "We've got a set of coordinates for that dimension. But the gate has opened about 20,000 ft above ground level."

Jade says, "Oh - have-you-been-able-to-check-it-out-by-robot-despite-that?"

"Well, I can fly. That's not a problem", Imaginary Girl says. "So can Lightray... I can probably just carry through anyone who can't fly", she adds. "No biggie, right?"

A technician working nearby chuckles and says to his companion in a voice intended to be overheard, "Yeah. I bet the robot probe had a horrified expression on its face when it rolled through."

Lightray smiles slightly. "Hello Colonel Farrel." He glances at the gateway again, then at the others. He looks about to speak, but then doesn't interrupt Imaginary Girl. His lips quirk into a smile as he overhears the technician.

Janet nods. There's a slight quirk of her face that might be a smile as she overhears the technician. "We sent the usual probe through. We received telemetry for the thirty seven seconds it took to hit ground level."

Jade says, "Is-the-planet-smaller or-does-it-have-a-depression-locally or-is-the-gate-in-a-different-realtive-location?"

"You want me to carry another robot through for you, so it won't fall down and go 'boom'?", Imaginary Girl offiers.

Jade goes over to look at the telemetry.

Lightray asks, "Or is it even an Earth analogue at all?"

Kismet wears a somewhat elaborate mask compared to the usual one, shaped to resemble a cat with whiskers and a feline nose over her own. She waves in reply to Janet, "hi!" To be out of the way, she stands by Lightray.

Janet answers, "Unknown. We're assuming gravity is standard in making the height calculation. Air pressure at just above ground level is higher than ours by a factor of roughly 80%. Temperature is 35 degree Centigrade. Hot in other words. Atmosphere is breathable. No radiation hazard, no airborne toxins."

"Uhm... I could carry another robot through, to let you get some better readings on everything?", Imaginary Girl again offers.

Janet adds, "In as much as you can talk about dimensions being close or distant, this one is pretty far out on the left field."

Jade says, "Mm-makes-a-pleasant-change." She takes off her winter gear. "Oh-by-the-way-are-the-uniforms-ready?"

Lightray glances at the other heroes present. "How many of you can fly?" Hios gaze sweeps over each of you as if he's trying to remember.

Janet mods to Imaginary Girl. "That is an excellent idea. We'll get one prepped and ready to roll. Jade, yes there are. I want it clear the uniforms were designed by Jon Masters and not me."

Jade says, "That-bad?"

"Well... I'll go through with just the robot, first, so you can make sure everyone else'll be okay when they come through, then", Imaginary Girl says with a nod of her head. "What you want me to do with it, once I'm there? Put it on the ground, or carrying it up in the air, first?"

Kismet shakes her head. "Non-flying here," she says in response to Lightray.

Jade says, "I-can't-fly-either."

Edwards, the supply technician has brought the standard backpacks in on a trolley. He is wearing one of the new uniforms. It's a splitting image of the uniforms in the old Stargate TV show except the logo has been replaced by a stylised image of the Riftgate.

Imaginary Girl eyes the uniform Edwards is wearing... then her outfit changes to match it. "Did I get it right?", she asks, turning this way and that to show off what she's done.

Olivia nods, "I can't fly, but am immune to most everything." she says and cocks her head to the side and looks at the uniforms, "Can work." she says and smiles a bit.

Jade says, "Oh well-probably-practical might-as-well-try-it where-can-I-change?"

Kismet mentions, "I can jump really far though, so if the ground is close enough to the gate, it's not a problem for me."

Lightray looks over at Kismet. "Its 20000 feet below the gate, I am afraid."

 A robot probe comes rolling into the chamber controlled by a technician with a remote control unit in his hand. Janet tells Imaginary Girl. "Take it through and stay by the rift terminus until we get some more data and can be sure there's no obvious hazard. When we're sure we'll contact you. You do have your communicator switched on? You can then take the probe down to ground level.

Kismet ohs. "That's... a lot."

