Ensign Tho’Bi - Gorn to Run

[Tobi]

(( Main Mess Hall - Deck 3, USS Artemis-A ))

A great thundering holographic mass of fluffy, chirping, trembling, lumps descended onto the Andorian, burying him up to his neck, and spreading out across the table and deck. The room around him echoed with laughter and delight, as rogue Tribbles continued to drop onto the Andorian's head at random intervals.

The Andorian glanced over at Ensign Cole, shook his head, and grinned. He then slung a Holo-Tribble in her direction and laughed. 

Cole: Response.

Meris: Oh dear…

Bancroft: ::giggling:: Classic.

K'Wara: Response.

Tho'Bi: ::grinning:: Look out, Doc! You’ve got one under your nose.

Meris: I must disagree. What is under Doctor Bancroft's nose more closely resembles the larval stage of the burrowing fen worm from my homeworld.

Roy smoothed his mustache with thumb and forefinger.

Bancroft: ::laughing:: You two say ‘unwanted pest’. I say ‘distinguished’. Starfleet says ‘technically within regulations’. Everybody wins.

K'Wara/Cole: Responses

Finally, having sat out a turn due to their earlier penalty, it was Meris’ turn again. The Dabo Wheel spun, morphing into a great vortex.

Holo-Ferengi: Quantum slipstream drive!

Bancroft: ::patting Meris on the shoulder:: Ooooh, good spin, Meris!

Tho’Bi: ::to Meris:: Shaslex n’fellex ::smiles:: Slide don't slip… it's Graalen ::shrugs:: Andorian, it means, Good Luck.

K'Wara/Cole: Responses

The odd shaped space vehicle, that looked more like a traditional Andorian ice-racer than a Starship, sped through the tunnel of shimmering light to arrive above a mostly harmless looking ball of blue and green.

Meris: Is that Earth?

Bancroft: The Blue Marble itself, indeed!

The gleaming column and domed cap of Starbase One hung above the mostly harmless ball of blue and green in much the same way that bricks don't.

K'Wara/Cole: Responses

Holo-Ferengi: Congratulations! You may purchase Starbase One for 200 bars. An expensive purchase, but with comes a 10% royalty on all penalties paid by others because, as Rule 62 states, 'The Riskier the Road, the Greater the Profit!’

Meris: Oh my... I will purchase Starbase One.

Two hundred bars of gold-pressed latinum made their way to the banker.

Next, the young Doctor spun the dabo wheel. The husky profile of the USS Defiant zipped across the table-top galaxy to Vulcan.

Holo-Ferengi: ::grinning:: Aha! You’ve landed on Vulcan. You may purchase it for 150 bars.

The Doctor moved for his stack of gold-pressed latinum, but the Ferengi interjected. 

Holo-Ferengi: ::raising a finger:: However, in order to earn the right to purchase Vulcan, you must first complete a required Pon Farr Audit.

Garish pseudo-Vulcan neon script blossomed into existence above the board. 

PON FARR AUDIT

It’s not love – it's a neurological imbalance.

Holo-Ferengi: ::gleefully:: For tax purposes, we must now examine your history of romantic entanglements, whether real or tragically hypothetical.

Bancroft: ::blinking:: That… that feels aggressively targeted.

The lights shifted dramatically, with just a single spotlight on Roy.

Holo-Ferengi: Let’s begin. Question one! Have you ever experienced what the Hew-Mons call ‘butterflies’ in the presence of another sentient being?

Bancroft: ::cautiously:: Are we talking literal or metaphorical butterflies? Because I had a very alarming case involving a lepidopterist during clinical rotations.

K'Wara/Cole/Meris: Responses

Holo-Ferengi: ::checking notes:: Acceptable dodge! Question two! During your Academy years, were you ever described as ‘dreamy,’ ‘brooding,’ or ‘emotionally unavailable but in an intriguing way’?

Bancroft: ::cheeks burning:: I’ll have you know I was perfectly available. People just needed to look past the sarcasm and extreme emotional deflection.

The Andorian lent into the table and spoke to the other three players in a quiet, deliberate tone. 

Tho'Bi: The moustache says brooding ::nods::

K'Wara/Cole/Meris: Responses

Holo-Ferengi: ::rubbing hands together:: Final question! When facing mortal peril, have you ever envisioned one specific individual as your ‘final thought’?

