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You offer the arm; she peers at it curiously, as if she has no idea what she is supposed to do with it.

--M. J. Young

(*Sigh*. Chivalry seems to be a forgotten art in this world.)

I'll gently take her hand and place it in the crook of my elbow.

"This is how a gentleman properly escorts a lady where I come from."

I will escort her to the dining hall, letting her chat if she feels like it. I will try and scan her thoughts while we stroll.

Pharaoh

She laughs, but does not object or withdraw her hand.

"Where, exactly, do you come from?" she asks. "It seems such a--a quaint custom."

You fail to connect with her mind.

--M. J. Young

"I originally come from a small Southern New Jersey town in the late nineteenth century of my Earth. An agricultural and industry area. Mostly agricultural. My father was a chemical engineer, and my mother a nurse. They both passed on before their time, but such is the way the world sometimes unfolds itself. I had four brothers and lost one of them early as well. I traveled about much in my early years, and had a daughter. Her mother and I didn't marry, and such was not uncommon. Some years later I married. Not long after that, I was killed, and have been versing ever since. That was several lifetimes ago for me, but I still find a good deal of it's customs pleasant and true."

"And what of you? Would you tell me of your home that you knew before you came to be the woman walking with me?"

Pharaoh

Wow, John--you're from the late nineteenth century? You look remarkably good for your age. (Insert appropriate emoticon here.)

"There's not much to tell, really. Sirius Four was your typical earth-like planet that required little or no terraforming. The original colonists were very careful to keep their imported crop seeds isolated while studying the indigenous plant life for good food crops--to avoid the sorts of ecodisasters which happened on some other colonized worlds. Eventually crop compatibility was established, and the colony opened its doors to immigrants and grew rapidly to an agroindustrial exporter. It was a member of the Federation in the early days, but withdrew its membership when Earth began flexing its muscle. That led to the war, the deaths of my parents, and the beginning of my work in the rebellion.

"Really, anything before that was just the life of a girl growing up. I was just sixteen when the war took my parents, and still only nineteen when we won. Since then, I've been traveling the galaxy helping resistance groups get organized. I've seen a lot of places and met a lot of people, but in some ways I'm always very isolated, since the Federation would be very happy to take me alive or dead, and there are more than a few people who would be pleased to collect the bounty they've put on my head."

You reach the galley.

--M. J. Young

(Sorry, twentieth century. Long day yesterday.)

Before we enter the galley, I will turn to Ruth and look at her with a sincere determination.

"My dear lady, as long as I am able to, I will see that that bounty remains uncollected."

I will continue trying to read her thoughts.

Pharaoh

You get through the barrier into her thoughts, with a very solid connection.

She thinks you are a charmer, someone who sweet-talks or fast-talks his way to what he wants, and that you are trying to recruit her for something else--but she's not sure what it is.

She also think she would like a decent piece of beef, and hopes that your galley has such a thing available, along with some fruit juice of some sort.

Your link is solid for a while; what are you hoping to find?

--M. J. Young

Hmmmm. I'm going to see if she'll think about whatever it is we're escorting her to. I want to know what kind of mission this really is.

I also want to see what her everyday thoughts are like. Perhaps they will give me an insight to this interesting woman.

I hope the galley has what she's craving.

Other than that, I will go about my usual routine of socializing with Miralla and Bob, training, alert rest if I can.

Pharaoh

You have a solid connection that will probably last for a while. Is it your intention to continue conversing with her and attempt to steer her thoughts in desired directions, or to let her eat in silence and tune in to her reflections, or something else?

I'm sure the galley has what she wants.

--M. J. Young

I'll let her reflect for a bit first. We'll see if we get anythihng that way first.

Pharaoh

You help her get lunch, and then excuse yourself, pretending that you are getting something for yourself, and leaving her to sit alone for five or ten minutes while you look busy and listen to her thoughts.