"Lemme help 'em find stuff out before anyone else comes through", Imaginary Girl says, reaching up to tap at her earpiece. "I think I got it on, now... testing? testing?", she says.

 Riftgate Control: "Test check confirmed. Receiving you loud and clear."

 Imaginary Girl says, "Okay..."

Lightray nods to Imaginary Girl. "Imaginary Girl? Once you get the probe to the ground, yoiu will need to return." He smiles slightly. "While I am strong, I cannot lift everyone here and fly at the smae time. We will need to work togather on that part."

Olivia shrugs a bit and goes to change and comes back looking almost the same, as what she was wearing, having left it showing a bit of cleavage at the moment.

Imaginary Girl walks over to the robot and simply hefts it up with both hands. "I'm all set, I guess", she says, simply... then nods to Lightray. "If there's something everyone can sit in at the same time that'll hold their weight, I can carry everyone out and down at the same time", she adds.

The robot probe is checked over and made ready. Janet turns to Imaginary Girl. "It's ready when you are. Watch that first step. It's a big one. Oh, Edwards, get a parachute. Imaginary Girl, wait five while we find a parachute for you."

Lightray looks down at his outfit, then over to the uniforms. "I think I will remain as I am. I'll just stuff one in the backpack and change if needed."

"But... I can fly? Why do I need a parachute?", asks Imaginary Girl. "But... I guess... if you say so...", she says, putting the robot back down so that she can be fitting with a chute.

Janet says, "This is the most alien in conditions dimension we have encountered so far. What if the physical laws of this dimension are different enough your flight doesn't work, Imaginary Girl? 20,000 ft is a bad position to be in to discover that."

"How do you know a parachute'll work, then?", Imaginary Girl counters. "I might weigh /way/ too much for the chute or something, over there, anyway." She doesn't argue with having the chute-pack strapped onto her, though, despite her words.

Janet nods to acknowledge the point. "We don't. There is a risk. But short of any sure knowledge lets go with what safety measures we can provide. If you're rather not take the risk I'll understand."

"I'm the only one who can really do this thing with the robot, right? We got any kinda choice, other than everyone just jumping off, blind?", Imaginary Girl says with a shrug.

Lightray murmurs, "Are you ready, Imaginary Girl?"

Edwards returns and helps Imaginary Girl get the parachute strapped in place. His rather twisted sense of humor comes through when he's giving directions. "If you are falling push the probe away so it doesn't tangle up in the parachute lines and pull this ring, the red painted one. If that doesn't work use the emergency chute by tugging on this ring. If that doesn't work pick a God and pray."

Jade returns, in the uniform, looking not quite comfortable. Somehow she looks a bit small for it, even if it was made with her in mind.

Janet nods to Imaginary Girl, "Good to go."

Lightray shakes his head at Edwards' instructions. "Good luck, Asima," he says to Imaginary Girl.

Imaginary Girl nods her head, hefting up the probe with both hands yet again... then floats up off the ground to fly through the rift.

Jade says, "Asima?"

Lightray looks over at Jade. "Imaginary Girl is quite a mouthful, so I have taken to calling her Asima. She does not mind and likes having another name." He smiles. "Besides, it fits her."

Across the Rift
Across on the other side of the riftgate Imaginary Girl is immediately aware of the high humidity and heat. There are clouds under her blocking any view of the ground. At this attitude the air is about as thick as sea level on the home dimension, promising a heat muggy climate down at ground level.

 Imaginary Girl says, "The air's really, /really/ thick on this side, and it feels kinda hot and sticky, too. I can't see the ground, 'cause there's clouds under me."

Kismet looks amused. "Well, I guess I'm dressed for the location."

Several minutes pass, during which time Imaginary Girl's flight benaves perfectly fine, before Janet gets the all clear from the technicians monitoring the probe telemetry.

Jade smiles. "Named-after-the-asteroid-impact-analyzer-no-doubt." She pays attention to the new telemetry from the other side.

 Imaginary Girl says, "Should I go down to put the robot down, now?"

Olivia just waits and wonders if she is going to parachute through or something else.

