Ensign Mensah - Lost in the Noise
Jamie Stewart
((Big Room – Deck 358, Voth Generation Ship Igirni))
The crowd was becoming louder and more agitated. Heads were shaking. Some of them moved in to intentionally block off escape routes. Things were starting to feel claustrophobic. With all the bodies pressing in ever closer it felt hotter, and she became more aware of their scent.
It was suggested that the group relocate to a quieter area, but with people closing in tightly, Imara didn’t see how that was possible. She could see no open routes out of there. What were they going to do, beam back aboard the ship and leave Verrla to deal with this on her own? Or transport with Verrla and leave an already agitated crowd to wonder if the aliens had abducted their leader? Moving away from the area wasn’t going to calm these people down, it would only allow them more time to speculate and get worked up even more and she suggested as much, with as much respect and tact as she could.
The elder replied that this wasn’t a good place or time for a debate, yet no one had proposed such an action. Imara was merely raising a valid concern, as was her job. If her role here was only to observe, then perhaps she had misjudged how much input was expected of her. Being thick skinned, Imara thought no more of it. But then moments later Letek circled back around to this idea of a broad public debate. Imara thought back to what she had said - had she been misunderstood? How did we get from a simple observation to some notion of a full public debate? Meanwhile, the crowd only pressed in further. Imara was concerned that the group had become fixated on an idea that hadn’t been proposed and that they were not taking the dangers of the crowd seriously. She tried again, to offer some thoughtful advice - see if they could de-escalate things before someone started throwing things.
Unfortunately, while everyone was standing around arguing someone started stomping their feet rhythmically. Someone else joined in then in the blink of an eye the entire crowd was stamping their feet. The noise was deafening. If someone told her that the stomping could be heard 60 decks away or even 100 she would not have been surprised. The atmosphere was intense and she could feel it deep within her chest and her heart rate quickened. Externally, she maintained her composure. She could see that some individuals were furious or confused, but many more were simply frightened.
Verrla: Please allow us to pass. These people are here to help with our home.
Drex: We are scientists and explorers. We came here to learn about your people, your culture, and your journey, and to share knowledge where we can. Our only goal is to help.
It was a nice try but unsurprisingly, the crowd wanted more than that.
Avariswal: Response?
Too much had been said, too casually. The time for small talk was over. Imara wasn’t here to dictate to Verrla how to handle the situation. She had no idea if this was something Verrla had dealt with in the past, perhaps over other issues. What she had learned, from long experience and thorough training, was that sometimes the best course of action was to be transparent, even when the truth is going to hurt. If the situation was handled carefully, then perhaps the population could pull together to help collectively solve the issue. It could become a great tale of heroism, and bring everyone closer together. Or it could cause widespread and catastrophic terror, looting and they could destroy themselves before the ship even has a chance to be freed.
Mensah: If they are frightened, secrecy may worsen the situation. You may find that speaking to them now is easier than trying to calm them later.
Verrla: This is not how I wanted people to find out.
Imara could sympathise with that notion. However, it remained up to Verrla how much or little she shared. There was often a big difference between finding out specifically what the crowd had gathered for and formulating a tactful answer based on that and full disclosure of a crisis. The counselor wasn’t about to assume what the crowd may or may not have heard. Were it up to her, she would have listened to the questions first. If they were simply taking an opportunity to show disgruntlement about living standards or some issue other than the black hole, then Verrla very well could still break the news her way.
Drex: Even on a big ship, rumors travel fast. Our engineers are already onboard. They surely know this.
Imara nodded. Maybe the rumours and concerns were simply related to their presence. Maybe it was to do with the black hole. The counselor listened to the crowd, trying to pick out anything they might be shouting out again, any questions they might have. That’s when she heard a whisper in her ear.
Letek: ::In a whisper, so no one can hear them:: With all due respect, Ensign, but the crowd is on the verge of a furious stampede. Should we really be telling them right now what’s waiting for this ship out there?
Mensah: oO That's not what I said at all. Oo
She could see as well as anyone how tense the situation was, and that was exactly what had prompted her advice. Perhaps the stress of the situation was getting to Letek because he seemed to have things confused. She had advocated for addressing the crowd and de-escalating things. Was he really suggesting that they could somehow just bully their way through and ignore them? Maybe if they’d made themselves scarce before they had packed around so tightly. She turned her head to look at him face to face and kept her response respectful, and brief. She had no time to spare correcting someone on their assumptions when there was indeed the potential for a stampede.
