Leareth isn't really following at all what this means, but he leans in closer with Thoughtsensing, trying to absorb the thought-concept in as much detail as possible, staring at it. 

....it can try other things? Lots of curves instead of lots of lines? A....cellular automata setup that solves the problem, like the one Leareth showed it earlier?

At some point it clicks. Oh. It seems to be - trying to specify the Gate-search formalization back to him? Leareth isn't sure yet whether this is going to solve any of his problems, but it's definitely very, very impressive.

:!!!: he sends back, with approval and gratitude, and then thinks, trying to drag back one of the insights that he's pretty sure he had while he was in the Shadow-Lover's realm... 

- Right. 

Specify the search-process. Then, in the empty spot left for the destination, the Proto - he doesn't know its structure to Healing-Sight so he just pictures its signature under Thoughtsensing - but then carefully, delicately, carve out an exception - he's looking for the Proto but not the part of it here... 

He holds that up. :?:

.̶̛͇̲̼̭̰͓̻̝̣̜͍̣̖̪͖̫,̶̢̜͍̭͎̭͙̬̹̳̙̳͕̿͆̏̈̓́̃̈́͌͌̊̎͑̃͐͂̈́̔̎͐̽̾͊͘̕͝ͅ:̴̡̜̙͖͇̞͓̲̫͍͍̹̘̜͔̱̗̞̱͕̲̺̟̉̀̊̔̌̓̿̅͗̈́̄̑̈̿̆̽̍̄͑͆͘͘̕͜͠ͅ.̸̢̡̧̹̣̙̘̖͇̱̦̯͇̙̻̮̞̯̳̝̻͍̝̳͚̈̔̇̆̃͛̇ͅ:̵̨̡̢̗̫͎̭̩͎̼̣̻̣͓͎̟̲̫̠̯̦̦̬͊̔̍̒̀̀̾̔̽͜͝"̷̧̢͔͉̙̣̗͍̯̺̅̈́͛͗͗͋̈́͑̃̒̚̚̕̕'̶͎̥̼̻̟̖͙̖̞̾̌͑͂̇̇̏͛̈͛̓̋͌̍͒̏̈́̀͛̽̎̓͐̏͘͘̚̕͜͝ͅͅļ̴̰͚̻̖͖̼̙̩̭̺̬̞̭̹̙͙̏̔̌̀̓̈́̄͊̾͗̐̍͌͋́̋̆ͅĭ̸͔͓̳͍̹͙̫̟̍͊̽̂͝͝*̷̨̺̦̩̺̥̐̀̈́̾̊͋̈̄̎̃ĩ̵̤͉̝͍͓̩̮͙̹̗̻̠̐̔̊̽́́͆͝!̷̡̡̢̛̲̞͎̟͓̩͙̱͕̪̥̙̹͙̬̳͚̪͍̠̆͋̀͗̒́̍̽̿̂̕̕̚͜~̸̡̤͍̰̖̘̹̗̼͉̰̰̱͓̜̗̰̹͉͇̇̒͋͑̓ͅ`̷̣̻͎̝͓̟̮̫̝̞̭̪̇̈́͗̓͊̎͋͋͗͊͘͜͠ͅ.̶̧̡̩͎̥̦̯͚̭̱̖̖̞̼̙͍͈͙͔͙̈́̃̔͐͑̃̇̔̑̏̅̿̽̒̍́̎̍͐͆͑̐̿̔̕͘͘͜͠͠͝ͅ`̷̧̪̞̻̱̤͚͔͚͖͇̙̹̖̈́̌̌́̔̄̈́̅̃̉͐̅̑̈́́̍͛͑͊̇͂̐́͘͜͝;̶̡̨̧̨̭͕̦̱͉͈̟͚̗̫͔̩̭̯̼̳̖̪͎̘̘̲̪̺͖̈́͊̊̿͂̆̈́̀̑̑̆̊̅̀̆̓͐̋̓͑̈́̌̔̓͆͂̾̎̑͜͠.̴̛̰̳̘̣̞͋̀̔̎͛̏̀̔̈́͒̃̿͐̔̆̀͝͝,̶̡̧̨̢̧̢͙̦͙̬̗̫̻̬͈͉̘͉̫̳̲͌̄̃̾̆͌̏͌̈́́͌͗̿͌͘̚͘͜͠͝|̵̡̢̻̞͊̄̊͒̋l̴̨͓͍̟̼̳̺͇̼̊̏̑͋̈́̾̄̀̊̈̎͊̓̊̇͑̈́͊̽̿̈̚.̴̢̨̛͉̣̖̫̭̟̲͇̺͚͈̮̝͔̽͐̄̄̀̂̅̅́̈́̓̈́̈́̚̕͜͝͠͝,̸̥̳̘̭̪͇̮̙̞̝̺͇̹̗̙̹̺͙͎̻͍͚̝͎͉͚͊̀́͜ͅi̸̢̛͔͈͕̫̦̙̪̻̭̫̭̜͔̝͛̋̇̈́̅̊̿̋̔͋͂̈́̋̈͜͝͠*̴͓̽̐̈͜.̷̨̛̛̛̠͉̬̩͇͕̼͖̲̰̣̬̗̌̓͌͛͛̈́͂̓̋̓̚͜͝ͅ/̷̧̦̝̥̩͇̲̒̀̂̈͂͐̍̊͆̚̕͘͘͘͜,̷̛̘͎͈͇̜̤̟͕̠͈̬̠̞̦̩̝̙͔̮̼̖̥̮͛́͋̿͊̽͒͌̈́́͂͊̾̽̇̎́̆̾̂̀̉̄͘͝͝͝'̶̧̪͖̞͚͖̱̩̺̼̰̥̅͜"̶̨̺̭̙̱͚͖͎̗̫̞̙̹͈̘̟̩̜̓́͜;̷̡̨̤̫̗̞͍̪̪̤̤̗̟̮̟̙͔͎̞͍͔̱̼̱̤̅̈́̀͋͒͛̒̈̎̄̄̓͘͝͝͝:̶̙͓̪͕̜͔̤̯̰͖̓́̈́̈́̐̾̆̀́̔̊̋̂͛͒͌̇̃̅͋̀̕̚͝͝͝    ?

