2nd Cl. Crewman Miskre Swenhart & Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau - "Replicated Floral Arrangements" (NT)
Amanda Nordstrom
((Starbase Ops - Alora’s Quarters))
The replicator didn’t even beep. For a third time, Alora attempted to give the replicator a command, but it remained still and silent, unwilling to obey. Alora sighed. She really, really wanted some chocolate milk, but it just wasn’t having it. Alas.
Well, it was time to put in a work order. Alora swept over to her couch and scooped her triPADD from the arm, then tapped it. The replicator wasn’t a particularly dire need, so she suspected she’d probably have to wait a couple of days.
When the beep announcing an arrival a couple of hours interrupted her repotting, Alora was rather surprised. Even more so when the doors parted to allow an engineer into her room. DeVeau: Wow. That was fast.
When Miskre heard the alarm at her workstation in engineering, she grabbed the equipment needed and before leaving, typed in the incident report PADD what appeared to be the problem, the location, and the time she was leaving. It had been a pretty uneventful day so whatever project landed at her desk, Miskre jumped at the opportunity.
Just as quickly as she got inside the maintenance turbolift, the Dokkaran was already at the senior officer's quarters.
Swenhart: Crewman Miskre Swenhart, Commander. ::glances around:: I got a work order request that came from your room?
DeVeau: I guess my dire need of chocolate milk made this a priority, huh?
Swenhart: ::giggles:: One can never be out of desirable beverages. Is your replicator not working?
DeVeau: Nope. It dieded. Alora stepped aside and motioned to the dark, silent machine that simply hovered in the wall, unusable, unyielding in its stubbornness.
Swenhart: Oh, don't you worry. ::pats the utility belt:: I've got all I need to work on it. ::walks more into the living room:: It shouldn't take… ::her eyes widen as she smiles:: Are those your plants over there?
Although it was unnecessary, Alora turned to look at what the woman indicated. The shelves of plants were impossible to miss. She’d only had them back for a day, and sets of pots sat on the table, a bin of soil opened and waiting, other plants in the process of being split and reported. While her friends had certainly cared for her plants, they hadn’t really paid as much attention to them as Alora would have. They did, after all, have other things to do. Some had sprouted babies, so she had separated those. Leaves that she had planted has sprung up several babies which also had to be separated. On the one hand, they had gone a little wild. On the other, it meant she already had babies to start passing out, and new leaves to grow new ones.
DeVeau: They are. Most are African violets, but I have others as well, both Terran and from other planets.
A Bajoran lilac could be seen as well as a Vulcan Orchid, though the latter had to be kept in an environmental regulator. Others also were dotted here and there, but indeed, most had similar features, short plants with fuzzy leaves, some ruffled, some smooth, some deeper green than others. Quite a few had a variety of coloured blossoms, those blossoms velvety to the touch.
DeVeau: You like plants?
Swenhart: I do. I'm actually part of the flora family, but more of what The Lady formed me to be.
DeVeau: You want one? I generally give out babies because, well, they are so easy to propagate and so I’m constantly having babies. It means more to spread around.
Swenhart: Yes, please! Dokkarans are unable to reproduce so I'll definitely take one of your hands. ::smiles sweetly:: It would be like having a baby of my own.
DeVeau: Ah, Dokkaran! Now I know what you mean by being part of the flora family. How lovely to meet you - you’re the first of your kind I’ve had the pleasure to meet. Just tell me what colour you would like, and I’ll let you know if I have it.
Swenhart: First and foremost, I must repair your replicator. I wouldn't want you to go without your chocolate milk since you're giving me such an amazing gift.
Alora beamed and motioned toward the still silent replicator.
DeVeau: Please! I greatly appreciate it!
The Human female's welcoming presence made Miskre feel more comfortable than what she went through during her episode the previous night. Usually she was able to get her emotions under control with her more positive and upbeat personality.
Swenhart: It shouldn't take long. ::approaches the replicator, then takes out a sonic screwdriver:: Just need to take this panel off…
Miskre took out the magnetic screws by placing the tool on each one and pressed down on the display to release them. Once she got the panel off, she took out a recalibration tool to switch out the system, replacing it with an updated version.
Alora stayed out of the engineer's way and went back to her repotting. With babies having been planted before she left, there were so many that were entangled with one another, that she got five or six from one leave. This was good, because she had a lot of people to give to.
