Dead Star Dockyards

Diana recognized that she and the soda would not be the center of attention fairly early on. This development, while a tad disappointing from a preparation standpoint, was still extremely extremely beneficial in the pursuit of her goals. 

"And you say you can live in there?"

"For an extended period of time, yes." She didn't want to admit a lack of specific knowledge, so whenever a line of questioning arose that might delve into such matters, she did her best to guide the conversation somewhere else.

"How long?" Trebar in particular appeared to be very interested in those very specifics. "You mentioned it had a kitchen, right?"

Diana could only imagine his interest in the Pegasus, aside from the obvious factor that it was a new ship, was borne from a background in military affairs. As someone with a basic understanding of logistics, the art of moving objects and people from one place to a different place, she had to imagine that being shown a tool that could break through the barrier of those wooden boats was making his mouth water.

"I think that really depends on how much food we bring and what it is. Fruits won't store as long as something like grain, so we are limited in that respect." A lie. Diana didn't want them to know about their ability to fabricate 'nutritious material', more so because it was disgusting than to conceal their capabilities. 

"Of course. I assume you can clean your own water?"

"Yes. It goes through purification processes."

"And the remaining waste?"

"I . . . I don't know." Diana felt justified in her lack of education on the waste disposal process. She didn't like to lean into her being a woman to get out of certain situations, but this one felt justified. "That would be a question for Donovan."

"I had thought as much. Speaking of which, where is he? I saw Cayzi pulling on his sleeve earlier before heading off, but I didn't see where to." 

Diana had suspected Donovan left as she hadn't heard his voice recently, but she had faith that he was be mingling with other people. Of course, this faith had been predicated on the proposition that someone would display interest in his field of expertise. She supposed that she hadn't been 'betrayed' so to speak on account of Cayzi being one of their guests on the flight back. 

"Titanyana, do you know where Donovan went?" Titanyana, still working on her socialization skills, had been entertaining a few men from the Holifanian entourage with stories about Nekh and her life up to this point. Diana recognized them as part of the intelligence arm given the darker clothing and subdued insignia, she had been introduced to a few of them as sources of wisdom regarding external etiquette, customs, and culture.

"I saw him and . . . a child walk over to the Pegasus." Titanyana was trying too hard to look composed, coming off as overly stiff in a casual setting. "I can go get him if you would like."

"Oh, no. He may not like to participate in social gatherings, but he won't distance himself without reason." Diana considered for a moment why he might have gone to the Pegasus, and immediately settled on Cayzi. "Trebar, what type of child would you consider Cayzi to be?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I just want to know how to approach him." Diana scritched the back of Titanyana's neck, the momentary pleasure making her relax slightly. "I can't say that I have a good idea of his personality from our few interactions."

"I can't imagine you would have any trouble with Cayzi. He's a good kid all around."

"Cayzi's a bit shy, but won't flee from conversation." Zhoie filled in for Trebar, understanding that Diana wanted to know for Donovan's sake. "He is also a very curious boy. I've only known him for a few days at this point, but every time he and Trebar talk it's about how something works or what the purpose of various things are."

"Is that so?" Diana handed her empty glass to one of the staff. "Shall we go see what the two of them are up to?"

"No need." Bishop Kayes snatched Trebar's glass and finished the last bit of wine. "The two of them are an intense discussion about battleships and battleship related topics."

". . . was that necessary?"

"Were you going to finish it?" Kayes raised an eyebrow at his former disciple, who didn't contest the accusation. "Anyways, Cayzi is a shy academic with a strong sense of duty. He can be a bit difficult to hold a conversation with if the topic doesn't involve his interests, but that's usually because he struggles to reconcile differences in status."

"Differences in status?"

"I am one of the few Bishops who operate beyond the borders of the Theocracy, most often in a diplomatic function but primarily to handle foreign threats and escaped criminals. As a result we often deal with both the highest and lowest strata of a given planet, and there is the expectation that he should act according to his status."

"Below the nobility, above the rabble." Trebar wrapped an arm around Zhoie. "And yet we must also be above the nobility and below the rabble."

"Show deference to kings, accept deference from peasants, present hostility to evil, and generosity to the virtuous." Kayes offered his empty glass to another waiter, accepting a full glass in turn. "It's a simple set of rules in principle, but it can get difficult in the middle."

"How do you mean?"

"When faced with the lord of the land our approach is obvious, the same when faced with a peasant, but how should one approach someone of the lower nobility? What of an esteemed knight? Or a commoner elevated to a high station? What about a disgraced member of a royal family? Someone removed from the line of succession but still holds a great deal of respect?"

Diana nodded along. She hadn't needed to struggle quite so hard with this given they maintained a level of independence. 'The middle' was not a perspective she had much experience with, especially considering she had limited interaction with 'the bottom' in an official context.

"For us, this question gets that much harder to parse out when we also consider the actions, behavior, and reputation of a person. How do you present yourself to a king with a murderous reputation? What of a child in the slums who gives the little bread he could steal to his ailing father?"

"I believe the official answer to all of those questions is casual indifference, no?" Trebar's remark earned him a flick to the forehead.

"Only for zealous idiots who think nothing of status. For those who display even a smidgeon of intelligence and respect for the norms of other realms, there is a modicum of leeway." Despite the finger being pointed in his face, Trebar was grinning. "Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that Cayzi doesn't know how to casually interact with high status individuals and people he doesn't know much about unless they share an interest."

Diana locked eyes with Kayes for a moment, long enough to get the message. Kayes wanted to use this as a learning opportunity for the boy, and give him a chance to make a friend. 

