Post by Akren Garkos on Jul 22, 2006 9:36:24 GMT -5
Olaf looked out the nearby viewport of his personal qauters aboard the Earth battleship Daedalus as she sped through hyperspace, two-qauters of the way through her 18-day voyage from the Milkyway back to Altantis in the Pegasus Galaxy. He was lucky enough to be one of the few crew members accorded a room with a view, not that the 'view' was anything he had not seen before. Then again, the blue-white streak of hyperspace was something he was used to : both the Tollan & the Tok'Ra had possessed the means to travel faster-than-light for a great many years; for the people of Earth, interstellar travel - not to mention intergalactic travel - was something relatively new to them. He could not help but be impressed with the Humans of Earth, though, in spite of his nonchantedness - they had come quite far in the intervening 8-&-a-half years since the Tollan people had known them - & now they were travelling not only between planets & stars, they were travelling to other galaxies; something not even the Tollan had managed to achieve, in spite of their technological edge over the Earthlings (not that the Tollan had ever been interested in travelling to other galaxies in the first place!) - & for that, he afforded them a small measure of success.
Since re-intiating contact with Earth & it's allies & learning of the extistance of Atlantis; the Tollan, like many of Earth's allies had expressed great interest in visiting the Lost City of the Ancients in the hopes of not only seeing the wonderous cityship with their own eyes, but of gaining access to the wealth of information & technology left their by the gatebuilders over 10,000 years past. And although Olaf was both Tollan & Tok'Ra both, he agreed with the likes of Colonel Samantha Carter in that the only way they were going to stand a hope of defending themselves - let alone defeating - the Orii was if they all stood together & worked as one. The fragile alliance between Earth, the Jaffa & the Tok'Ra had been strained during recent years; & Olaf personally felt it was this lack of trust & co-operation which had led to a parting of the ways of sorts, & which had greatly hindered the allies working together more effectively to bring down the Goa'uuld sooner than they had been brought down.
Now, with the new threat of the Orii & the Wraith, not to mention the remenents of the Third Goa'uuld Dynasty, the Lucian Alliance, the Aschen & the like; it was more important for Earth & it's allies to work together more than ever before. To that end, Olaf could see why he & the other aliens travelling with him - the Jaffa J'noc, the Tok'Ra Freya / Anise, K'rk'tokk of the Gadmeer & his fellow Tollan Thalis - had requested to accompany the Humans aboard the Daedalus as it took yet more personel, equipment & supplies to Atlantis. Whilst the crew stayed onboard & saw to the ships day-to-day functions, Olaf & his fellow aliens - representatives of races & worlds allied with the people of Earth - would be setting up shop in Atlantis; making themselves at home & generally getting to know the place & integrate themselves into the current expidition membership. Having visited during the Ancient city's second seige & having lived on-base for just over a year nows; Olaf was more famailar than his fellows about the day-to-day goings-on in Altantis, & had been questioned thoroughly enough by the other aliens onboard.
Personally, Olaf could think of no better way for Earth's allies to show their commitment to the cause in furthering the interest of the whle than by having alien representatives stay & work alongside those already living in Atlantis.
Olaf spent the rest of the trip back to Atlantis woring on the suit of Super Solider armor he had been given by the Tok'Ra operatives whom had visited Tollan, a small smile on his face as he recounted the memory of seeing the Gadmeer spaceship helping to terraform New Tollana back into a habitable state. Sure, there would be more active volcanoes than there were before, & the maps of New Tollana's landmasses would have to be redrawn to suit the planet's drastically-changed geological appearence, but the New Tollana & it's people would endure, change & grow; just as life evolved, changed & grew. With Verak's help, he had gotten most of the samller modification to the suit completed by the time they exited hyperspace & entered into orbit around Atlantica. By the time they had docked on the west peir of Atlantis, Olaf had joined the rest of the aliens as they disembarked from the Daedalus & entered the Lost City of the Ancients.
"Welcome back to Atlantis, Olaf" Dr. Weir said by wat of greeting as she & Colonel Sheppard's team walked down the stairs of the gateroom to see to the city's newest arrivals. "Whom are your friends?"