 Riftgate Control: "You're cleared to take the probe down to ground level if you are comfortable with doing that, Imaginary Girl."

 Imaginary Girl says, "Okay. I'm gonna go down, then..."

Imaginary Girl starts to lose altitude, down towards the clouds. "I'll let you know when I see the ground past the clouds", she says for the radio.

Going down Imaginary Girl is enveloped in the clouds. They extend all the way down the ground as a kind of mist that reduces visibility quite significantly. Ground turns out to be swamp, muddy and bubbling with gas pockets of marsh gas being released. There are floating plants laying on the marshy ponds and pools dotting the landscape.

 Imaginary Girl says, "Well... the clouds go all the way down, looks like. It's really, really muddy, with water all over the place. It smells pretty yucky, too. Can't see too far away from where I'm at. Doesn't look like there's any good place right nearby to put the robot without it sinking into the mud, either."

Lightray smiles slightly at Jade's remark. "Not exactly, no." He then listens to the voices coming over the comms.

Jade says, "I-don't-suppose-we-have-any-swamp-capable-vehicles?"

Kismet folds her arms. "Yeah. I'm dressed pretty much for that." She shakes her head, sighs. "Well, it'll be good practice jumping from large plant to large plant at least." She asks into the comms, "Are there trees?"

A technician turns to Janet with a grin. "We have a bearing. Estimated distance is about ten miles. I'll set a inertial compass up with the track."

Lightray looks to Colonel Farrel. "A bearing on the school building?"

Jade says, "A-bearing-on-what?"

Janet nods. "Yes. We checked with the school students who were in the building at the time it vanished. Some were getting changed and had their PDA's in their kit bags. We added a radio turned to the PDA frequencies to the probe."

Jade pages: Oh. I'd missed that this *was* the dimension to which the school was sent.

Lightray nods slightly, then his eyes widen. "Wait, you can track by a PDA even if its not turned on? Or were these turned on?"

 Imaginary Girl says, "I see plants floating in the water... but I don't see any trees right nearby. What you want me to do? Just put the robot down and hope it don't sink, or something? I can see where the other robot landed, though... there's a piece of it still sticking out over the water."

Janet says, "They were turned on. Have you ever heard of a high school student turning /off/ a PDA?"

Lightray starts to say something, then just shakes his head. "No, I suppose not."

 Riftgate Control: "Imaginary Girl, The probe isn't going to be able to move across that marsh. Bring it back please. They are quite costly. No point in letting another one sink."

Lightray thinks. o O (I really need to learn more about these electronic doodads.)

Kismet grimaces. "Anyone who doesn't fly is going to really hate the cleaning that'll come out of this. Mud gets into everything. Your hair, your underwear, and well, everywhere."

Lightray smiles slightly. "Well, I think between us Imaginary Girl and I can, at least, carry people to the school."

Imaginary Girl shifts the probe she's holding to a one-handed grip... then reaches down into the muck, while trying to keep it held out of the water as best she can, to find a hand-hold on the sunken one.

Kismet looks at Lightray, "I have this bothersome suspicion that it's not going to be viable to keep up a carrying."

Jade says, "We're-likely-to-find-the-animal-life-has-eight-limbs don't-know-how-useful-that-is-to-know."

 Imaginary Girl says, "I'm coming back."

Lightray nods. "Probably not. After all, hot swampy environment, mud with plants." He muses, "I would imagine giant serpents, huge leeches, carnivorous lili pads, and animated mud monsters. At least." He is grinning by the ned of his speech.

Olivia looks at Kismet, "Well I guess I can just keep my shell up and keep it out."

Kismet asks Olivia, "HOw much do you weigh when you do that?"

It's not long after IG's last transmission that the probe she took with her comes back through the gate, followed by Imaginary Girl herself - with only one hand on the probe. Then she brings through the first, wrecked and muddy-stinky, probe with her, in her other hand.

Jade says, "Of-course-it's-possible-that-the=fossils-I-found-aren't-typical-of-the-dominant-animals."

