Project Eden (1x1: Burning Rose and Artesian)

[rose;]

[yay, so happy!]

Kaleena was more or relaxed in such a quiet environment, and when the music came blasting over the speakers, she nearly fell from her perch on the rock. She gave a jerk, having to throw her arms out to the side to catch herself on the rock, her foot slipping from where it had been bracing her, landing in the water with a splash. It was not fading quickly enough, and although she couldn't say that it was unpleasant, she didn't find it the most enjoyable, either.It was just unfamiliar, and she'd have to listen to more of it to really decide.

"What was that?" she exclaimed, wonder and something else a bit more implacable in her tone. The girl had to once more situate herself on the rock, setting the box down next to her. She gave a sound of agreement as he repeated the directions, and her eyebrows rose as he said that there should have been deer there. "What do you mean, released there?" she questioned, sounding more demanding than anything else. "i don't think so, they would have mentioned if there was."

Kaleena shifted uncomfortably, scowling deeply. "I don't know, father just said I couldn't," she grumbled. She didn't have to voice how angry she was at that fact, but she felt the need to voice her unhappiness. "He just said no. No reason why, just a no. It's ridiculous! He always tells me I shouldn't go hunting when I'm probably one of the best hunters!" She trailed off with a huff, still scowling deeply. "Sorry," she muttered after a moment. "Probably didn't want to hear that."

[my posts fail next to yours]

[Artesian]

((You should have seen the first version. It was like, "I can't quite hear you. I'm going outside." ... "Yup, so I'm outside. It's not fair you don't get to go on hunts." It was literally four sentences. >->))
PERSONAL LOG NOTE, 10/29/2751

ALTHOUGH IT WASN'T HIS INTENTION TO BE RUDE, PETER DIDN'T RESPOND TO KALEENA'S QUESTION ABOUT THE MUSIC. IN THE CACOPHONY OF ELECTRONIC SOUNDS AND AUTOTUNED VOICES, HE SIMPLY DIDN'T HEAR HER WORDS AT ALL. ONCE THE VOLUME DECREASED AND WAS REPLACED BY THE CURIOUS STILLNESS OF THE RAINY NIGHT, HIS OWN BRAND OF POLITENESS RETURNED. HE MADE NO PROTESTATIONS OF BEING INTERESTED IN HER PROBLEMS. HONESTLY, HE WASN'T PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE SOCIOLOGY OF THE TRIBE. HE DID FEEL THAT IT WAS ODD THAT THEY SHOULD KEEP KALEENA HOME THOUGH, GIVEN HER SKILL. "YOU WERE ABLE TO SNEAK UP ON ME," HE REMARKED, A SMALL SMILE PULLING AT HIS LIPS AND BRIGHTENING HIS USUALLY SERIOUS VOICE, "YOU HUNTED FOREST SPIRIT SUCCESSFULLY."

HE CONSIDERED HER QUESTION - HOW MUCH SHOULD HE TELL HER ABOUT THE ECOLOGY OF EDEN? HOW MUCH WOULD SHE UNDERSTAND, FOR THAT MATTER? SHE WASN'T AN IDIOT, BUT IT WASN'T AS IF SHE COULD UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS AND DYNAMIC MODELLING THEY USED TO PREDICT THE NEEDS OF THE RESIDENTS AND TO REBALANCE THE ECOSYSTEM. HE HUMMED QUIETLY TO HIMSELF, THINKING. "WHEN THERE AREN'T ENOUGH DEER," HE INFORMED HER. "WE BRING THEM IN, RELEASE THEM, AND WAIT FOR YOU TO HUNT THEM." WITH A SHIVER, HE PULLED HIS COAT CLOSER AROUND HIMSELF. A FEW RAINDROPS SPECKLED HIS CHEEK, ICY COLD AND JUST A FEW DEGREES FROM SLEET.

