Stupid Floaty Jellyfish

Concordance Station Flight Deck

A high, broad chamber that serves as the flight prep and launch deck for the Concordance Station colony ship. A blister module high atop the port wall, above the entrance, serves as the control tower. To starboard, a wide slit opens onto the blackness of space. The cargo bay is aft. A muster room is fore. Burn marks and rubble from broken vessels litter the area.

The artificial lighting system has been adjusted to the dimmer night setting.

Kastaprulyi drifts out of customs, seeming to watch the guards. The little Centauran wanders over to Urfkgar.

Urfkgar grunts and scratches at his shoulder as he eyes the Centauran.

Kastaprulyi slides around him and offers a feeling of greeting. "Hello... What're you doing?"

Urfkgar shrugs and says, "Urf do stuff."

Kastaprulyi says, "What do you guess it means for others, that you do that?"

Urfkgar clacks his teeth together and shrugs again. He says, "Urf no care."

Kastaprulyi queries, "Why do?"

Urfkgar grunts and says, "Urf no stupid softskin. Urf no do stupid grabass stuff. Urf do marine stuff."

Kastaprulyi says, "Why do marine stuff?"

Urfkgar snorts and thumps his chest, saying, "Urf marine."

Kastaprulyi says, "Why do what makes your being a marine?"

Urfkgar shrugs and looks a little confused. So, he says, "Stupid floaty jellyfishy."

"Why do what being a marine needs?" the little Centauran queries the Zangali lounging by customs.

Urfkgar scratches hard at his shoulder as he stares at the Centauran with a lost look in his eyes. After awhile, he demands, "Why stupid floaty jellyfishy askerererer stupid askererer stuff?"

Kavian starts for customs, smirking softly at Kas and Urf as the jelly continues its standard interrogation.

Kastaprulyi explains helpfully, "Asking is good for finding out what isn't seen, heard."

Urfkgar grunts and says, "What stupid floaty jellyfishy care?"

Kastaprulyi describes thoughtfully, "Knowing for what, why, how people think is good for learning about people. Learning about people is good for communicating. Communicating is good for sharing, changing ideas. Sharing, changing ideas... is good.

Urfkgar snorts and says, "What morerer gooderer morererer idies? Urf no care. What mosterer goodererer idies?"

Kastaprulyi says, "Ideas that make the least confusion now, later are best."

Urfkgar snorts and says, "What idies no morerer stuff? Morererer stuff. Morerer bad stuff stuff. What no morerer idies no gooderer?"

Kastaprulyi says, "Always more ideas could be good, sometimes more doesn't help. Sometimes deciding ideas are no good can help until the later fixing."

Urfkgar shrugs and asks, "What mostererer goodererer idies?"

Kastaprulyi says, "Best isn't. Better is."

Urfkgar grunts and says, "Why mostererer goodererer morerer no goodererer no mosterer goodererer?"

Kastaprulyi seems to be 'listening' more closely to Urfkgar for any clues to interpretation. "Meanings are infinite. Probably one'll find better if looking long enough. Saying best for now, one of the best for now is more useful."

Urfkgar says, "Urf mosterer goodererer bashererer. What no mosterer goodererer idy?"

The Zangali radiates slight interest.

Kastaprulyi says, "Bad ideas don't need exaggerating to worse. Bad ideas are ones nobody anymore talks about, says are good, says are bad, uses, tries not using."

Urfkgar shrugs and says, "What mostererer bad idies?"

Kastaprulyi says, "What's said isn't so bad anymore if it matters to someone."

Urfkgar shakes his head and says, "No mosterer bad. What mostererer bad idies?"

Kastaprulyi says, "Talking about hurting people, not meaning only threat, isn't very good. Doing it, the one is confused about what would happen later. Not doing it, the one is confused about own actions."

Urfkgar grunts and says, "What no gooderer bash? Urf bash stuff. Urf mosterer goodererer basherer."

Kastaprulyi says, "Fighting means someone was confused, not fixed soon enough."

Urfkgar grunts and shrugs. He says, "Urf bash stupid stuff. What fixererer stupid stuff? Bash."

Kastaprulyi says, "People are good for things. Breaking one more than fixing is wasting what that one's good for."