Lightray whistles at the smashed and mud encrusted probe. "Well, at least you have something for someone to do if they have ticked you off, Colonel."

Lightray says, "Fossils?"

Janet smiles. "That's showing initiative." She tells Imaginary Girl... while the technicians look rather perturbed by the mud dripping and oozing over the floor.

Olivia shrugs, "Not sure, never weighed myself, diamonds don't weight too much, but then I do become a bit diamond."

"You said these things were expensive... and the old one was right there, so I thought I should try and bring it back", Imaginary Girl says. "Maybe you can learn more stuff from all the yucky mud on it, too", she adds.

Janet nods.

Jade says, "At-the-school this-assumes-that-the-ground-there-was-taken-from-this-same-dimension it's-a-good-thing-if-so-because-that-wasn't-swamp-so-presumably-the-swamp-isn't-endless."

Kismet nods. "If you become very dense, you're liable to take a deeper swim than you intended."

Lightray nods at Jade's explanation. "And what type of fossils did you find in the ground?"

Janet says, "Imaginary Girl, you were on the other side when the discovery was made. We have a bearing and estimated range to the location of the vanished building, or at least to a PDA that was in the building when it vanished.

"How far away is it?", Imaginary Girl asks.

Jade says, "I-think-diamond-has-a-specific-gravity-of-about-3.5."

Janet tell Imaginary Girl, "The estimate is ten miles."

"Can you track me with my little communicator thingie at that kinda distance?", Imaginary Girl asks. "Or talk to me, even?"

Jade describes the fossils for Lightray.

Janet nods, "The communicators are good out to 50 Kms under normal conditions."

Lightray looks back to the others after Jade speaks. "Well, I think I can carry at least Jade. If Asima can carry the others, we can get to the PDA site fairly rapidly." He smiles. "Barring the unforeseen."

Olivia nods and shrugs a bit, "Whatever works."

"I could go check it out, really quick... but the fog's really thick and I might have trouble finding my way back.... oh wait! I just got an idea!", Imaginary Girl says, at first thoughtful, then smiling brightly. "Lightray can come out of the gate when I'm ready to come back, and just glow really brightly to help me find my way back after I check it out? No one hasta get all dirty, walking through the mud this way."

Janet says deadpan. "Let's split up. We can get ourselves killed easier that way."

[To Lightray] Jade says, "You-think? I-didn't-put-on-*that*-much-over-Christmas."

Lightray shakes his head in respopnse to Imaginary Girl. "I am afraid I cannot shine like the sun, my dear. We should all stay together as well."

Lightray smiles and bows slightly to Jade. "A poor turn of phrase on my part, Jade. My apologies.""

Jade nods. "Splitting-up-is-rarely-a-good-idea unless-your-companion-is-the-axe-murderer."

Imaginary Girl nods her head. "Well... okay. Who all am I gonna be carrying?", she asks, then, smiling, still.

Kismet lifts her hand. "I'd be happy with a ride while they're available."

Lightray smiles. "How about Kismet and Diamond with Imaginary Girl. And I will take Jade."

Lightray looks around. "Does that sounds acceptable to you all?"

Jade says, "Sounds-fine."

"Sure... but if we had something everyone could sit in, I could just carry everyone at the same time... like with the boat, that other time", Imaginary Girl says.

Janet nods, "We can think about that. However we're limited by the size of the gate."

Lightray looks at the gate, then muses, "Park bench?"

"Maybe one of those blow-up life rafts, like in the movies? Put some rope through the loops on the sides, and I can just carry it from above, instead of from below?", Imaginary Girl suggests.

Kismet nods. "Or pull it along the surface."

Janet nods again. "Good idea. We'll have a couple ready by next week."

Jade says, "Right-for-now-let's-go-with-the-existing-plan?"

Lightray smiles slightly. "Shall we?"

Imaginary Girl nods and gestures to the two she's carrying with herself to come close. "I guess I'll just grab ya by your belts and you guys can just hang onto me at the same time", she suggests.

