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stormlight archives: jasnah kholin

life quite simply marches on

» WHO? Jasnah Kholin and Open
» WHEN? Current dated
» WHERE? Medical research area, the halls of deck six, command station.
» WHAT? Passing time and recovering from sleep deprivation.
» WARNINGS? Nothing yet.

1. Alarm

There are very few parts of the station that Jasnah hasn't gone over with a fine toothed comb, but the back corners of the medical research room bear exploring. She's only beginning to build her familiarity with station technology, but it isn't difficult to suss out that the beds are some kind of institutional setting- she thinks clinic, but is also prepared to consider emergency shelter, or even schoolroom or nursery.

Honestly, for all show knows the cryopods are what passes for a prison on board. She's near one, considering its' usefulness as same, fingertips darting lightly over the panels, trying in vain to activate something.

Lost in thought, she completely misses the sound of approaching footsteps, and jumps, badly, at the shape of someone in the doorway.

2. Anger

Where the plants are concerned, Jasnah does as Prax tells her. It's the unglamorous part right now, getting the troughs in the walls ready for planting. Like everything else in the station, the planters are covered in a thick layer of grime and crud, a lot of it oily and all of it potentially toxic.

Jasnah has two buckets of water, both foamy with soap, a few rags. In a way, it's nice to have a place to put all the rage and impotence that she's been grappling with since the music ended. She can do precious little about being trapped here, but she can clean this storming planter until it's fit to sustain life. She can clean the next one, and the one after that. The activity swings between meditative and infuriating in its' own right.

She drags her hair back out of her face now and again, and eventually she finds she's got soap in i. Jasnah closes her eyes and breathes deep for a moment, regaining her composure and breathing out through her nose.

3. Resignation

When Jasnah is feeling graceful about things, she makes her way up to the command room with her notebook and pen and a cup of coffee, and sits down in front of one of the consoles. She reviews what she can find online, working for hours at a time. Everything they have access to, categorized in her neat script, cross referenced against everything else they know, searching for every detail that can be eked out.

"My deepest hope is that there are two of you," she comments, quietly, to the room around her. It's a silly superstition she'd picked up several weeks ago, carrying on a mild, one-sided conversation with the AI she theorizes living in the station walls, in one of her many potential hypotheses. She'd broken the habit while the music blasted, but it surfaces now as she gets into her notes again. Jasnah into the logic of the contents she's wading through, their idiosyncrasies, and it conjures for her the personality of her research.

"I would be extremely alarmed to learn that you were responsible for the week of sleeplessness. My charitable interpretation of that scene with the two mechanics was that you were driven by some necessity that we don't yet understand. If you're actually just homicidal and sadistic I will be both irate and disappointed."

It's probably a result of living all those years bonded to Ivory, who has been with her with a thought every minute of every day for nearly a decade. He's gotten Jasnah into the habit of chatting while she works.

This also won't be the first time she's been walked in on while commenting idly to an invisible (imaginary, in this case) companion.

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"Think I can safely say I ain't either of those things, though if the music had gone on another week, I wouldn't have made any promises."

He'd only just walked in the room to find her talking to herself, though given the content, he assumed she was talking to the Station itself. Given the fact that he quite regularly spoke to the Rocinante like she was a person, he felt a sudden rush of affection in Jasnah's direction, which caused him to smile despite the lingering terrible mood from the day before.

She glances up in surprise at the sound of his voice, and when she sees who it is, returns the smile- just brief, but there, nonetheless.

"He's taciturn."

Jasnah explains, and shifts in her chair so she can face the one next to her, a casual invitation for him to join her.

"You look rested."

Which is a change for the better.

"Finally," he agrees, sliding into the chair that was offered.

"Just came up to do my daily check over the life support systems and environment controls - didn't mean to interrupt your process."

"I'm doing work I've already done."

She says, with a shake of her head. He's not interrupting anything.

