LT Gila Sadar - Something Old, Something New
Michelle Pehrson Dupont
(( On the Road to New Kehixa - Galaris IV ))
Gila was looking forward to saying ‘I told you so’. Heading to a planet embroiled in a long war like this was just asking for trouble! Sil-net had known it, Vai-net had known it, even the Captain - usually the first person in the room to jump at a literal suicide mission like beaming aboard a derelict Borg Cube - had known this mission was trouble. And yet, here they were, being chased through an alien valley by alien bombs riding alien vehicles and more than likely about to face a very alien death.
Gila felt the roof of her mouth itch, and panic started solidifying itself into a ball in her stomach. Not now. Not now.
Tho’Bi: =/\= Lieutenant Vailani, incoming targets appear to be holding station above us. =/\=
Kexxin: =/\= We are not in danger. Please relax. Those things in the sky, those belong to the Grunden government. They are sensors. Loud and obnoxious little buggers, but harmless. =/\=
The itch disappeared like mist before the morning sun, and Gila imagined more so than felt her eyes bulge outwards at the implications of what the General was telling them.
Perhaps ‘harmless’ meant something different in Grundese?
Gnai: SENSORS????
Sadar: HARMLESS!?
Kexxin: =/\= Those sensors check life signs before reaching the Capital. Giving our men there time to prepare if danger is incoming. Usually the noises they make are enough to scare intruders off. I must say, you all held yourselves together well. Consider it an accidental Grunden training session. =/\=
‘Accidental training session’ he called it. ‘Grave diplomatic incident’ is what Gila would call it. Was this General aware that they were there to help investigate claims of outside interference with war technology? Was he aware that they were not there as allies to either planetary power, but as a neutral arbiter, sent to determine whether any of the two factions had committed any serious breaches of warfare ethics? Gila doubted it, and it wasn’t inspiring confidence in the coming diplomatic efforts.
Tho’Bi: =/\= Lieutenant Vailani, General Kexxin’s words do reflect what I am seeing above us. (beat) The incoming contacts are vectoring away from us (beat) and taking up positions along the width of the valley. =/\=
Gila took the speed off of the Grunt, slotting comfortably in behind the Grunt driven by Ensign Cole again, as they exited the valley. The screen in front of her eyes showed a city coming into view, faster and faster, growing bigger and bigger. Spires and pointed roofs dotted the modest skyline as the Grunts entered the city perimeter, following the main thoroughfare all the way to a large building, an odd architectural marriage between dark stone and vibrant wood.
Kexxin: =/\= Welcome to New Kehixa. The Grunden Capital City. =/\=
(( Capital Plaza - New Kehixa, Galaris IV ))
After allowing Ensign Tho’Bi and Lieutenant Gnai first of way to exit the Grunt, Gila awkwardly swung her long limbs out of the driver’s suit. Exiting into the fresh air made her stretch with a slight grimace. Driving a vehicle specifically meant for a shorter species wasn’t good for her posture, but then, Gila never had good posture to begin with. As their crewmates from the other Grunt approached them, Vai-net with a very displeased look on her face, Gila examined the large building towering over the plaza, its massive spires casting sword-like shadows on the stones they stood on.
It looked old. Far older than the rest of the city, and while she recognized the same design philosophy - practicality and gothic intimidation in one - this building was unique in multiple ways. Not only was it the tallest building around, it’s spires dwarfing every other building around them, but it was also the only building she could see that was partially made of wooden building materials.
A sign of its age? Or did the wood hold some sort of symbolic meaning to the Grunden?
Vailani: Tho’Bi, what was that drone? The General says it was a sensor, triggered when we got into the vicinity of the capital?
Gnai: This… did detect no weapons-fire or explosives. But there were elevated levels of hydrogen from approximately where the ::air quotes with the suit’s hands:: sensor impacted.
Cole: Wouldn’t high deposits of atmospheric hydrogen be included in our data packets?
Sadar: ::to Ensign Cole:: Well, our technology doesn’t explode at random.
She might still be a bit annoyed with that.
Tho’Bi: ::nods in the direction of Gnai:: That ta-tallies with what I’m seeing (beat) hydrogen can burn at up to around two thousand degrees celsius..
The Andorian Ensign turned his tricorder around to share his finding with Vai-net.
Tho’Bi: …the Tricorder is reading an intense burn pattern (beat) on the side of the Grunt where the impact hit. ::points at the sky:: if the Grunden use Hydrogen Power Cells in their Sensor Drones (beat) the drone crashes ::finger drops to pointing at the ground:: hydrogen leaks ::points at side of Grunt:: debris from the initial impact triggers the Electric Reactive Armor.
Vailani: So the electric charge ignited the hydrogen?