Lightray walks over to Jade and picks her up in his arms if she doesn't stop him. "Have everything you need?"

Kismet smiles. "I'd prefer you didn't grab me by what I'm wearing. It's not the most rugged of structures."

Jade nods. "I'm-all-packed."

Imaginary Girl ponders that. "I guess you can ride piggy-back, then?", she offers to Kismet... "Or just put a belt on around yourself?"

Kismet grins. "I'm happy with holding on."

Lightray flares out his wings slightly, then draws them in. He says to imagainry Girl. "OR you could grip Kismet around the waist, my dear. She will not likely break."

Jade says, "Well-what-are-we-waiting-for?"

Lightray steps through the gate into the hot and humid dimension beyond.

Through the gate and across to the other side goes the group. The heat and high humidity strikes those who don't have personalized air-conditioning with almost physical force. The cloud/mist extends in every direction as far as the eye can see. However the inertial compass gives a clear bearing on the target location. Flying in that direction you reach a point where the cloud starts to thin and below you is mostly water with a few islands surfacing from the waves. The vanished school building is on one of these islands although one corner of the building extends beyond the land and is hanging over the sea.

"Well... we found it", Imaginary Girl says. "... but... what do we do, now? It won't fit back through the gate, will it?"

Kismet takes the piggy-back route, hooking her legs around Imaginary Girl's waist and her arms around the invulnerable one's shoulders and neck. She expresses a little dismay at the abrupt heat, but doesn't find it too horrible. "Do we even have any idea how it got here?"

Lightray beings to slowly spiral down towards the building. "Mr Impossible sent it here in a fit of pique at Lorelei. I am not certain as to the details as why, but I think he belives she cheated in his contest."

Jade says, "That's-indeed-a-problem oh-Mr-Impossible-sent-it-here-likely-by-magic the-question-in-my-mind-is-why-he-chose-this-dimension."

Kismet ohs. "And ...we're going after it to retrieve it somehow."

Lightray smiles slightly. "Well, I am not certain what all we are here to retrieve, but we should at leat get people's personal belongings if we can."

Jade says, "THere-may-of-course-be-local-intelligent-life-to-contact-as-well-for-all-we-know."

Kismet hms. "Did anyone think to ask Mr. Impossible to get it back for us?" She shrugs. "Oh well. Hindsight."

As the group starts their descent they see the building has several dozen squid clinging to its walls and on the roof. Around the building are several giant crab like creatures tearing at the building, and breaking off chucks of the walls, seemingly in an effort to get to the squids. When the group are closer they see the squid are glowing slightly with an ever changing display of many-hued patterns over their bodies. They also seem to have loops of weed wrapped around their torsos. As you are approaching a section of the building is weakened by the crabs and collapses dropping two of the squids down to the crabs at that part of the structure. The squid are about large dog size, the crabs the size of cars.

Jade says, "I-don't-think-he's-likely-to actually-my-worry-is-more-that-if-we-get-it-back-he-may-send-it-away-again."

Lightray points to the squids. "I am guessing they are intelligent life. I think we should help them."

You paged Jade with 'It could very easily be the case that it's a form of visual language.'

Kismet nods. "Unless it's done through some kind of bargain." She looks at the squid, the crabs, and frowns. "This looks a lot like bad is going to happen."

Jade says, "It's-quite-possible-yes shall-we-lend-a-hand?"

Lightray begins to descend a bit more rapidly, Jade still in his arms. A field of sunlight forms around hom as he desends. He says to Jade. "Shall I set you on the building or near the crabs?"

"We should find out before we just jump in though, right?", Imaginary Girl suggests. "How do we know who the 'good guys' are, anyway?"

Jade says, "On-the-building-I-need-solid-ground."

Kismet grins. "You think any of them speak english?"

The squids are trying to slither to another part of the building but one crab cuts a tentacle off with a nipping claw and starts to chew.

Lightray moves as fast as he can towards the building as he shouts, "Sometimes you have to act first, Asima." He then shoots at the eating crab as best he can.