Urfkgar grunts and says, "What stupid grabass softskin good?"

Kastaprulyi says, "All people are good for saying new things that can make sense."

Urfkgar shakes his head and says, "Nope. Stupid softskins mostererer stupid."

Kastaprulyi says, "Stupid is better than random."

Urfkgar grunts and says, "What?"

Kastaprulyi says, "What one can decide isn't useful is better that what one can't decide anything about."

Urfkgar thumps his chest and says, "Urf."

Kastaprulyi comments, puzzled, "You're a person. You say things that can make sense."

Urfkgar grunts and says, "Urf Zangali. Urf say grabass stupid softskin. Urf say no grabass stupid softskin. Urf Zangali smart."

Kastaprulyi agrees, "You can decide what's more useful."

Urfkgar nods and says, "Yup. Urf de-sibe stuff."

Kastaprulyi says, "People are better than what isn't people, because one can decide about what they say, or can decide about what they say after their thinking is fixed some."

Urfkgar grunts and says, "Urf do. Stupid softskins."

Kastaprulyi says, "Making what's a person into what isn't a person, one wastes the being able to decide anymore."

Urfkgar shrugs and says, "Urf make stupid softskin mosterer bad marines. Marines mosterer gooderer."

Kastaprulyi says, "Making better marines is good. That's better than more violence than healing."

Urfkgar shrugs and says, "Yup. Stupid softskins."

Kastaprulyi says, "Others can fix some thoughts in broken people, then you could fix more, prevent their being confused later by training as marines. Then there would be more useful people than if they were broken instead."

Urfkgar doesn't look too interested, mostly confused. He says, "Morerer goodererer marines. Bash morerer stupid stuff."

Kastaprulyi says, "Not being so confused matters more than being able to break things. Marines making confused people into marines would fix problems."

Urfkgar clacks his teeth together and says, "Marines bash stupids."

Kastaprulyi says, "That makes less people who could be smart if fixed."

Urfkgar shrugs and says, "Urf no fix stupid softskins."

Kastaprulyi says, "Someone can fix."

Urfkgar says, "No fixererededed. Urf bash."

Kastaprulyi points out helpfully, "You learned the kind of fixing that makes marines. You can learn the kind of fixing that makes people ready for that."

Urfkgar snorts and says, "Urf no care. Urf make marines. No marines. Stupid. Urf bash."

Kastaprulyi comments, "Making is better than breaking, not making anything."

Urfkgar shakes his head and says, "Urf no want stupiderererer marines. Urf no make mostererer stupid softskin mostererererer gooderererer marine. Marine. No mosterererer goodererer."

Cross walks onto the flight deck, just behind the Major. He stops short next to the Zangali.

Kastaprulyi says, "You can learn how to help people more than your giving training now."

Urfkgar shrugs and says, "Urf no train mosterer stupid stuff." He doesn't seem to notice Cross or Staunton.

Staunton stops and turns, hands folded behind her back. She wordlessly watches the exchange, brow knitted.

Kastaprulyi silently greets Cross and offers, apparently to the Zangali, "You can find one who could make good enough for your training. Then you can have more trained."

Urfkgar starts to look a little grumpy and says, "Urf no want stupid softskins marines. Urf seededed stupid softskin marines. Stupid softskin marines shootededed Urf. Urf no like stupid softskin marines. Stupid dumb mosterer bad stupid softsking girly."

Cross nods his head at the Centauran, watching the Urfkgar's outburst with a bit of amusement.

Kastaprulyi slips back from Urfkgar and mentions, "You can find one who makes people better than that."

Urfkgar shakes his head, looking a bit more cheerful, and says, "Urf hearededed morererer mostererer stupid bad dumb stupid bad softskin girly. Mosterer stupidererer bad stupid dumb stupid softskin girly stupid softskin place boss morererer times. Urf seededed. Urf throweded bar. Urf mosterer gooderer throwererer. Urf basheded all stupid softskins."

The small furrow in the major's brow deepens and is now accompanies by a bit of a frown. Still, she says nothing.

Urfkgar seems to be, for the moment, finished with most of his rambling. He satisfies himself with some grumbling as he starts a search of his pockets.