Lt. Cmdr Robin Hopper: Holy PAAK
Robin Hopper
((Tribunal room, Paak Military Headquarters, Paak, Paak System – Barossa Nebula))
The plan to demonstrate their ‘alien-ness’ by way of non-communication was certainly getting the attention of all those in attendance, not the least of which was the presiding red-robed Paak leader. He seemed almost incensed at the indignity of the spectacle – which gave Robin pause… But they had been left with few other options, especially considering they had next to no idea how to navigate the Paak’s legal system.
She turned to Wil, a nervous smile forced onto her face.
Hopper: I think it’s working… Now what?
Ukinix: Uh… we keep spouting bull@%$^?
oO Oh good. We have a plan, then. Oo
Hopper: Right, okay… I guess we’ll see how that goes…
Ukinix: ::nod to Robin, pleased tone:: Indeed!
Wil turned back towards the leader of the attending council, or jury, or observers? They didn’t even know who it was that surrounding them.
Ukinix: ::turning back to magistrate:: Can’t-you-hear, can’t-you-hear the thun-derrr!… You-betta run-
Paak (Counsel): ::Emphatically pointing:: ⋆⋆⋆ ⋆⋆⋆ ♪ ♪ ♬ ⋆⋆⋆ ♫ ♪ ⋆⋆⋆⋆
Their Paak lawyer was pointing at her – no, at Wil. No… at both of them. Given the current circumstances, and the way he was pointing, she surmised he’d figured out now that their little delta badges were the source of their ability to communicate.
oO Good. At least he’s admitting something… Oo
Paak (Magistrate): ::Accusatorily:: ⋆♫ ⋆⋆ ⋆⋆⋆⋆ ♪ ♫ ⋆⋆ ⋆⋆⋆⋆ ♩ ♩ ♪ ♬ ⋆⋆⋆ ♫ ♩ ⋆⋆⋆⋆ ♪ ♪ ⋆⋆ ⋆⋆⋆⋆ ♪ ♫ ⋆⋆ ⋆⋆⋆⋆ ♩ ♩ ♬ ⋆⋆
Ukinix: ::Shrug, palms out:: Dunno what you’re saying, mate.
The fancy Paak in the billowy crimson robes stood, his resonant bellows indicating some sort of discordant call to action.
Paak (Magistrate): ::Standing up, upset:: ♬ ♩ ✦ ⋆⋆⋆ ♪ ♫ ✧ ♪ ⋆⋆⋆ ♬ ✧ ♫ ✧ ⋆⋆⋆
It sounded ominous, to Robin… Like a bell tolling for their doom. She crossed her arms in front of her, holding herself in order to remain steadfast. There really was no telling what might happen on this alien world. They hadn’t even asked what the typical punishments was for these crimes, if found guilty. What if it was execution?
She glanced at Wil nervously. oO Maybe we should have taken this more seriously. Oo
Paak (Counsel): ::Repeatedly nodding respectfully:: ♪ ♫ ✧ ⋆⋆⋆ ♪ ♫ ✧ ⋆⋆⋆ ♩ ♫ ♩ ✦ ⋆⋆⋆ ::Turning to a soldier:: ♪ ✦ ⋆⋆⋆ ♬ ✧ ♪ ♩ ⋆⋆⋆ ♩ ♫ ♩ ✧ ⋆⋆⋆
The soldier nodded, before quickly leaving the room. The judge sat down, arms crossed, as the room fell silent.
Ukinix: ::Smiling, turning to Robin:: Point made, Commander?
Hopper: ::Brow furrowed:: I hope so… But I’m not feeling great about what comes next.
Ukinix: ::Handwave:: Nah, it’ll be ‘right.
((A few minutes later...))
Robin pinned her combadge back to left chest panel of her uniform, straightening it to the best of her ability without a mirror. It felt good having it back – not only because it would allow them, once again, to understand their ‘hosts’, but also because it represented something. It represented their best chance for getting out of this place – their crewmates… who were surely on their way by now, if Amity had received their distress call.
As the military officers who had been sent to retrieve the badges stepped away, moving back into the circular formation surrounding them, their representative leaned in closely to Robin and Wil, and spoke very quietly and angrily to them.
Paak (Counsel): ::speaking quietly:: I’m two seconds away from asking the Paak to assign a different Paak. If you pull a stunt like that again, I’ll personally take you both to internment.
Robin nodded in understanding.
Hopper: We don’t have any more stunts planned. But I think you’ll agree–
Ukinix: They’re our devices! We chose not to, to prove that we are *not from this planet*, you #@%2@@^%^$.
This time it was Robin’s turn to calm Wil. She reached out and set a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. They’d made their point, hopefully. Now the best thing they could do was probably to appear cooperative.
The counsel simply shook his head, then stepped back. The judge stood from his chair, and held out his palms.
Paak (Magistrate): Speak your names and full rank. And I warn you – answer honestly.