Jade says, "But-close-enoguh-to-join-the-fight."

Kismet asks, "Can you set me down somewhere well out of the way?"

Jade says, "Kismet-can-you-make-contact-with-either-side?"

Kismet tries to make contact with a squid when Jade suggests it, not expecting much to result.

When Kismet tries she makes a connection with a fully sentient, if rather panicked, mind. She'll have to build up a rapport before breaking through the comprehension barrier but the intelligence is clear.

Kismet looks surprised. "Huh. What do you know. The squids have a mind like ours."

A squid flashes bright red all over for an instant suddenly before returning to showing, rather brighter now, patterns of many hues and shades shifting over its torso.

Jade says, "Any idea about the crabs?"

Lightray shifts Jade to one arm and then shoots a bolt of sunlight from his free hand down at the eating crab.

Sadly, the bolt of sunlight goes far wide and hits against the ground of the island instead.

Although the beam of sunlight misses the crab the effect is still helpful. Jumping back the crab loses immediate interest in pursuing the fleeing squid.

Imaginary Girl flies down towards the building, aiming for a roof-top area away from immediate danger of crabbiness.

Kismet lets go, landing easily on the roof, happily well out of crabby reach.

Jade says, "Set-me-on-top-of-a-crab!"

Jade thinks. o O (Might be able to target an eye from there..)

"So...", Imaginary Girl says. "The crabs are definitely bad guys? How do we know?"

Lightray shouts as he begins to take Jade towards one of the crabs. "Because good guys do not usually eat other people, Imaginary Girl."

"But... I don't see any people!", Imaginary Girl says, gesturing about with both hands as she hovers. "I see big crabs and glowy squids?"

Jade says, "Imaginary-girl-the-squids-are-people not-sure-about-the-crabs but-they-seem-less-intelligent."

Kismet replies, "The squids brains are like ours. I don't know about the crabs yet."

Lightray moves towards one of the crabs with Jade held in one arm. He pours on the speed and moves to within twenty metres of one of them.

"Well, I wanna wait before I pick a side...", Imaginary Girl says, putting her hands onto her hips as she looks over at Kismet. "Lemme know whatcha find out."

Kismet focuses on the same squid, seeking deeper entry to its brain.

As the rapport between Kismet and the squid improves she is getting the start of comprehension. She's getting some 'emotional' readings - fear of the crabs, worry for the squids caught on the ground, wonder at the sight of the strange creatures from the sky.

The squid hears Kismet's voice inside her head: << Fell from sky: Friends. Crabs: Thinking enemies? >>

Telepathic message to Kismet: << Beasts! >>

Kismet tells Imaginary Girl, "The crabs are beasts. Rescue the squids if you're not sure."

Imaginary Girl nods... then swoops down towards the surface of the swampy water. Two squid, who'd fallen when the crabs took down part of the wall, get scooped up out of the water to be flown to safety.

The squid rescued by Imaginary Girl get set down on the rooftop, once she's flown them back up there.

Lightray asks, "Down on the crab, right, Jade?"

Jade says, "Right!"

The squids release their multiple tentacled grip on Imaginary Girl as she lands them on the rooftop. Their torsos are bright with swirling shifting patterns of colors.

Lightray flies to the nearest crab and hovers there to let Jade step down onto it.

Jade is barely set down on the crab's back before she kicks for its eyestalks.

Jade kicks the crab's eye clean off; it goes rolling along the ground like a football.

Kismet winces, glad she wasn't in the crab's mind at the time of Jade's punt. She nears the squids on her roof, trying to find an effective means of physical understanding.

As Kismet continues 'conversing' mentally with a squid she gathers their language is visual, the colors on their torsos a formal precise means of communication. She also get a vague perception that this squid mind is on the verge of being psionic itself. That a small nudge in the right place in its mind would release the talent.

You paged Kismet with 'You determine, looking not for thought but rather that the underlaying structure of the squid minds, that their language is visual, the colors on their torsos a formal percise means of communication. You also get a vague perception that this squid mind is on the verge of being psionic itself. That a small nudge in the right place in its mind would release the talent.'

