Lt. Robin Hopper: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Robin Hopper
((OOC – Continuing scene per 48/72 hr rule, some older tags cut for brevity. Per Rich’s most recent email & Discord message, you’re fine to focus on more recent tags / Act 2 and not worry too much about ‘catching up’ – though you can certainly do so via backsim, flashback, etc if you want and have time!))
The main course consisted of a bright scarlet red mound of flesh, charred around the outside, with little white worm-like things salted and scattered across it, almost like demonic sprinkles. Beside it was a small bowl of thick stew-like organ broth, a thin layer of fat sitting atop it which shimmered and reflected the light like an oil slick. A small handful of bread, Robin guessed for dipping in the stew, sat beside that.
oO Oh god… I think I’m going to be sick. Oo
She hastily reached for a piece of bread and stuffed it in her mouth, trying to focus on the familiar palatable flavour. It didn’t help. She looked across the ring of tables and noticed Beta Tazik and his Alpha tearing into the meat ravenously.
Hopper: At least our guests seem pleased…
Wong: This is probably a fan favourite for them. ::Whispering:: Or a challenge for us…
oO Why not both? Oo
Iovianus: Either way, dig in.
Robin glanced at the Chief of Security with a pained grimace, watching him soaking up the layer of fat from the top of the soup with his bread. A lifelong vegetarian, she had no qualms about animal products like butter – especially if they were replicated or humanely farmed – but this was something else entirely. The Hirogen were not only serving them ruthlessly hunted and slaughtered game… but she knew of their proclivity for rendering their quarry into soup. And the Hirogen hunted sentient species.
Looking down at her own bowl, she couldn’t help but wonder… Who was for dinner?
Reade/Iko: Responses
Robin’s concerns didn’t seem to plague everyone else at the table however. Another look at her friends had her reeling as Ikaia happily tucked into the meal. She did everything in her power not to gag watching him eat a maggot-filled bite of flesh.
oO It’s like a horror movie… Oo
Wong: Mmm… okay yes! Actually this is really good…
Iovianus demonstrated his fat-skimming method and Ikaia followed suit. Robin shook her head slightly, breathing through her nostrils, and tried to adjust her thinking – convincing herself that she was some sort of objective researcher, studying the sociocultural habits of another species. What would Diane Fossey do in her position? Or Samantha Wildman? Or even Jane Porter…
Wong: What did you call this? ::Takes another bite::
Iovianus: The soup is very good. It has a unique quality to it.
Robin slowly, carefully, took a second piece of bread and followed Iovianus’ example, skimming some of the fat off the top of the soup. Using a knife she spread it across the surface – a waxy yellow cream, not at all unlike butter. oO Hirogen butter… Oo she told herself, attempting to make it more palatable. oO This is just like… an Advanced Xenobiology course… Or something… Oo
As she raised it towards her mouth, the sneering Hirogen Alpha spoke once again.
Acherax: What’s the matter, Science Officer? Does the meal not agree with you?
Tazik: Response?
Hopper: Umm… No, it’s just… I ate such a large breakfast today.
Acherax: Because I can tell you, your dinner certainly didn’t agree with being deliquesced either…
Tazik: Response?
He took another heaping helping of the crimson meat, sucking a little maggot into his mouth as gravity tried to pull it back to his plate. Repulsed as she might be, Robin was not about to let this Hunter bully her into a corner, nor was she going to let down the Federation’s peacekeeping efforts in the Delta Quadrant.
oO I’m going to regret this. Oo
She hastily shoved the bread into her mouth and began chewing. It was all she could do to try and convince herself it was just an unfamiliar butter she was eating. Popcorn. It was buttery movie theatre popcorn. Maybe it was just a bit stale. The aftertaste? A sprinkling of cheese. That was it, stale movie theatre popcorn with some white cheddar. Totally acceptable. Normal. Edible. Definitely edible.
Hopper: ::Swallowing:: It’s a good thing we’re here to seek compromises then.