Robin removed her hand from Wil’s shoulder and tucked them behind her back, standing up straight.
Hopper: Lieutenant Commander Robin Hopper. I’m the Chief Science Officer of Amity Outpost, with the United Federation of Planets.
Ukinix: And I am Commander Wil Ukinix, First Officer and Starfleet attaché, Amity Outpost, United Federation of Planets.
The judge looked back and forth, assessing their answers and weighing their words against their appearances.
Paak (Magistrate): Your titles. “Lieutenant Commander” and “Commander”. Are they military titles, such as Paak, Paak and Paak?
Robin blinked, glanced at Wil and found him looking her way as well. She hadn’t missed that particular Translator conundrum.
Ukinix: They’re… ranks. We don’t think of ourselves as “military”, but there is a chain of command. I am the ranking officer.
With that information in hand, the judge seemed to hone in on Wil – in fact, the whole room did. Robin took a moment to look around at the faces while everyone else focused on the man standing beside her. At first glance, the Paak all looked fairly similar – but on closer inspection, she thought perhaps there were subtle, but unique, patterns visible within the crystalline hues of their skin.
For the second time, she was almost struck by how pretty they were… almost. The judge’s next grumble unfortunately drew her back into the tribunal.
Paak (Magistrate): Then you are the one responsible for presenting yourselves at this tribunal without your communication translation devices?
Ukinix: Yes, magistrate, it was my order, to demonstrate how we are struggling to fully understand your language.
The magistrate took in a large breath, before beginning a most troubling tirade.
Paak (Magistrate): I am aware of the claims you have made of your otherworldly origins, and while some in this room are skeptical, the general consensus so far of the military scientific experts seated around you is that you in fact, may indeed be, not of Paak.
oO Well, that’s something! Oo
Paak (Magistrate): But I do not care whether you are from North Paak, South Paak, Paak, Paak, or from the other side of the Paak galaxy. I *will not* permit these tribunal proceedings to be deliberately circumvented in the manner you have.
oO Uh oh. Oo
Paak (Magistrate): This is a potentially momentous milestone in the entire history of Paak, yet you have treated this tribunal with disdain.
oO Oh no no no no… Oo
Paak (Magistrate): I hold you, Commander Wil Ukinix, in *contempt* of this tribunal, and you will spend your time in internment while the tribunal hearings are ongoing for the next several weeks.
oO Contempt? Internment?! WEEKS?! Oo
Robin’s eyes widened in shock. If the tribunal was to continue for weeks, but Wil was going to be kept locked away, did that mean…?
Paak (Magistrate): Lieutenant Commander Robin Hopper will speak for you. You have lost the right to join her in your defense.
Ukinix: WHAT!
Paak (Magistrate): And I suggest you remain *quiet*, lest I give you further punishment.
Robin struggled to form a coherent point, but she knew that she had to protest.
Hopper: This– Isn’t fair! It’s not– It isn’t right! This isn’t justice. He didn’t–
Paak (Magistrate): ::To Robin:: Remain quiet, or I will rule against you as well, Lieutenant Commander Robin Hopper.
Robin slammed her mouth shut in a disheartened frown. She’d only been involved in two First Contacts, including this one, and they had both ended in disaster… Was she cursed?
One of the uniformed Paak who was sitting in one the chairs on the edge of the circular room stood up, and began to speak.
Paak (Scientist): ::Standing up:: If I may, Paak-
Paak (Magistrate): ::Turning to face Paak scientist:: No you may not. *Sit Down*, Paak Paak. When the time in these hearings are right, you will be called. Until then… shut your Paak.
There was a slight gasp from the remaining seated uniformed officers at the magistrate’s statement. Robin watched, in horror, as two uniformed soldiers grabbed Wil by the arms and began leading him away, protesting.
Ukinix: This is bull#$@... THIS IS BULL@#@^! ::To Robin:: Lieutenant Commander, find any way you can to contact Amity!
She nodded – but how on Paak she was going to manage that, all on her own with no resources and no help, she hadn’t the faintest idea. Besides, all she could think about was how #$%& off the judge was now. One wrong move and she’d be joining Wil in prison… or worse.
Hopper: I’ll try! ::Thinking of something to say:: Stay positive.
Ukinix: I’ll try!
With that, the door shut, and Wil was gone, taken to be held in military internment for the length of the tribunal proceedings. Robin turned, slowly, back towards the judge – her gaze trailing along the rest of the assembled military tribunal’s faces. There wasn’t a friendly look among them. As she reached the end of the line, she shut her eyes briefly, tilting her head down towards the floor and taking a deep breath as she clasped her hands in front of her.
For a moment, she tried to picture her friends back on Amity – or, better yet, on the Independence, entering orbit, ready to come to their rescue. For a moment she almost convinced herself she could hear the familiar otherworldly twinkle of the transporter – but as she opened her eyes, she realized it was actually an impatient hum emanating from the judge.