The crab now lacking an eye stalk thanks to Jade's kick tucks its other eye stalk into its shell and spinning around leaps for the safety of the sea.

Jade rolls off the crab as it flees and lands on her feet.

The remaining crabs, two of them, deprived of the squids as prey, turn on the only edible thing left on the ground in reach. They scuttle towards Jade nipping at her with their claws.

A claw tears the flank out of Jade's new Riftgate uniform, ripping effortlessly through the lightly armoured jacket.

Jade thinks. o O (Well, now I don't need and excuse not to wear the uniform.)

Jade swings herself up onto a second crab's back in an attempt to use the same tactic.

The crab's eye stalk bounces back and forth like a punchball as Jade kicks it.

Jade keeps on swinging round with her kick and kicks at the eyestalk again on the second pass!

The crab shudders as Jade kicks the eye stalk again on the rebound.

Imaginary Girl, seeing Jade threatened, then handling herself well enough just the same, dives down at the crab whose eye she's not tetherballing about. Leading with both her fists, she slams squarely into the middle of its armored back!

Lightray thinks. o O (I wonder if the rift team can send over a vew barrels of melted butter...)

The sound of Imaginary Girl flying into one of the crabs is like a artillery shell hitting armor plate. There's not a lot of give in the hard shell but the sheer impact sends the crab tumbling head over claws backwards into the sea.

Lightray flies down beside the one whose eye Jade is using for a sparring target and takers careful aim, then looses a bolt of sunlight into the crab's side.

The blast of light from Lightray seemed to no little damage through the crab's thick shell but the force of the blast knocks the crab over onto its back.

Jade rolls off this crab to land on her feet, too.

Jade says, "The-underside-is-relatively-soft!"

The crab gets awkwardly back right side up and nips at Lightray with one claw and Jade with its other.

Imaginary Girl swoops over in between Jade and the big crab-claw... which grabs at her arm and gets summarily shrugged off and away, leaving her completely unhurt.

Jade swings up onto the crab's back once again to have another kick at its eyes. "Thanks-for-that-Imaginary-Girl.

The crab tucks its eye stalk into its shell after the lastest kick from Jade making it effectively blind.

Jade says, "Looks-like-that-work-I-put-in-in-the-gym-paid-off!"

Lightray sighs as a sword of sunlight forms in his hands. HeE tries to rake it along the side of the crab to see if it has any greater effect on the creature.

The thick shell hardly even shows a scratch as the sword of light glances off it.

Lightray just sighs as the sword does virtually nothing. He lets it fade away. ooc No eyes.

Jade jumps off the crab and crouches low at its side in an attempt to deliver a kick to its underside.

Imaginary Girl puts her hands on her hips. "Would y'all stop beating up the poor thing, already? It's /blind/ now, thanks to y'all....", she says.

Imaginary Girl swoops in between Jade and the crab, /right/ into the path of the woman's kick. "Leave it alone, now, okay?", she insists.

Jade stops her kick half an inch short of Imaginary Girl. "Fine-just-so-long-as-it-doesn't-go-near-those-squid-people!"

"This one's /blind/ right now... we don't need to beat it up any more, now", Imaginary Girl says.

Jade says, "You-don't-know-it's-dependent-on-sight-to-hunt but-I-guess-we'll-soon-see."

Lightray looks up at the arguing ladies. "Asima, pick it up and toss it back out to sea, OK?"

"Sure... I just hope it's not permanently blind, so it won't die...", Imaginary Girl says to Lightray.

Kismet continues working on a way to communicate, while the others deal with the crabby trouble and other problems. The process is going forward, and the squiddy mind is novel to her.

Jade says, ""Ok-you-can-make-sure-the-crab-doesn't-hurt-anyone-I'm-going-to-go-and-try-to-make-friends-with-the-squid." She turns to walk that way."

"No problem", Imaginary Girl says to Jade.

