LT Tamio K'Wara - Quality-Guaranteed Time with New Friends

[LT Tamio K'Wara]

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

With the opening bids made and passed, the game of Galaxy-opoly truly kicked off. Tamil watched the Ensigns as they progressed through the events of the game, watched their reactions with interest. 

Meris: What does that mean?

Tamio looked down at the game as Meris’ Ship arrived at a vortex where it began to spin and swirl, sucked into an alternate dimension with Holo-NOT-Grok’s insincere platitudes filling their soundscape around them.

Holo-Ferengi: Sorry! You lose your next turn! But don’t worry – there’s always Rule 88! 'It isn’t over till it’s over!'

A large number 88 manifested above them, and Tamio smiled.

Cole: Oof, that is rough. 

K’Wara: Didn’t know Galaxy-opoly doubled as an educational game for Rules of Acquisition. This game’s got layers.

 

Natasha leaned forwards, spinning the wheel around to take her turn, but unfortunately, she too hit a significant roadblock on her route to economic victory.

Holo-NOT-Grok: ::smiling evilly:: You’re progress has been blocked by an active Section 31 mission. Pay 50 bars of latinum to get them to look the other way or go back five spaces.

Tamio frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly, before shrugging it off. They supposed they shouldn’t feel too surprised that Ferengi bought into the whole ‘secret elusive shadow-arm of the Federation’ conspiracy theories. It was a disappointing element of the game, but one they would overlook.

Cole: ::exasperated sigh:: Can’t help but feel like you're shaking us down Grok. ::dropping 50 bars into the pot.

Tho'Bi: ::to Cole:: Shake down translates into Ferengi as, business as usual.

Meris: Response

Then, it was Doctor Bancroft’s turn.

Bancroft: One… two… three… temporal nonsense… five…

Holo-NOT-Grok: ::smiling evilly:: You’ve been aged forty years. Pay 100 bars of latinum for genetic reconstruction or lose 3 turns due to back pain.

Bancroft: ::muttering:: Forty years older and still not eligible for early retirement. At this rate I’ll be dead and working overtime.

Tamio chuckled at that complaint.

Cole: Could be worse, could be forty years older and still an Ensign. ::laughing::

K’Wara: Well, pretty sure a temporal anomaly doesn’t hand out pips, so he’s living that nightmare now.

Tho'Bi: ::to Bancroft:: Could be much worse, Ferengis collect debts even after the Captain airlocks you ::beat:: there's no escape. 

Bancroft/Meris: Response

Tho’Bi seemed, for but a moment, to meet better fortune than the other Ensigns, but no such luck as the Ferengi was replaced by a very shoddy replica of a Q - the infamous scourge of Admiral Picard himself - to taunt the tall Andorian.

Holo-NOT-Q: Sorry to disappoint you Ensign! You won't be increasing your profits this turn…. Oh, I know, the Universe can be so unfair. ::glint in the eye:: …and it's about to get a whole lot less fair! ::snaps fingers::

A bright flash of light illuminated the table, before a holo-lute appeared in the Andorian’s hands. The way Tho’Bi grasped onto the instrument indicated that it had heft to it, which was an intriguing aspect of the game.

Cole/Bancroft/Meris: Response

Holo-NOT-Q: Sing for your supper, Andorian! …or lose all your money and forfeit the game ::smiles::

K’Wara: Well, that’s certainly a twist. 

Cole/Bancroft/Meris: Response

The tall Ensign seemed to hold Natasha personally responsible for his current predicament, glowering at her in a manner that belied either a deep-seated grudge or frustrated camaraderie.

Cole: Response 

Regardless of his opinion on the task put to him, Tho’Bi gave it his all with a hell-or-high-water attitude that Tamio couldn’t help but find admirable.

Tho'Bi: ::passible singing:: Vrel’sha’mar, vrel’keth’nor. Zal’norash kethni’del. Kagh! Kagh! Kagh! Vrel’sha’mar, vrel’keth’nor. Zal’norash kethni’del. Kagh! Kagh! Kagh!

Tamio started to applaud.

Cole/Bancroft/Meris: Response

K’Wara: Bravo-

And then Tho’Bi surprised them by throwing himself into the second verse of the song, causing Tamio’s applause to stop immediately as they raised their hands in an apology for interrupting.

Tho'Bi: ::passible singing:: Lex’jal’tor, vrel’keth’nor. Zal’krasha kethni’del. Kagh! Kagh! Kagh! Lex’jal’tor, vrel’keth’nor. Zal’krasha kethni’del. Kagh! Kagh! Kagh!

The fanfare of a ‘Challenge Completed’ announcement from the game was all but ignored by Tamio, whose applause restarted with added enthusiasm.

K’Wara: Very good! Bravo, Tho’Bi.

Cole/Bancroft/Meris/Tho’Bi: Response

Taking their turn as bid by the game, Tamio focused on their fellow players, intent on taking advantage of the opportunity to get to know them a bit - and hopefully with the game to offer a good ice breaker - as they spun the wheel and watched their piece move.

K’Wara: It was a great rendition. I like music as much as the next one, but I wouldn’t dare call myself an adept vocalist. That was an Andorian song, I take it?

Tho’Bi: Response

K’Wara: Interesting. Can’t say I’ve heard much Andorian music in my life. ::nods:: I like it.

Cole/Bancroft/Meris: Response

They paid a not-insignificant-sum of latinum to the Holo-NOT-Grok as their version of the USS Voyager unfortunately had bought an entire cargo-load of not-quite Self Sealing STEM Bolts, and had to buy replacements for the entire load from the quality-guaranteed stock of the Grok Brothers, complete with a lecturing word of caution from Holo-NOT-Grok about Rule 17: a contract is a contract is a contract… but only between Ferengi.

K’Wara: Sometimes I’ve come to realize since joining up with Starfleet. Despite space travel being such a common thing, not many people actually do it, certainly not civilians. ::looks around as the turn passes:: Did any of you travel much before joining up?

Cole/Bancroft/Meris/Tho’Bi: Response

TAG/TBC

LT Tamio K’Wara

Operations Officer

USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1