"Life support sounds like something I should know about. Let me see what you look for?"

While she turns to a fresh page of her notebook.

"Main things are Air and Water," He said, gesturing for her to look as he turned around to the right console.

"They're readin' green, and the station depletion is pretty minimal, which is good for us. But it's good to keep daily notes on the exact levels, in case we suddenly start usin' a whole lot more than we're 'sposed to."

"Green being good?"

Asking, because this isn't a schema she has on Roshar.

"What's bad, in that case?"

"Yeah, green bein' good. Red bein' bad, yellow bein' edgin' toward bad. Don't even ask me why, I ain't got a clue - it ain't like the system even works, if someone's colour blind. We don't actually use it anymore, it's mostly just a sayin', now."

He tapped on the console to bring up the readings, and they were, helpfully, in a bar graph with percentages.

"You bring them up through the side-"

Speaking along with the movements, and interpreting what she sees.

"-and numbers here are coded by colours as they diminish. So we are currently... where?"

"That's right," he affirmed as he closed the window and opened it again.

"Right here -" he tapped on one of the bars that was mostly full - it had a small amount of depletion, but not a lot. "My guess is we were basically full up, before we got here, so we'll be good on air and water for a little while, at least."

Hank pauses in the middle of his motion, embarrassed for having startled the other occupant of the labs. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't realize anyone else would be in here."

Jasnah might not recognize his appearance from their earlier meeting, as Hank currently has a dose of his serum in his bloodstream, but she might recall his voice.

"It's fine," says Jasnah, brow furrowing at the strange feeling- familiar, but clearly she's never met him before.

It's not like her to lose her memory. Perhaps during the sleep deprivation?

"Please- feel free. I'm certainly not getting anywhere on my own."

He moves to join Jasnah at the cryopods, fingers brushing lightly over the control panel of the nearest one.

"It's amazing... Ettinger proposed the theory of cryonics in 1962, but I never thought it would actually be possible. There are too many practical setbacks. I wonder how they've overcome the cell shrinkage and high salt concentration..."

Eventually, he realizes he's rambling and excuses himself. "Sorry, I'm a scientist from 1973. This is cutting-edge, very futuristic technology for me."

"We don't have 1963, Ettinger or cryonics on my world."

She admits, with a small smile of pleasure.

"Educate me as best you can?"

It's always pleasant to hear an expert speak.

He should have gathered that, honestly, from their earlier conversation about a whole race of blue people.

"Oh, well, where to begin?" He scratches at his temple, then crosses his arms. "Cryonics refers to the theory-- or, in this case, practice-- of keeping human bodies at low temperatures to prolong their lifespan. Originally, it was devised as a means of achieving immortality: freezing a body on its deathbed and resuscitating it once medicine has advanced enough to be able to cure whatever was killing it in the first place.

"These pods appear to be able to freeze bodies in such a manner, though the purpose of why they would be used is, even to me, a mystery. It's theoretically possible to freeze bodies in cryostasis for prolonged journeys through space, though I would think that would be found more often on a space ship rather than a station like this one."

He raises a hand to interrupt himself. "Though, as I said, the technology is far beyond what's possible in my time, so I can only speculate, really."

"I was under the impression that freezing would kill you?"

She asks, first, because obviously that's an assumption she's going to have to reevaluate.

"Now- there aren't nearly enough of these in here to accommodate a prolonged journey for the entire crew, based on the roster and number of quarters."

"Thus why it's only a theory in my time. They must have found a way to circumvent that particular problem."

He has no idea how, exactly, but they must have done it because here they are.

"Perhaps, then, it's the other use. Freezing someone who is sick or injured until a suitable treatment can be found."

Edited 2018-07-28 14:13 (UTC)

"It's not going to get any cleaner," Amos says after a while of watching Jasnah washing the same part of the trough five times over. She's making good work of it, but it's obvious that there is more to it than just the desire to clean up the hydroponics systems.

