Departure From Lands Unknown

SLS Huntress, Crew Quarters

February 26, 2772 Hegemony Standard Calendar/2531 UNSC Military Calendar

1900 shipboard time

Jason watched the camera feed in his temporary quarters aboard the Huntress as the dropship accelerated away from the shield world alongside the Spirit of Fire. A warning chime played, followed by an announcement that the ship was going to maximum thrust in an extended burn to escape the planet, and attempt rendezvous with the Terra part way to the system's Zenith point. He panned the camera to as far aft as he could, watching the planet as it began to collapse in upon itself, before expanding outwards with the wave from the nova.

He'd never seen the famed asteroid cracking common among deep space miners back in the Sphere, though he imagined it wasn't that dissimilar to watching the planet briefly implode in upon itself as it lost its structural integrity before the force of the nova blew the pieces outwards. It was a small comfort that they'd been accelerating as hard as they could for some time now, to avoid the rapidly expanding cloud of debris.

Jason knew the math, that an object under acceleration would outpace one that was only given initial acceleration, but that wasn't enough to quell the brief fear that they wouldn't be quick enough to escape the debris before the newly freed star recaptured the errant pieces and formed a new belt or spherical field. He quietly reminded himself to have the admiral and jump engineers double check the math for the jump point in the system when they were ready to leave.

He strained slightly against the thrust gravity as he dialed up the ship's sensor station on the internal comm.

"Did the other ships clear the estimated debris zone safely?" Jason asked the sensor officer.

"All transponders are showing clear of the estimated debris field, sir. Fleet train looks to be in their deceleration stage, burning for the Zenith point at a stable 1G," the sensor officer reported.

"Good," Watkin started to move on before remembering something. "Wait, how are they- Nevermind. Daily briefing from the 24th said they were using the dropships as tugs for the non-compact drive ships."

"Rather handy, that trick, but the dropper crews must be hating it right now," the sensor officer chuckled. "That's going to be hell on the maintenance crews for those engines. They're probably going to have to do a full check on all of them as soon as we've got safe ground to land on. Maybe even have to do a rebuild(1) some of them, though the Hephaestus will be helpful for that, at least."

"Better than the alternative," Jason pointed out, before refocusing on more important details, as he started to run short of breath from the added strain of the high thrust the ship was under. "What's our ETA to the Zenith point?"

"We're at 3G's thrust until we're clear of the estimated debris zone for now," sensors replied. "Once we slow down, we'll have about 111 hours to the jump point. Fleet train is just under 50 hours from the jump point."

"Great," Jason said. "Go ahead and send a message forward to the fleet train with our estimated arrival time. I'm going to take a G-acclimatizer. Could you set a notice for someone to message and/or check on me at our thrust reduction point?"

"Wilco, sir," came the reply, as Jason reached over to terminate the call.

SLS Terra, Officer's Country

March 3, 2772 Hegemony Standard Calendar/March 2, 2531 UNSC Military Calendar

1300 Shipboard time

Jason stepped out of the small bathroom attached to his quarters, toweling his hair dry. Suzumi had set out his dress uniform and sword on the bed, and had taken Shinobu out of the bedroom and was keeping him entertained in their living area. Donning the olive drab dress uniform and boots took him about five minutes, after which he slid the scabbard of his sword into the sword belt. One thing that Elise Cameron had allowed him was to wear the katana he'd been awarded, rather than the traditional saber that accompanied his rank. The very same katana that Coordinator Minoru Kurita had awarded to him when he had brought Elise and Amanda safely to Luthien, escaping the clutches of Amaris' coup, and giving the Coordinator a path to keep his personal honor, as well as that of his realm.

He was ambushed by Shinobu as he opened the door from the bedroom, with the boy's demands to come with him as he clung to his leg. The boy had apparently been planning this, as he'd also changed into the nicest clothes he had, a real silk shirt and pants, tailored for him nearly six months ago by a seamstress on Somerset. He reached down and patted his son on the head.

"Of course you can come with me to see Amanda and Elise," he told the excited boy, who let out a whoop of joy before quickly schooling his features in the way only a small child could.

"You need to keep quiet however, Shinobu," Suzumi told their son gently, straightening his hair. "There will be visiting adults, who may not have time to answer the questions you like to ask when you meet new people."

