Ensign Elijah Kovacs: We're Starting to Go Bananas!
Mark P
((Deck 5, USS Octavia E. Butler))
Eli had slipped up when he’d asked where Yinn was; the acclimation to Qurgh'Loq Yinn’s had taken longer than the engineer would’ve liked, and he’d be mindful going forward to avoid another verbal faux pas. One being with 2 physically distinct bodies, he reminded himself.
Una herself had just finished verbally processing this new information and seemed a bit conflicted on how to act next. In the corner of Eli’s eye, it looked like she was going to shake the ensign’s hand and then stopped at the last moment.
Barrelling
down that road however was not fixing their immediate issue at hand.
Kovacs: I vote that we get supplies first, since that’ll be enough to
get us in hopefully. Then we find a way outta here. We’re not going to be any
good if we’re on our last legs. What do you two think?
Loq: As someone who's gotten used to being in two places at once, I was
going to suggest splitting up and doing both. But I'm a little worried one of
us could phase further and disappear. We should stay within eyesight of each
other.
Una: Two places at once? That's like being a modern alien god! Okay, let's do both, I mean all of us together! For now, But I don't want to be possessed by any of you, well maybe Kovacs, but he's not interested. Maybe if I jumped into another guy too! Like you did, Loqyinn! oO I could merge with that Nilsen! A Nilsenlunque! Oo But then there'd be too many of us! I'm already a mess on my own! I'd go crazy! Anyway... oO I'm a very hungry woman, but for food this time, if you catch my drift, right? Oo
While Una was processing this new factoid, Eli had taken the initiative to start moving the team forward. He heard the footfalls of both Una and Loq behind him. He wasn’t exactly sure where he was leading them. Given they couldn’t use the touch interfaces, breaking into someone’s quarters and using their replicator was not going to be much help.
They’d only
taken a few steps when a loud groaning noise emanated from the walls around
them.
Loq: Do you both hear that?
Eli stopped
and turned around facing them, nodding.
Una: Yeah, I heard it. It sounded like a grizzly bear on steroids, and
not in a good way. Could be a collective hallucination, or maybe all the demons
of hell are finally paying us a visit. I'd rather deal with a hallucination,
thanks.
Kovacs: I’m not sure how common collective hallucinations are, and I heard
the same noise as you. But maybe we’re not on the OEB anymore, and this is some
sort of OEB adjacent?
He remembered
the Nautilus back from the mission in the system with the Esh-o. Thinking of
parallel or alternate universes made Eli’s brain hurt. As far as he knew,
transporters got you from one place to another, if successful, or your atoms
scattered into millions of pieces, if not. There was no serious scientific
evidence that people could step between universes or dimensions that he knew
of.
Loq: It's possible. There must be some way to try and make contact,
whether they're our crew or something else. But I think our priority still has
to be getting back into phase. I suspect if we do, everything else will sort
itself out.
Eli much
preferred the theory that they were simply out of phase.
Una: Yes I think so. So, how do we get our groove back in phase? You got
any of those magic leaves left?
Kovacs: Err, I’m not sure that taking a hit of a magical telepathic plant should be our first choice. ::looking over to the Klingon body for support::
Loq: response
Una: Perhaps the teleportation platform could help. If we could reverse
the exact energy pulse that caused the disruption...
There was another gut-wrenching groan that emanated from the bulkheads, which sent shivers down Eli’s spine.
Kovacs: (speaking a bit more rushed) It could be
a viable option but… ::looking to Loq:: you didn’t arrive that way.
Loq: response
Kovacs: I suppose that makes sense… if we rematerialize you with us, the connection might get fixed. I’m not sure how we’d interact with the transport controls though.
He absent-mindedly
scratched behind his ear while he tried to think of alternatives.
Una: The panel should be still open, with your tri-corder , well at
least we can try it! Honestly, if Loqyinn wasn't around, I'd be totally down
for spending forever with you, just us two.
In the first moment, Eli thought Una’s idea was brilliant. Since the tricorder had come through with them, there might be some hope that it could establish a link with the controls and operate them on a remote link. His eyes lit up, and then the second part of that statement registered in his mind, his eyes almost falling out of their sockets as he stared at Una. His face was getting flush and his mouth opened and shut several times.
Loq: Response
Kovacs: I’m, uh, fine. ::looking to Una:: Thank you for the… compliment? I guess there are worse people to spend eternity with? ::offering a small awkward but genuine smile::
He could
barely handle it when Nilsen showed him the slightest form of affection outside
closed doors, and here was Una laying it all out on the table purple carpet.
Loq: response
Then, a few Starfleet officers blinked into existence. They were of varying Federation
races, but what they shared was that they all had on the current uniforms, decked
in blue, and all held the rank of ensign. He almost missed it before they
blinked away, but they each were holding an unopened banana.
Una: I hope that was just a gesture of encouragement from the
out-of-phase ghosts...
Loq: Response
Kovacs: I don’t know what the frack that was… ::looking at the group:: an attempt at communication? A sign?
Was this some
sort of sapient species trying to communicate with them that heading back to
the potassium-blasted transporter room was a step in the right direction?
Loq/Una: response
Kovacs: Do we trust the sign, or do we still think it’s a group hallucination?
This was one call where he didn’t want to lead the group in either direction. Whatever next move they would take should be decided collectively.
Loq/Una: response
Kovacs: So, what I’m hearing is that we need to find bananas first? Where the f… Wait! Lhando has bananas in his quarters ::pointing up:: on Deck 4. He’s been talking all week about how he wants to make sure they’re the right ‘ripeness’ for baking banana bread? I told him he could just replicate a loaf, but he’s oddly insistent on it. What do you guys think?
Hopefully Nilsen hadn’t thrown the bananas in a ‘bread machine’ that he’d replicated. This would be accompanied by replicated eggs, flour, milk, sugar and so forth. To Eli, it sounded like a lot of effort, but this was apparently ‘worth the wait’ and ‘better than any replicated version he would’ve had before’. With all this enthusiasm and with his latest title of ‘boyfriend’ after giving him the access code, he didn’t want to dampen it; but now, he might be stealing those same bananas to make their great escape.
Loq/Una: response
(OOC: Feel
free to go either way with idea, I just always enjoy how bonkers this B-plot is
while still staying in the realm of ‘welllll, it could be possible’ :D)
Tags/TBC
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Ensign Elijah Kovacs
Engineering Officer
USS Octavia E. Butler
O240005JH3
he/him/his (player/character)