Twenty-Nine Bells: [Action/Voice/Written] FORWARD-DATED to the 19th and 20th

[simplestgift]

[Today, Archie is on the beach. He has a couple of homemade instruments with him that might look odd to someone who isn’t a sailor—a quadrant and a sextant. He also has a gigantic container, the type one might bring on picnics with lots of family, with some drink or another inside. Spread out on the dock is a tattered blanket, two large books lying open, and scattered forgotten foodstuffs and folded blankets. The one object which never leaves his hand is a watch.

Anyone with any sailing experience would see, when he’s using the tools, that he’s determining the sun’s altitude at varying times of the day, probably as a way to check his current latitude. He’s especially focused when the sun is at its zenith. He jots down observations and calculations in a small notebook.

Usually an experienced lieutenant wouldn’t sweat this much over a routine, but Kennedy always did this as little as he could even back home after moving from the midshipmen’s berth to the ward room, and hasn’t done it since coming to Luceti over a year ago. As the Britannia’s undisputed first lieutenant, however, he is suddenly worried he won’t be able to do this at all after so little practice. Therefore, he has to prove he can do this, as much as he hates it. Always he checks his watch, measuring the time throughout the day and night. This is why he brought so much coffee.

At around six in the evening, when he’s finished plotting his position upon the planet or given up on it, he’ll send out a spoken message.]

[To Elizabeth Swann; filtered 78%]

Elizabeth? The sun is about to set. Would you like to meet me at the docks?

[The next morning, he jots down his findings on the journal network. First is a set of numbers schoolkids and navigators could recognize as latitude and longitude.  Then:]

A solar day here is the same length as one on Earth. On the other hand, our position doesn’t correspond with anything that would make sense on Earth. At least, not to my reckoning. I plotted it while standing on the beach, where there used to be a desert till it was flooded. Nevertheless, aren’t all planets possessing of different solar and lunar days? Why should this one correspond exactly with the one I’m from?

Have I done something wrong?

Besides assume the existence of Greenwich upon this planet, of course. Perhaps Luceti should be reckoned the prime meridian when we make further observations about the longitude of other locations?

[There is no way to determine whether or not the Barrier provides too much refraction of light for the measurements to be accurate, either--something he hasn't really considered, even though he's plenty aware of the phenomenon.]

Comments

[voice]

[makeitquick]

What's a Greenwich?

[voice]

[simplestgift]

A city back in England. The meridian that runs through it is...well. Do you know what a meridian is?

[voice]

[makeitquick]

No.... don't think so.

[action]

[abidinglaw]

[About thirty feet away, behind Archie, Norrington gently clears his throat.]

[action]

[simplestgift]

[The way the lieutenant spins around reveals just how absorbed he was in one of these books.]

...Admiral.

[action]

[abidinglaw]

My apologies. That is delicate work indeed.

[And he is sincerely regretful for having brought that reaction about -- he knows well enough that a single mistake in these matters can carry a heavy price.]

[voice]

[fulltimeoz]

The lunar cycle's the same, too.

[it's a quiet observation. He's been comparing the waxing and the waning of the moon to back home and coming up with some eerily similar conclusions to Archie]

[voice]

[simplestgift]

I thought it might be. [He's pretty sure he can trust a werewolf on these matters.] The lunar day, as well?

[voice]

[fulltimeoz]

As far as I can tell. If it's off, it's not by much.

[ action ]

[wouldntbetonit]

[Oh look Archie. It's your favorite person in the world - William Bush! He's doing that creeping thing he's so fond of and finds the fact that you're charting the sun absolutely fascinating. He might not understand a damn thing you're doing but it's interesting nonetheless.

Or, at least, that's his excuse.]

Don't want to lose your edge?

[Ah derp. He fails at these small-talk things.]

[ action ]

[simplestgift]

[Archie squints over at Bush.] Trying to get it back, really.

[action]

[captainhornblower]

Remarkable, Archie.

[It's all he says to announce himself after seeing the longitude and latitude written in the journal. With Archie at the beach, Horatio had taken up a post on his second-home in Luceti (though, admittedly, he sees it more "home" than the house, but he does not often say that) on Britannia.