"Yes, Mama," Shinobu said in careful phrasing. "Can we go now Papa?"

"Come along then," Jason smiled, holding out his hand to lead Shinobu out the door.

"Are the visitors from the new ship, Papa?" Shinobu asked him as they left the Officer's section of the gravity deck and moved into the guarded Flag Country(2). The Samurai standing at the threshold saluted him, and he quickly returned the salute before turning back to his son.

"They are," he said. "So you won't recognize their uniforms, and depending on who they brought across with them, they may not all be military."

"So the new people are gonna be all work today?" Shinobu concluded, though his tone came across as a question. "Do they have any kids of their own?"

"Yes, and not that I know of, in that order," Jason answered his son as they reached the Flag conference room. "In we go. If you're good for the meeting, I'll see if I can arrange for you and Amanda to get something sweet from the galley."

Shinobu hugged his leg in excitement, before hurrying through the open door to where Amanda was gathering up a group of miniature mech pieces off the table. As Shinobu helped her put away the miniatures in one of the table's many drawers, Jason walked over to Elise.

"So I've told Shinobu that if he's good for the duration of the meeting, he and Amanda can get something sweet from the galley," he told the Lady Regent in a subdued voice. "I hope you don't mind?"

"That's actually not a bad idea," Elise said. "Better than what I had in mind, at least. And more likely to work. Go ahead and let the steward know? I've still got to decide exactly how much we're willing to tell them."

"I can tell you Captain Cutter, the ship CO, at least is worthy of trust. No idea if his superiors will be, however, so a guarded approach to revealing anything not already shown might be best," Jason voiced his cautious opinion, to which Elise slowly nodded her head in thought.

"Amanda," Elise turned toward her daughter for a moment. "I know these meetings sometimes bore you, but if you and Shinobu can both sit still through the first few minutes, I'm informed that the Colonel has something in mind for a reward. Can you bear with it for the first part of our talks?"

"Yes, Mother," Amanda agreed.

Elise turned her attention back to Jason. "Go ahead and let the steward know to pass the word on to the galley," she spoke quietly, to minimize the chance of the children hearing her. "Our guest's transport should be landing any minute now, so we should finish our preparations before they get here."

Jason nodded in agreement, before stepping outside briefly to inform the steward of the plans and to relay to the galley for something sweet to be prepared.

Elise Cameron sat at the head of the oval table in the Flag conference room, a row of printouts arrayed in front of her. The printouts contained a rough inventory of their fleet's supplies, including what they were willing and might be able to trade for needed perishables or raw materials until they could start up their own production again. Their small fleet was fortunate enough to have two small orbital factories, with a single line each, to use in an emergency, or as a jumpoff point for orbital industry, but they weren't a replacement for a solid groundside industry. And if they had to go find a planet, they had a limited set of supplies to start from, and there wasn't exactly much in the way of second chances there if things went wrong.

She was interrupted in her musing when the door chimed. A glance at Colonel Watkin, seated to her left, who nodded as he checked the external camera feed on a noteputer. "The Admiral is here with our guests," he told her, passing her the pad.

She looked at it and saw four individuals standing outside the door. She recognized Admiral Ethan Nelson, the CO of the Terra, but the two other obvious military individuals weren't ones she'd seen before. The third guest looked to be some sort of civilian professional, perhaps this Dr. Anders she'd seen mentioned in the reports from the actions on the planet. She looked back to Colonel Watkin. "Let them in please."

Two lights above the door switched from red to green to show that the Colonel had unlocked the door, and it hissed open at the Admiral's touch. Nelson entered, followed by the three guests from the Spirit of Fire, and Elise stood to greet them. "Thank you for agreeing to my request for a meeting," she spoke, eyes meeting the elderly man of the three. "I am Lady Regent Elise Cameron, wife to the late First Lord of the Star League and Director General of the Terran Hegemony, Richard Cameron II. Welcome aboard the Battleship SLS Terra. Behind me is my daughter, Amanda Cameron, Heir Presumptive to the Terran Hegemony and the Star League, should we manage to successfully return home. Elsewise, she stands as the Heir to House Cameron and the throne of whatsoever civilization we may construct from this lost fleet."