"Thankyou Dr. Weir, it is good to be back" Olaf replied, smiling & nodding to everyone in turn. Gesturing to each of the aliens in turn, he said : "May I introduce J'noc of the Free Jaffa Nation, former Bastest sect; the Tok'Ra Anise & her host Freya, expert in archaeology & ancient cultures; K'rk'tokk og the Gadmeer; & Thalis, of the Tollan Security Force"
Each of the aliens bowed by way of greeting, K'rk'tokk giving a whistle-sqauk / click in his native tongue, his in-built universal translator forming the alien Gadmeer tongue into audible Human English.
"Greetings" He said, "It is an honor to befriend those whom have helped restore the Gadmeer people. Brave souls whom discovered Atlantis, the Lost City of the Ancients; we look froward to strengthening the bonds of friendship between our two allied worlds"
"Indeed!" J'noc replied, the others nodding their agreement, Thalis remaining stoic & slient as his training had taught him.
"What are they doing here?" Dr. Rodney McKay asked, "Isn't one alien on-base enough?"
"Rodney" Dr. Weir replied, putting on a happy face for their new guests, "Our new friends come to Atlantis courtesy of their respective governments, as well as at the beheadst of the I.A.C., please some respect"
"Yeah Rodney" Colonel Sheppard ajoined, "Show some respect"
"Welcome" Teyla said, smiling & nodding to the new-commers, "We hope you enjoy your stay at Atlantis"
The others nodded, before Ronnon walked up to J'noc, seemingly sizing her up.
"And what do you do again?" He asked.
"I am a warrior, formerly in service to the System Lord Bastet" J'noc replied, brandishing her staff weapon & displaying the wicked curved claws attached to her forearms, "I am trained in many fighting styles"
"Really?" Ronnon replied, raising an eyebrow, "They teach women how to be warriors where you're from?"
"All Bastet's Jaffa were female" J'noc replied, "It was her way. She was not the cruelest of the System Lords, but she was ruthless towards her enemies, & when time required it. I assure you I can defend myself - & others - if called upon to do so"
"Maybe we could spare some time, trade techniques?" Ronnon suggested, J'noc nodding in agreement.
"I would like that" J'noc replied.
"Dr. Weir, if you do not mind? We have travelled a long way on Daedalus to Atlantis, & I am sure my colleges would like some rest. If you could assign them qauters as soon as possible, & we could continue this at a later time?" Olaf suggested.
"Of course, Olaf, forgive me. I'll have security assign them to temporary qauters just as soon as Sargent Bates & Dr. Beckket give them the all-clear" Dr. Weir replied, "And once again, welcome back"
After they had been given the all clear & assigned their qauters, Olaf stored his Super Solider armor in a corner of his personal qauters in preperation to take to the lab the next morning; then went to deliver his debriefing to Dr. Weir, telling her all about their negotiations with the Gadmeer & the events which had transpired on New Tollana, including the Curia's recent deliverations over the continued sharing of Tollan technology with Earth & it's other allies.
"Do you think the Curia would allow us access to Tollan defensive technologies in the future?" Dr. Weir asked, "I am sure you have briefed them on the Wraith threat, & with the recent attempt by the Wraith to gain access to Earth & the Milkyway Galaxy - not to mention the rising Orii threat back home - I am sure they would agree that defending Atlantis & allowing us to continue to decipher it's mysteries would go along way to helping us keeping these kinds of threats away from everyone's respective doorsteps"
"I agree Dr. Weir" Olaf replied, "However, just because the Curia has taken my findings under advisement does not mean they necessairly act upon them. Sharing weapons-disablement & communications technology with you & giving you monitored access to one of our fusion generators is a long way from giving you full-scale access to our other Tollan technologies; especially where phase-shifting technology & our ion cannons are concerned. However, I have made a strong case to the Curia for sharing more of our technology with you, & over time, as you show you can be entrusted with technology that will be used responsibly & ethically; then I feel the Curia may grant you access to the technologies you seek"
"I understand the Curia's sentiments on this matter Olaf, but by then it might be too late" Dr. Weir ajoined, conceding the point, but also reminding the Tollan / Tok'Ra emmisary that the threat they faced was still out there, & still very, very real.
"As do I Dr. Weir" Olaf replied, "However, dispite our personal feelings or misgivings on the matter, all we can do is continue to press the advantage & plead our case until our respective leaders come around to our way of thinking" Olaf replied, smiling, both parties aware of the slippery & at times somewhat frustrating slope they often found themselves on as diplomats & leaders.