The Hirogen Alpha seemed rather disappointed, begrudgingly returning to his meal.
Iko/Reade: Response
Wong: Regardless… I do like this!
Iko/Reade/Tazik: Response
Wong: So you were mentioning earlier about the cave spiders on Ingvar. That pirates were gassing them out of their natural habitat, right?
Robin slowly, and silently, took a sip of the soup, trying to focus all her attention on the conversation rather than the hot corpse juice she was presently drinking. oO Communication. Compassion. Compromise… Oo she kept repeating in her thoughts.
Acherax: A wise hunter does what, Beta Tazik?
Tazik: Response
Acherax: And thus, repetition of information is typically not required.
Iko/Reade: Response
Wong: As I understand it, in order to maintain good hunting or even fishing you need to have a sustainable population of certain species. But with pirates disrupting those ecosystems, you don't have enough prey to hunt safely without potentially causing a collapse of the species you're hunting, effectively rendering them extinct, which is bad for you and your prey.
Iovianus: Which is something that none of us want.
Acherax: On that we can certainly agree.
Robin felt genuine enthusiasm for the first time in hours, nodding excitedly.
Hopper: Absolutely. Biological preservation is something common throughout many Federation worlds. In fact, many of our member planets – Earth is a prime example – wouldn’t have survived without instituting robust policies and procedures for maintaining environmental balance. Some have even made ‘world engineering’ a focus of their culture, such as Velestus – renowned for its terraforming expertise.
Iko/Reade/Tazik: Response
Wong: Ecology and chasing down pirates is kinda a thing that Starfleet is good at. If you want to see my cultivation efforts as proof, you can drop by my lab later if you'd like. Most of what I do is botany down there. But I have experience in raising and caring for animals of all types.
Iovianus: From a personal standpoint safety from pirates is a high priority within the sector for all the people. It could be a good way for us to scratch each others backs as it were.
Hopper: And, of course, Beta Tazik – you saw our Botany and Biology labs as part of our Science and Research Center tour. Surely you can imagine that that sort of technology could be useful for the Hirogen if you’re interested in ecological preservation…
She glanced down. The bowl of soup was now half-empty. oO That wasn’t so ba– Oo her stomach gurgled. Angrily. oO Ah $@#$... Oo
Iko/Reade/Tazik: Response
Iovianus: We have a history of dealing with pirates, you want the pirates gone from your territories. Your controlled populations could be of study use to us.
Wong: Agreed. In allowing us to assist with dealing with the pirates and by helping the species you hunt, there is a benefit to you in the long run. In return, we would be able to study these species.
The Hirogen Alpha, for the first time since food had been delivered, actually seemed more interested in the conversation than in the meal.
Acherax: Of course, we’ve been doing what we can to dissuade the pirates from entering our territory in the first place. The Hirogen may note venture outside our space to Hunt – but the holograms haven’t made us all docile. Plenty of pirates on my trophy wall.
Robin looked down at the soup again, renewed horror coursing through her body. Was she eating a pirate? Is that why she was starting to feel ‘seasick?’
Hopper: There may be more… Umm… Humane ways of dealing with the problem. Diplomatic ways.
Acherax: ::Waving a hand dismissively:: The Hirogen will never engage in ‘talks’ with pirates or poachers. But you may do whatever you want to warn them away if you care for them so deeply… I care only about preserving my hunting grounds so that Tazik and his Beta and his Beta’s Beta may all one day feel the satisfaction of crafting a trophy from an Ingvarian Cave Spider’s carapace.
Iovianus/Iko/Reade/Tazik: Response
Vataix: Hello, everyone!
Saved by the belle. Ambassador Vataix, with her glamorous blue dress, had arrived and interrupted the conversation – giving Robin a much-needed break. She seemed particularly interested in Ikaia for some reason, but the science officer was just happy for a momentary reprieve from thinking about pirate soup and cave spider organs.
Wong: Oh! Aloha, Ambassador! Good to see you.
