Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)
Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 7:59 am
It didn't take long after sending his note. He was about to lie back on his bed and let his thoughts roam when he felt a presence on the other side of the door. Not Beryl, though... but given his Lotai, the list of possible Loroi he'd sense was very short.
"Come in", he prompted audibly.
The door slid open, revealing Tempo, to his mild surprise, in her off-duty bodysuit, but still looking immaculately styled up, not a single strand out of place in her hairdo.
And, more noticeably, carrying a tray with filled plates and cutlery suitable for a dinner for two. Alex blinked.
With Beryl it was just experimenting what kind of food is palatable to me, well, it started out like this. But this looks different. Perhaps sharing food as a specific cultural connotation with Loroi, too?
"You were missed in the mess hall and I know that you haven't eaten for the better part of the cycle, now. And given that we're about to jump in short time, you should have at least something in your stomach?", she trailed off with a question.
"Oh. Right. Guess I was too engrossed in those...", Alex gestured to the pile of datapads.
Tempo frowned slightly. "I commend you for your dedication to the task at hand, but you shouldn't disregard your basic needs."
Why am I thinking that you don't solely refer to my need for sustenance?, Alex thought. Loudly he conceded: "Point. This looks appetizing. What is it?"
Her frown turned into a small, pleased smile. "Perrein tazim mushroom caps. Most think of these as an acquired taste, but Mazil-Toza Pabetpeio is convinced that these might be most palatable to your taste and digestive system."
Oh, right. Winterbloom. She did say she'd try to put up a dietary plan for me., Alex remembered, And since Tempo put much thought into this, even asking her, I'd better indulge her.
Tempo's gaze turned positively compelling, until he picked up the cutlery and tried a bite, nodding, then she picked up her knife and fork and started eating alongside him.
"This is good. Truly.", Alex admitted with a tone of surprise between bites, eliciting another pleased smile from Tempo.
Eventually Alex did clean the plate, indeed noticing that his stomach didn't decide to act up, but on noticing that Tempo still didn't make a move to leave he felt the need to ask: "Something tells me that you came here for another reason, too?"
"I did", Tempo admitted, extending her right hand in an askance gesture.
Alex hestitated. That 'prank' she played on him was in poor taste, and he was a bit wary about giving her the chance to pull that one over him again, but her thoughts did show genuine regret. Deciding to give her the benefit of doubt, he reached out to meet her right hand with his left one.
Thoughts about that dinner they just had filtered in from her, and yes, it seemed that it had been very important to her for him to accept her invitation to eat together. Why though, that matter seemed to be too complex and mired with taboos for her stray thoughts to convey.
Alex felt Tempo ordering her thoughts into a coherent sending.
'Torrai Lashret Dellasoni was a bit ... surprised and felt let down that your recommendation was that ... ordinary. Tactically sound, but nothing really groundbreaking. I don't know what she expected - perhaps another miracle stunt like you pulled with the Relay.'
'The reports I have here are extensive, I give it that, but these are military reports - troop composition, movements, modes of engagement, preferred tactics of select Shell commanders and divisions, that sort of thing. Sometimes it is the things not to be found in such reports which could make the most devastating difference.'
'What do you mean?', Tempo was intrigued.
'I've read about a specific engagement we fought on our world about 2100 years ago - wars were fought with large infantry troops on one side, armed with swords, short javelins and shields, and a horde of barbarians on the other side, fur-clad, with wooden shields and short swords. What said barbarians lacked in number they made up with ferocity, giving the larger, better-equipped Roman troops pause.'
'I see. Go on.', Tempo was puzzled. Where was he going to with that?
'This short javelin was of a specific make. A diamond-shaped head, suitable to pierce armor, on a slender metal shaft connecting it to a wooden handle, ready to be thrust or thrown. Now, said barbarians usually fought side by side, their shields extended forward and overlapping each other. That gave one of the Roman field marshalls the idea and instructed the smith to make the head out of hard iron, but the metal shaft out of soft iron. The result: When thrown, the head embedded itself into the shields, often enough the parts of two shields that overlapped, but the weight and momentum of the wooden shaft pulling the whole thing down, bending the soft metal part and affixing the shields together. Bereft of free movements, the barbarians had to drop the shields and to fight with bare upper chest, since they did wear very little.'
Tempo blinked. Now, that was unexpected. 'Ahhh... I get it. The field marshall turned their greatest strength into the biggest weakness just by changing one thing in their own setup.'
'If you ever get to read 'De Bello Gallico' I could show you that part.'
'I admit I'm intrigued.', Tempo demurred.
'I've got another example, out of a different story, a fictional one, this time. Say... the Umiak aren't by chance a low-gravity species?'
'Actually yes, they are. Please continue', Tempo sent with barely concealed interest.
'Said story had us be beset by an insectoid species which were incidentally accustomed to low to zero gravity. And, equally incidentally, their means of spaceship propulsion - fictional, mind you - was based on gravity waves. With the slight flaw that a direct hit on the engine would emit a large gravity wave, crushing the insectoids to pulp.'
'I see what you mean... Biological and societal peculiarities don't show up in troop reports, but they could be as equally important when trying to mount a defense or exploiting specific weaknesses. I commend you - that line of thinking would make for a good Mizol. Perhaps Beryl might dig up something like this you can use. And you say this was a fictional story? This sounds ... outlandish, but this is definitely a thought to keep in mind.'
Tempo noticed the shift in his thoughts after she sent that.
'I'm sure you had your hand in it with placing her and me on opposite shifts?'
As a first reaction, Tempo tried to hide her thoughts, but then sighed. 'Yes... we did. I have told you that having exclusive rights on a male would be something only Stillstorm might get away with it, but definitely not Beryl. Even her visiting you a second time could be regarded as in poor taste, but three times in a row was showing a worrisome trend. Not just because of her and your reputation, but her own mental health as well. The fixation she developed on you is .... distressing to behold.'
'I see....', Alex answered, dejectedly.
'We're not about to separate you permanently. Given her curiosity, that would be a difficult thing to do, and we noticed that her presence had a ... positive effect on you as well. Yet, you did profess interest in other Loroi, too, and we can't have Beryl hogging all your attention, right?', she tried to end with a rather lighthearted tone.
'You should know, even if a human man is pair bonded to his woman, he still continues to think about other women, usually in a sort of 'what-if' manner, not really intending to pursue that thought. So while you may pick up some fantasies about Cloud, or Reed from me I may still not act on them.'
'I see. But let me tell you. Some of us are quite forward, but rest assured that there are very few warriors who would not feel honored if you give them some consideration. I wouldn't even be all too surprised if Stillstorm comes around that way of thinking, too. She keeps calling you 'it', just because she consciously chooses to not to regard you as a male. Were she to start to refer to you as 'he' regularly, that's the moment you should be aware of.'
'Uh... let's think about it when it comes to that, right?', Alex sent, decidedly uncomfortable with the turn of their talk.
'Before it comes to that, there are already several Loroi anxiously waiting for a chance to spend time with you... Unless Stillstorm would pull rank. But let us get into jump positions....'
Before switching topics Alex did pick up Tempo's own interest in him - and, after all, she did pass him a rather raunchy message, including with a picture of herself, as seen in a mirror, completely unclad, reaching up to fix her hair, exposing her trim figure quite nicely....
That was a dirty trick you played, Tempo. You don't even need to resort to such measures; you're very, very attractive in your own regards.