PNPC 1LT Alene Torado — Bug Beds
Naxell
((Shuttlebay, Velithari Ship Jorogumo ))
She looked around at the others for support. Ohnari would have her back on this, surely. Maybe Starfleet officers were willing to subject themselves to abject humiliation in the name of understanding alien species and civilizations, but at this particular junction, Alene understood perfectly well that these people had necks, and that meant they could probably be strangled.
Ohnari: ::gritting her teeth:: Just hold still Lieutenant, this should be over soon...::muttering:: You aren't wrong though…
Semara: Fair point. That was a little startlin'. :: Beat, then almost under her breath. :: Still ain't close to a probe life....
El’Her: I think I much prefer the goop to probes…
Alene agreed, though she wasn't about to yuck anyone's yum. It was deeply uncomfortable to try to rank nonconsensual touching in terms of undesirability, but it was simultaneously hard to deny that some surprises were worse than others.
Rana: Perhaps I will be more specific in future endeavours, if you have not encountered such things before. A mistake, on my part, to assume that other species would use such technologies.
Torado: So what the hell is this stuff doing, exactly?
Michaels: For this type of technology to function properly, they need contact with the subject. :: glancing down at the black... goo seemed the more appropriate word than web. :: They should be able to get an accurate scan of our internal structures. It would probably be better still if we were not wearing any clothing. :: quick glance at Alene :: I imagine you would have found that to be less "courteous" if they had insisted on that.
She would have. She wasn’t sure what to make of Michaels’s tone. Was she suggesting that they be grateful? Nonplused? Or seemed to Alene there were perfectly suitable means of scanning things that didn't require invasive touching.
Ohnari: Thankfully, that won't be happening. I'm afraid our diplomacy tends to get...strained with forced nudity.
Semara: :: Focused on the tricorder :: Remind me to tell y'all about the weddin' on Betazed the day after first contact with the…
The Lieutenant drifted off, and Torado saw her smile vanish from her face. Betazoid weddings, Alene had come to understand, were a kind of exponential thing. Like a virus spreading through a population, a whole bunch of naked people all looking at each other as two of them promise to spend the rest of their lives sharing a bed. Made sense.
Semara: Nevermind. :: To Torado. :: Looks like Michaels is right. It might be gettin' a small samplin' of any bacteria on your skin, but it's otherwise harmless. The suspension's primarily polymer-based. Bit like Vaseline.
El’Her: Oh. Uhh wedding. Yes that’s what we call the ceremony where a male is given over to a female as…property.
Rana: I would not lie to you about this scan.
Torado couldn't help but snort-chuckle. Whatever El’Heem had intended to avoid telling the Captain, any sense of it had seemed to go over the insectoid woman's bug-eyed head. It was about then that the goo started to recede from her torso, and she hoped if nothing else these people learned what a laugh was from her data.
Ohnari: Now that this has concluded, and as the health of the crew is my responsibility as chief physician, I trust you will consent to a scan of our own?
Rana: This would not be out of the question. I would ask that you explain your own devices as you have asked us to explain ours.
Alya: I volunteer as first.
For some reason, this exchange prompted a great deal of back and forth, between Semara and Ohnari to one side of Alene, and Rana and Alya to the other. It seemed perfectly fair to the marine, though she was beginning to get a bit antsy. Who knew what was happening to Ensign Matthews while they dithered?
She remembered, back on Alpha Trionus, that she'd told him she didn't care much about what happened to his limbs, and regret caused her teeth to press. Fortunately Lieutenant Semara spoke loud enough to address the room before Alene's mind had wandered too far down into a thicket of worst case scenarios.
Semara: Cap'n Rana... :: A slight head tilt of upper-class respect. :: I take it you're quite interested in biology. As are we. Not so long ago I was an ecologist. Doctor Ohnari studied disease ecology. Miss El'Her took part in the fight against the Necrovorus blight on her homeworld. :: Beat :: You might find this interestin'... :: Casting a look to Ohnari. :: Would you be so kind as to scan me with your medical tricorder, Doctor?
More whispering, this time between Lieutenants El’Heem and Michaels. If the goal was to look unsuspicious, they might very well be doomed. Starfleet, Alene silently bemoaned, had absolutely no chill.
Then, Lieutenant Semara stood herself spread-eagle between Ohnari and the aliens. Yup, no chill.
Rana: This device of yours, this is the scanner you wish to use?
Ohnari: Yes, this device scans and records the data to analyze. Similar to your process, although a little less...encompasing?
Torado: The readings are taken remotely, so a doctor or medic can assess a patient without, you know, touching them, spraying them with goo, or implanting them with probes they didn't ask for.
She was perfectly capable of dispensing with any chill she might otherwise have. As Doctor Ohnari scanned her own arm, Alene looked around at the other women who'd come with her on the away mission, confident that none of them were in any position to judge her. When in Bug-Rome, be as weird as the Bug-Romans.
