Lieutenant JG Niev Galanis - Ei Velesti
Niev Galanis
((Holodeck E, Level 10, SRC – Amity Outpost))
Niev hadn’t been sure what to expect when Robin had asked to meet them on the holodeck. Since she’d been promoted to First Officer and away from the Science Division, the anxiety around showing they were a capable Starfleet officer around them had only intensified. It wasn’t just Chief Hopper now - it was Commander Hopper, who shared the burden of responsibility for Amity’s Starfleet presence with Commander Ukinix himself.
No pressure, really.
Taking a breath, Niev stepped through the archway into the holodeck.
Hopper: Kéla vorin, Niev! ((Good day, Niev!))
Galanis: Kéla varin, Commander.
The question that Robin was going to ask didn’t need to be asked. Niev recognized what was being simulated on the holodeck instantly. How could they not? They had grown and lived and only known this air, the particular scent of the sea, the distinct shape of the flora. It was all seared into their memory in a way time would never undo. Even the obelisk nearby screamed that this could only be one place in the entire universe.
Hopper: Recognize this place?
Galanis: Of course. Ei Velesti. Home.
Taking the tricorder, Niev raised a curious eyebrow.
Hopper: My Tsavai, Phoenyra, recently sent me this collection of highly-detailed recreations from Velestus. They’re a modern day snapshot of several of the islands, down to the molecular level apparently. She called it a wedding present – I think maybe she was thinking Nate and I would honeymoon here – but she also included a request along with the data. ::Chuckling:: She was hoping I could perform a few scans and experiments to verify the accuracy of the recreations…
Galanis: Verify the accuracy? All the way out here in the Delta Quadrant? There’s no shortage of critical eyes on Velestus when it comes to holoprogramming.
Niev refrained from going any further than that. Memories of a sharp, dry tongue deconstructing a young Niev’s own holoprogram so thoroughly they shelved the thought of trying again forever. It felt like inviting disaster, invoking the mere implication of their own Mavai. As soon as the thought crossed their mind, the androgyne realized the data was much better off in the hands of Amity Outpost… even if Niev still wasn’t all that sure how much Robin knew about the planet Niev grew up so immersed in.
Hopper: I thought it might be a nice opportunity for the two of us to spend a little time together. I know Centaurans don’t typically like to push their culture on others, but being half-Centauran myself, I’ve always felt a draw to it. Any time my family would visit, when I was younger, I never wanted to leave… Besides, who better to help me review simulations of Velestus than someone from there?
Galanis: I wouldn’t take it as an aversion to sharing our culture, at least in my experience. It’s… how would they say it on Earth? It is what it is. We have no problem sharing it - but poisoning that with vanity and pride has nearly destroyed us in the past. I like to think we’ve learned our lesson well.
There was a brief moment of gravity as Niev paused, glancing up toward the weathered stone obelisk nearby. They’d always been enthralled by the sight of them as a child, seeing their variations and the ranges of each ‘type’. Symbols of a time long, long since faded into a history that wasn’t commemorated, but mourned. The somber frown on Niev’s face twitched lightly as they seemed to become quite aware that they were responding so seriously to a polite and friendly question.
Galanis: …Ah, that said, I am happy to assist, sir.
Hopper: Response
Turning their head to the sky, Niev closed their eyes and took a deep, relaxed kind of breath. It was a rare sight to see the Centauran androgyne quite so at ease.
Galanis: The smell is right, and the wind… of course, any Centauran would be familiar with the major wind currents. Even today there are so many references to the old ways you can’t help but hear the names. But there is one detail there, on the beach. You see here on the tricorder, it’s detecting quartz?
They lifted the device in Robin’s direction, then gestured out toward the sand.
Hopper: Response
Galanis: It’s a fascinating and little spoken of phenomena, at least these days. Most of our white beaches are heavy in quartz, much like Terra. But in this particular area of the planet, they’re often higher in gypsum content. Gypsum is highly soluble in water, so these beaches often suffer from erosion issues without terraforming assistance. But it’s the source of this gypsum that’s so interesting - how does it wind up on the beach of an ocean planet? The answer is our ring, and the meteors that use to find their way into our atmosphere much more…
Another trailing off, another moment of Niev getting carried away. Is this really how they were when it came to talking about the homeworld? It was something that came up so rarely, Robin was one of the few in the galaxy Niev had ever even attempted to do it with. They weren’t sure how they felt about having so much so say.
Hopper: Response
Galanis: …Apologies, sir. I let myself off track. It’s a subject that I’m personally interested in, clearly. I don’t think it’s a detail that matters to the average Centauran nearly as much as it does to Da’adens suffering from a lack of land.
Hopper: Response
TAG!/TBC…