She has some concerns as to whether the contacts she made on the next planet are good. It is of course possible that she is flying into a trap, and it's a risk she has taken many times before--but one she cannot avoid taking, if she is to make a difference.

The Federation seems to be trying a new tactic here, using allies in the media to make the current government look bad in the hope that the people will be influenced to support a Federation "alliance". The way the Federation uses that word causes Ruth to feel a bit ill, because it's a whitewashed way of saying that the Federation will take over the planet and leave token puppet governors in place. But the spin works as often as not, as people buy into that notion that they are going to become partners with the giant, instead of its lunch.

She also is impressed with The Destiny. She has heard stories about it and its power and effectiveness, but this is the first time she's had the chance to see it. Part of her hopes there will be trouble on the way, so she can see it in action, but really she never wants trouble.

That's the gist of her thoughts over the next ten minutes.

--M. J. Young

I'll keep conversation light during lunch. I get the impressioon that my gig on the Destiny is going to be playing body guard to Ruth. She seems on thhe up and up, so I have no problem with that.

After lunch I will look for Ishara. I will ask if he would be interested in sparring with me when we are both off duty. I'll tell him that we could both benefit from showing each other moves. He wouldn't have to worry about hurting me, and I'll promise to take it easy on him.

Pharaoh

Your promise to take it easy on Ishara brings a somewhat dangerous smile to his face. "That won't be necessary. When and where? The recreation deck, or one of the empty cargo bays?"

--M. J. Young

"Pick your poision."

Pharaoh

"Perhaps we should discuss what we are planning to do. What weapons will we use, what are the rules of our battle. I do not think we wish to kill each other, but I do not think this is a game in which no one ever gets hurt.

"Do we bring weapons to the game, or do we fight with whatever we can find at hand?

"Do we pull our punches and count touches, or do we fight full out and stop at first blood? Either way, I think your wife should be there, to make sure you do not die from my blow." He smiles at that, in the same dangerous and amused way.

"If we bring weapons, what kind of weapons are permitted?

"It is your game. What are the rules?"

--M. J. Young

"Well, I asked you to spar, which means train. However, if you feel the need to up the ante, I have no problem with that."

"I suggest we start off pulling our punches and counting touches. If you want to add a first blood stipulation, so be it. Your call, my pleasure. If you prove yourself interesting, perhaps we'll move on to weapons."

It's my turn to flash him a smile. The kind of smile that never reaches one's eyes. The kind of smile that suggests anything but mirth. A shark's smile.

"My wife can be there. But not for me."

Pharaoh

"Hmmm--weaponless combat. Not my forte, exactly, but I know a few tricks. There are mats in the recreation bay. If nothing interferes, I believe we are both free tomorrow afternoon. Shall we meet then?"

--M. J. Young

"Tomorrow afternoon it is then."

Pharaoh

What would you like to do between now and tomorrow afternoon? Pray, perhaps?

--M. J. Young

No need for prayer. I'm going to attempt the outer body gig a few times throughout the day, and see how he prepares for battle. If he conceals weapons, how he trains, etc.

Otherwise, I will spend my day in the usual fashion. I will perfom my duties, socialize, study, train, eat, shower, time with the wife and so on.

Pharaoh

Your first attempt to get the remote sensory presence fails.

A few hours later you try again, and succeed, but find Ishara asleep in his quarters.

You try again before bed, and find him on the bridge practicing with the weapon systems.

A few hours later he is eating lunch.

Do you want to try once more just before the scheduled match, or leave it at that?

--M. J. Young

Yes. Once more before our scheduled meeting.

Pharaoh

You shut down your senses--and nothing comes on. You are conscious and aware, but you cannot feel or see or otherwise sense anything at all, either from your body or from beyond it.

--M. J. Young

Ruh-Ro! I'm going to try and correct this. If I did it psionically, I'll have to fix it the same way. I'll try and get all of my senses back online at once. If that fails, we'll have to try them one at a time.