Semara: You can see my basic vitals, internal tissue geometry - much like your scans - genetic information, neural information, and a lot more. It can check against a database a' known pathogens and medical conditions that's been accumulated by hundreds a' different species.
El’Her: Speaking up. Indeed, because of this we are very precautious about contamination, much in the same way your people are.
Rana: It is a wise thing to be cautious about, Chief Science Officer.
Ohnari: It is a little less...tactile, but equally harmless. There are no changes to the scanned target, organic or non-organic alike.
Alene said nothing as the tricorder made its way back to Dr. Ohnari. Then Semara straightened herself out, and the tone in her voice shifted. It sent a chill up the marine's spine. Starfleet Intelligence Officers all seemed to have this thing they did, where no matter how friendly and lovable they seemed, there was a switch inside waiting to be flipped.
As a Marine, it wasn't like Alene hadn't assessed the room for threats and points of egress. She'd marked the most likely places where hangar control would be as soon as they stepped out of the shuttle. And she had surreptitiously adjusted the setting on her hand phaser to what her gut suspected was the minimum effective stun rating for a species of this type.
Alene’s easy smile could communicate her lethality in a pinch, but Starfleet Intelligence must have given its officers some advanced training because just the way Semara's shoulders shifted was terrifying. Ending a life was easy, the marine knew, but ruining a life? That took not only skill and determination, but spite.
Semara: Part a' explorin' is meetin' other people and sharin' what we know, but here's the trouble, Cap'n. I'm as concerned about my people as you are yours. :: Beat. :: All my people.
Rana: Indeed. Once again, First Officer, I remind you that the scan you have experienced is harmless, if this is your concern.
“That wasn't her concern and you damn well knew it, you shifty mantid,” was what Alene didn't say out loud. She was glad to be on Amelia's side for this one.
El’Her: ::tucking her hands behind her back:: You know Captain Rana, I realized we introduced ourselves and gave you a name for each of your species, but we failed to ask the same of you. What do you call yourselves? As the chief science officer I will be largely responsible for cataloguing your species along with ::gesturing towards Talia:: chief medical officer Ohnari.
Rana: Of course. We are called the Velithari. I am sure Vidya love to speak to you more on this topic.
Ohnari: ::brightening:: And we would love to speak with Vidya as well.
Alene wondered about “Vidya.” Was it a person? Lt. Commander Ohnari seemed to think so. But then again, Alene's interpretation of “scan” did not involve the splattering of black viscous goop on her person. Maybe it was a title. A goddess, even?
El’Her: The Velithari. It sounds elegant. What does it mean if you don’t mind me asking?
Rana: Velithari? It is simply what we are called, though I believe one of our linguists might be able to tease apart the meaning. Do your species names mean something?
Semara: :: Anecdotally :: Betazoid simply means "of Betazed." Ironic, seein' I grew up on Casperia…
Alene held up a slender index finger. Trivia! She was usually wildly outmatched at this sort of thing, but in this situation had been very, very lucky. She'd long ago been on the wrong side of the argument about the relationship between the words “human” and “man” and as a result had dug into the history, if for no other reason than to impress the beautiful idiots that gathered in lunar bars.
Torado: Fun fact, go back far enough in the etymology of “human” and we're basically just calling ourselves “dirtfolk.” “Earthlings,” we say—ironic, seein’ as I grew up on the Moon.
She gave a playful wink towards their terrifying, black-clad mission leader. At least she hoped it came across as playful. Surely the Betazoid woman would know that she wasn't kicking her? The nuances of Alene's humor could be lost, she knew, on numb-brained species like her own, but she hoped it would be appreciated with crystal clarity by a telepath. Oh, but now also she was worrying loudly in her own head.
oO Please don't murder me and hide my body in an escape pod you've already marked as misplaced just for that purpose, O Grand Spymaster! Oo
And another wink, for good measure.
Ohnari: My people are Haliian, the name comes from our Homeworld Halii...not exactly terribly creative, but in some ancient texts, Halii roughly translates to "Gift of the heavens."
El’Her: I am exceedingly interested in learning more. As I am sure you are as well. ::beat:: Would you allow Lieutenant Semara to scan you for our own interest?
Rana: My security lead has already acquiesced to a scan by your Chief Medical Officer. However, your Medical Officer was indeed intelligent enough to note that our skeletal systems are different. Testing it on the First Officer, while admirable, proves nothing about the compatibility of our systems.
This prompted another hushed conversation, albeit one that was perforated quite frequently by some more noisy clicks that were, to Alene’s ear, unintelligible. It was another ratchet upwards of the tension in the room, and she was going to be quite relieved once all the sidebars had wrapped. You know, if they weren’t all dead.
Rana: Are you sure?
Alya: We must show faith, Captain. If the First Officer says that it is safe, and it has been demonstrated...I believe them.
Rana: Very well then. ::to Ohnari:: Doctor. You may scan my security lead, and if all goes well, I will follow.