And he's been around since the day the farm had been opened, busy with taking care of plants and Prax alike. It's been a new home.

"You okay?"

"I am not."

She allows, eyes still closed for just a beat longer. She pulls her hair back, breathes in deep, and glances up at him.

"I'm reaching a point of diminishing returns here, when it comes to how calming I'm finding cleaning. I need to go do something else."

"Then do something else. All of these troughs need to be filled with soil, and we need to check them all to make sure the tubings are correctly connected for the water and nutrients once we've planted the seeds. Do that."

It's not an order, but Amos hopes it might help. He doesn't like feeling useless, himself. He gets it. Doing something prevents you from thinking too much about things you may not want to think about.

"If you need to punch something instead, the gym is a few decks down. I'll spar with you, but I don't know if that wouldn't be all against your delicate customs."

"Gym."

She proposes, drawing in a breath, and then specifying, since she's being terse.

"I'm already so well beyond the bounds of propriety, I might as well learn something while I'm here."

"What happens when you go home? You'll pretend none of this ever happened?"

Gardening was never a part of the Butler's designed tasks. His study of the station's garden, like other important aspects, has been curious but tentative, unwilling to damage anything.

It's rare he finds someone working to clean with quite such single-minded focus, even more rare for it to be Brightness Kholin.

"Pardon us. Would you like assistance, Brightness Kholin?" he asks when she shifts to breathe.

Is there an urgent reason for the cleaning, or would she appreciate company for any reason? The Butler wouldn't mind a task that helps, something less frustrating than trying to sort out the station's dangers and reasons.

"Oh, Butler."

She says, breathing out, and glancing up at him. Something about his presence calms her faster quicker than someone else might. It's because he refers to her so deferentially, she feels responsible for the pieces of herself she exposes him to.

"Thank you, yes. Your company would be a pleasant diversion.

An AI as valued company? The Butler finds it difficult to picture meeting that standard, although anything is an improvement on the week of non-stop music, he supposes.

"Shall I clean this section?" Brightness Kholin has made impressive progress, but the task is clearly not finished.

If she wants something besides a set of hands to clean, he's not sure how to open any helpful conversation.

"No."

She proposes, instead, hand sliding through his hair.

"No, let's go somewhere else. The observation deck?"

She proposes, instead. It'd be a good place to sit and catch her breath.

Looking at the stars from outside the station has not given the Butler any new fondness for them and the dangers they represent. Still, the view from inside is easier to cope with and remains one of the station's more aesthetic points. "Certainly, if you wish."

He's just relieved that the whole station is far more rational this week than last. It's hard to help anyone when no one makes sense.

"Thank you."

She says, tucking her bucket and cloth neatly to the side, and moving to follow.

"And how have you been since we spoke last?"

The Butler is not quite certain why he should be thanked, but he can try to answer that question. She would not ask unless she wanted to know, he believes.

"We are much relieved that the effects on the humans aboard seem to be fading, Brightness Kholin."

Worried also about the failure to find a reason for why these things began in the first place, leaving them all vulnerable to whatever comes next; but that is a feeling which has not changed since the very beginning of their kidnapped life.

"Thank you."

She says;

"That's compassionate of you. Do our pains impact you? I don't know whether or not you actually sleep."

If the music bothered him.

It's the first time that Vanessa has visited the medical research room. She hadn't noticed it when it first became accessible, too caught in trying to get back into some sort of routine on this station.

Exploring doesn't often come onto it, with the station itself already making her feel lost or hopeless and new areas adding to that. This room is even less familiar than the others and though in part it appears a hospital, the layout of the beds, there's more technology than ever.

But she isn't the only one looking at it and the fact that Jasnah is here comforts her a little. They're both unfamiliar, though Jasnah is more determined, bound to find some explanation somehow.

"What do you make of it?"

"Could it be some kind of bed?"

