Keska – To The Left, To The Left
Kyso Nohx
((Songbird, USS Gorkon))
Keska: To the left! The other left! No, your other left!
::She threw her hands up in frustration and shuffled to the concrete bar. Her fingers rummaged through a bowl of bar snacks and stuffed them in her beak, so many missing the opening that it was basically raining seeds down her shirt. She glared at the Starfleet officer hanging her neon “Songbird” sign on the wall and it was at that point she realised just how much it was getting to her; being so removed from her own people.::
Campbell: You mean, the right?
::Still, she wasn’t one to dwell, and it was what it was. There were many exciting things about being a lone wanderer in the galaxy. Like, for instance, making new friends.::
Keska: You think you’re clever, don’t you?
Campbell: I mean, I know my left from right.
::Her talons dug so far into her skin, she thought they might break through. Everything had been a learning curve since leaving Tsun and it wasn’t exactly in her nature to tolerate other species; those who were basically accidents in a galaxy of lucky evolution. Her people were designed, specifically engineered by an unknown intelligence two hundred thousand years ago, and as such, they believed they were among a handful of beings that had real purpose in the universe.::
::That wasn’t always the way, of course. It had only been in the last four hundred years when they discovered the truth about their creation, marking the Great Enlightenment. With this knowledge came a new dedication to science, wisdom, and –Keska would freely admit– an unparalleled arrogance. She’d had to keep that attitude in check, considering her circumstances; surrounded by lesser species and her survival now practically dependant on what others thought of her.::
Keska: Oh you! ::She giggled in short bursts of chirrups.:: I’m sure it’s my vocal enhancer malfunctioning. Yes, the right.
::She tapped the implant in her neck to demonstrate the vocal enhancer to the officer and then moved off behind the bar as he continued to hang the sign. They didn’t all frustrate her. In fact, being amongst these aliens had taught her a good deal about social interaction beyond her own culture, especially in terms of deception; something expressly forbidden amongst her people. Apakans usually had a hard time interacting with off-worlders, purely because of the lies. Often so small and insignificant but always frequent.::
::It was hard to explain the sensation their Intuitive Polygraphy would cause when a lie was sensed but it was much like a sudden shock of dread, only you could actually feel electrical impulses surging through your body and exploding in every nerve ending. Though quick and relatively painless, living with aliens that lied so often would mean living in a constant state of alarm. In her three years since surfing the frontier, Keska had become a little desensitised to that feeling, though she was always aware of it.::
Campbell: All done, Keska. How does it look?
::Her beady eyes took in the glowing sign on the wall, shining in all its neon glory. It was common for others to view Apakans as cold, given their brood care practices and the non-biological preference of offspring that came along with it, as well as the complete lack of concept of monogamy and marriage; but Keska was practically beaming with pride as the Songbird brand lit up the faux brick behind it. Suddenly the Gorkon was more than just a temporary escape plan, it was –for the first time since she was forced from her own home– the first place she may be able to set down her roots. Everything was in place, it was exactly as she’d envisioned, and she was ready for people to flock to her fine establishment.::
Keska: A little to the left.
::Campbell glared at her with the force of a thousand photon torpedoes.::
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Keska [PNPC]
Proprietor of Songbird
USS Gorkon
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simmed by