"And if they still don't come around to our way of thinking?" Dr. Weir asked.
"Well" Olaf replied, "Let us hope that they learn from their mistakes & - what is you Earthlings says? - 'wise up'; otherwise, we may end up repeating the mistakes of our forefathers"
"Let us hope that it doesn't come to that" Dr. Weir replied.
"Lets" Olaf nodded by way of agreement, before leaving to attend to some minor duties, & then heading back to his personal qauters for some rest & relaxation before facing the day anew.
The next day, Olaf met with the other alien expats in the briefing room to see if their respective needs had been met, & if they had any questions about Atlantis & it's personell. After all, as an alien expat himself & the offical Tollan/Tok'Ra Emmissary to the Atlantis Expidition, whom better to make the new alien members of Altantis welcome & famaliarize them with their new home away from home then one whom had done it all before them?
"I trust everyone had a decent rest after our long trip on the Daedalus?" Olaf asked as the othes gathered around the conference table.
"Indeed" J'noc, "My kel'no'reem was most peaceful"
"The facilities were adaquet enough" Anise replied, "Freya thinks their quite pretty" She added, on behalf of her host.
Unlike Verak, whom preferred to remain silent until he had something of import to say, or to pass judgement on some thing or another & let Olaf do most of the talking; Freya's host, Anise, preferred to let Anise take the drivers' seat & let her symbiote do all the talking, emerging when she felt it necessary or wanted her body 'back' from Anise to persue her own interests. It was very much about compromise & personal preferences between host & symbiote, but such was one of the things about being Tok'Ra.
Turning to K'rk'tokk, Olaf trilled & whistled & clicked & made a few rude & weird sounding noises; doing his best to speak in the Gadmeer language - not an easy feat for any non-Gadmeer, let alone those from Human lineage! - & asked him how his night had been.
K'rk'tokk depressed a claw-stud, inserting his gauntlet finger-claw into a nearby depression on the arm of his envirosuit so it would translate his words from Gadmeer into standard Human English, & replied :
"I slept well enough, thankyou my friend, although I had to install a small portable shield generation in my room to seal it from the rest of the base personell, as I understand your species finds sulphur dioxide as deadly as we Gadmeer find oxygen"
"That is correct" Olaf replied, "I will inform Dr. Weir of your special needs & see that they are met to the best of our abilities"
"Thankyou" K'rk'tokk replied, nodding.
"And Thalis, what of you, old friend?" Olaf asked. Olaf had been in Thalis' class as a child, & when Anubis had ravaged Tollana, the pair had stuck together, eventually making it off Tollana only to return & reclaim their war-torn world from the clutches of their enemy with the help of the Tok'Ra. The rest, as they said, was history.
"I slept well, thankyou Olaf" Thalis replied, nodding & smiling a slight smile. "I am to meet with Luetent Bates this morning to discuss my placement with the existing security structure already in place here at Atlantis"
"That is good to see" Olaf replied, "Remember the Curia's wishes in performing your duties, & you will do well"
Neither of them voiced aloud what the Curia's exact wishes were, but everyone knew that the Tollan were still edgy when others used their tecnhology, & of the political, social & ethical implications sharing their technical knowledge with the people of Earth was continuing to cause amongst the Tollan state; even if the Tollan had become somewhat relaxed in their policies & proceedures as a matter of survival.
"What about you Olaf, how was your sleep?"
"Well enough, I suppose, thankyou Thalis" Olaf replied, "You of all people should know I don't sleep much"
Thalis nodded in replied, not saying a word; knowing all too well what Olaf referred to. He himself was still plagued by nightmares of what Anubis had done to their homeworld, & of the horrors they had suffered & faced during the dark days & long months following the Battle for Tollana. Besides, Olaf was a work-a-holic anyways.
"Do you think we will do well here?" J'noc asked Olaf expectedly, "We are, after all, aliens here. It may not be their city, but the Humans still rule here"
"That they do, & we must respect their ways, as they must respect ours" Olaf replied, managing a tight, small smile.
"You know they might never truly expect nor trust us" Anise added, reminding Olaf that although they were allies & good friends of the Humans of Earth; things were not always well between the various members of the alliance.
