Day 2 | Night | We Are House Atreides

[Razar Lanville]

Razar is prepped to lead the way to the other Thopter, just waiting on Paul to turn and walk with him in that direction, allowing the Duke's son to express his will without interruption or interference from him.

[Hadrian Martikova]

As expected. He left his head bowed and politely waited for the nobility and Bern to take their leave.

Once they do he'll turn his attention to Thopter 1 and get to work.

[Kannon]

Thopter required some menial work of cleaning, rewiring and replacing in the shield generator and the suspension. Mostly menial and tedious work, with only a few tricky moments, but nevertheless requiring precision and focus.

The planetologist's daughter came over.

"I am Sinsei Vim. My father has met the same fate as your companions. I'd like to help if able."

[Cuyler Gray]

"We'll all help where we can." Cuyler agreed.

[Hadrian Martikova]

Thopter required some menial work of cleaning, rewiring and replacing in the shield generator and the suspension. Mostly menial and tedious work, with only a few tricky moments, but nevertheless requiring precision and focus.

The planetologist's daughter came over.

"I am Sinsei Vim. My father has met the same fate as your companions. I'd like to help if able."

Hadrian had wasted no time at all. If he heard correctly Ambrose had managed to find a way to get Thopter 2 up and running again. If that was indeed the case then he figured he could cut a few things off his to-do list.

"Hadrian Martikova," he said dropping to a kneeling position outside Thopter 1's door, "Let's see, It should be..." He opened a compartment and found a taped box of fuel cells. "Good... okay."

He stood up and turned back towards Vim.

"Sorry Ms. Vim, It's a pleasure..." He extended his hand and sighed, "... and I'm sorry about your father. They've got someone that's quite dear to me as well." His face for a fraction of a moment could be likened to the caldera of an active volcano. Then he quickly replaced his mask. "We'll get them back. In the interim I could use an extra pair of hands if you're willing."

He nodded at Cuyler, "Madame Gray, we haven't spoken but your help would be invaluable. If you can spare a moment the plants have likely begun taking root in parts of the ship. Otherwise, miss Vim and I together can have the bird ready for when Ambrose returns. I wouldn't want to divert you from other equally important tasks."

He looked off towards the sea for a brief moment before heading inside the Thopter. "My guess is we're going to use our enemy's thopter as a diversion for take off. But if that's not the case I wonder if we might divert the birds with the antenna..."

Hadrian began checking and replacing fuel cells as he talked.

[Kannon]

"Mobula avianis still roost in the caves during the early morning, and they never stray too far from the coast. If a pilot went over the deeper jungle right after liftoff, no further distraction would be necessary. The antenna wouldn't work. They detect and react to low frequencies, well below normal radio waves."

Sinsei got down to cleaning and weeding work. In practical terms, she understood plants way better than machinery. But particle physics was a full-year mandatory at her school, and she had made extra effort back then to show all the males they had no grounds to condescend her or mock with 'your father is faculty and that's the only reason you're still here'. Here on Caladan, with all its bio-electromagnetism, what she had learnt with angst kept paying off.

"We'll get him back." She murmured to herself.

[Hadrian Martikova]

He stopped momentarily, "Mo- mobula avi- avianis. Mobula avianis, mobula avianis." He repeated the name a few times as if memorizing it. "Good to know." He continued popping out spent fuel cells and replacing them. Then once finished he pulled out a circuit tester and started tracing the faults in the wires. "You're a scientist huh? Any clue as to why the area is so heavily riddled with electromagnetic distortion?"

[Kannon]

"A planetologist with a botanical bend, just like my father." She happily gave him the same set of possible explanations she had given Cuyler.

[Cuyler Gray]

"Parts of my kitchen are still wired in." Cuyler said as she began following his directions. I used them to restore power to the turret. We didn't really need it, though, thanks to Lydia."

[Hadrian Martikova]

"Parts of my kitchen are still wired in." Cuyler said as she began following his directions. I used them to restore power to the turret. We didn't really need it, though, thanks to Lydia."

"I disconnected it before swapping out the fuel cells. But that was a canny bit of work. Should be easy enough to reconnect in an emergency." He indicated the draped wire.

As for Zim, she helped the time pass but there were plenty of moments where he would pause the conversation as the work required. Then a short while into the conversation he brings up the curious tree, the ants & their pollen addiction in passing.

