Logging #BESM to 'logs\#BESM.Aniverse.log'
The_Guild	Logging. Did you have anything else you wanted to ask the Emissary before you left his office?
Alice	Nope, he seemed busy. It just leave
The_Guild	Okay. Where do you go?
Alice	Well the next thing I want to do is find out more about the Rauka. So I am going to go and look for a place to ~think~ up on Rauka and then head for the chief researcher.
The_Guild	You learn what you can about the Rauka - it's origins and it's observed abilities so far, and the results of the few attempts to engineer it to take on a human host. The Shargat Temond and his team are in Shargat Engineering.
Alice	Okay, can I compose some sort of semi formal document requesting to work with Temond on the project with the possibility of being a test subject and pointing out that my mental capacity might let me overcome the Rauka's reverse control? The document could be telepathic through the thinkers.
The_Guild	You can do whatever you want. Want to try it? :)
Alice	sure I make it up nicely with information about how it will be useful for the guide and feasiblity examiniation.
The_Guild	You do that and 'send' it off. You don't get an immediate response.
Alice	... okay. How am I feeling? Hungry? Tried?
The_Guild	It's kind of midafternoon now, so not really anything. Just the beginnings of hunger and tiredness, but nothing that needs attention at this moment.
Alice	~Where would I be able to meet with another Traveller~
The_Guild	~There are Travellers in Comestibles, the Library, Shargat Engineering, the Chamber, Administration and the Jinoeh, Talro and Kalarta Residences.~
Alice	~Please search for a traveller who is friendly, intelligent, likely willing and able to discuss travelling , and at one of those locations.~
The_Guild	~Harper Koeleh is meeting with Emissary Shim't-gek in Administration. Yeuvael Shonemata is in Comestibles. Wen Aloo is in the Library. Illostemartevana Poello is in Shargat Engineering.~
Alice	~Tell me aobut Shonemata~
The_Guild	~Yeuvael Shonemata is a Gangu female from the dimension Dettartham. Recruited into The Guild 173.04.16.-48 as a Shargat trainee, incomplete. Became a Traveller 89.06.04.-43. Credits include quelling of Yy't'n uprising in .-36, realignment of Bann in -18.~
Alice	Okay, I am going to send her a message, "Hi, my name is Alice Whitehouse and I am a new traveller. I would like to learn more about travelling. Could I join you for a meal?"
The_Guild	A message is quickly returned. ~You may. I've just sat down in Comestibles.~
Alice	~Thanks, I will join you shortly.~ Head off for Comestibles. ~Please send me a image of Yeuvael~
The_Guild	You receive an image of a pale, redhaired humanoid, sitting at a table in Comestibles. She seems almost wispy in her thinness, and a quick comparison of nearby objects shows that she is, indeed, barely half the width of a human, making up for it in height, as if stretched.
Alice	Interesting. Okay. when I reach Comestibles do I see her?
The_Guild	You certainly do. She's sitting exactly as you saw her in the image you requested. She raises a narrow hand as you look in her direction.
Alice	I node and walk over, "Hi, thanks for seeing me on such short notice. Can I take a seat?"
The_Guild	"By all means. What can I help you with my dear?" Her voice is sweet and low, surprisingly bass yet still obviously female. A sort of serene calmness fills her voice and indeed her whole being, a comfortable slowness which is almost mesmerising.
Alice	I drape my jacket over the back of the chair and sit down. "Well, as I mentioned I am new to travelling and I wanted to hear more about it directly from a traveller. To tell the truth I am new to all this. I only arrived here a couple of days ago and before that I knew nothing of dimension travelling, magic, or non human sentient life."
The_Guild	"You seem to be taking it all in stride. That is a valuable asset for Travellers to have. New dimensions can be overwhelming at times." A server comes to the table and takes Shonemata's order - something called sc'vama a'vnwpuha (and a glass of fruit juice). The server (an older gentleman with overly large ears, droopy nose and sad liquid eyes) looks at you inquiringly.
Alice	"Just coffee please. Black and strong." When the waiter leaves, "Thanks, I don't tend to have a problem accepting things which I can obviously see as true. It's a nack. So what sort of things to you find yourself doing? Apart from keeping calm, what assets should I try and make sure I have."
The_Guild	The old man nods and leaves. The Gangu folds her long fingers before her on the table and stares at you. "Travelling can be at times a bit boring, at times a bit dangerous, but most times quite exciting. Waking up in a new environment every day is an exhilarating experience." "Openmindedness is an asset. This moreso than anything else. Are you a particularly sensitive or empathetic person? While these traits have their applications, in some cases they will work against you, particularly in dimensions of pain and torture, where injustice is the Rule."
Alice	"No actually I can't say I am particularly empathic. Quite the opposite. I've always been a bit cold and analytical and I spent several years running away from various criminal organizations. That doesn't do much for ones sense of compassion." ... Alice's face is somewhat expressionless as she says this. It is a statement of fact, not a plea for sympathy.
The_Guild	"Nonetheless, nonintervention is the rule of the Traveller. Look but do not touch. Leave it to the Guildmasters to stick their fingers into the wheels of the machine, we are there only to watch over it."
Alice	"So I have heard, but what do that mean. Are we supposed to not act or are we supposed to not effect. For example, suppose that you are trying to enter a building. You could either sneak past with a high risk or telepathically knock out the guard and ensure that he has no memories of your passage. The first is no action, the second is no lasting effect."