"Maybe so, Anise" Olaf replied, "We can but try. We are all in this together, whether we like it or not, & we must learn to trust one another if the Wraith & the Orii are to be defeated, just as we all defeated the Goa'uuld"
"The potential knoweldge & welath of technology to be gained here does far outweigh any risk any of us have taken before. It could empower & better the lives of trillions of sentients from many species across the galaxies & beyound" Thalis replied, believing wholehearted in the words he was saying.
"Until that time, we endure & do the best we can. And as for me" Olaf replied, walking out from the conference room & onto the ajoining balcony, the others following him; looking out to smile at another perfect Atlantian day. "I always wanted a view by the sea. . . ."
Since re-intiating contact with Earth & it's allies & learning of the extistance of Atlantis; the Tollan, like many of Earth's allies had expressed great interest in visiting the Lost City of the Ancients in the hopes of not only seeing the wonderous cityship with their own eyes, but of gaining access to the wealth of information & technology left their by the gatebuilders over 10,000 years past. And although Olaf was both Tollan & Tok'Ra both, he agreed with the likes of Colonel Samantha Carter in that the only way they were going to stand a hope of defending themselves - let alone defeating - the Orii was if they all stood together & worked as one. The fragile alliance between Earth, the Jaffa & the Tok'Ra had been strained during recent years; & Olaf personally felt it was this lack of trust & co-operation which had led to a parting of the ways of sorts, & which had greatly hindered the allies working together more effectively to bring down the Goa'uuld sooner than they had been brought down.
Now, with the new threat of the Orii & the Wraith, not to mention the remenents of the Third Goa'uuld Dynasty, the Lucian Alliance, the Aschen & the like; it was more important for Earth & it's allies to work together more than ever before. To that end, Olaf could see why he & the other aliens travelling with him - the Jaffa J'noc, the Tok'Ra Freya / Anise, K'rk'tokk of the Gadmeer & his fellow Tollan Thalis - had requested to accompany the Humans aboard the Daedalus as it took yet more personel, equipment & supplies to Atlantis. Whilst the crew stayed onboard & saw to the ships day-to-day functions, Olaf & his fellow aliens - representatives of races & worlds allied with the people of Earth - would be setting up shop in Atlantis; making themselves at home & generally getting to know the place & integrate themselves into the current expidition membership. Having visited during the Ancient city's second seige & having lived on-base for just over a year nows; Olaf was more famailar than his fellows about the day-to-day goings-on in Altantis, & had been questioned thoroughly enough by the other aliens onboard.
Personally, Olaf could think of no better way for Earth's allies to show their commitment to the cause in furthering the interest of the whle than by having alien representatives stay & work alongside those already living in Atlantis.
Olaf spent the rest of the trip back to Atlantis woring on the suit of Super Solider armor he had been given by the Tok'Ra operatives whom had visited Tollan, a small smile on his face as he recounted the memory of seeing the Gadmeer spaceship helping to terraform New Tollana back into a habitable state. Sure, there would be more active volcanoes than there were before, & the maps of New Tollana's landmasses would have to be redrawn to suit the planet's drastically-changed geological appearence, but the New Tollana & it's people would endure, change & grow; just as life evolved, changed & grew. With Verak's help, he had gotten most of the samller modification to the suit completed by the time they exited hyperspace & entered into orbit around Atlantica. By the time they had docked on the west peir of Atlantis, Olaf had joined the rest of the aliens as they disembarked from the Daedalus & entered the Lost City of the Ancients.
"Welcome back to Atlantis, Olaf" Dr. Weir said by wat of greeting as she & Colonel Sheppard's team walked down the stairs of the gateroom to see to the city's newest arrivals. "Whom are your friends?"
"Thankyou Dr. Weir, it is good to be back" Olaf replied, smiling & nodding to everyone in turn. Gesturing to each of the aliens in turn, he said : "May I introduce J'noc of the Free Jaffa Nation, former Bastest sect; the Tok'Ra Anise & her host Freya, expert in archaeology & ancient cultures; K'rk'tokk og the Gadmeer; & Thalis, of the Tollan Security Force"
Each of the aliens bowed by way of greeting, K'rk'tokk giving a whistle-sqauk / click in his native tongue, his in-built universal translator forming the alien Gadmeer tongue into audible Human English.