She wonders, looking it up and down, absolutely without context.

"Like a cot, for recovery from injuries, where someone has been hurt? If they need to remain still to set a bone."

It's the only thing she can think of.

"That was my thought."

The familiar layout, despite the appearance, had made them both think of the same thing. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"We should be relieved that we haven't had a great need for it thus far."

"We should figure out the source of these rumours of the dead returning to life."

Agreeing. She only heard vaguely about the woman in the zero gravity pool.

"There are such rumours?"

That was something new to Vanessa -- at least here. The only dead she knew that 'lived' were vampires though she believed that more would have been said if that were true.

"How long have they been mentioned?"

"Since we lost gravity."

She says, the first time she heard a whisper of it.

"Perhaps a network post is the best way to ask?"

"Can you trust it to provide an answer?"

Though that would depend on the question and source of the information to be gained. If it was to do with any deaths on this station would people be willing to speak of it? If it was someone that had previously been on this station Vanessa assumed that the information would have been more widespread by now.

"If it were more than a rumour surely we would have heard something already?"

"The people here would respond. Some would lie, some will kid, but we might get an honest answer in there, if only we can parse it out."

A one shouldered shrug.

"I want to check. Again- I'll put it squarely in the category of 'strangely deep powers' for a place that apparently needs us to accomplish something."

It seemed a little too in the air. Vanessa saw the merits of having the information but if they couldn't understand it or didn't get anything useful from it? It was better to be informed. One day they would be able to make sense of it, was the hope, and if they didn't have it where would they be.

"Perhaps it is simpler for them to resurrect those already here than to replace us."

As grim a prospect as it was.

"That's a possibility."

She agrees, mulling it over. It hadn't occurred to her. She finds herself biting the inside of her cheek, and then out and out admitting;

"I felt for a time as though I was beginning to grasp what was happening here, and now that I've completely lost the thread."

"It was always likely."

She'd experienced a similar thing at home -- the more she'd dug into the unknown of the demimonde, of the 'prophecy' the more questions that had been raised than answers given. Most of it was over now and Vanessa felt that she did not have all of the information still.

"Perhaps deciding what is imperative to know would tell us where to begin. Our other curiosities can be returned to later."

"All right."

Agrees Jasnah, giving into the desire to massage her temples, willing to play.

"What is it imperative to know?"

They can begin there."

"If there are people that have returned to life it may be wise to start there."

It was a scary prospect but it would no doubt be worse for those that it had happened to.

"Perhaps who and, if willing, the circumstances surrounding it."

"I'll ask."

Then, in that case;

"Who put the music on? Why? It was obviously to torture us; and if that's the case, do the other things that have happened fit comfortably into that pattern, or do we believe there's more than one actor here?"

"Could someone be so able to hide?"

It was likely given the fact that there were many areas that they were unable to access but Vanessa believed that they would have seen or heard something more. Or at least she hopes that they would have.

"What of your theory around something artificial?"

Or had that simply been the 'people' that she'd met? It still eluded her a little.

"Easily. There are large parts of the station we cannot access, and my theory hasn't been proven or disproven, about minds inside the machine."

And here, Jasnah is left with more questions, than avenues she can close.

"Then it is possible that we may not even find an answer."

At least to that particular question, as to whether someone was here. Not until they'd opened everywhere, at least.

"There is something else we could discover -- the purpose of this room, these machines."

Those more familiar with being in space may have ideas.

"People have been opening doors. We need to continue that effort."

She says, first and foremost.

"And I need to continue to follow the technical experts as their work unfolds. And to learn from them what I can- though that is a slow process. I've never had a subject that I was so far behind in."

"With how many are here we could take multiple paths."

Vanessa had been initially working on the doors, even discussing some of the later clues. The 'technical experts' she would leave to Jasnah -- if she was behind Vanessa wasn't certain that she could catch up in it.

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life quite simply marches on

Resignation

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