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((Peter's character is turning into such an antisocial, intellectual, oblivious jerk. xD))

[rose;]

Kaleena gave a small laugh, shaking her head even though he could not see her. "Well, you weren't hard to sneak up on!" she told him. "Even the youngest hunters could have done it." She didn't say so to make him feel bad, but it was the truth. She had easily tracked him and stayed out of sight in the cover of the leaves, and for quite a while too. She sank back into a moody silence, shaking her head slightly to herself as she was reminded of the grumpiness from the other day.

It wasn't taken lightly that he didn't give her an answer as to what that noise was, but she supposed she could let it go for now. She'd ask again later, as she didn't think he would have ignored her for the only purpose of avoiding the question. It seemed innocent enough. "Aren't the deer.. just there?" she asked, finding that explanation quite odd. "Weren't they there since the originals?" That's what they knew, after all, nothing else, really. They had been there since the beginning, as everything had. "Where do you keep the rest then? Why not let them roam, be free?" That made more sense to her, but perhaps there were thing she did not know, that he was not mentioning.

[fft, nah. I like him xD ]

[Artesian]

PERSONAL LOG NOTE, 10/29/2751
THE YOUNG MAN FROWNED AT THE IDEA OF ABSOLUTELY ANYONE AMONG THE NATIVES BEING ABLE TO TRACK HIM. PROBABLY, IT WAS BLIND LUCK THAT SHE HAD GONE THROUGH THE TREE-TOPS INSTEAD OF ON THE FOREST FLOOR, WHERE THERE WERE MORE WATCHERS LINKED TO HIS WRIST COMPUTER. HE'D HAVE TO FIGURE OUT SOME WAY TO MONITOR THE TREE TOPS AROUND HIM AS WELL, WHEN HE WENT BACK TO EDEN.

BACK TO EDEN? WAIT, HE WASN'T PLANNING ON THAT... HE HAD ALL THE INFORMATION HE NEEDED TO AT LEAST MAKE A DECENT CASE TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS THAT THE PROJECT NEEDED TO BE RE-EVALUATED, AND POSSIBLY DISCONTINUED. HE SHOOK HIS HEAD. IT WAS WORTH KEEPING IN MIND, BUT WOULD NOT COME UP AGAIN, PROFESSIONALLY. WHAT POSSIBLE REASON WOULD HE HAVE TO VISIT THE VALLEY AGAIN, LET ALONE SECRETIVELY.

WELL, HE DID WANT TO SEE KALEENA AGAIN, HE ADMITTED TO HIMSELF, AND ADDED ON AN ADDENDUM, CLARIFYING THE MATTER TO HIMSELF. TO TALK WITH HER ABOUT THE CULTURE AND EMOTIONAL ATMOSPHERE IN THE VILLAGE OF COURSE. MAYBE TO DISCUSS ECOLOGY MORE WITH HER? SHE WAS AN EXCELLENT TEST-SUBJECT TO SEE IF THE NATIVES COULD BECOME ACCLIMATIZED TO THE WORLD OUTSIDE THEIR LITTLE VALLEY. ACTUALLY, IF THE PROJECT WAS PROVED TO BE UNVIABLE, IT COULD VERY WELL BE PART OF HIS ASSIGNED DUTIES. MAYBE.