At the announcement, he'd started walking, and he'd found his lieutenant easily enough.

...And, of course, just as it might have done for the studious young man on Justinian, the little notebook catches his eye. No doubt the observation and figures the man had spent the better part of the day working on. He makes a small gesture to it, and then:]

May I?

[action]

[simplestgift]

[Archie hands the notebook over to his captain without a word. He would definitely feel more confident in his findings if Horatio "Math Junkie" Hornblower looked over them.]

[action]

[captainhornblower]

[Horatio holds the book open with one hand, following the lines of observations and equations and calculations with the fingers of the other.

There's something comforting about the black marks on paper, the familiar numbers and equations. He has a few similar things done and... And he had kept an eye on their course during the draft at sea. Granted, being immediately in the middle of the sea and piloted and attacked had made it difficult, but he'd at least tried to track their course.

All of that had been lost, though, because he had not had his chart in hand when they'd been brought back from that draft. He'd been too injured to think of it then, and then it had seemed meaningless, but now... Now, he wished he had it. Wished he could add to the information Archie had.]

Remarkable.

[He can't help but smile over at Kennedy. He's not done yet, but he's pleased.]

[written]

[awhitecrow]

[Around six in the evening, Jonathan Hollom is cooking. But he has his journal open and listens to the announcement from Mister Kennedy.

Reasonably, if he wants to claim any sort of distance from the Navy, he ought to not respond, not really understand what's being talked about. But the idea of trying to plot a position on a globe is fascinating.

So he simply... jots down a quick message. Nothing too damning, he hopes.]

It would seem, Mister Kennedy, to answer properly be reasonable enough to consider this a common point to base other findings on.

[written]

[simplestgift]

[He saw what you did there, Hollom.]

It'd make far more sense than continuing to use a location that doesn't exist here.

[written]

[awhitecrow]

[You can take the man out of the Navy...]

I agree. It establishes a common point of reference.

[written]

[redheaded_rock]

Aside from the obvious "but the universe doesn't revolve around us" issue, I don't see a problem with using Luceti as a prime meridian. After all, it's the Third Party and the Malnosso who might disagree and this isn't for their reference, after all.

[written]

[simplestgift]

It does make things a little easier. Not everyone has a Greenwich back in their world. Everyone has a Luceti in this one. It'd mean all we would need to determine longitude would be a chronometer with the time as it is in Luceti, then determine what time it is in the current location.

Not that we are likely to travel so far as that.

[Written]

[semper_cogitans]

[This raises an interesting point - one that Robert has been considering awhile.]

I personally think that what we are measuring is entirely simulated.

The rest of the enclosure is artificial in nature; logically speaking, it would not be difficult for the Malnosso to simulate Terran - or Earth, if you would rather - day and night cycles.

Discerning our location, therefore, might prove much more difficult if we merely have the information from within the barriers as a reference.

[Written]

[simplestgift]

[Forgive him if he takes nay-sayers personally, Robert.]

Yes. At the very least, of all the ways to waste one's time here, this one feels productive, and there's every intention of doing it outside the Barrier as well. At any rate, the stars are different here. None of it adds up to anything, if you ask me.

[ action ] hold this for me :|b

[bravelad]

[ Have yet another observer to these proceedings, Archie. Wellard is less on the stealthy side in his approach and more on the curious-puppy-is-at-your-feet-tilting-its-head sort of side. Only more standing by and looking up on occasion than at your feet tilting his head.

What, it's interesting, okay.

And there are no minor motives of making sure you're really behaving normally. At all. In any way. As sure as this reply to the post isn't late. ]

[ action ] HELD

[simplestgift]

[That soft pad of feet on sand could be anyone. Archie turns, concentration broken, to see young Wellard looking at him very strangely. What on Earth could this be about?]

How may I help you, Mr. Wellard?

[It's not dismissive, exactly. More of a roundabout demand for an explanation for the staring.]

[voice] [filtered 78%]

[nocorsetsplease]

I would indeed! Shall I bring anything in particular?

[She is wondering as to the occasion.]

[voice]

[simplestgift]

Wear something comfortable, I suppose.

[Hearing her voice makes his heart leap.]