Lieutenant JG Maria Alvarez - The Cone of Possibility

[Max]

(( OOC: Thanks for all the patience and support the last week or so while life returns to some semblance of normal.  It's been super strange and I really appreciate all of your kindness :)  Hoping Looking forward to getting back into the swing of it! ))

(( USS Arrow, Deck 3 - Maria's Quarters ))

With barely any time to unpack before abandoning ship, Maria hadn't actually unpacked into her new quarters.  Previously, she'd been a courteous roommate with only a couple personal items set out and most of her effects staying packed away in storage.  Now, it was an explosion of disorganization across the floor, bed, and shelves with Maria herself sprawled on the floor in a bendy stretch at the epicenter.  Normally, she was a compulsively fastidious woman with an eye for design, but right now she hadn't managed much more than a ring of piles around herself.

It probably had something to do with the contents of a freshly-dented padd that had come to rest on the opposite side of the room after traveling through an abruptly abortive ballistic trajectory.  No, not probably.  Definitely.

While Maria had been unmolested physically and mentally on the "Midnight Planet", the mission to Genti II seemed like it would never stop plaguing her.  Ambassador Grey's official reprimand (only now coming through with delays in paperwork and seeing that the Arrow had been damaged) was just the latest kick in the teeth.  Maria fumed - wasn't it already enough to pull her from the mission?  The final conclusion of the report was etched into her head:

Lieutenant Junior Grade Alvarez demonstrates a dangerous combination of recklessness, lack of obedience, and charm.  It is the opinion of this officer that Mr Alvarez is a liability to the Fleet and unlikely to be rehabilitated.  I recommend her future in Starfleet, however short it may be, take these considerable flaws into account.

The gall!  Not one mention that she'd smoothed over the initial contact the Degault had with the Gentii, or the fact that putting together the Bairiri had garnered her (and the Federation) significant respect among the general citizenry.  WIthout that, it was unlikely the Gentii would even still be talking to the Federation after such a messy initial round of talks.  She hadn't cared for Ambassador Grey when she first met him, and now she outright raged inside thinking of the man's dry pompacity.  All she could do was breathe deeply and appreciate the fact she was back on Arrow, a place that felt like home more than anywhere else right now.  Better to just move on.  Who needed that sad sack anyway?

Besides, she hadn't come back from detached duty empty handed.

(( USS Arrow, Deck 5 - Living History Annex ))

Maria took her usual, balanced pace down the corridor, an artifact presented to her by the Gentii wrapped in tissue paper cupped between her hands.  She didn't feel right holding onto it entirely for herself, not when the whole crew of the Arrow had played a part in making amends with the people.  In her own way, Maria almost thought of it as an offering to the ship that carried them, giving thanks for accepting her (and the rest of the crew) back into the well-lit halls and comfortable beds with abundant protection from all manner of unpredictable hazards.

As she arrived at the cozy and well-appointed Living History Annex, tucked as far away from the rest of the ship as possible, she smiled to see she wasn't the only one with that idea.

Alvarez: Well, well, well...

One corner of her lip curled up a good few millimeters.  Her brows situated themselves into a thoroughly amused elevation as Quentins fought with himself to figure out what to do with his limbs and enormous indecision.

Alvarez: You keep flapping about like that, and I'm going to take you to sick bay...

Collins: Oh, toss it...

Maria's warm, musical giggle warmed the room as she tucked herself into the hug, her hands on his back, equally happy to see him.  One of the advantages of his oversize frame and long arms was that it was just about perfect for hugging someone of her stature.  She beamed back at him as he let her go, a hint of mischief never too distant in her eyes.

Collins: I read the reports from the orbital team. I thought...I thought maybe you had...

She raised her arms and paraded around in a small circle.

Alvarez: Not a scratch!  Not that you ever had to worry, with my overdeveloped sense of self-preservation.

Collins: Well, I am happy to hear it and see YOU all the same.

Maria half had a mind to ask how Quentin had made out, but she had sense enough of that already, and he didn't seem interested in dwelling on it.

Collins: So, you like it? ::He gestures around the space:: I tried to tend it as best I could during your reassignment...

Maria let her eyes float over the objects that had been deposited into the record since her absence, and the pieces that had obviously been just-placed.  It was undeniably a good collection.  She gave Quentin her happiest grin and most sincere appreciation.

Alvarez: I love it.  :: A second. :: I see a good empty spot right here though...

She stepped over to a blank piece of shelving, and unwrapped a sculpture a little larger than her two fists, but surprisingly heavy.

Though called a cone, it was shaped more like the bell of a trumpet: starting at a needle-sharp point at the one side, it flared outwards the wider it got.  It was not a solid surface or simple extruded shape, but instead made many twisting tendrils of multi-colored metal, mineral, and marble spiraling out together and tangling like roots.  The outermost surface was polished perfectly smooth, but with jagged gaps and holes where the materials didn't fit together perfectly.  The wide end was not flat, but instead quite concave, leaving an exactly circular and sharp edge at the lip of the bell.  In all likelihood, only a Gentii craftsman could achieve such perfection of form with such an amalgam of material.

Collins: Response

Alvarez: It's an artistic representation of a Gentii philosophical idea - "The Cone of Possibility."  Presented to yours truly when I beamed back down with the ambassador.  :: She grinned. :: I don't think he was happy I was the one getting gifts.

Collins: Response

Alvarez: The basic notion is that you perpetually stand at a pin-point in time, looking forward to an ever-more-quickly-expanding realm of possibilities.  I don't understand all the various teachings about the cone, but it's an interesting idea and makes for some cool art.

Collins: Response

Alvarez: One thing I do know is the philosopher who came up with it said to try to narrow the cone.  Make choices that make it easier to predict what will happen next.  I suppose it's easy to see how I'd clash with the Gentii old guard, in retrospect.

She huffed a small chuckle.  Easy, indeed.  She held practically the polar opposite view: a belief that the strange and confronting things should be cherished.

Collins: Response

Maria placed the cone in the blank spot, a convenient display stand propping it up.  Backing away, she found her eye caught by a different piece on display.  She found herself drawn closer to a gnarled, creature-like claw looking shockingly large and vicious.

Alvarez: This looks new, what is it?

Collins: Response

Maria felt like there was a strange tap-tap-tapping inside her head willing her to remember... something.  She only could half-recall the reason this piece fired an unexpected series of neurons in her mind.

Alvarez: Gorn?  :: She swallowed. :: You know, I had a couple strange dreams about Gorn while I was with the Gentii.  :: She shifted back to her sunny smile. ::  Pretty sure I punched one in the face in one of them.  But talk about coincidence, right?

Collins: Response

Tag/TBC...

Lieutenant JG Maria Alvarez

Operations Officer

USS Arrow - NCC-69829

A239710MA0

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