[Act 3] Ensign D'Cyra Varati - Green or Green?
D'Cyra Varati
((Warehouse somewhere in Oparis, Uwe II))
Robin's distress signal left the team on the Indy no time to celebrate their success.
At top speed, they towed the two smaller ships back to Hova III, took Commander Ukinix aboard, and immediately set course for Uwe II. As always, there was no time to lose – especially when an away team had been discovered and was in direct danger.
She was especially worried about her new roommate, Saavei, whose first assignment was a "First Contact" mission (which seemed to fail). Fortunately, she had an extremely experienced team around her, which calmed D'Cyra down.
But they had another problem that no one had considered before: a suitable disguise and mask for Commander Ukinix. Ikaia was stuck on Uwe II with the away team, and Professor Orrey was busy caring for the wounded Hovans on the Shelby.
They beamed down to a hopefully safe hiding place, an old warehouse. The Indy immediately turned around to avoid detection. But their "landing spot" was also some distance from the actual action.
Stros: Wouldn’t transporting closer to the last known location of Commander Hopper and her team be a more efficient way of conducting this search?
D’Cyra looked around while Stros and Ukinix discussed the situation. The storage room appeared to have been out of active use for some time; a lot of dust had settled on the still plentiful crates and half-empty shelves. At least here, some important scans could be performed with the tricorder without being observed.
Fortunately, the time on the Indy had been enough to refill the neutral supply and emergency bags.
Engrossed in her scans, she only heard Stros's voice rise; he must have asked a question.
Varati: Eeh, yeah… A bit out of the way, yes. But we have a suitable shelter here for that. And hopefully, no one will look for us so far away from the action.
Ukinix: We can’t use transporters, the Indy’s out of range again so it doesn’t get detected. Prime Directive and all that.
Moore: ::quietly:: We really need a cloaking device. ::even more quiet:: Stupid treaties.
Stros: Very well, Commander. Do we know the teams last whereabouts at the least?
Yes, a cloaking device... They used something like that on the Defiant, too. And especially on dangerous away missions like these, they would offer an incredible advantage – after all, other races used them too.
Varati: Prime Directive… Well, somehow it's impossible to comply with this directive 100%, isn't it? There are always external ‘impacts’ that no one can foresee... And presumably something went seriously wrong down there? I just hope they didn't get caught, or that the Hovans themselves had already made contact down there.
Ukinix: Can you scan for Hopper’s team location? Can we get to them safely? There’s some bloke named “Norsel” we have to be careful about.
Moore: On it, Commander.
Stros: We have not come into contact with this Norsel character in our exploration of the settlements. But I do agree we must be mindful.
What if this shady Norsel guy is already in touch with the Hovans? Or the other way around? The Uwezo society didn't seem to work on capitalist principles either... but maybe that was the point? What if someone wanted to grab a totally new technology with resources that hadn't been used (on purpose?) for themselves?
Varati: As far as we could gather from Elarrapal, Norsel is also an opponent of the new technologies. Or he's exploiting the activists and the anti-warp sentiment for his own interests. Unfortunately, the Uwezos' rather flowery statements don't really tell us much.
Ukinix: Let’s get going…. ::looking around:: .. How about I cram into one of these boxes, and you can just wheel me around the place?
Now Kaito also looked up from his tricorder and looked at Wil with a thoughtful expression.
Stros: Perhaps we may also find a crank to attach to the box, and you can jump out after playing a jaunty tune.
Moore: ::raising an eyebrow and looking at Stros:: A Jack of Lantern? Do they have those on Vulcan?
The idea of Wil jumping out of the box like a clown made her laugh. A funny guy, yes – but somehow it didn't fit the current situation.
Varati: You're trying to pull my leg, aren't you? ::looks around in confusion:: How is that supposed to work?
Ukinix: Response
Stros: If you are indeed serious about the box scenario, might I recommend this one?
Moore: Seems big enough—and look, holes so you can breathe!
She had to giggle again... but this really wasn't the moment for jokes?! Robin and her team were in danger. And with a "Will-in-the-box", they were handicapped: He couldn't act, and they couldn't be discovered under any circumstances. But driving around in a large box would give exactly that impression...
Varati: We really shouldn’t waste time on nonsense, but rather look for an appropriate solution.
Ukinix: Response
Stros: And I am sure I may be able to find a crank. ::Smirking:: I think I am a fan of the ‘Wil-In-A-Box’ Idea.
Moore: Alternative idea. We could go with a trash can, and one of us could pretend to be a janitor. It actually might be a better cover than three of us pushing a random box around.