"Captain James Cutter," the elder officer among the guests said, "of the United Nations Space Command, Military arm of the United Earth Government. Protectors of Earth and all her colonies. Commanding Officer of the UNSC Spirit of Fire. With me are Professor Ellen Anders, civilian consultant to the Office of Naval Intelligence, and Scientific Advisor on Xenolinguistics and Cultural Analysis, and Major Rowan Vaughn, of the 9th Shock Troops Battalion, 45th Marine Regiment. Attending remotely will be our ship's AI, Serina." He held out a small disk in his hand, which was opened to reveal a projector displaying a blue holographic image of a woman with long hair and European features.

"If you would please be seated, Captain, then we can begin," Elise said, gesturing to the seats at the end of the table for them to take. She pressed a control on the side of the table next to her and the door opened again to allow a steward pushing a trolley laden with drinks and snacks into the room. The trolly was left against the wall, before the steward bowed and backed out of the room.

The door was sealed again at the steward's exit, and Elise leaned her elbows on the table. "So, Captain, we find ourselves with an alliance of convenience at the moment. I would be relieved if such an alliance were not discarded the moment we arrive in your home systems, and your government not attempt to take advantage of, or subsume us. In exchange, I offer some of our base level technologies as trade to aid in your fight against the aliens you find yourselves besieged by."

She paused briefly as the captain's face tightened as he considered her words. "I understand if you cannot make permanent agreements," she continued, before anyone else could speak up. "However, I believe that, given your ship's size, tonnage, and purpose, your words are likely to carry at least some weight with your superiors. Likely enough to get me the chance to negotiate with the people I need to, such that I can secure my people's future."

"Captain," the man identified as Major Vaughn spoke up. "Admiral Cole's Contact Policy-"

"Specifically refers to the Covenant, and their known subgroups and affiliates by proxy," Captain Cutter silenced the Major, presumably to cut off a protest. "And it wouldn't matter either way, considering they already know where Earth is."

"Approximately 11-12 ly from the Procyon system, where you came to this system from, around 28 ly from our Epsilon Eridani system, and about 33 ly from our Epsilon Indi," Elise interjected casually. "My astrogators have identified anomalous planetary formations in the systems we know as Ran(3) and Epsilon Indi-Alpha, which are approximately 10.5 ly and 12 ly from Sol, respectively, neither of which hold any habitable worlds in our space, and so the major famous stellar names were reused by colonists when they were mapping stellar systems in the early exploration and colonization phases. Their SAO catalog (4) numbers haven't changed however, and if you wish, I can allow your AI to compare the charts based on the Catalog, assuming you still have it as a database?"

Vaughn's shoulders started to slightly tense up at her mention of Earth's location, before he quickly controlled himself. Had it not been for her experience with diplomats and courtiers, Elise might have missed the subtle indicator of his distress at her seemingly casual knowledge of stellar locations.

"It would make for an interesting diversion, if nothing else," the UNSC AI commented from the projector display she was using for telepresence at the meeting.

Privately, Elise wasn't sure if gendering the AI construct was even appropriate, but she'd at least acknowledge the apparent desire as displayed by the AI's chosen avatar.

"Alright, I can accept that there's no official protocol for working with those who already know where we are," The Major acceded. "Though that still doesn't account for the time it would take for politicians to come to a decision regarding them, and I doubt they'll be willing to just wait here until that happens. You know how slow the bureaucrats can be over things like this."

"I do know, which is why I'll be going to Admiral Cole first," Captain Cutter declared. "He has enough weight with HIGHCOM to get a response, or at least be able to make some promises himself." Elise assumed the obvious acronym stood for High Command. "The UEG is liable to try and recruit your society into its own structure given half a chance. But since you've never been under their aegis, the threat of you simply heading off to find your own planet away from them should be enough of a stick to mollify them into accepting your own self rule so long as you have some things to sweeten the pot for the politicians." The captain paused for a sip of water. "The UNSC, on the other hand, will likely accept my own endorsement and the combat footage from your actions here. Particularly your rescue of Professor Anders."

"Thank you for that, by the way," the professor interjected briefly.

"Speaking of superiors," Elise commented, "this brings me to asking about your communications. Do you have FTL communications? We have our Hyperpulse generators, which can send and receive messages up to 50 light years, including real time comms, but none of the reports I've gotten mentioned anything of similar capability for your people. Is it a range issue or a lack of capability?"