Hopper: Right. So, um, I’m not exactly sure what, um, happens.. now…
The judge harumphed melodically and sat back in his seat. All the other standing Paak also took their seats.
Paak (Magistrate): Now, hopefully, we can begin to get to the paak of this unprecedented situation. ::Folding his hands together and placing them on the table:: Lieutenant Commander – you claim to be an extrapaakal–
Hopper: ::Concerned:: A what?
Paak (Counselor): Magistrate, one of the claims made by these individuals is that they lack an ability to understand the difference between many of our most fundamental concepts, such as Paak and paak…
A general titter of amusement arose among the assembled crowd.
Paak (Magistrate): ::Shaking his head:: I shall try to put it another way… You claim to be from another world, far away from the Paak– our solar system. Furthermore, you claim to be from a “United Federation of Planets” made up of many unique worlds. Finally, you claim to be sufficiently technologically advanced to traverse the galaxy and seek out other civilizations… Are these, indeed, your claims?
Robin nodded. She felt like she was back at the Academy, giving a presentation in front of her first year course on Federation history.
Hopper: Yes. That’s right. We’re explorers. Our goal is to traverse the stars in search of other civilizations, new scientific discoveries, and to better understand the universe we all share.
She took a small step forward, doing her best to seem warm and diplomatic – and avoid, at all costs, accidentally saying “Paak”!!!
Hopper: Your people are on the brink of one of the most pivotal moments in your world’s history – I know, because it happened to my own people… twice, really, if you consider that my moms are from… ::Cutting herself off:: Yeah, those details aren’t important. What matters is, there’s still time for you to enter the galactic community on friendly terms with us.
Another titter ran through the crowd then – though this one seemed considerably less amused. She was pretty sure she heard several of the assembled military Paaks whispering about “weapons” and “threats”... She sighed, worried she’d already completely miscommunicated their intentions.
Paak (Magistrate): And who determines which of these ‘civilizations’ you discover are fit to make contact with? If what you say is true – why did you come to visit us? Why now? ::Leaning forward:: More importantly, how do we know that your intentions are as noble as you suggest?
Hopper: Well, honesty, it’s sort of, um, embarrassing, but it was an accident. ::Awkward chuckle:: We were just, um, in the neighborhood, investigating this weird pulsar and happened upon the residual warp signature from your world’s recent tests and, well, the pulsar reappeared and fried our ships’ systems… ::Dramatic hand gesture:: Poof! So, we crashed here. You see – we have a doctrine we call “The Prime–
Before she could finish, she was once again cut off. The judge pointed now to the Paak scientific expert, who stood and raised his hands over his head in the triangle they all loved doing so much.
Paak (Magistrate): Alright, Paak, now it’s time for you to speak. What is the Lieutenant Commander talking about?
Paak (Scientist): Well, by “warp” we suspect they mean our recent Paak VI probe’s engines. The probe was designed to utilize a new and rather experimental – and, may I say, highly classified – design in order to manipulate space. I suppose you could call this a “warping” effect, Magistrate.
Robin nodded enthusiastically. Finally, a fellow scientist was coming to her rescue. She turned to the new speaker, grateful and relieved.
Hopper: Yes! Yes, exactly. We detected the launch of your probe, or rather, the trail it left behind.
Paak (Scientist): There’s only one problem, Magistrate… The experimental engines were never employed. They were damaged during one of PAAK’s recent judgements and weren’t ready in time for the launch. We used conventional propulsion instead.
Hopper: That can’t be. Then who’s warp signature did we detect? … ::Beat:: … And who or what is “PAAK”? ::Eyes wide:: Oh crap.
There was a general uproar that led Robin to crouch, covering her head in case someone decided to throw their shoe at her or something. The judge, however, slammed his fists against the table, producing an amplified resonant banging sound that drowned out the outrage until it had, at last, subsided. Shaking his head in disgust, he pointed a quivering finger at Robin, but spoke to the Scientist.
Paak (Magistrate): ::Outraged:: Explain to the Lieutenant Commander in a way even a child would understand, since apparently it remains impossible for either of these officers to maintain decorum.
Paak (Scientist): There are still many who hold to the old beliefs that PAAK is a divine entity of some sort… and more still who believe that, at least in some sense, divine wisdom is communicated to us through PAAK’s “judgments”... Wars ended, bombs neutralized – and, most recently, experimental engines damaged.
Hopper: Okay. You say “some”... which seems to imply you don’t believe that, so, would you mind telling me what the heck is going on here?
Paak (Scientist): I believe, to use your terminology, PAAK is the “pulsar” you encountered.
Robin reeled at what she was hearing… She’d thought the communication issue they were having was the greatest of their problems. But now, if she was understanding correctly, there was far more going on here than they had even imagined.
End Scene
((OOC – We’ll pick up these threads when y’all come save me!!))
