4th Gear - Video;

[gofortheoptics]

So, we all know that there's something fishy going on here by now.

But I think -- and don't shoot the skeptic here, because it seems we can't afford to have any men down -- that if there is going to be a threat, we want everyone to be capable of keeping in touch.

No man left behind, as it were.

To that end, if there are any people experiencing difficulties using their communicators, I'd be happy to help.

[A team is only as strong as its weakest member, right? You never knew when even someone who'd previously seemed useless would come through at an unexpected moment.

She brings the video a little closer to her face.]

I don't bite, I promise. So, any takers?

[Sooner was better than later.]

Comments

[gofortheoptics]

Well, the basic codes that you place on there to make something private. You can - alter it to be more complicated by placing additional commands in it. Or...

[She goes on, touching briefly on encryption and codes, since that seems to be ... popular here.]

[allucinator]

[This takes him longer, and he asks quite a few more questions-- but soon he nods again, scribbling furiously.]

All right. Is that . . . anythin' else I should know?

[gofortheoptics]

There's always the possibility that you could create your own programs to run on the device, but that will take a lot of time and experimentation.

[It might be worth it, though. Not everyone has an omni-tool.]

[allucinator]

How would that work? I mean-- if nobody else knows it, who'm I gonna talk to?

[gofortheoptics]

Like I said, you'd have to experiment. If you look at the coding for the device itself...

[She hasn't occasion to study them herself, being back and suddenly having more pressing concerns.]

[allucinator]

I-- all right. I'll experiment around.

[He rubs at the back of his neck, self-conscious about having (perhaps) asked a stupid question.]

Anyway. So-- you wanna learn how to draw?

[gofortheoptics]

I'm not really sure I'll be any good, but I'd like to learn.

[She lifts a hand. It's a three-fingered thing.]

This mask doesn't exactly lend itself to great depth perception, either.

[allucinator]

Can you take it off?

[He hands her a pencil, though, and opens his notebook. There's little doodles on the edges, people and hands and feet, but the main space is clear.]

[gofortheoptics]

Not without a lot of health risks. I don't know that a massive infection is worth learning to draw.

[She picks up the pencil and nods, though.]

Okay, so. How do we start with this? [She hadn't exactly given herself much time for creative pursuits -- she'd always been too wrapped up in becoming a great machinist. She could draw precise circuit diagrams if it was absolutely necessary, but little else.]

[allucinator]

Well, a good way to start is to look at somethin', so you got somethin' for reference. So--

[He reaches under the seat and grabs two books. He stacks them atop each other on the table and nods.]

That's a good place to start. And just-- sketch. There's an eraser, so if you think somethin' ain't so good, you can start over.

[He demonstrates on a piece of scrap paper: sketching a few lines, making a rectangular shape.]

Are you-- I mean-- you look like me? Two eyes an' a nose an' all that?

[gofortheoptics]

[She nods, picking up the pencil and looking to the stack of books. She can draw precise rectangles, but she does make some effort to sketch the edges of the book as they appear and not just as they'd look as simplified shapes.]

That's -- a tricky question. I have two eyes, a nose -- ears, but nothing is exactly like yours. I'm not human, even if I'm humanoid.

[allucinator]

What are you, then?

[gofortheoptics]

A quarian. I don't think you'd have heard of us.

[allucinator]

Nah. Tell me about em.

[gofortheoptics]

It's difficult to sum up a whole race quickly, but -- well. We're humanoid, but we have distinct differences.

[Like the hands and legs, for example.]

We're a very ... insulated group, in some ways. Close-knit, when we can be.

[allucinator]

Insulated how? I mean, we are too. We got families and friends and all that.

[gofortheoptics]

Ah, yes -- but our ships are separated from others physically.

[allucinator]

[He frowns.]

So just get on a ship with them you love.

[gofortheoptics]

Duty gets in the way of that, sometimes.

[She takes a breath.]

Besides, that's not an option here.

[And her parents were dead.]

[allucinator]

No, but . . . I mean, you could make more friends here. It ain't perfect, but it's better'n nothin'.

[gofortheoptics]

[She nods briefly.]

Of course. I -- made friends here before, but some of them aren't here any more.

[allucinator]

Oh.

[He sketches for a few more seconds before self-consciously adding:]

I'm sorry.

[gofortheoptics]

It's -- for the better, if they're gone home.

[As long as their home is safe, that is.]

[allucinator]

Yeah, I . . . yeah.

[He cranes his neck, looking at her drawing.]

That's pretty good!

[gofortheoptics]

[She blinks, glancing down at the paper.]

...well, at least it sort of looks like it's supposed to.