NO SENSE IN DWELLING ON THAT POSSIBILITY THOUGH. ONE TASK AT A TIME, LIKE HIS LIFE-COACH HAD TOLD HIM BACK IN SECONDARY SCHOOL. HE CLEARED HIS THROAT. "WELL, THEY'RE..." HE STOPPED AND SMILED A LITTLE WITH BEWILDERMENT. "I DON'T KNOW HOW EXACTLY TO EXPLAIN IT. SEE, YOU CATCH ABOUT TEN DEER A MONTH OR SO. TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE LESSER KILLS YOU MAKE, THE VEGETABLES AND FRUITS YOU GATHER, YOU REQUIRE..." HE STOPPED, REALIZING THAT A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE MATHEMATICS OF BIOENERGETICS NECESSARY TO KEEP A POPULATION OF HUMANS THE SIZE OF THEIR VILLAGE ALIVE WAS NOT ONLY UNNECESSARY (IT WASN'T AS IF SHE WOULD TELL HIM TO CITE HIS SOURCE), IT WOULD LIKELY JUST CONFUSE HER. "YOU EAT A LOT OF FOOD," HE SIMPLIFIED. "THE SMALL AREA OF THE VALLEY COULDN'T SUPPORT YOU ALL WITHOUT US ADDING IN EXTRA. WE KEEP THE DEER IN OTHER PLACES, WHERE WE CAN FEED THEM ON OUR OWN. WE'RE BETTER AT FINDING THEM FOOD THEN THEY ARE."

HE PAUSED, LETTING HER DIGEST THAT. "IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT? I... DON'T MIND EXPLAINING ANY OF THIS TO YOU. SOMEONE IN EDEN SHOULD HAVE SOME CLUE AS TO WHAT'S GOING ON, BESIDES THE MEDICINE WOMAN." AS THE ONLY ONE PERMITTED TO TALK TO SPIRITS (THROUGH SOME HOKUM, CGI MAGIC AND A HOLOGRAPHIC DISPLAY), SHE COULD BE USED TO GUIDE HER VILLAGE... SOMEWHAT. THEY HAD TO BE HORRIBLY CRYPTIC TO GET THEIR INFORMATION ACROSS WITHOUT LETTING ON THEIR NON-FOREST SPIRITY NATURE.

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[rose;]

Kaleena listened with her head tipped to the side, her bows furrowed almost comically in confusion. Really, none of it made sense to her, and wouldn't until she knew much more. At least not until she knew that their world was nothing more than something created by the real people, and that her land was actually quite small, unable to sustain them on their own, without help from the people that had made them. But that could not be explained to her, at least not yet, and she couldn't imagine up a question that would lead her to that answer, either. It just wasn't fathomable. To her, there was one world- hers, and that was the truth and the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

And so, she only laughed at him. "We only take what we need," she said, almost as if to argue with him. "The land is big- I don't see how it can't support a herd of deer. We only take a few each season, there are plenty to replace them, plenty of grass for them to eat. We grow our own food too, so I do not understand... What is so different about the place you live in? Is it larger?" She gave a huff, cheeks puffing outwards. "Wait, the healers know about this?" she asked quickly, frowning. "I mean, they talk to the forest spirits in times of need, but not that they knew of things that he was telling her now. Why would they not speak up about something like that?

[Artesian]

PERSONAL LOG NOTE, 10/29/2751

IT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISING, THAT SHE FOUND THIS SO INCOMPREHENSIBLE. IF SHE WAS THE ONE IN THE GROUP MOST OPEN TO NEW IDEAS THOUGH, IT DIDN'T SUGGEST ADAPTATION TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD WOULD BE EASY FOR THE TRIBE, IF IT BECAME NECESSARY. HE MADE A CLICKING NOISE WITH HIS TEETH AND WINCED AS A DROPLET OF ICY SLEET HIT HIS FACE AND TRICKLED DOWN HIS CHEEK. "YOUR WORLD IS..." HE TRAILED OFF. HOW COULD HE EXPLAIN THE MODERN WORLD TO HER? IF SHE BAULKED AT THE SIMPLISTIC PREMISES OF HER ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT, HOW COULD HE POSSIBLY EXPLAIN THE VAST PROBLEMS OF FEEDING A POPULATION APPROACHING EIGHT BILLION ON JUST THE CARBON PRESENT ON THIS PLANET, WITH RAPIDLY DEPLETING STOCKS OF CONCENTRATED PHOSPHORUS AND INCREASING LEVELS OF - HE BROUGHT HIMSELF BACK TO THE PRESENT, IN TIME TO HERE HER NEXT QUESTION. "IF THE LIAISONS... THAT IS, THE FOREST SPIRITS WHO TALK WITH THE HEALERS, BELIEVED THAT THERE WAS A DANGER, THEY'D TELL YOU... SOMETHING." HE SNORTED. "THEY DON'T WANT TO BELIEVE THERE IS A PROBLEM, BUT I'M GOING TO SEE IF I CAN CHANGE THEIR MIND. AND THEY DON'T THINK YOU CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH ANYWAY." HE SMILED AND SLID HIS BACK DOWN THE OUTER WALL, DOWN TO A SQUATTING POSITION. HE SNUGGLED HIS SHOULDER BLADES DEEPER INTO HIS COAT. "I THINK YOU CAN."