Lightray flies up into the air and just hovers there waiting.

The crab turns and scuttles as fast as it can back into the sea.

[To Kismet] Jade says, "How-are-you-getting-on-with-the-squids?"

Kismet says, "We have clean contact. The squids have a really neat mind. They talk by changing colors."

Kismet looks at Imaginary Girl. "You'd be able to communicate to them, if you can make yourself wear whatever you want."

Jade says, "I-thought-it-looked-like-language."

Imaginary Girl watches the crab scuttle away, then flits back to the rooftop... "But... I don't know what colors or patterns mean what...", she says.

Kismet nods. "Yeah. That's the tricky part. I'm still working on understanding the meanings of the colors."

Jade says, "Their-mind-aren't-that-easy-to-understand-then?"

<> Thank you. I believed we were all doomed to be eaten when the 'crabs' trapped us here. But where are you from? What are you?

Jade says, "If-you-can-convey-their-corresponding-thoughts-to-me-I-may-be-able-to-work-out-the-visual-language."

Kismet speaks as she mentally communicates, "We are mammals, from the same place this stone came from." She nods to Jade, and focuses on her to facilitate multi-telepathic communication.

Lightray smiles as he watches the changing patterns on the squid's bodies.

Imaginary Girl turns to talk to her radio for a bit...  Imaginary Girl says, "Well, we've found the building. Had a little fight against some giant crabs. There's some glowy kinda squids here, that Kismet says are smart like us. She's talking to them, doing her psychic thing. What do we do now?"

 Kismet says, "Is it too late to mention that actually communicating with them is an anomaly for me? I don't want to establish a pattern that I can't keep up."

<RG> Riftgate Control: "That's what the project is largely all about, making contact, friendly when possible. Keep talking."

<RG> Imaginary Girl says, "I guess we're not trying to get the building or anything inside it back?"

<RG> Jade says, "The-building-is-likely-beyond-recovery-and-in-any-case-damaged-now but-we-can-certainly-try-to-recover-contents."

The squid that had a tentacle nipped off is being treated by another using what appears to be a kind of mollusk. You see the tentacle is half regrown.

Lightray gladly, even enthusiastically, helps in creating a language program.

Jade clearly enjoys this project too.

Imaginary Girl waits for more instructions from 'back at the office' about what else they need to do, beyond talking with the squids.

Jade says, "Imaginary-Girl-you-can-see-what-can-be-salvaged-from-the-building?"

"Sure", Imaginary Girl says, flitting off the rooftop to find a way into the building for a look-see.

Jade and Lightray, working with Kismet and the squid in telepathic contact, manage to create a translation program that runs on a PDA showing the squid's visual language on the PDA screen and scanning the squid's changing color patterns to convert them into text. It seems that the squids are an expedition from an institution much like a University. They were exploring the strange alien structure that appeared on the island when they were trapped by the 'crabs'. They are fascinated to learn what they can of where you all come from. Jade is indeed taken up on her offer of evolutionary explanation. There's also a practical aspect to their exploration. They lack most of the physical sciences - being natively underwater. Metals and ceramics, fire, all are unknown to them. Which is why they were hoping to learn much from the building. In compensation their mastery of the life sciences is probably more advanced than the home world.

Jade is delighted to find she was correct in most of her guesses. She reports to TransMat that there are likely opportunities to trade both way in terms of life sciences (since we have species and thus genetic material that they lack) and in artefacts that cannot be made underwater - conversely they're likely to have some interesting underwater manufacturing methods.

Jade does try to establish the nature of the government here - given past problems concerning that!

From their description the governmental system is by selection and election. To be qualified to hold a position of responsibility a squid has to pass standardised tests or intelligence and emotional maturity. The tests are apparently held yearly to any who want to take them,

Jade says, "I-wonder-how-different-our-history-would-have-been-if-we'd-insisted-on-that. Do-you-think-we-dare-introduce-them-to-our-forms-of-government? It-could-ruin-their-society."

Lightray hmms. "A meritocracy then. Interesting."