I'd like to try to practice my 'conversion' speeches on this captain (we have a few days, right?) while we travel. Talk casually about how the Federation expansion will mean more draconian laws, more irrational claims, and more taxes. The bigger this government bloats, the worse it will be for the little guy like him, and the people who fuel his career. Hopefully we can warm him a bit to the Rebellion, at least as a sympathizer if not a full member.
To Marilyn: "I think that sounds like a perfect plan. Fitting in for me may be tricky, since I'm still working on fitting in here at all. Hopefully while we travel I can study the local political landscape a bit and what issues normal people care about. I'll do my best to ground myself in this locale to be convincing and to also be able to root my arguments in topics that matter to the folks on this planet, and hopefully their government."
Ah, well, general information about the politics of any planet can be obtained over open communcations channels, so that's not a problem. You begin to pick up names of the top leaders--the people you hope to reach, not the ones you expect will give you audience immediately--and their positions on some of the top questions, such as defense spending, industrialization, immigration--probably the top issues. There isn't a lot of support for a planetary defense grid, or for increasing production, but there are some who argue that these are both essential to the future of the planet.
The captain mostly laughs at your efforts--it's obvious to him that you're practicing on him. "I've heard it all before, boy; and I'm sure you're right. I'm just not a front line man."
And yes, you've got about three days to planetfall.
--M. J. Young
In those three days, I'd like to make sure Marilyn and I are up to speed. Studying some more of the current political landscape, analyze some of the planetwide issues, find out more about trade prospects. I want us to be well-informed.
I'd also like to arrange some signal words or codes with Marilyn so we can be ready for difficult situations. For example, using the word 'begonia' to signal that one of us thinks the other could be in danger or should leave/flee as soon as possible.
I'm going to add a skill to your sheet to reflect this increased study, but I want to discuss it with you briefly.
I could, of course, roll the dice to give you a new skill in "Current Political and Economic Events of Planet Alpha M0@0", which would probably give you a 1@1 SAL in that. That seems a pretty limited skill to me, and I'd rather give you a more general "Applied Political and Economic Theory M0@0" skill, noted that it includes this planet. The problem to me is that you probably already have this skill (absent the information about the planet)--at least, your approach to the situation strongly suggests to me that you've studied in the field and ought to be at least a mid to high level amateur. Regretably, our relationship does not extend much beyond a few hours at a convention, a couple of e-mails, and forum posts here, so I am not in a terribly good position to assess this. What is your self-assessment in this area, and have you got a better (more accurately descriptive) name for the skill?
I like "Begonia" for the code. Marilyn agrees that a few code words are a good idea, and wants to discuss what else might be useful. She suggests that a word for making a surreptitious check of the exits/entrances (essentially, looking for trouble) would be useful, and asks what clever words you might have for that, and what else might be good to have.
--M. J. Young
I did have some experience with economics and sociology stuff, and I'd probably call it a loose hobby. Maybe I'm 1@8? I have no recent formal training, but it has always been something I find interesting, and I read about it with interest. Let me know what your final thoughts on the skill are and I'll record it as well.
I'd propose "Mango" for 'come to me' and then we could use "Cucumber" for 'look for trouble/quick exits.'
We could use "Fried Chicken" for 'we are found out/busted.' References to our "Cat" could be a good code for how we evaluate the situation we're in, generally (like "The cat was sick this morning" or "Seems like the cat's new medication is working great").
Not much else comes to mind right now that I predict needing.
O.K., I'm going to slap on a 1@8 Applied Social Sciences M0@0 and caveat that you'll have to narrow the field to get it to professional level.
"Begonia impresses me, because it would be so easy to work into a conversation," Marilyn says, "And it has a kind of pun to it, so it's easy to remember. I can easily say, 'General, is that a begonia?', and it is so like be gone, you that you would know immediately what I meant. Either I'm not getting the sense of 'mango', 'cucumber', and--what is it? 'Fried Chicken'?--although I do like the idea of talking about the condition of our cat. I wonder whether 'pickle' might be a good word for trouble, or whether that's too difficult to fit into a conversation. Obviously, it's tricky--the word has to be unusual enough that you wouldn't use it accidentally, and that we'd notice when we used it, but not so odd that it sounds like we're trying to send secret messages."
--M. J. Young
"Mostly I'm just looking for innocuous words so that we can use some conversational signaling. I figure we could be in some situations where a quick bit of information passed back and forth surreptitiously would be most valuable.
If you want to use any others, I'm open to additional options. I'm not quite sure who we'll be talking to or how. If we play our cards right we should stay out of danger, but things never go as expected, right?"
"What about swim for looking sharp for trouble and noting the exits, and drown for we've been discovered? Both can be used in several tenses, and used figuratively in conversation, like we wouldn't leave you drowning, or it really is sink or swim, and yet can be avoided easily enough. We'll use begonia to signal the need to exit, and talk about the cat for our situation. That leaves us without a signal for come here, but maybe we don't need that, as I don't expect us to get too far apart, and if we're in a situation in which we need to be that close to each other we probably don't need code words. Good?"
If you're comfortable with that, we'll move to the ship landing on the planet. It's a cargo ship, so it actually makes planetfall, and the crew disembarks to stretch legs and visit the city, so you'll be able to slip out with them.
You might have said, but this will be your last chance to specify what equipment you have with you. Leave nothing on the cargo ship; it will be leaving without you.
--M. J. Young