Varati: What on earth has gotten into you? Have you all been secretly snacking on the overripe and fermenting fruits of Elarrapal?
She looked disgruntled into the faces of the grinning gentlemen.
Varati: … but the fruits gave me an idea!
Ukinix/Stros: Response
Moore: Granted, you might not be grouchy enough for the trash can, sir.
Kaito chuckled quietly to himself and then turned his attention back to his scans.
But, as so often happens, she didn't let her idea and the others' chatter deter her. Apparently, the gentlemen had long since left the academy, or had never searched attics and basements during their childhood...
Varati: Please help me... these all seem to be household items... I'm looking for something specific…
She unpacked her tricorder again, switched to biological sensor inputs, and crawled into and up the deep shelves.
Ukinix/Stros: Response
Moore: ::frowning a little bit:: I am not detecting them. I’ve tried a few different scan frequencies, even trying to ping their comms via subspace—nothing.
Okay, good... the others used the available resources to scan for signals from the other team, which was also important.
Covered in dust, she had dug out a few bottle-like vessels from one of the shelves and, beaming with joy, placed them on one of the packed tables.
D’Cyra opened one of the bottles and carefully fanned herself with some air from the bottle. Yes, the tricorder would be able to analyse the chemical composition better than she could, but nothing could replace manual quality control. She reflexively wrinkled her nose: yes, that was the liquid she was looking for.
Varati: Ha! That was prank number 1, number 2 follows immediately...
Once again, she disappeared into the depths of the storeroom, rummaging around behind the shelves and under the workbenches until she found what she was looking for. Beaming with joy, her eyes wide with light, she returned: in her hands were old pieces of pipe – copper!
She blew the dangling strand of hair out of her face for what felt like the hundredth time and addressed Stros and Wil directly:
Varati: The warehouse is a true blessing, by the Thousand Gods! Perhaps one of the gentlemen would like to help me? ::looks at Wil:: We have copper scraps here – and there was wine in the bottles? Well, definitely acetic acid now.
Ukinix/Stros: Response
Moore: There must be some sort of interference. If we brought back the Indy, I bet we could punch through it—but my tricorder doesn’t have the power.
Varati: ::still to Wil:: So we make verdigris Cu(CH3COOO)2 from acetic acid (CH3COOH) and copper (Cu). There's even a bit of verdigris on the copper pipes, which makes our work easier. Yes, the blue-green pigments, with a little cream, create a green makeup that will become even more intense over time. But now we don't have a second to lose! ::pause, to Stros and Moore:: While I'm getting Wil, er, Commander Ukinix ready to go out, could you look for Robin's emergency signal? Surely it's easier to receive from here than from the Indy?
D'Cyra sat back down at the table, scraped copper with a small knife and immediately mixed the shavings with acetic acid in a small bowl. As soon as a certain amount had oxidized, she scraped the pigment onto a cloth to allow it to dry.
Ukinix/Stros: Response
Moore: Surely there has to be someone who can help us. What if we try to make contact with that Elarrapal person again? Maybe she has a range of contacts we can use to gather information on any strange happenings – or maybe sightings of the team?
Elarrapal could and would certainly help if it came to getting one over on Norsel. And they had helped her, so it was time for a return favour “koledru venari”.
Varati: Elarrapal will surely help us! She has met us and knows that we are not working against her. And she'll know what game Norsel is playing and where we can find him.
Ukinix/Stros: Response
By now, a sizable pile of verdigris had accumulated on the cloth. Mixed with the oily skin cream, the mixture would be enough for the head and hands. Green and spotty – a (nearly) perfect Uwezo.
Varati: ::to Ukinix:: Now please sit still and close your eyes! The mask is supposed to look somewhat real. Well, at least from a distance, until it darkens. ::pause:: I'm ready when you are.
To be on the safe side, she took some of the paste and rubbed a dab of it on the back of her hand. Yes, the result was impressive and exactly as she'd hoped: a light green with oily speckles.
Moore/Stros/Ukinix: Response
But before she could try her hand at being a make-up artist, one of the tricorders beeped.
Varati: Hmpff! What's this now? I thought the Indy was out of reach?
Curiosity got the better of her and D’Cyra pulled her tricorder out of her pocket to investigate.
Moore/Stros/Ukinix: Response
But her tricorder hadn't received a signal. She still recognized the notification tone, but couldn't identify it.
Varati: Well, I didn't receive anything... But one of our devices responded to a signal. Hopefully not a trap?! But we definitely need to finish the disguise first. We can still take the box with us as camouflage...
Moore/Stros/Ukinix: Response
Tag/TBC
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