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 Post Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 1:32 am 
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"Ahoy-hoy" Roger says answering the call.

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 Post Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 1:59 am 
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"Hey Roger, we've taken care of the bees, but we've got another mystery on our hands. All the hives were on a single tree and something about it just rubs us the wrong way. I'm trying to get in touch with Zalasbra. He wouldn't happen to be around would he?"

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 Post Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 8:49 pm 
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"I'm not sure where he is, but I can go find him." He turns to Piper, "Do you want to help me find him?"

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 Post Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 3:16 am 
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"Find who?" asks Piper.

Once this minor matter is cleared up by Roger, she smiles brightly. "Oh! I know how to find him. I'll be right back!"

She hops off Roger's lap and runs for the door.

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 Post Posted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 2:13 am 
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After a few minutes, Piper returns with Zalasbra in tow. She's playing a tune which sounds a lot like elevator music - though in her own (presumably Styric) style.

"I believe you have need of me?" Zalasbra asks Roger, paying no attention to the screen as of yet.

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 Post Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 8:26 pm 
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"Yes. You have a phone call." Roger says, indicating Nate's image on the screen. "Just talk normally. He can hear you."

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 Post Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 3:48 am 
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Zalasbra's eyes go very wide, and then narrow. "It's not him," he says. He leans closer to the screen, his nose almost touching it (with the incidental result that the camera placed just above the screen can only see the top of his head) and brushes his fingers over it. "It's an image... made out of... little dots? No sense of presence. Of time. No trace of scent, the texture is glassy and smooth - it's just a picture. A... moving picture?"

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 Post Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 4:00 am 
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"A moving picture with sound, Zalasbra, called video. The small device above the screen will relay your image and words back to me. A useful form of communication, which is why I'm using it now. We've gotten rid of the bees, but there's something that's not sitting right with us. All the hives were in the same tree, and in our experience, this is not a thing that is normal. We'd expect at least some of the hives to be located elsewhere."

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 Post Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 5:46 am 
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Zalasbra draws back in surprise, then looks up at the camera when his attention is drawn to it. Nate promptly gets a close-up look at Zalasbra's eyeball, followed by his finger as he taps on the lens. "Ah. I see. Glass again. Colour and sound, colour and sound... but nothing else." He places his hand flat on the screen. "No heat, none of the... invisible lights. The visible colours only. Useful, but...hmmmmm... not, I am thinking, completely impossible to fake, perhaps?"

It seems that introducing him to video calling for the first time may not have been the best way to get an immediate or straight answer out of him.

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 Post Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:35 pm 
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"Perhaps now is not the best time to discuss the philosophical underpinnings of digital imagery Zalasbra? Nate has a question for you."

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 Post Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 2:50 am 
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"Hmmmm? Oh. Right. All the hives on one tree." Zalasbra leans close to the screen, apparently to sniff it once again. "How much experience with blood bees do you have? It's hard to describe something as 'not normal' behaviour until you're sure what normal behaviour is. 'Digital', you call it. But what does it have to do with numbers?"

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 Post Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 3:23 am 
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"Sorry, normal for other species of bee and other hive insects. And that's why we're asking you. We're hoping you have a better idea of normal then we do."

The camera shakes for a moment and the view changes as Nate puts the tablet down.

"Tell you what, why don't I show you what we're talking about? I can use the communication system built into my suit to provide you with my point of view and you can advise us on any known hazards.

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 Post Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 8:43 am 
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Zalasbra steps back sharply when the screen jiggles, then slowly peers forward again. "I cannot," he says. "I cannot advise you on any hazards that would only be detected by smell, by a shift in the wind, by a change in temperature. There are many - many, many things in this world that can hide from even an attentive eye, and that which I do not observe I cannot warn of."

He clears his throat. "It's not safe to go too close to a blood bee hive. However... I do recall having seen several hives upon a single tree before. I am not sure that the situation is at all analogous - in the case I have in mind, the tree in question stood alone, and there simply were no other suitable locations for hives in the nearby area.

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 Post Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 5:03 am 
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"The hives have been dealt with and so far our suits have so far rendered us invulnerable to the bees. Believe me, I know that there are many possible issues with not being able to inspect something in person, probably better than most, but in any case, I think a fresh set of eyes might be useful."

Nate reaches to the tablet and after a moment, the picture shifts to the camera built into the helmet's communication system. Nate replaces his helmet and gloves and, leaving the tablet behind to act as a relay, heads back to the hives.

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 Post Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:32 am 
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It takes Nate some time to get back to the hives (or rather, where the hives were). Zalasbra passes the time by asking questions about exactly how the digital imaging works; he's quick and adept at learning new things, and Nate gets the distinct feeling that he's more than sharp enough to figure out when someone is deliberately hiding information from him.

--------------

Zalasbra quickly points out that the trees that are there seem to be in almost regular rows, and almost all of them apparently produce some sort of edible fruit (or, in the case of one variety, edible leaves). Zalasbra does not think that this is natural; it seems that you've stumbled upon a long-Abandoned Orchard. Zalasbra does suggest that it's possible that the original farmer did something to most of the trees to try to prevent insect infestations - depending on exactly what he did, how long ago, and various other factors, perhaps the protection wore off on a single tree before any of the others?

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