"I hadn't asked because I felt it inappropriate, but will you be leaving us when we arrive at Nectar?" The Montaug had hinted to Diana that Bishop Kayes was to act as their bodyguard outside of the Sanctum, however she didn't know if this assignment extended beyond this initial voyage.

"Cayzi and I will be with you for quite some time, should you find our presence amenable that is. The Archbishops have invested more than just a few resources into you, and they would very much prefer they get a return on them, so they've tasked me with being your escort." So, it wasn't supposed to be as secret as Diana thought. "Oh, and don't feel bad about preventing me from performing my usual job. I had intended to return to the Theocracy for a few years to handle Cayzi's formal education around this time anyways. You've just provided me the opportunity to do so while being useful."

"In that case, it is a pleasure to be working with you."

"Likewise."

"Shall we head over to check on them?" Diana's proposal went against Kayes' suggestion to leave them be, but she had her reasons. 

- - - - -

"And what's this?"

"That's where all the ship's communications systems like radios are. We call it a Radome."

"The ball thingy on top? Don't radios need an antenna?"

"They do, but that dome isn't the antenna. All of the bits that communicate with other units are underneath it, the dome is just there to protect them from bad weather and other forms of interference." Donovan imagined that the radio systems Cayzi had been familiarized with were probably a mess of long and short-wave senders and receivers of obscene scale scattered all about a ship's superstructure. 

"But . . . how does the radio antenna get a signal from inside of there? Won't the dome block it?"

"That's . . . Cayzi, how much do you know about radio waves?"

"I know that they are a type of light, I think."

"That's correct, but 'radio' light and 'visible' light aren't the same thing. They might act the same way overall, but they have a few differences."

"How so?"

"You agree that solid materials will block light, correct?" Cayzi nodded. "Things like metal?" Another nod. "Wood? Cloth?" More nods. "What about water?"

"But water isn't solid."

"That's true, except it isn't, is it?" Cayzi tilted his head, stunned by this seemingly stupid statement. "What if you freeze the water into a solid? Does it stop being see-through?"

"It- kinda? It usually gets cloudy and white, like snowflakes." Donovan hadn't considered Cayzi never having seen clear ice, which threw a wrench into the flow of his explanation.

"What about glass?" The lightbulb lit up in Cayzi's head. "Glass is a solid, yet light - visible light - passes right through. Would you believe me if I said that glass blocks certain wavelengths?"

"It does?!"

"A section of the spectrum in the ultraviolet range if I remember correctly." Donovan had to admit this subject wasn't his specialty, so he was playing it a bit vague on the details. "Now what does that mean for radio waves?"

"Does that mean there are materials that are like glass for them?"

"I think that analogy works well enough."

"That's so cool!!!" Cayzi pawed at the screen, a vain attempt at displaying what was underneath the dome. "What is it made of?"

"I'm not sure. I think it's a plastic, but it might be a special alloy or composite. It has to be resistant to saltwater, after all." Donovan contemplated asking about how Holifanian radios worked, but decided against it. Even if Cayzi did know how they operated, Donovan himself didn't understand enough about radios and their history to put a pin on their relative development. If they had stopped all progression at the level of the battleships in that book, Donovan figured they were probably somewhere in the 1930's, maybe even the early 1940's if their entrance into the galactic stage left them with a few years of lag between design and construction. 

"What's this about saltwater?" Donovan shut off the tablet as Diana ascended the ramp, placing it to the side with some level of guilt. "Are we going to a beach?"

"No, we were talking about how seafaring vessels can keep sensitive components from corrosion."

"That seems like a bit of a strange topic to bring up at a party." Diana's face betrayed her disappointment.

"Has Morizo arrived yet?" Donovan elected to ignore the expression and deal with the consequences later, completely unaware she was acting. "Is he late?"

"I believe he would be considered late at this point, but I don't mind." Diana beckoned those behind her up into the ship. "Have you thought about giving everybody a tour?"

"A few people, not everyone though. Do I need to refill the soda?"

"I'm sure Cherry would appreciate it." Diana turned her attention to Cayzi, who had gone slightly pale at the sight of both Kayes and Trebar before him. "Cayzi, would you be a dear and go get a few people for us?"

"S-sure!"

"Perfect. I would like you to retrieve Gawan, the Montaug, and Prince Merndil. If the prince wishes to bring a portion of his entourage along he is free to do so." Diana let the boy scuttle along before remembering something important. "Oh, and make sure you come back with them."

- - - - -

"Is there a reason you've sent Cayzi out to gather everyone? Were we not capable of doing so ourselves?"

"Perhaps, Bishop Kayes, but did you not say that Cayzi needed experience in dealing with people of varying status and moral standing?" Diana smirked, feeling herself to have given Kayes some help on that front. "They should be good practice for him, even if they don't vary much in terms of morality."

"I understand that, but the Prince-"

"Won't be an issue. He is much more relaxed and accommodating than you would think. The Bulsarzian Emperor has a duty to listen to every petition brought to his court, and he has taken that to mean he must listen to everyone who stands before him. So long as Cayzi maintains a basic level of respect, he will be fine."

"If you say so."

"Were you ever this protective of me?"

"You didn't need it." Kayes dismissed his former apprentice while keeping an eye on the current one. "If anything, I needed to protect the everything else from you."

"I wasn't that bad!"

"I seem to recall you challenging a few lords to duels?"

"That was-"

"An accident? I suppose those words just fell out of your mouth then? Without any input on your behalf?" Kayes shot Trebar a mean look, implying that he wasn't quite over those antics of his after all these years. "It is my duty to watch over him."