Cmdr. Katsim Peri - "Gaining Entry"
Amanda Nordstrom
((Fields of Æstin, Valaria III))
Peri had led Riley over to the closest field in order to get a closer look at the soil. Although not a geologist, she would have to take what she knew and apply it to the problem. If need be, she could do more research - at least, a limited amount. Since they didn’t have ready access to the ship while it was elsewhere, they would have to do what they could until the Butler returned. Until then, she took scans, and Riley offered some hypotheses as to what could have caused the famine.
Katsim: Possibly…
She trailed off as she heard a commotion coming from the direction of the town. Quickly slipping her tricorder into hiding, her eyes caught on to a small caravan emerging from the town made of richly, glass covered palanguins. The light shimmered and shone in a brilliance of colour, but among that, a blur of movement that her mind registered as Doctor Nis tried to slip past the door.
Guard: Grab them!
Immediately, Nis was stopped, but a woman’s voice rang out, though her word did not carry over to the other two. Peri glanced over at her companion.
Katsim: We should go back.
Riley: Right behind you.
Immediately, they set out and made a beeline for the commotion. As they drew closer, the opulence of the palanquins, their bejeweled tones glinting in the sunlight, only became more obvious - and gaudy. Peri quietly slipped into the peripheral of the group as she heard Richards stumbling for an answer to something the woman had just said.
Richards: I… we are waiting to be reunited with the rest of our traveling party.
Now that they were up close, Peri noted the woman reflected the same opulence of the palanquin. Her face was painted, something not uncommon across many planets, species, and cultures. However, the patterns upon the linens caught her eye more than anything. They were intricately woven through the fabric - a distinct difference from what she did. They were lovely, and someone with great skill had fashioned the fabric. The outfit was modest, covering most of her skin save for her face and hands, with her delicate feet peering out from beneath the hem. They were shoeless, though socks made of fine fabric covered them.
Noblewoman: A moment ago, you didn’t seem so keen on waiting.
At that, Nis indicated the sash that was part of her outfit.
Nis: Doesn’t this sash give us the right to be impatient in this line?
Richards: Response
Riley: We apologize for being late. We…that is, I, got distracted.
Peri wished she had more context. Obviously, they had missed some of the conversation, so she remained silent in the wake of it. She wasn’t sure she cared for Riley’s explanation, but had nothing better to offer. In truth, she’d probably make things worse, so said nothing. Nis, however, put on a display and waved her finger at Riley, like a mother to a disobedient child.
Richards: Response
Noblewoman: Distracted? What undoubtedly grotesque behavior distracted a guild member like yourself?
Jania cringed. Was the guild something creepy? Did it matter, if they still got inside that castle?
Riley: The source of the distraction is unimportant. We are here now. What were we talking about?
Actually, the source of the distraction was very important. With a few more words exchanged, even if they weren’t many, Peri fashioned a sense of things. She wished it was a better sense, but she caught on that they were, supposedly, members of a ‘guild’. What kind of guild, she had no idea, but they couldn’t disagree or argue against it. Doing so could lead to more trouble.
Katsim: We were protecting our interests.
As soon as she spoke the words, Peri wasn’t certain she should have said anything. Perhaps she should have remained silent. She cast a surrepetitious glance over at the others and folded her hands together in front of her. Inwardly, she ran over that bit of conversation again and decided, a little too late, that she should have continued to remain silent.
Richards: Response
Nis: Yeah, exactly.
Noblewoman: Mhmm. Who is the leader here?
At that, Nis indicated Richards, to which Peri nodded. While technically she outranked him, he was the one put in charge. She had no problem seeding any sort of authority to him. Her mission was clear, and she would assist as best she could in any capacity. With her biggest concern the crops, her thoughts shifted to the possibilities. The soil lacked nutrients. Soil that lacked nutrients meant plants wouldn’t grow. Her first question - why did it lack nutrients? That would help them determine how to fix the issue.
Even as her thoughts whirled around in her mind, the conversation between the others continued.
Richards/Riley: Response
Noblewoman: ::waving dismissively :: Fine fine. Listen, I have sought a favor from the guild on three occasions and been denied. I’ll vouch for your entry -if-, once inside, you petition on my behalf.
Katsim: Petition? That brought Peri back from her internal contemplations to the matter at hand. They were guild members, supposedly. Access inside might yield some answers, though Peri wished they could pay more attention to the actual fields. Then again, if they wanted to find the answer to why, perhaps that lay beyond the walls which blocked their way.
Richards/Riley: Response
Noblewoman: The Grand Almoness Vishæ Pruss. And you are?
What an odd title. Granted, the universal translator did its best to turn a foreign language into the language of choice for the wearer, but the title contradicted what she saw. First, Grand usually wasn’t the sort of word one would associate with someone who was supposed to distribute alms to the needy. Second, an almoness didn’t seem like someone who should live in such luxury when her goal was to help those without.
Katsim: Peri.
That’s all she gave. More details didn’t matter at that moment, and if she gave too much, then Peri could very well reveal that they weren’t Guildmembers at all. Being Guild members seemed to be the key to gaining access.
Richards/Riley: Response
Suddenly, they were allowed entry. Peri found it very strange. The woman asked her to make a request on her behalf, but she never actually said what that request was. In addition, they still had no real inkling as to what guild members did, for that could be many things. There were guilds related to all manner of pursuits, both professional and amateur. However, in a society such as there, surely they were supposedly in a professional capacity. Usually, guilds had a specialty. She’d heard of merchant guilds, craft guilds, even religious guilds.
What did they belong to? The woman didn’t answer or give them any other explanation. It was as if she expected they knew exactly what favour they were supposed to request. Glancing over at Nis, the woman was far too distracted by the sights. There were some beautiful buildings, the windows covered in that same, exquisite glass. Each one of them caught the light and the entire city shimmered in a rainbow of colours. And as Peri continued to look around, she noticed something else.
Katsim: None of these buildings look like places people like those we saw outside would live in.
Because they wouldn’t have made enough money to afford something as beautiful as what the visitors saw on display.
Nis/Richards/Riley: Response
Katsim: Perhaps there’s a side of town we can’t see from here.
After all, they had just entered, and who wouldn’t want to put their best face forward? Around them, more people stepped through streets which were cleanly paved with stones. Most people were well dressed and clean, and most clothes sported either brocade or embroidery as well as many colours. It was like the town based everything upon the spectrum of light.
Nis/Richards/Riley: Response
Now that they had access inside, Peri pondered over what they should do. Richards was in charge, but she also knew he listened to his fellow crewmembers. In that way, he was a good leader. Her eyes shifted from one place to the other, taking in the beauty of the decor, and noticed that there wasn’t any plant life. Nothing in the windows, nothing outside. Everywhere had stones fitted, and from what she could tell, they were carefully weeded, for nothing grew at all.
Of course, they needed food, so that meant the fields were outside, but Peri still found it odd that all plantlife, even the weeds, was kept out of the city. Perhaps they had plants inside, for some people did keep such things, but outside, it was all stone and glass.
The one downside to the translators was they didn’t translate written media. Although not all buildings had writing on them, she noticed several did - probably establishments that were businesses, but without a tricorder, she couldn’t translate what they said. Pulling it out there, even as discreetly as possible, would likely mean they’d be noticed, and they needed to remain anonymous.
Katsim: We can’t get distracted from our mission.
She murmured softly so only her companions could hear.
Katsim: We need to find out more about this famine and what possibly could have caused it.
Nis/Richards/Riley: Response
-- Commander Katsim Peri Chief Science Officer USS Octavia E. Butler M239008AD0