JP - Lieutenant Madison Marsh, Lieutenant Gila Sadar, Lieutenant Commander Robin Hopper, & Commander Alora DeVeau - “The Velestus Conference” - Part V
Madison Marsh
Part V
((Entrance to Tarola’n Conference Center, Tarola’n, Velestus))
Madison had been someone that struck Alora from the beginning as finding her way to greatness, as had Robin. Eyeing Gila, she had a feeling that she, too, was someone to watch.
Gila herself wasn’t so sure, and the sudden amount of interest pointed at her - all thanks to Madi-net and her sometimes excessive support - didn’t exactly make her feel better about the situation. But she did have to do her best, it wouldn’t do to embarrass her friend at this junction - not in front of two senior officers - so Gila did her utmost to bite back the anxiety.
Hopper: I’m just pleased to see the two of you taking the initiative to come to this conference. I remember from my own time as an Ensign how intimidating the thought of requesting time ‘off’ was – even if it was for professional development. Good on you.
Sadar: Th-Thank you, Sir…
oO Now, let’s not talk about me any- Oo
Marsh: Gila, please tell us a little bit about your homeworld, species and culture. I have an appreciation for it and feel the two Commanders here will as well.
oO Madi-net! Oo
DeVeau: I love hearing about other people’s cultures, so yes, please share!
That was one of the best things about being an officer in Starfleet, she had the unique position to meet so many people from so many different places.
Hopper: Absolutely. We’re all getting a taste of Madison and my culture while we’re here – but Mizar isn’t a Federation world. At least not the last time I checked. I have to admit, I don’t know much about it.
Sadar ::slight sigh:: Uhh… N-Not much I think would be interesting, I fear. Uhh... We are ultra-pacifists, o-our crowning achievement is being invaded and conquered 6 times in 300 years, we’re a pescetarian species and evolved from aquatic mammals… ::thinks:: M-My homeworld is Mizar II - Mizabet is the native name - and, uhh… I-I think that’s, uh… ::looks to Marsh for guidance::
Madison nodded her head once and smiled brilliantly putting her pearly whites on full display. She was proud of Gila for diving in and talking about herself first. Madison then looked at DeVeau and Hopper with a bit of eagerness.
Marsh: Now which one of you would like to go first?
DeVeau: I think it’s Robin’s turn.
Her verdant gaze slipped over to the woman in question. Although Alora knew it, the acquaintance was more recent than Madison, and she was happy to have the opportunity to learn more about it.
Hopper: If you insist! ::Tilting her head back slightly:: Where to begin? .. Well, I also attended the San Francisco campus – part of my near-decade-long foray into education on Earth. But I’m actually from Theta VII. ::Sheepishly:: It’s a small world. A former Federation colony near the Romulan border. But, as I mentioned, I’m a bit of a ‘mutt’.
Marsh: ::Chuckled::I was born and spent my early childhood right here on Velestus. My mother brought me to her home on Earth eventually. She had always had a tremendous interest in human culture. In fact, that is the reason why my name is of human origin. I spent the rest of my childhood and teenage years in Las Vegas, Nevada prior to moving to San Francisco after being accepted into Starfleet Academy.
DeVeau: You and Maddy share some heritage.
She flashed a smile at the blonde who had so quickly become a fast friend. The child in the carrier added her on two since with a hiccup, turning her head to the other side, as if had finished her scrutiny of the first.
Robin nodded.
Hopper: Evidently! ::Squinting at Marsh:: You know, my mother is from Da’aden Epestor, but historically, half of the family lineage is from Tarola'n. Who knows. Velestus is a small place. Maybe somewhere, back there, we may even have a common relative.
She shrugged playfully. Velestus was, quietly, still in a centuries-long rehabilitation process from a cataclysmic plague brought about by their own foray into biowarfare in a more unenlightened era of the planet’s history. One side effect of this was a noteworthy genetic ‘bottleneck’ in Centauran ancestry – and, subsequently – a notably enthusiastic government-sponsored planet-wide ‘dating service’ (for lack of a better term) aimed at promoting genetic diversity.
Needless to say, the odds were far better that Robin and Madison were related than any two humans might be.
Marsh: We can always run a genetic analysis in the lab. ::She chuckled:: Do we have anything else to cover in our lovely conversation?
Hopper: I don’t know, what else is there to say?
DeVeau: I think all the standard questions apply, particularly the ones that Maddie mentioned.
Hopper: Oh, there’s not much to say for Thetan culture. It followed the “small town” model in the early days – evoking a sort of ‘mid-20th century’ vision of utopia that was meant to feel familiar and quaint for the folks living and working there. Even as it grew, it’s kind of got that small town industrial vibe. Most folks work as farmers, or miners, or in the spaceport. Or, like me, they leave.
Robin chuckled.
Madison understood where Hopper was coming from in her description of Thetan culture. Being on Earth, she had learned a lot about human history. They were an interesting species to say the least and there was a correlation evidently there with the Thetans.
Marsh: I agree, that definitely sounds like 20th century Earth for sure. I’ve read a lot about human history myself.
Gila had listened to her fellow Officers for a good while, content to just meander along with them. They were so different from each other, some consummate professionals, others bubbly and energetic. Some came from across the universe, others from the heartland of the Federation itself. And yet, they’d all been brought together here as colleagues, as fellow Officers guided by a higher purpose. And though Gila’s nervous system was still working in overdrive, there was something unmistakably profound about that thought, as they came up on the restaurant that would service them for the night.
Sadar: Is this the place?
Alora’s eyes lifted to the sign and she smiled, nodding. That was the place, an opportunity, a night to come together, not as just scientists, but as regular people - and friends.
DeVeau: This is it. Time to go in and relax for a while.
Hopper: ::Thrilled:: Alright! Hey – what say we celebrate with a round of aneim'krios? ::For Sadar and DeVeau:: “Wind’s Kiss”. It’s a frothy cocktail situation, very fun and tasty even if you prefer it ‘soft’.
The round of aneim’krios sounded like a fantastic plan to Madison. She was always up for rest, relaxation, and drinking as that proved to be quite the combination.
Marsh: Absolutely, I’m in!
Sadar: I-I’ll, uhh... D-Do my best.
**************
Lieutenant Madison Marsh
Mission Specialist
Starbase 118 Ops
ID: O240006MM1
&
Lieutenant Gila Sadar
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
ID: A240006GS1
&
Lt. Commander Robin Hopper
Chief Science Officer and Second Officer
Amity Outpost
ID: V239806K11
&
Commander Alora DeVeau
Chief Science Officer &
Second Officer
Denali Station
&
Matriarch of the 15th House
Betazed
M239008AD0
--
Mission Specialist
Starbase 118 Ops
ID: O240006MM1