Hopper: Madam Ambassador, what brings you around?
With Rivi momentarily between her and the observant Hirogen, Robin picked up her plate and, in a swift and decisive motion, swept nearly all of her jumperbeast onto Ikaia’s plate. She left only a tiny portion, not unlike a flake of lox. Something that could be placed on bread and eaten quickly.
Iovianus/Iko/Reade/Tazik: Response
Vataix: I just wanted to see how everyone is doing so far.
Ikaia glanced over at everyone for a moment, Robin meeting his gaze and glancing down at his plate to indicate her making use of his offer, before he looked back at Vataix.
Wong: I think it's going alright. What do you all think?
Hopper: Yes… We’re finding some common ground with our Hirogen friends. Seems that there is some overlap in our priorities here in the Quadrant after all.
Acherax: ::From Behind Vataix:: Your officers should not get too over-eager, Ambassador. Not all Hirogen see things the way that I or Tazik do.
Iovianus/Iko/Reade/Tazik: Response
Vataix: ::nods:: Well, carry on. ::to Wong:: Lieutenant, may I speak with you for a moment?
Wong: Alright. Sure!
He pushed his chair back and got up. Robin loaded the last bit of meat on her plate onto her last piece of bread.
Wong: Excuse me. I'll be right back!
As Ikaia left with Rivi, Robin held up her remaining food in a little ‘cheers’-like gesture to their guests.
Hopper: My compliments to the chef.
She took a bite, the harsh umami flavour of the beast’s flesh filling her mouth as she chewed. oO Focus on the bread. The bread. The bread. The bread. Oo
Acherax: Hmmph. Konrak is a master of the jumperbeast hunt. They are a most evasive prey – and quite ferocious when cornered. It takes great cunning and skill to take one down without damaging the meat.
Hopper: ::Still chewing:: Mm… Yoo can teww. Vewy nithe.
Iovianus/Tazik/Iko/Reade: Responses
Acherax: This “terraforming” technology you mentioned. It is used to make worlds habitable, yes?
Hopper: ::Tilting her head side-to-side:: Well, not exactly. Taking a barren rock, giving it an atmosphere, developing a foundational ecosystem… That’s the stuff of legend – like the famed “Genesis Project”... But what our current technology allows is for bolstering, strengthening, enhancing existing ecosystems. We have procedures for introducing complimentary species, and for ecological containment. We focus on sustainability and resiliency… its served us well.
Iovianus/Tazik/Iko/Reade: Responses
Wong: Sorry about that.
At that point, Ikaia returned from his chat with Rivi. Robin was curious what they’d discussed, but at this point, she was more concerned with the present conversation with the Hirogen. Quite frankly, the fact that they were even interested in any sort of serious discourse about ecological preservation surprised her – though perhaps it shouldn’t have. After all, many worlds with robust ecologies made use of stocked reserves for sport hunting, or limited-scope population culling as part of their progress towards environmental stability…
Iko/Reade/Tazik/Iovianus: Response?
Wong: I hope you're all doing alright!
Hopper: Just fine, Ikaia. ::Teasing:: Come on, eat up!
Acherax: Your fellow officers were elaborating on Federation terraforming technology. But clearly a more holistic solution would be required.
Iko/Reade/Tazik/Iovianus: Response
Wong: Anyways, back to what we were saying - we can offer you advanced holograms all we want and while we still are, the thing we can offer is bringing those species you hunt back from the brink of extinction. We'd be able to set up breeding programs and release these species back into their habitats as well as restoring balance to the environment from which they came. We would also be able to help with the pirate situation as well. I can't speak for Commander Iovianus. But I do know that he and Iko are well skilled and likely will have a solution for you. In short - we know that we can help you today for better hunts tomorrow.
Acherax: ::To Tazik:: Tazik, I will not be the Alpha forever. You represent the future of this tribe… What do you think of all this talk of science and diplomacy?
Tazik: Response
Iko/Reade/Iovianus: Response
TBC