The Professor sighed before speaking. "It's an issue of lacking the physical infrastructure to even attempt it. The theory for slipspace communications relays exists, but as far as I'm aware it's never even been prototyped. Then again, it's not my field of study to begin with, I'm a xenobiologist and linguist."

"In any event, we're likely to arrive at the Procyon system before you do," Captain Cutter sighed. "I can have you meet us there at that system since it's a 'discovered' system, but unless you want to risk arriving blind, there's no way I can see to warn you if there's anything in the system before you get there. This of course assumes that we make similar time back to Arcadia as we did coming here."

"Oh? And why would the return time differ," asked Elise.

"I believe I can best explain that," the AI, Serina, spoke up again. "Slipstream space is subject to types of 'currents', much like a ship on a large river or ocean. Travel in a given area can be either faster or slower depending on the conditions, though there are common stable routes. However, outside of mapped space, we have no way of knowing where any such routes might be. It has also been noted that a slower vessel can travel faster by following in the slipspace 'wake' of a larger, faster vessel."

"Thank you, Serina," said Captain Cutter before continuing. "Assuming we arrive ahead of you, and it is safe for you to arrive, we'll call you in. If it's not safe, we'll send you a message informing you of the dangers, and an alternate system. Probably Harvest as an alternative, at Epsilon Indi. Assuming we can solve the communications issue."

"Well, we have a solution for the communications problem," Colonel Watkin said. After a nod of permission from Elise, he tapped a few controls on the holotable, bringing up an image of a large truck with two trailer units, and a separate trailer with a large generator section and a large relay dish on top. "The fleet has two groundside-use Mobile HQ trucks with HPG trailers. So long as there's enough space to deploy the antenna and receiver, it doesn't really care if it's groundside or in orbit."

"And you'd be willing to lend one to the Spirit," Anders asked. "How do you plan to get it aboard?"

"Would we even be able to operate it?" Cutter asked.

"The Mobile HQs' break down into two sections that your Pelicans can carry, and the HPG trailer is small enough that you could carry it over as well. As for operating it, we'd send a volunteer comms team to run the HPG equipment," Watkin replied. "So long as they know where the fleet will be, they can talk to us. Just make sure you're in realspace when you try to call, or you'll have no luck getting through."

"I gather the comms team you send will handle any needed details then? Anything special it needs to function?" Captain Cutter asked.

"Just a line of sight. You don't want to risk a jump point forming inside your ship. That might do bad things to anything that gets caught within it," Colonel Watkin said with a grimace. Elise flinched at the thought of a person intersecting a jump point from an HPG. That sounded unpleasant.

"Would anyone care for food or refreshments before we move on to more pleasant matters?" she asked the assembled officers. Turning to her daughter, Elise smiled. "Amanda, you and Shinobu can go to the galley. The cook said he wanted volunteers to sample some new confection he's trying."

Amanda quickly stood and smoothed down her dress, before giving her mother a quick curtsy and grabbing Shinobu by the hand, the two children hurried out of the room. Elise kept her composure until the sounds of childish glee from the hallway finally broke her into giggles. The rest of the adults that remained in the room joined in with chuckles of their own.

Soon enough, the laughter subsided, and the room was resealed. "Next order of business," Elise began again. "The Colonel says his jump infantry took a captive in the raid to rescue Professor Anders. You still have him secure?"

"The Elite is sedated in the medical wing under guard aboard my ship, yes," Captain Cutter answered.

"I'd like him transferred into our care," Elise requested. "My people pulled off the capture, and I'd appreciate it if our own doctors and intelligence specialists could have the opportunity to examine and interrogate the prisoner." There was a brief pause, while the UNSC personnel conferred amongst themselves. "I'd like his combat armor and weapons transferred into our care as well, if that's acceptable," she added as an afterthought.

"I can give you the prisoner," Captain Cutter began, "but I can't in good conscience send his equipment over with him to the same vessel. They're fighting a war of extermination against us, and they've shown little hesitation in cutting down even unarmed civilians in their attempts to kill us."

"What if we had the equipment sent to the Hephaestus?" Admiral Nelson asked. "She's got dedicated engineering facilities aboard, and since that equipment would probably end up there anyways, it'd save some time on our part."

"I can agree to that," Captain Cutter said after a moment. "So long as it's kept separate from the prisoner, I can't honestly deny you what your men captured."