Bancroft: ::reddening further:: I’m invoking the Fifth Directive on that one.

Holo-Ferengi: ::gleeful:: Denial and evasion! There might be some hope for you Hew-Mons after all! The audit is passed, you are now the proud owner of Vulcan.

The garish pseudo-Vulcan neon script returned.

“MOST LIKELY TO NEED A HUG BUT REJECT IT”

Bancroft: ::deadpan:: That’s going on the mood board. Right next to my ‘Live, Laugh, Lock it all Inside’ sign.

All one-meter and ninety-centimeters of Andorian lent across and gave the young Doctor a hug. One awkward second. Two awkward seconds. Three awkward sec- 

The Andorian broke from the embrace.

Tho'Bi: ::to Bancroft:: Zhasil hlenz fellexi’flan ::smiles and pats Bancroft on the back:: The warmest embrace melts the coldest hearts.

K'Wara/Cole/Meris: Responses

Tho’Bi: ::to everyone:: Fellexi’flan shranek... thas ek'hris ::beat:: But if the heart is frozen solid, there's always the blade. ::smiles::

K'Wara/Cole/Meris/Bancroft: Responses

The turns moved around the table once again. The Andorian found himself feeling opened up, as though he had been hunched over, crunched up, and in pain for weeks.

It was his turn. Clatter-Clatter of Dabo Wheel. Nineteen Lightyears. 

Holo-Ferengi: ::prancing about the table surface:: N-n-n-n-nineteen, nineteen!

N-nineteen, nineteen!

The young Andorian looked at everyone, shrugged and shook his head.

oO What? Oo

K'Wara/Cole/Meris/Bancroft: Responses

The miniature USS Enterprise NCC-1701 REFIT landed on a square with a small dusty looking world. The board shimmered into a rugged terrain of rock outcrops and sparse vegetation.  

…then nothing happened.

Tho'Bi: Galaxy-opoly Game System Control ::beat:: run dia-

A hefty, photo-torpedo-sized boulder had hit the Andorian square in the head.

K'Wara/Cole/Meris/Bancroft: Responses

An outcrop of rock had manifested at the centre of the game, atop it, a large humanoid with green scaly skin, a larger head with extended mouth, full of glistening sharp white teeth.  

Holo-Ferengi: Now you've Gorn and done it! You must fashion a weapon from the limited resources around you.  

As the Holo-Ferengi spoke next, the various elements appeared, floating in mid-air around the Gorn. 

Holo-Ferengi: Bamboo, Sulfur, Coal, Potassium Nitrate, and Diamonds. But he's the kicker, Andorian ::points at Tho’Bi:: You’ve got the bamboo ::the bamboo appears in front of Tho'Bi:: but… four elements, four teammates. ::the four elements vanish:: which of your teammates has what? And… how much will they charge for it? ::grins:: Will it be money? Information? ….Or favors? ::sniggers::

A second chunk of dusty rock arched down onto the Andorian. This time he caught it. 

Holo-Ferengi: And don't worry my fellow profit seekers… There's enough Gorn for anyone!

With that, the rock-top Gorn began lobbing boulders at all the players. And the Holo-Ferengi broke out into a song, “Gorn Freeeee!”

K'Wara/Cole/Meris/Bancroft: Responses

Tag/TBC

((OOC: Assume Tho'Bi agrees with the price you set. Feel free to DM if you want to engage in some outside the box hijinks. Info regarding TOS Episode ‘The Arena’, should you need it is here: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Arena_(episode) 

Andorian Phrases:

Shaslex n’fellex

Slide, don't slip

Literally translates as 'glide don't slip' and is used to wish someone 'Good Luck'. Typically, the recipient will repeat the phrase back.

https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Andorian/Graalen#Sayings 

Zhasil hlenz fellexi’flan

Fellexi’flan shranek... thas ek'hris

The warmest embrace melts the coldest hearts.

But if the heart is frozen solid, there's always the blade.

New Andorian expression I made up. I'll add it to the SB118WIKI once this Sim is live.))

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Ensign Tho’Bi

Engineering

USS Artemis-A

A240203T11