Pharaoh

Do you have any example of this sort of thing on which you can draw for how to do it, or are you just making it up out of whole cloth? Is there anything for which you should be bonused in connection with performing this skill?

--M. J. Young

Nope. Just making it up out of whole cloth. I suppose though, if I were to try any set course of actions, it would be to follow the flow of my mind back to where it started from. In other words, I'll attempt to repeat the thought process that got me here in the reverse order to get me back to square one.

Sort of like realizing you're lost in the snow, and trying to find your way back by following your own footsteps.

Hopefully, it'll work.

Pharaoh

It is evident that you have no idea how to retrace your mental steps or force your senses back on line by fiat.

You might have to try something else.

--M. J. Young

Hmm. I'm going to try and slingshot myself back on line.

In other words, I'm going to visualize my body as a target, and building up psionic momentum, I intend to fast project myself back on line.

Let's see if this works.

Pharaoh

I'm sorry--I'm not understanding what it is you're attempting to do.

When you say "visualize my body as a target", do you mean

1. create a mental image of yourself within your own mind;
2. use clairvoyance to view yourself from the outside;
3. focus your mind on where you believe your body to be; or
4. something that I've not guessed at all?

When you say "slingshot" and "fast project", what exactly do you mean to do? What is being shot, what is being used as the sling, what are you doing?

(I'm trying to assess whether this is the sort of healing that fits into a model of "this is what is wrong, and I am doing this to fix it", or whether this is the sort that fits into the "something is wrong, and I am trying to get it right be fiat". Whether you are using curatives that intelligently address the problem or those which essentially visualize how things ought to be and force them to be so without understanding why they're not are two very different approaches, and thus two very different skills.)

--M. J. Young

Ok.

I will create a mental image of myself within my own mind. I will visualize the pathways of my sensory connections (ie. the way in which my optic nerves attach to my eyes and brain).
I will then concentrate on each end as if the were an electrical cord, and it's recipient an outlet. I will concentrate on the action of plugging a cord into an outlet, and the resulting connection of power. I will do this with each sense one at a time.
I hope this works.

Pharaoh

Your effort to restore your sight does not work; undaunted, you turn your attention to your hearing.

In a moment, you can hear something, room ambiance. No one is saying anything, or if they are you cannot hear them.

--M. J. Young

Ok, progress. I'll try again with other senses.

If that fails, I will attempt to psionically diagnose what has happened to me.

Ever onward.

Pharaoh

You get nothing with your efforts to repeat the process for smell or taste, but when you do your tactile sense, it suddenly comes on quite right, and you can feel again.

You return to try the sight again, the one you did before your success with the hearing, and now you can see.

Bob is looking at you, and his lips are moving, but you can't hear what he's saying.

Instead, you hear a door close and a shower turn on--and someone singing.

--M. J. Young

I will attempt again to correct my hearing.

Odd hearing through someone else's ears. I'm hoping it's a female voice.

Pharaoh

It is a female voice, and vaguely familiar, but richer and deeper than anyone you can place.

You turn your attention back to your ears, and manage to bring your hearing online.

You still do not have smell or taste working.

--M. J. Young

Ok. Smell and taste next. At least I got the biggies back.

Pharaoh

Your effort to restore you sense of smell stinks--or rather, it fails, although for a moment you thought you felt the tingle of something in your nose.

You turn your attention to your tongue, and with great effort you slowly bring it back on line.

Then, with the understanding you gained of analyzing molecular structures that is in your gustatory sense, you easily repair your olfactory sense. Your senses are all again on line.

And Bob is saying that Ishara is waiting but Miralla is in the shower.

--M. J. Young

Sweet!

I'll go and meet Ishara.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting. Unavoidable. Shall we begin?"

Pharaoh

You are mentally tired from the ordeal of curing all these problems, but otherwise seem undamaged.

"To make sure we know what we are doing," Ishara says, "review the rules of our match for me."

--M. J. Young

"We are not trying to actually harm each other. We will count touches. No weapons. Got it?"

Pharaoh