"Greetings" He said, "It is an honor to befriend those whom have helped restore the Gadmeer people. Brave souls whom discovered Atlantis, the Lost City of the Ancients; we look froward to strengthening the bonds of friendship between our two allied worlds"
"Indeed!" J'noc replied, the others nodding their agreement, Thalis remaining stoic & slient as his training had taught him.
"What are they doing here?" Dr. Rodney McKay asked, "Isn't one alien on-base enough?"
"Rodney" Dr. Weir replied, putting on a happy face for their new guests, "Our new friends come to Atlantis courtesy of their respective governments, as well as at the beheadst of the I.A.C., please some respect"
"Yeah Rodney" Colonel Sheppard ajoined, "Show some respect"
"Welcome" Teyla said, smiling & nodding to the new-commers, "We hope you enjoy your stay at Atlantis"
The others nodded, before Ronnon walked up to J'noc, seemingly sizing her up.
"And what do you do again?" He asked.
"I am a warrior, formerly in service to the System Lord Bastet" J'noc replied, brandishing her staff weapon & displaying the wicked curved claws attached to her forearms, "I am trained in many fighting styles"
"Really?" Ronnon replied, raising an eyebrow, "They teach women how to be warriors where you're from?"
"All Bastet's Jaffa were female" J'noc replied, "It was her way. She was not the cruelest of the System Lords, but she was ruthless towards her enemies, & when time required it. I assure you I can defend myself - & others - if called upon to do so"
"Maybe we could spare some time, trade techniques?" Ronnon suggested, J'noc nodding in agreement.
"I would like that" J'noc replied.
"Dr. Weir, if you do not mind? We have travelled a long way on Daedalus to Atlantis, & I am sure my colleges would like some rest. If you could assign them qauters as soon as possible, & we could continue this at a later time?" Olaf suggested.
"Of course, Olaf, forgive me. I'll have security assign them to temporary qauters just as soon as Sargent Bates & Dr. Beckket give them the all-clear" Dr. Weir replied, "And once again, welcome back"
After they had been given the all clear & assigned their qauters, Olaf stored his Super Solider armor in a corner of his personal qauters in preperation to take to the lab the next morning; then went to deliver his debriefing to Dr. Weir, telling her all about their negotiations with the Gadmeer & the events which had transpired on New Tollana, including the Curia's recent deliverations over the continued sharing of Tollan technology with Earth & it's other allies.
"Do you think the Curia would allow us access to Tollan defensive technologies in the future?" Dr. Weir asked, "I am sure you have briefed them on the Wraith threat, & with the recent attempt by the Wraith to gain access to Earth & the Milkyway Galaxy - not to mention the rising Orii threat back home - I am sure they would agree that defending Atlantis & allowing us to continue to decipher it's mysteries would go along way to helping us keeping these kinds of threats away from everyone's respective doorsteps"
"I agree Dr. Weir" Olaf replied, "However, just because the Curia has taken my findings under advisement does not mean they necessairly act upon them. Sharing weapons-disablement & communications technology with you & giving you monitored access to one of our fusion generators is a long way from giving you full-scale access to our other Tollan technologies; especially where phase-shifting technology & our ion cannons are concerned. However, I have made a strong case to the Curia for sharing more of our technology with you, & over time, as you show you can be entrusted with technology that will be used responsibly & ethically; then I feel the Curia may grant you access to the technologies you seek"
"I understand the Curia's sentiments on this matter Olaf, but by then it might be too late" Dr. Weir ajoined, conceding the point, but also reminding the Tollan / Tok'Ra emmisary that the threat they faced was still out there, & still very, very real.
"As do I Dr. Weir" Olaf replied, "However, dispite our personal feelings or misgivings on the matter, all we can do is continue to press the advantage & plead our case until our respective leaders come around to our way of thinking" Olaf replied, smiling, both parties aware of the slippery & at times somewhat frustrating slope they often found themselves on as diplomats & leaders.
"And if they still don't come around to our way of thinking?" Dr. Weir asked.
"Well" Olaf replied, "Let us hope that they learn from their mistakes & - what is you Earthlings says? - 'wise up'; otherwise, we may end up repeating the mistakes of our forefathers"
"Let us hope that it doesn't come to that" Dr. Weir replied.
"Lets" Olaf nodded by way of agreement, before leaving to attend to some minor duties, & then heading back to his personal qauters for some rest & relaxation before facing the day anew.