"Prize rules(5). I see," Elise caught on immediately. The Captain was probably under orders to capture enemy equipment for study, but since his troops hadn't taken the equipment in battle, by most common laws of war they belonged to the captor, which in this case was her forces. Holding it from her would be considered a diplomatic slight, which could affect future negotiations. This would give him a creative way out that he could justify to his superiors. "In that case, I offer all of the captured equipment other than what we just discussed as gratitude for your assistance in rescue and treatment of our forces, and as a gesture of good faith."

"I thank you for your kind consideration of our plight, Lady Regent," Captain Cutter said, nodding.

"Is there anything else to be discussed that can't wait for us to get back to UNSC Space?" Admiral Nelson asked.

"Nothing critical," Captain Cutter responded. "We'll be prepared to depart in about 24 hours. Our plan is to head to the outer reaches of the system while we wait for the 'all clear', then wait for a delegation to be sent. The Spirit will head out as soon as we get this 'HPG' of yours aboard. If all goes well, we'll be waiting for you with said delegation."

SLS Terra, Small Craft Bay

1800 shipboard time

Colonel Watkin stood in his fully sealed battle uniform, magnetic boots activated to keep him attached to the deck as he watched the UNSC Pelicans slowly drift into the bay. The through-hull design of the McKenna's bay meant they didn't have to worry about figuring out how to turn the pelicans around in the bay, which saved time. The three Pelicans fired retro thrusters to bring themselves to a halt over the bay transit lane, before they magnetically attached themselves to the bay's 'floor'. The bay marshal spun and gave him a thumbs up, after which Jason deactivated his mag boots and shoved off towards the parked Pelicans.

The lead Pelican disembarked a pair of medics, accompanied by a squad of marines, carrying a stretcher bearing the captured Elite. The lead medic saw him approaching, recognized his rank insignia, and promptly saluted him. He quickly returned the salute, and grabbed the Pelican's portside aft thruster gimbal to bring him to a stop.

"Colonel, we brought your prisoner over, since it was a convenient time to do so," the medic said. "There was some concern about the prisoner escaping, so the Captain sent extra guards to help see him safely into your custody."

"Understandable," Jason remarked. "The receiving party is waiting for you over by the Bay 5 Personnel Airlock." He gestured to the relevant bay, which held the HPG trailer that was going to be loaded onto one of the Pelicans.

The medic nodded his thanks, and the party pushed off towards the indicated airlock. The Colonel turned to look towards the other bays and clicked on his suit's radio. "Trailer one, clear to push for loading," he called out as he grabbed the thruster gimbal and pulled himself out of the way of any moving equipment. He proceeded to shove off from the first Pelican, his momentum sending him towards the second Pelican, to check the bay area for clearance. The loadmaster of the second Pelican gave him a thumbs up as he stuck his head around the side, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Trailer two, cleared to push for loading," he called out on his radio, giving the second loadmaster a thumbs up as he pushed himself towards the final Pelican. After receiving another thumbs up from the final loadmaster the toggled his radio one more time. "Trailer three, cleared to push for loading. Hangar Marshal, the floor is yours." As he finished the call, he shoved himself off towards the nearest airlock.

SLS Terra, Bridge

March 4, 2772 Hegemony Standard Calendar/March 3, 2531 UNSC Military Calendar

0800 Shipboard time

Colonel Watkin floated beside Admiral Nelson, staring at the hololithic display, watching as the Spirit of Fire made her own FTL jump towards known safe space. Checking his watch, he counted down inside his head as the clock ticked down to the hour.

"T-15 minutes to Jump, Admiral, Colonel," the Jump controller called out, just as his watch ticked over the hour.

"T-15, Aye," Admiral Nelson called back in acknowledgement. "You can stay here on the bridge for the jump, if you'd like, Colonel, or you can go up to the Observatory Lounge with the Camerons. Your call."

"I'll be up in the Observatory Lounge, then" Jason told the Admiral. He saluted Nelson, before kicking off towards the door of the bridge. He grabbed the door and swung himself around into the corridor, pushing off towards the ventral surface of the ship, where the Observatory Lounge was located.

