Trouble the Waters: Brainstorm

Landing Pad 


 * Both the size of Ulbahno Subcity's landing pad, raised ten meters out of the water on thick metal poles, and the amount of traffic arriving and departing it suggest that it is one of G'ahnlo's major trade hubs. One section of the massive tarmac contains a number of small hangars and facilities for maintaining, launching, and recovering suborbital aircraft for transport between the planet's many subcities, and not a single half-hour passes when one of the twenty-meter vessels doesn't power into the sky and rapidly climb out of sight.


 * The majority of the pad, however, contains facilities for servicing, loading, unloading, and fueling interstellar vessels. Upwards of sixty freighters and dropships are arranged chaotically, covering almost every inch of available landing space. Dockworkers, cargo transporters, and technicians scurry around beneath the ships in a carefully choreographed dance, unloading or loading cargo and attaching fueling hoses in an efficient effort to get ships turned around and back to the trade routes as quickly as possible. From the pad's eastern edge, a tunnel dips beneath the waves and heads towards the subcity.


 * Dark gray stormclouds obscure the afternoon sun completely, a torrential downpour of heavy raindrops falling from them. Thunder rumbles in the distance.

Volouscheur nods quietly. She and Ruin are sitting on the ramp, Scheur scooted back out of the rain while Ruin has an umbrella. ~Mmm....when it stops raining again, do you want to go into the city or something?~

"...I *want* to get Jan's brain back," Ruin grumbles. "If he weren't my oldest friend - God, sometimes I could just punt him. Really." He laughs a bit, short and bitter. "I want to snap 'he's so *stubborn*' but Leodh is too. It's just I never want to drop kick Leodh for it."

"Scuse me," Leodhais says as he edges out from behind Scheur from the ship. Once outside, he pops open an umbrella and heads down the ramp, glancing up, a rather pleased smile on his face at the thunder. "Mmm." He tilts his head slightly at Ruin, just overhearing the last bit. "I'm glad?"

Volouscheur scoots to one side and smiles at Leodh, offering a feeling of greeting. She shrugs to Ruin, ~I'd suggest getting Iast to try and go in and fix it, if I didn't think that Jan would never consent to it.~

"Of course he won't," says Ruin shortly. "In the NLM he'd have taken Iast's help over medication - at the cost of his career. Now he won't even take that, because God-in-Heaven he might actually get better and then people wouldn't pay attention to him." He runs his hand over his face with his non-umbrella-holding hand. "Sorry, Leodh. Didn't mean to get on your case. It's just Jan...and me thinking hoopin' hell there's better things for our doctors to be doing than treating - or dealing with - a hypochondriac drama queen."

Leodhais smiles and puts a hand on Ruin's shoulder. "I don't mind, it's okay. I was actually off to the city to get some supplies, what're you all doing out here on this lovely stormy morning?"

Volouscheur shrugs, ~Seeking refuge from Jan, myself. He was still asleep when I came out here.~ She peers out at the sky and relaxes.

"...Just getting a little space," Ruin admits. "I'm not a big fan of rain, but the white noies of it on an umbrella is meditative." He seems to watch it drip off his umbrella for a bit. "...There's so many things we could be doing. Malaria in the islands, and the government may not *have* the doctors to send but Frey already told me she can't go. Some kind of permission problem..." He reaches out his hand to one of the streams of water coming off his umbrella, letting it run over his hand. "That's just...stupidly wrong. People die."

Leodhais frowns to himself and nods, looking rather sad. "...the little things, just keep growing," he muses to himself.

~...I know. But...talked with Iast, when he was still with Winston Memorial. He /had/ to be a part of the hospital, because of insurance or something. The hospital would've gotten in trouble, if he hadn't been a part of their 'insurance plan',~ Scheur says softly. Her aura shifts towards a pale blue tinge.

"But...that's just paperwork," muses Ruin, apparently watching the water on his hand. "People are dying over *paperwork*. Iast's got the money for insurance, I bet Frey does too..." he pauses. "Alandra doesn't, though."

Leodhais blinks a bit as a particularly loud boom of thunder goes off overhead, glancing up. "Should be a group that just takes care of the paperwork so the doctors can go where they're needed," Leodhais says absently. "It'd save time and lives."

Rathenhope sticks his head out of the airlock, umbrella in hand. He nods quickly to everyone. "Ruin.... meant to ask you this yesterday... Dement needs to know who's coming to the dinner thing."

Volouscheur jumps a bit at the boom of thunder and nods, ~Yeah. ...they'd have to talk to people, though. Governments and doctors...we'd have to get them together...~ She pauses and then blinks at Rath, offering a feeling of curiosity.

Ruin smiles slowly. "...Yeah. 'Someone' should," he says. "Watchers should. Should've done so a long while ago - and we've even got a world to start on that needs it..." he stops, derailed. "*WHAT* dinner?" he asks, blank.

Leodhais looks back at Rathenhope, also confused. "Huh? To Ruin he nods and smiles. "I know I'm not one, but...you know, if I can help..."

Rathenhope blinks slowly. "...Dement said yesterday he'd asked the Haste's crew via you to dinner some time..."