The next day, Olaf met with the other alien expats in the briefing room to see if their respective needs had been met, & if they had any questions about Atlantis & it's personell. After all, as an alien expat himself & the offical Tollan/Tok'Ra Emmissary to the Atlantis Expidition, whom better to make the new alien members of Altantis welcome & famaliarize them with their new home away from home then one whom had done it all before them?
"I trust everyone had a decent rest after our long trip on the Daedalus?" Olaf asked as the othes gathered around the conference table.
"Indeed" J'noc, "My kel'no'reem was most peaceful"
"The facilities were adaquet enough" Anise replied, "Freya thinks their quite pretty" She added, on behalf of her host.
Unlike Verak, whom preferred to remain silent until he had something of import to say, or to pass judgement on some thing or another & let Olaf do most of the talking; Freya's host, Anise, preferred to let Anise take the drivers' seat & let her symbiote do all the talking, emerging when she felt it necessary or wanted her body 'back' from Anise to persue her own interests. It was very much about compromise & personal preferences between host & symbiote, but such was one of the things about being Tok'Ra.
Turning to K'rk'tokk, Olaf trilled & whistled & clicked & made a few rude & weird sounding noises; doing his best to speak in the Gadmeer language - not an easy feat for any non-Gadmeer, let alone those from Human lineage! - & asked him how his night had been.
K'rk'tokk depressed a claw-stud, inserting his gauntlet finger-claw into a nearby depression on the arm of his envirosuit so it would translate his words from Gadmeer into standard Human English, & replied :
"I slept well enough, thankyou my friend, although I had to install a small portable shield generation in my room to seal it from the rest of the base personell, as I understand your species finds sulphur dioxide as deadly as we Gadmeer find oxygen"
"That is correct" Olaf replied, "I will inform Dr. Weir of your special needs & see that they are met to the best of our abilities"
"Thankyou" K'rk'tokk replied, nodding.
"And Thalis, what of you, old friend?" Olaf asked. Olaf had been in Thalis' class as a child, & when Anubis had ravaged Tollana, the pair had stuck together, eventually making it off Tollana only to return & reclaim their war-torn world from the clutches of their enemy with the help of the Tok'Ra. The rest, as they said, was history.
"I slept well, thankyou Olaf" Thalis replied, nodding & smiling a slight smile. "I am to meet with Luetent Bates this morning to discuss my placement with the existing security structure already in place here at Atlantis"
"That is good to see" Olaf replied, "Remember the Curia's wishes in performing your duties, & you will do well"
Neither of them voiced aloud what the Curia's exact wishes were, but everyone knew that the Tollan were still edgy when others used their tecnhology, & of the political, social & ethical implications sharing their technical knowledge with the people of Earth was continuing to cause amongst the Tollan state; even if the Tollan had become somewhat relaxed in their policies & proceedures as a matter of survival.
"What about you Olaf, how was your sleep?"
"Well enough, I suppose, thankyou Thalis" Olaf replied, "You of all people should know I don't sleep much"
Thalis nodded in replied, not saying a word; knowing all too well what Olaf referred to. He himself was still plagued by nightmares of what Anubis had done to their homeworld, & of the horrors they had suffered & faced during the dark days & long months following the Battle for Tollana. Besides, Olaf was a work-a-holic anyways.
"Do you think we will do well here?" J'noc asked Olaf expectedly, "We are, after all, aliens here. It may not be their city, but the Humans still rule here"
"That they do, & we must respect their ways, as they must respect ours" Olaf replied, managing a tight, small smile.
"You know they might never truly expect nor trust us" Anise added, reminding Olaf that although they were allies & good friends of the Humans of Earth; things were not always well between the various members of the alliance.
"Maybe so, Anise" Olaf replied, "We can but try. We are all in this together, whether we like it or not, & we must learn to trust one another if the Wraith & the Orii are to be defeated, just as we all defeated the Goa'uuld"
"The potential knoweldge & welath of technology to be gained here does far outweigh any risk any of us have taken before. It could empower & better the lives of trillions of sentients from many species across the galaxies & beyound" Thalis replied, believing wholehearted in the words he was saying.
"Until that time, we endure & do the best we can. And as for me" Olaf replied, walking out from the conference room & onto the ajoining balcony, the others following him; looking out to smile at another perfect Atlantian day. "I always wanted a view by the sea. . . ."