[Kannon]

"Tapangia illuminata. They grow in clusters connected by root systems, multiplying by cloning. There are only a few islands of them across this stretch of the jungle. Aspens in Caladan's northern latitutes have a similar property, but here there's a twist - they share electric flows through roots. The bark and sap are keratin-rich insulators, and the Muadh use them as such, especially when they hunt tree eels, but don't touch the leaves or the phloem - the discharge will kill you. Fortunately, the leaves are very high on the tree, building a uniform canopy. You already know they glow. What's curious, the amount of alternating electric flows they collectively generate via roots throughout day-night cycle may actually amount to some computational capacities. But I haven't yet figured out if this is the case, how this could work, and whether we could tap into this..."

She stopped before she'd say 'bio-computer'. First, because it was a ridiculous idea. Second, because it was a dangerous idea.

"...The honeypot ants, Myrmecocystus. They are what it says on the tin, honey-producing ants. Their abdomens can be popped for good nutrition, carbs and vitamins. What's interesting they're kind of cannibals. The worker extractors act as moving larders on which the others feed in the process called trophallaxis. So comb off the outer layers and get to the larder ones if you want the biggest honey pops. The ones you've seen likely fed on a local genus of flamboyan, known as the flame of the forest."

[Hadrian Martikova]

"...What's curious, the amount of alternating electric flows they collectively generate via roots throughout day-night cycle may actually amount to some computational capacities. But I haven't yet figured out if this is the case..."

She stopped before she'd say 'bio-computer'. First, because it was a ridiculous idea. Second, because it was a dangerous idea.

"Wait..." He let her finish. "... back up, are you saying the trees might possess a degree of sentience? Or just that they are capable of generating enough flow to run a computer off of?"

He thought chiefly about the latter solution while pointing to his pack. Which, as it turns out, is still laden with sap he'd collected and meant for an opportunity to trade. "If that stuff is insulating, do you reckon we could apply a coating to the various..." He thought about it some more. "... actually we might be able to paint it onto the thopters, if not coat the more vulnerable electrical components with it."

[Kannon]

"I don't know! There's only so much a team of two can determine over two monthly research missions. But I wouldn't exclude anything. These tapangia colonies are one of their kind."

She shrugged.

"Against the mobula, it could work. But the thopter shields might not like it."

[Cuyler Gray]

"I would like some of those ants." Cuyler said. "Not now, of course. But, I'd like to sample some of that honey."

[Ambrose Pantazis]

"I, for one, would be very interested in what you could do with some ants and honey." A cheery Ambrose offered as he came into the clearing and approached the thopter they were working on.

He held up a set of fuel cells, "Freshly charged and ready to be installed. I'll take the empty cells from this one and go charge 'em after we're done here. Is this bird needing any other repairs? Instructor Lanville brought her down pretty gently from what I heard."

[Hadrian Martikova]

"I don't know! There's only so much a team of two can determine over two monthly research missions. But I wouldn't exclude anything. These tapangia colonies are one of their kind."

He raised an eyebrow and smiled easily. "Well I'd like to know if so. Believe it or not I actually find biology a very fascinating subject." He shrugged, "I guess it comes with the gig."

"Against the mobula, it could work. But the thopter shields might not like it."

This however made him grin mischievously. "Nor would personal shields I suspect." But he held onto that thought for a moment as Ambrose popped up.

"I would like some of those ants." Cuyler said. "Not now, of course. But, I'd like to sample some of that honey."

"I, for one, would be very interested in what you could do with some ants and honey." A cheery Ambrose offered as he came into the clearing and approached the thopter they were working on.

He held up a set of fuel cells, "Freshly charged and ready to be installed. I'll take the empty cells from this one and go charge 'em after we're done here. Is this bird needing any other repairs? Instructor Lanville brought her down pretty gently from what I heard."

He grinned at Cuyler's comment and nodded at Ambrose's declaration. "It's decided Madame Gray. After this business is concluded we're going to return here and advance the science of molecular gastronomy along side the good doctors."

He gladly traded fuel cells with Ambrose. "You found a way to recharge them using the tree didn't you? You've gotta tell me how. But first, let's talk about this sap."

[Kannon]

Sinsei stiffened the moment Ambrose appeared and stopped talking about anything. His cheerfulness was menacing in her ears.

[Hadrian Martikova]

He noticed the way she stiffened at Ambrose's entrance and eyed her curiously. "Is... there something I should know?"

[Cuyler Gray]

Cuyler moved close to Sinsei as she finished organizing the remaining supplies.

[Kannon]

She shook her head defensively, remembering Paul's dictum.