Doctor Ohnari approached the Velithari Captain, tricorder visible. Her movements this time were slow and methodical, and while Alene could appreciate the desire not to startle, it did tend to drag things out. Torado’s fingers flexed, nervously, as the jitters started to cause her aches. Alene never had much in the way of an “or flight” reaction, and she was hoping things wouldn’t actually get to that point.
Ohnari: Now, Captain Rana, if you would permit? ::she held the tricorder aloft, but pointed away:: The more information it gathers, it will be able to reflect differences between yourself and Alya, again it will remain broad.
Rana: While this scan occurs, perhaps you all may answer a question for me. What does this word, 'Lieutenant' mean?
Semara: It's a rank. :: Eyes casting to Rana. :: A title of experience, knowledge, leadership, responsibility, and trust for us. Typically a more seasoned officer, trusted to lead a department or teams under the direction of their cap'n. :: Beat :: And an officer is someone who's already gone through extended higher education to learn their specialty and how to serve aboard a starship, and taken an oath of service, 'sides. :: An easy smile. :: On our ship, we might consider Alya your Lieutenant.
Movement from the main entryway caught their eyes, as another Velithari woman joined them. There was a lot to the rank structure that Lieutenant Semara was flattening down, and Alene wondered how much of it was necessity, and how much of it was deception. They could be here all afternoon talking about the difference between a Lieutenant Commander and a Lieutenant Junior Grade, nevermind the parallel Marine rank structure. But also, there were a lot fewer questions to be answered if everyone below “Captain” was “Lieutenant,” and never-you-mind why the First Officer was outranked by her accompanying doctor.
Vidya / Shuttlebay: Response
Semara: Pleasure to make your acquaintance. :: Beat :: Your cap'n speaks highly of you, Vidya. Our own Chief Science officer's been itchin' to meet you... :: A little smile to Rasha. ::
Vidya / Shuttlebay: Response
Amelia glanced back at Lieutenant El’Heem. More faces to forget later, and a larger gathering in what still seemed like a mostly empty hangar bay. They were still standing at the base of the shuttlecraft’s ramp, and it occurred to Alene that maybe these folks just didn’t get many visitors. If folks like the Lattice Alliance volunteered to destroy themselves on Velithari spears or whatever, maybe this truly was a “what do we do now” kind of situation. That could play to their advantage.
Semara: :: A glance to Talia. :: If we're all done with all our scans, perhaps there's somewhere more convenient to talk, cap'n Rana? :: Beat :: If Vidya would be so kind as to indulge El'Her's curiosity about your people, I'm sure there's plenty she could share in return? Then, perhaps, you and I could speak more freely.
Ohnari: Captain Rana...would it be too forward to perhaps ask for a tour? It would be my honor to speak with this Vidya you mentioned. ::glancing to Amelia, hoping she hadn't overstepped:: If, you permit, of course, Ma'am.
Torado: Or, maybe let Ras’ha talk to Vidya? Don’t mean to overload the woman. If you’re worried, maybe Alya can show us around. You know, murder us if we step out of line and stumble upon your secret chrysalis chambers or whatnot. ::hands up:: Ideally, though, keep us away from the rooms punishable by death.
Alene flashed an attempt at a smile. It was the kind of thing that wouldn’t ungenerously be described as “bared teeth,” but the sides of her mouth did technically skew upward. Her interjection had come as quickly as Doctor Ohnari had finished speaking, and out of the junior Lieutenant’s estimation of their urgency. They needed to find Ensign Matthews and get him back to the shuttle somehow, by hook or crook, and Alene figured if a clash with Velithari security was to come, it was better to be in a position where she could get the jump on its head.
Shuttlebay: Response
Torado: ::hands clapped:: Great! Lead on.
This time, Alene’s expression was much more clearly smile-like.
((Timeskip, Corridor, Velithari Ship Jorogumo))
The tour was dull. About as interesting as the muted and mottled browns and greens of the ship’s inner hull plating which, Alene had come to learn, was more alive than artificial. Not being an engineer, Alya didn’t seem equipped to regale them with the technical details of exactly how Velithari ships were made. Or, maybe, as a security officer, Alya was disinclined to share the details she understood perfectly well.
In any event, First Lieutenant Torado was entirely ignorant of the technical details of the ship, which suited her well enough. Her priority was locating and extracting Ensign Matthews. The problem there was that she was completely and utterly lost.
Torado: Everything looks the same as everything else, how do you know where to go?
Alya / Ohnari: Response
Torado: Huh. On our ship, we use visible signage. Not everybody navigates by smell in our society.
They stopped at a broadened compound archway and intersection in the middle of the curving hall. The lighting felt the way Alene imagined sunlight might filter through the hexagonal walls of a beehive. Every now and then, a shadow seemed to shift, and she couldn’t tell whether it was because something within a wall moved, or whether the light source did.
Alya / Ohnari: Response
Torado: So… this is where you sleep?
Alya / Ohnari: Response
TBC
——— ▯ ———
1st Lieutenant Alene Torado
Marine Officer
USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)
As simmed by
Commander Nax-Ellarneii-Tellargo
Commanding Officer
USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)
A240001NH3