((Sorry about the absence! Wasn't sure quite what to write, and tests and all...))

[rose;]

"We could too," Kaleena protested indignantly, and a moment of pride washed over her when Peter said that he believed that she could, or perhaps he'd meant the tribe as a whole, but all the same. "Why do you think there's danger ?" The girl inquired, not quite understanding why they wouldn't believe him if he thought there was. Everyone relied upon everyone else in the tribe, and when one person said something, everyone else believed them. It just wasn't in any of their natures or needs to have to lie or mislead others. "Wouldn't they simply believe your word?" Perhaps they were different, not as open. Even Kaleena grew tired of how much she knew of her neighbors, keeping a few more secrets than the average person she knew.

[omg I don't know what to write ;-;]

[Artesian]

PERSONAL LOG NOTE, 10/29/2751
PETER NEARLY LAUGHED AT KALEENA. PERHAPS THE JOCULARITY IN HIS MIND SPILLED OVER INTO HIS VOICE, BUT HE COULDN'T TELL. "NO, THEY'RE NOT THE TRUSTING TYPE AND THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO'D RATHER THE TRUTH WASN'T WHAT IT IS." HE HOPED THAT STRANGELY PARSED SENTENCE WOULD MAKE SOME SORT OF SENSE TO HER. "SEE -"

THE DOOR TO THE BALCONY OPENED WITH A CRASH, AND PETER NEARLY FELL OVER IN SHOCK, HIS BREATHING HITCHING IN HIS THROAT AS HE BEGAN TO HYPERVENTILATE. IT WAS JUST JIMMY, RETRIEVING HIS COWORKER FROM HIS SOLITUDE, PROBABLY FOR HIS OWN GOOD. PETER NEARLY GROANED. "I HAVE TO GO, KALEENA. HOPE TO TALK WITH YOU SOON," HE SAID HURRIEDLY. AT HER RESPONSE - AND CLEARLY FEMININE VOICE - JIMMY FEIGNED HEART-STOPPING SHOCK (DISTRESSINGLY CLOSE TO PETER'S OWN FREAK-OUT AT THE DOOR-OPENING, HE NOTICED SELF-CONSCIOUSLY) AND REACHED OVER TO CLAP HIM ON THE SHOULDERS. PETER EDGED AWAY, AND CLICKED OFF THE COM.

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Surveillance Data, 172-395-701, 10/29/2751, 11:32:01 - 11:34:01 PM

An altercation on balcony. Zoom activated. Fuzzy close-up, refocusing. Ident running on two sentients in apparent argument. Weather conditions blur image with snow, sufficient detail still possible for court purposes. Humanoid, black haired, nervous body-language, blank-faced, replying. Insufficient resolution to determine words spoken. Siliconoid, silver augments, ident #32956927592, Jimmy. Enthusiasm expressed, but not reciprocated. Blush appearing on humanoid's face. Ident complete, Mr. Peter Giang. Denial apparent, gestures of annoyance. Hug initiated by Jimmy, stiffly accepted by Mr. Giang. Small smile, then, at new comment, another glare. Mr. Giang throws arms into air and storms inside, out of surveillance range. Classified as: Friendly altercation, no intervention required.