Gnai: Possibly…? This is not an engineer. There could be any reason why the hydrogen might have ignited, it tends to like to do that… ::trailing off, realizing that this isn’t exactly the most important detail to mention::
Tho’Bi: ::tilted his head one way and then the other:: The intense burn pattern suggests this is the case (beat) but as Lieutenant Gnai points out, hydrogen is ::swallows and nods:: it’s volatile. And (beat) not ideal for military use (beat) Maybe the Grundens are short on energy?
Cole: If so, that might be a point of negotiation.
Gila’s brow ridges trembled.
Sadar: W-We’re not here to negotiate though. We’re here to act as neutral arbiters to determine whether the Kobyar or the Grunden have received off-world technological assistance in the war. ::wrings her hands:: And with how mismatched the Grundens technology seems to be, that’s going to be difficult.
The Grunden’s cultural paradigm of valuing what came before and retaining a connection to their forebears, while admirable and very intriguing from a xenological perspective, meant that all their technology, regardless of usage, seemed slightly out of place.
Vailani: Let's not keep our hosts waiting. Let’s begin the investigation. Everyone, be alert.
Gila would really rather be doing anything but engaging in diplomatic talks with the Grunden, but she’d been given orders - not only by the Captain, by Vai-net as well - and so she slotted in next to her friend as they returned to General Kexxin and his second.
Kexxin/Naru: Response
Cole: You've built something fierce here, General. I mean that. There’s grit in the bones of this city. You can feel it in the way the walls lean forward, like they're not done fighting.
Valiani: Response
(( Inside the Grand Kehixa Edifice - New Kehixa, Galaris IV ))
The General led them towards the building itself, the guards posted at the gate parting to allow them entry. Entering into the large gothic structure only reinforced Gila’s earlier observation, that the Grunden had a tendency to hide technology in the strangest places, as the gothic architecture and stained glass seemed crudely at odds with the numerous hi-tech holographic displays everywhere. This building, however, wasn’t entirely dedicated to the war effort it seemed, so it offered a better look at how the Grunden society functioned.
Gila’s head was practically on a swivel as she examined everything, from the live streaming of news outlets, something resembling a clerk’s desk where citizens were assisted with enquiries and small groups of Grunden walking to and fro - some dressed in the same military garb as the Genera, and others in vests and shawls with pants reaching their knees.
There was something uniquely comforting in the knowledge that even on a planet ravaged by war for a decade, society still had room for non-combatants.
Gnai: This is a… very old building. And in remarkable shape, for the war. Has it not reached the capital yet?
Kexxin/Naru: Response
Tho’Bi: ::still kneeling:: The entire structure appears to be held in place ::looking up and around the hall:: by tree root and branch ::stands up and looks at Vailani:: readings indicate ::flips Tricorder for Vailani to see:: it’s one tree (beat) one living tree.
Sadar: That’s an impressive architectural accomplishment... ::looks to the General:: This building seems to be of particular symbolic importance to your people. And older than most of the other buildings outside.
Kexxin/Naru: Response
Gila nodded in understanding. Most buildings old enough to weather centuries of history changed functions numerous times, and she’d heard of numerous other alien cultures that now used sites, which previously held great religious significance as the domains of heads of state.
Valiani/Gnai/Cole/Tho’Bi: Response
Sadar: You can certainly tell there is a... A ‘reverence’ of the past. It’s no wonder that you’re known as a society of storytellers.
Kexxin/Naru: Response
The two Grunden led them through the corridors of the edifice, and while Gila could tell that the civilians they passed were curious, they had evidently been informed of Starfleet’s arrival in some fashion, and allowed them to pass with nods of respect, though Gila couldn’t tell whether the nod was aimed at General Kexxin or them. All in all, she knew far too little of Grunden culture, and she bit the inside of her cheek with dismay.
Diplomacy was going to be difficult.
(( Conference Room - Grand Kehixa Edifice, New Kehixa, Galaris IV ))
Soon, the group arrived at large double doors that swung open in anticipation of their entrance - they likely functioned similarly to the sliding doors aboard the Artemis - and General Kexxin allowed them inside. The room was - much like the rest of Grunden technology - an odd mixture of old and new. The room itself was grand, lightly stained glass allowing both a feast of colours within but also a rainbow perspective on the city outside, and the thick branches of the living three the Edifice had been built around formed the basis of some of the more permanent fixtures within. The lights in the ceiling hung from one of the branches, their soft electrical light crackling and leading to a slight scent of warm wood wafting through the room.
Despite the cold stone and the technological glimmer of the holographic displays lining the walls, that scent did much to make you feel at peace.
Kexxin/Naru: Response
Sadar: Th-Thank you, General. It’s truly an extraordinary building.
Valiani/Gnai/Cole/Tho’Bi: Response
Kexxin/Naru: Response
Sadar: ::uncomfortable clearing of throat:: P-Perhaps before we get to that, w-we should hear why you believe the Kobyar are receiving off-world aid in the war?
Valiani/Gnai/Cole/Tho’Bi: Response
TAG/TBC
LT Gila Sadar
Assistant Chief of Medical
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1