Mensah: ::Quietly, to Letek:: I’ve suggested no such thing, sir.
Avariswal: Response?
Verrla: Some of you might have heard, but our home’s engines are malfunctioning. Without them we have been left adrift, vulnerable to the dangers of space. You know as well as I do that our engineering staff are hard working and diligent, and when they hit a wall instead of hiding behind it out of pride they requested we ask for outside help. When we put out a call for help a ship ::She gestured to the Starfleet officers:: from the United Federation of Planets answered our call.
Drex: Our engineers are collaborating with yours right in this moment, and I’m confident you’ll soon be able to return to your voyage.
Avariswal: Response?
Imara remained quiet. There was no reason for her to add anything more, and it would have amounted to speaking just for the sake of being heard.
Verrla: Everyone is doing their best to ensure that our home is fixed and will remain until we reach our motherworld. All I ask is for your patience and trust that we have your best interests in mind.
Unless Imara was simply growing accustomed to the din, it did appear that the words were landing well. From what she could observe from the body language, less people were stamping and waving limbs around. There were less people shouting, too. Reading their expressions was harder, and she didn’t have enough experience with the species yet to read that.
Drex: I know it is difficult to place your trust in strangers. If our positions were reversed, I would probably have many of the same questions. But your leaders asked for help because they care about your future, and we answered because helping people in need is what we do. ::He paused briefly, fighting to keep his tone calm in the crowed.:: Give your engineers the time they need to do their work.
Most of the Voth seemed to respond well to that, and it seemed like a majority present trusted their Elder and were happy with that explanation. There was still shouting coming from one of two groups though, Imara turned on the spot to try and locate them. Notably, the combined efforts of Verrla, Drex and Avariswal was able, at least largely, to calm things down without mention of the immediate danger. And that was all Imara had in mind from the start.
Avariswal: Response?
As the crowd parted to reveal, and an exit route became available, Imara let out a soft sigh. Her heart was still pounding and she expected it would be until after they had left this area. She didn’t want to stay here any longer than necessary and stuck to the heels of her group like a puppy with separation anxiety.
Drex: Do you have any recreational areas? What do your people do in their free time?
Drex’s composure was inspirational as he smoothly got the conversation back on track.
Avariswal / Mensah / Verrla: Response?
Mensah: Interesting, and how do you keep children occu…
She didn’t get to finish her follow up question as someone bumped into her hard enough to make her lose balance and stumble sideways. Imara regained her footing and glanced around reflexively to see what the commotion was - a group of female Voth jostling by. Probably no harm intended. She set her sights back on her team and rejoined Letek. The moment she saw his face, she knew there was a problem.
Letek: ::Looking around in alarm:: Wait! Where’s the commander? He was just with us a moment ago.
Her heart was really trying to burst out of her rib cage now.
Mensah: oO Keep calm. He has to be nearby. He was just with us. Oo
Mensah: ::Scanning the room rapidly:: I don’t see him.
Avariswal / Verrla: Response?
Letek: =/\= Letek to Drex. We’ve lost you. What’s your position? =/\=
Imara certainly appreciated Letek’s fast thinking and fast responding. But her stomach dropped when no response came. Maybe he’d just been knocked over, and his comm badge had been knocked off or broken. With every second that passed, that hope diminished. She wasn’t ready to believe that someone here wished harm upon them. She turned to her more senior colleagues, ready to follow their lead.
Avariswal / Verrla: Any response?
Letek: ::Addressing Verrla:: Earlier, as the crowd was slowly calming down, there was a small group that remained agitated and loudly expressed their displeasure. They seemed very angry, but were ignored by the others. Do you have any idea who they were?
It was an excellent question, and one she hoped to get an honest answer to. While nothing so far suggested Verrla had been anything other than honest, Imara was simply aware of how delicate this situation was. There were many legitimate reasons, Verrla might not want to discuss or acknowledge the presence of any dissenting groups or criminal elements that may exist. And the counselor certainly didn’t have time to waste speculating.
Avariswal / Verrla / Drex / Letek: Any response?