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SECRET LOG NOTE, 10/31/2751
After I returned home, I found my console had been hacked into by the inspection agents. I realized fairly quickly that if I was going to keep Kaleena and the other natives safe, I'd have to be discreet - and writing about my new project in my goddam diary was not going to cut it. This one, loaded on a chip exclusively on my wrist com should work. The encryption's not bad, enough to keep out casual hackers anyway.

On further review of the data, I found that there were significant abnormalities in the animal databases (which should have been the most accurate databases in the system. It couldn't have been an accident), so I decided to gather my own data. Perhaps on squirrels?

I had avoided calling Kaleena in the past day because of Jimmy's ribbing. (Has ickle Peterkins fo'nd a beau? Adorbs!) I'd need her help for something as difficult as counting the squirrels in a sector and monitoring their health. Somewhat reluctantly, I called her again, in the early morning around six.

------------------------

The communicator flashed on and blinked twice, then a quiet voice came out of the speaker. "Kaleena? Are you there?"

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((Yeah, we're kinda not going anywhere. We can wrap this up. After Peter gets the last of his data, he needs to send his report to his boss. Then he'll get his report back from the higher-ups, who reject his theories - and add that, if it were true, it'd be a death sentence for the natives because they can't adapt - so he's going to go down to visit Kaleena again. And pretty soon he'll take her with him to visit the outside world.

But fiiiirst... SQUIRREL HUNT! With Peter's ol' out of shape behind tagging along while muttering.))

[rose;]

Kaleena actually paused to think a moment about things, nodding slightly. "So they see the problem, but don't want to acknowledge it?" she asked curiously. She knew what that was like- she experienced it every day it seemed like lately. The lack of concern over the lack of deer, the inability of them to really take things like cold weather seriously. None of them would believe that the little children getting sick had anything to do with the bitter cold that came at night sometimes, even when that seemed to be one of the only times that they got sick. She was just about to ask something more when she heard an odd banging sound, her eyebrows drawing together, frowning as she heard the abrupt goodbye. "Oh, alright..." she said softly, looking at the small device and trying to figure out what to do with it. It seemed to have shut off on its own though. Once it had gone dark she reached over and picked it up, slowly getting up and stretching slowly before heading back to the camp.

Once she got back to the camp, the girl crawled back under her covers and took quite a while to fall back asleep, but she did eventually, and slept well into the day. By the time she was waking up she could hear the snorting and stamping of the horses, the jingle and creak of their tack indicating that they were going out soon. Kaleena sprang from her bed and pulled on fresh clothes for the day, wrestling her hair back into a ponytail as she ran out the door in her bare feet. "What's going on?" she asked breathlessly as she looked around, scowling slightly. "We're going out again. We need any kind of game we can get," she got as a response from one of the boys, only making her scowl more. "I'm coming along this time," she snapped, allowing no argument as she turned and went back into her tent, getting her shoes, and then a horse.

They traveled in the opposite direction as the group had the other day, but again they found nothing- only small game like rabbits and squirrels. They would do for soups or stews, the rabbit pelts would make wonderfully warm boots. It worried the girl beyond belief, but she kept silent about it, concentrating on not scaring away what little game they could find.

As days passed, Kaleena took to keeping the small device with her at all times in case he needed to get a hold of her, and she was rather impatient by the time that he did. They had not finished their previous conversation, and she was quite looking forward to talking to him again. She was down at the lake washing up when it beeped at her by her clothes, interrupting her in the middle of washing her hair. Scowling ever so slightly she drew nearer to the shore, twisting and squeezing her hair to get the water out. "It's really not a good time, Peter," she called, not quite willing to get out of the water yet.

[Artesian]

((Heh, sorry about the delay! I put this off, when you were busy, and then I just forgot to put it at the top of my list again.

I'll have it up probably tomorrow. I'll pm you, okay? :3))