The_Guild	"Knocking out guards does have a lasting effect. That guard could lose his job, the security of the building may be tightened, the incident could be reported in the newspapers. As soon as you interact with natives, whether or not they realize it, you risk creating inexplicable events and eroding the Believability Quotient of the dimension." "Besides, sneaking past at high risk is not so high risk when you have the sneakery ability of The Guild behind you."
Alice	"Interesting... What about hiding in plain sight. If one looks like a native and acts like a native, you can often hide better if you don't try. Would that be construed as interference?"
The_Guild	"No, that is not interference. That is how we work most often in established dimensions, in fact." Yeuvael pauses for a moment, then continues. "But you knew this already. It is how Vincent travels in your home dimension."
Alice	"True but I wasn't sure if that was an exception or the rule. I assumed it had to happen sometimes. Bringing me here was of course intereference but I can see that its value out weighed its cost. However those judgements are left up Emissaries, correct?"
The_Guild	The old man arrives again, carrying a tray. He sets your coffee (black, strong) down in front of you, and in front of Yeuvael he sets a plate with the head of some sort of three-horned anteater-ish type creature on a bed of blue lettuce.
Alice	Enjoy the aroma of my coffee for a bit while it cools.
The_Guild	"The judgement is made by the Traveller. The final decision, the authorization is made by the Emissary." "Or the Guildmaster, if there is one in the dimension." Yeuvael picks up a piece of the lettuce and nibbles it absently.
Alice	(Does she appear bored by the conversation?)
The_Guild	[Nope. She's the same centered calm as she has been the whole time.]
Alice	"So what talents or equipment do you find useful?"
The_Guild	"Telepathy is a useful tool, especially when you are first trying to blend in with a new culture. Wilderness survival skills are necessary, though a great deal of improvisation is needed from world to world, until you learn what plants to eat and what to avoid. Stealth, invisibility, tracklessness, concientious covering of your presence are completely vital."
Alice	I smile to myself. "Good, those are the talents I am likely to be able to acquire. Are you telepathic?"
The_Guild	She smiles, finishing her lettuce before picking up another piece. "I thought you would have deduced that already, knowing I was trained as a Shargat when I first came to The Guild."
Alice	Wry smile, "My knowledge about the Shargat is still a bit limited. Besides, it used to freak people out when I told them things about themselves which I had worked out. It really bothered people when I never asked for telephone numbers or addresses cause I had the directories memorized."
The_Guild	She smiles, chewing thoughtfully. "I gather you had a tough life. I have a feeling that you will fit in quite well here at The Guild." "There is another side to being a Traveller as well."
Alice	"Which is?"
The_Guild	"In addition to studying dimensions, you are also called upon to defend your dimensions from threat."
Alice	(So I take it your mightly spell book didn't save you from those fearsome little teeth} "My dimension... you mean my home dimension or what ever one I am in at the time?"
The_Guild	"The dimension to which you have been assigned."
Alice	Alice looks a bit shocked at the relevation that she might have to defend Earth. Alice looks more relaxed. "So I was told. This protect is preferably done without the knowledge of the inhabitants I assume."
The_Guild	"Of course. Sometimes the threat is not so damaging as would be the knowledge of the threat. If natives knew of the defense, eventually they might suspect the nature of the attack. Even that suspicion can be damaging to the coherence of a dimension."
Alice	"What generally are the nature of these enemies?"
The_Guild	"Visitors from other dimensions. Accidental travellers, rogue Gods, technological explorers, vagrant spirits."
Alice	"Okay, thanks. That's helped a lot. Everyone has been pretty hands off with me so far so I was good to finally get some answers. So how long are you stopped here? Do you a mission or are you on leave?"
The_Guild	"I am the senior Traveller to the Bann, Linshome and Editz dimensions. Right now there are a few Travellers in each dimension and nothing really of import happening, so my workload is fairly light."
Alice	"So what do people do on their time off around here?"
The_Guild	Yeuvael smiles, finishing off the lettuce on her plate and pushing it away. "Anything they want to, really. Personally I enjoy air gardening, but I also play the occasional round of Cuhati when my partner has time."
Alice	"I am at a bit of a lose end as far as that goes. It's been so long since I really had either free time or money that I have almost forgotten my old hobbies. Now sounds like a good time to rediscover then. Thanks for the talk." I get up.
The_Guild	Yeuvael flows to her feet as well. "If you have further need of someone to talk to, feel free to look me up. If I am here, I would be happy to meet with you again."
Alice	"Thanks, I appreciate it. Have a good day." I head out. ~Any reply from Temond?~
The_Guild	Yeuvael heads out through a different arch. ~No reply.~
Alice	How is my head feeling? Have absorbed all the information I have gathered so far today?
The_Guild	Yes, you have. What mathematics there are on the dimensional disposition of Shar Torin are yours to command.
Alice	I flex my new mental muscles. To herself, "Okay time for some new brain food." ~Send me a managable packet of physics are it relates to the new math I accessed. If I have capacity, also include in this order, quantum physics, temporal physics, high dimensional physics, the relation ships between physics and psionics, and the relationship between physics and magic.~
The_Guild	~And so it is. Formulae appear in your head and quickly sink into memory.~
Alice	Okay, I am going to head off and chew my mental cud.