SLS Terra, Observatory Lounge

The Observatory Lounge was probably the most luxurious compartment on the whole ship. Added in with the refits to make the Terra a specialty command ship, the lounge was filled with very expensive furniture, as well as fine drinks, and good food. The latter being restocked from the nearby galley at every shift rotation. Amanda was climbing over one of the loveseats, while Elise and Suzumi watched from the couch across the room. Shinobu was strapped into a recliner and interacting with the attached touch screen. He cleared his throat quietly, causing Elise to glance towards the door.

She nodded slightly, and he entered the room fully, taking a seat beside Suzumi, pulling her close. Suzumi sighed in comfort as she pressed into his side. "I miss the gardens in the Combine."

"We can start our own, when we find a place to settle here," Jason told her, comfortingly. "A tranquil pond, covered by trees, surrounded by rocks. A Shishi-odoshi(6), alongside a stone bridge across the pond. A smaller pond with stepping stones across it."

"A sakura tree, shading a bench beneath it," Suzumi supplied dreamily. "An open courtyard for practicing the sword and the bow when the weather is good, next to an enclosed dojo for poor weather."

"A sturdy wall, to protect against raiders, snoopers, and ne'er-do-wells." Jason patted Suzumi's shoulder, before their reminiscence was interrupted by the T-5 jump warning. "Probably time to strap everyone down for the jump," he groused, standing up.

It took the three adults two minutes to actually convince Amanda that she really should strap down sooner, instead of waiting until the last minute like she wanted to. It was ultimately the extraction of a promise that the next time they were headed planetside, she would get to go along with Jason to ride in the 'Mech with him. He managed to get himself fully settled in and strapped down beside Suzumi on the couch just as the one minute warning was piped through the ship.

"Can we sing the jump song again?" Amanda asked as he finished strapping in. Jason saw Shinobu perk up as his attention was grabbed away from the screen he'd engrossed himself in.

"Yes, Amanda, we can sing the jump song," Elise said, with an exaggerated sigh of long suffering.

The children cheered, before Amanda launched herself into the first verse of the sailor's jump song. Shinobu took up the chorus, and the two sang until the countdown started, whereupon they joined in the chant.

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

Discontinuity.

Author's Notes:

So I blame the release of Armored Core VI and the new Mechwarrior 5 DLC for the delays in this chapter getting out to you all. I'm a big Mecha Nerd.

That said, we're finally out of Korinth Prior, and on our way to Procyon. Home to the planet Arcadia, for the Halo people. It's time to start the process of meeting with the rest of the UNSC.

Co-Writer's Notes:

This was an interesting chapter to research for, since we had to dig deep into the Halo lore for the UNSC history of the period. Things we take for granted in the games aren't even on the drawing board at this point in the timeline, and also tracking specific persons is what I call a 'Royal pain in the neck'. Having to puzzle and figure out who's who at this point in the timeline was a major holdup for some of the writing.

Also, the 'Cole Protocol' was LAW for his fleet, but it took YEARS to hammer through due to resistance from various parties. Even had the name changed a few times. We're still following its existence in lore because we know that it was implemented in his fleet by this time.

Glossary of Terms:

(1) Rebuild: "To do a rebuild" is a phrase referring to a specific maintenance process where you disassemble a component completely to check for any damage or accelerated wear and tear to sensitive parts, before reassembling it, replacing any parts that need it. This is commonly done as part of a scheduled, high level maintenance cycle, where the unit can be safely pulled out of service, without impacting the availability of such units to fill the needs of the operator.

(2) Flag Country: An area within a ship reserved for officers of "Flag Rank" or high ranking dignitaries.

(3) Ran: This is the proper name of the star known as Epsilon Eridani, in Halo and real life, at a 10.5 ly distance from Sol. The star does not appear on Battletech Maps, as it doesn't have a corresponding settlement. The Epsilon Eridani in Battletech was thus a renamed star system when it was settled.

(4) SAO catalog: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Star Catalog. First Published in 1966, this is a catalog of observable stars from Earth, totaling just shy of 259 thousand stars.

(5) Prize Rules: "Prizes" are equipment, vehicles, vessels, and cargo captured during armed conflict. Prize Rules are the codified set of rules declaring the taking and keeping of said prizes, and the conditions under which they may be taken, and what is forbidden from being taken as a war prize.

(6) Shishi-odoshi: The proper name of the clacking water fountain mechanism common in Japanese pond structures. Aka the doink-thing.