Volouscheur considers, ~We'd need to get the doctors - Iast and maybe Alandra - together at first...and start talking to governments. Getting them to agree on a series of tests or something that can satisfy all the governments involved, and...hmm....~ She says to Leodh, suddenly, ~You could help, yeah. We're going to need to get the word out via the media, not just word of mouth. So you could interview Iast, for one, other doctors as they join...~

" 'Sometime' is an indefinite future time," says Ruin shortly. "Give me a definite and I can give an answer. At any given time we're all over the Orion Arm, these days." He blinks several times, almost visibly switching tracks as Scheur shifts the subject back. "...Yeah," he says, a slow smile spreading. "Get a group of doctors - maybe get Frey on board with it - get you all through the process, maybe incorporate to share the insurance cost around, government's - well, Jeff could help there, at least for New Luna..."

Leodhais nods, looking thoughtfully at the sky. "...could talk to Amanda," he says rather absently. "Or whatever would help."

Rathenhope blinks again. "So he didn't ask you?" he asks, sounding rather confused. "...But he said that's why he came on board and that you were taking a while with the answer."

Volouscheur nods quietly to Ruin and Leodh, ~...we wouldn't have much trouble getting permission from Vollista, as long as we're all qualified and know the proper rites and everything...~

Ruin twists around to give Rathenhope a baffled look. "He said 'sometime'. Would we come over for tea 'sometime'. Which I couldn't give an answer to, since our schedules are all crazy. If he's *set* a time, tell me what it is and I can give an answer." He looks at Scheur blankly for a bit, trying to pick up the thread of thought again. "...New Luna, Vollista, Leodh could talk to Sivad...Gena Ungstir, Rath the Republic..." he blinks. "We've got a great mix here, don't we?"

Leodhais nods. "We do," he says in agreement.

"...Ahh, I see," nods Rathenhope, then pulls out his PDA. "...I'll check." He suddenly blinks at Ruin. "Talk to the Republic about what?"

~About setting up an organization that helps doctors get permission to perform on multiple planets,~ Scheur says helpfully to Rath. ~..mmm...we'd need an insurance provider or a sponsor or something, wouldn't we? Otherwise we're back to square one..~

Ruin nods. "And Jeff or Frey may be able to help us there - or at least put us in touch with someone who can," he says. "Watchers may start it but we can't *finish* it, it's got to be for doctors...Scheur, will you talk to Iast about it? Would he be willing to work with other doctors? Get enough of you together and you can get a cut rate on insurance, incorporate...if there isn't a standard then we can *set* one, just to get it started?"

Leodhais nods, just listening for now.

"..Oh, I see," nods Rathenhope, then blinks as his PDA goes off almost immediately. "..Wow, that was quick... he says Sunday 6pm local time..."

Volouscheur nods quietly, ~I'll talk with him. And yeah, he should be. He worked with other doctors all the time, back at Winston...~

"Different crowd this time," Ruin notes. "Doctors who want to travel. And Leodhais? Could you drop your friend in the Foreign Office a line, about Sivadian medical licensing requirements? See what it'd take for someone to be able to freely practice there? Two worlds is at least a start, and Vollista'd make three..."

"I will," Leodhais says as he gets out his glasses first, and then his PDA, starting to type with one thumb - not letting the rain ruin that little piece of equipment, nope!

Rathenhope types into his own PDA, quiet for now.

Volouscheur just settles back, presumably communing with Voliast. Or maybe she's staring off into the sky. Could be either, really.

"Oh - and yeah, I can make that, barring acts of God or Jeff," says Ruin to Rathenhope, a bit distracted. "...I need to get Frey on the line. This is just the thing to drop in her lap. As a starting move, we can get interested doctors cleared to treat on New Luna, streamline it maybe, so they're free to help in the islands - meh!" he stops, shaking his head. "Too many unknowns, I'm not a doctor. Start with what I can do - get doctors talking."

Leodhais clicks send on his PDA, the little device emitting a little jingling noise, like the bell on a cat collar - indication that the message was sent successfully. He repockets his PDA, and then takes off his glasses, rubbing a hand across his eyes as he adjusts. "I've written Amanda," he says to Ruin.

Rathenhope nods quietly. "..Ok, I'll let him know. You two?" he asks of Leodh and Scheur. "Dinner on the Seek, 6pm local time?"

Volouscheur nods quietly, ~Works for me. Just told Iast about it. Might take him awhile to reply.~

Ruin nods. "I'll drop Frey a line," he says. "We'll see if we can't set up a meeting of doctors - see what you'd need, and what you can do yourselves, and then I'll take that..." he shrugs. "Wherever it needs to go. Jeff, Seale, wherever. We'll create a medical corps that can go wherever it's needed." He grins. "That's something I'd be proud to have got going."

Leodhais smiles at Ruin. "Yes," he says in agreement, flinching slightly just as another one of those loud cracks of thunder goes off right overhead.

"Okay Scheur," says Rathenhope with a nod. He jumps slightly as the thunder cracks, nearly smacking his head on the airlock. "..Leodh?"

Volouscheur startles as well, aura flaring yellow. Once she settles down again, though, she nods to Ruin, ~I think Iast would be happy to work with this, too.~ Scheur murmurs, ~As opposed to, y'know, working with the Watchers or being a member of the Watchers.~

"Good," says Ruin, jerking a bit as the thunder claps. "And no - no affiliation. Watchers will just get it started; it's not our work to finish."

Leodhais looks blankly over at Rathenhope, his expression going almost icy, though not directed at Rath. "Huh?"

"...Dinner.. on the Seek...?" Rathenhope asks patiently. "..6pm local time, Sunday."