Leareth isn't sure where the Proto's confusion is, or what to do about it. Possibly he could try with a specification of its structure under Healing-Sight, but he doesn't have the Gift and would need to pull in someone else, and he's quickly running out of energy. 

Maybe he'll try again later. 

:Thank you: he sends, and then starts pushing across prime numbers again, since the Proto seems to like that and it doesn't take much effort on his part. 

Happy protomolecule!

Is there some way to charge my phone?

(Leareth is drifting off to sleep mid-prime-number and no longer paying enough active attention on Thoughtsensing to pick up on this.) 

One of the Healers is paying attention, but they're also very lost.

:Um, what is a 'phone'?:

She waves the hand terminal. The ship can charge it.

The Healer is thinking that Leareth would probably feel comfortable running with just that as instructions but he doesn't at all. 

:- Can you, um, give me directions for where on the ship and what I need to do...?: 

Yeah, uh, you pop it into the socket next to the main screen on the right, it clicks right in.

:Can you - think a mental image of that at me?: The Healer is still uncertain how to look for the ‘main screen’ or ‘socket’. 

Uh, sure. She tries to think of where you charge a hand terminal on her ship.

:Er, I'll do my best: 

The Healer hands off to one of the others and asks for a Gate to the ship. It seems safer at this point to have only Healers entering it at all, given the unknown level of Proto contamination. 

He cautiously levers himself in through the hatch, Healing-Sight and Thoughtsensing extended fully. 

There's proto in the water filtration system in the walls, and a little bit on the console where Julie must have handled it; the bit on the console looks very small and is dormant. Thoughtsensing isn't picking anything up.

The ship screens are still flashing and repeating warning messages.

He doesn't know what any of the flashing warnings mean, and tries to give the screens a wide berth while looking around for where to plug in the hand terminal. 

There's a nook for it next to the screens.

The Healer realizes that he didn't think to ask how he could tell once it's working. Maybe it'll flash or make noise? He tries placing it in the nook. 

It does light up with some baffling symbols.

He stares at them and tries to memorize the pattern so he can show Julie once he's back, and then he - very very carefully - tiptoes out of the ship and checks himself over thoroughly for Proto contamination before requesting a Gate back. 

Leareth's people have set up a sort of camp around the stolen ship, including a large mage-barrier over it to protect it from the elements; they're not sure if it copes badly with getting wet. A few of the mages and Fetcher-Farseers - a very useful Gift combination, that one - are starting to survey the damage, at least the parts of it that are legible to them. 

The water filtration system and the mechanism for some of the airlocks are pretty crushed! Core ship systems are pretty well protected and seem intact, though there are a couple hairline fractures that might be bad news.

Well, as a start they'll work on draining all the displaced water out, since probably it's bad for the ship for it to be in places it's not meant to be. This is done incredibly cautiously, with Fetching, transporting it into sealed glazed-earthenware jugs brought in for the purpose. They want to ask Leareth later whether he wants it burned or not, but a Mindspeech message confirms he's still asleep. 

They draw schematic diagrams of the ship and the damage and the hairline fractures; it's likely fixable by mage-craft, but also it seems wise to run it by both Leareth and Julie, once they're doing better. 

The Healer Gates back into the underground facility and informs Julie of the lit-up baffling symbols. 

Julie is running a fever again and only half awake. She smiles vaguely, though.

Sounds right. Thank you.

Eventually, Shavri returns from her break - this time, after having grabbed half a candlemark to make small talk with the woman who's been taking Jisa while she's busy, which she's certain Queen Elspeth wouldn't see as enough vetting but she herself feels pretty okay about it. Whether or not she has any idea what's going on with this - country? faction? rebel group? - these people seem competent and reliable and they need her. 

She settles herself back on a stool in the underground makeshift hospital room, and examines both of her patients - what's the Proto been getting up to?