An audible beeping sound alerted as the task was completed. The Dokkaran grabbed the panel, then finished setting everything up and then turned to face Alora.
Swenhart: ::kneels down to put her equipment back in her utility belt:: Well, that should hopefully do the trick!
DeVeau: Oh good, shall we take it for a test run?
Swenhart: ::nods:: Yes, please. I want to be here in case it doesn't work.
Alora wiped her hands off on a cloth she kept handy, then rose and crossed back over. Outwardly, the replicator looked no different. Had Swenhart managed to tame the beast? Would it now produce the coveted chocolate milk? Or would Alora be forever denied? There was only one way to find out.
DeVeau: Two glasses of Alora’s chocolate milk. This wasn’t just chocolate milk. This was extra creamy, extra chocolate chocolate milk. The parameters had been set and saved and carried from posting to posting so she could always have her favourite drink. Taking the two glasses, Alora turned and offered one to the engineer. DeVeau: It’s not bone marrow, but it does have calcium.
Swenhart: ::generally surprised as she takes the offered glass:: Thank you, Alora.
Alora lifted her glass in salute, then took a sip. Ah, it was /perfect/. That thick, creamy goodness slid down her throat, sweet enough to take out the bitterness, but not so sweet as to overpower. Such chocolatey goodness.
DeVeau: You definitely earned your baby!
Swenhart: ::beams a bright smile:: All in a day's work! ::takes a drink:: Mmm, that's delicious. ::hums:: So how do you know about Dokkarans? Have you worked with any of us before?
DeVeau: I have not. I am, however, a scientist with a couple of specialties. One happens to be Botany. Xenobotany if you want to get technical. Dokkarans kind of fall into that. In other words, I haven’t worked with any of y’all, but I’ve read about and studied about your people.
Swenhart: Sounds like a pretty eventful career you've had. Not many people know much about my species. ::sips the chocolate milk:: I just might have to take a to-go cup! ::giggles::
DeVeau: There’s more where that came now that the replicator’s working. Do you want to take some with you? Oh, and what about your baby? Which one do you want?
Swenhart: Oh, there's so many to choose from! Which one do you mind departing from?
DeVeau: I’ll be honest, I’m not going to give you any of the mature ones. However, if you show me the flower you like and want one of that, I’ll give you one of the babies that came from it. Eventually, you’ll get the same blossoms - unless the baby turns out to be a sport.
Swenhart: ::tilts her head slightly:: A sport?
DeVeau: It’s a term used when a progeny doesn’t bloom true to the variety. For instance…
Alora motioned to a rather exquisite specimen of dark purple trimmed in green, the edges of the blossom ruffled delicately.
DeVeau: If you take a leaf from that plant, you’d expect to get another plant to grow and eventually bloom with this colouration. However, on occasion, the baby plant will bloom differently. It might, for instance, just be all purple, or the edges of the blossoms will be smooth, not ruffled. That’s called a sport.
The Dokkaran listened with enthusiasm as the scientist explained to her about how the purple plant worked. It sounded a lot like how she and the rest of her species came to be.
Swenhart: Sounds very familiar to how I was born. I think I'd like to have that one then. Maybe I can create my own flock of purple plants! ::covers her mouth and giggles::
DeVeau: Take it. So...from my understanding, the Lady sort of...gave birth to you, right? I mean, using the bodies of the officers...she’s your mother.
Swenhart: The Lady is what we call our spiritual mother and guide. I can show you a little bit of our history if you'd like?
DeVeau: I’d love to see it - I love learning more. Is it different from what’s in the Federation database? I can access that through a terminal.
That's not what Miskre meant and she shook her head with a smile.
Swenhart: Through a different approach to what Vulcans call a 'mind meld.' I've done it a few other times that helped others see more of what I'm saying. Do you want to give it a go?
DeVeau: Oh!
Alora hadn’t expected that at all. She knew that Dokkarans had a type of telepathy, but how it had been described was rather vague and seemed rather limited.
DeVeau: So...you’re familiar with how to do this…’mind meld’?
Swenhart: I'm very familiar. Before leaving my homeworld, I was trained through the basics.
Which was true. The Elders would see to it that whoever was going to have a career off planet, they would teach how to use the abilities The Lady gifted them.
DeVeau: Please forgive me for being cautious. I’ve had...previously good experiences, and bad ones.
Swenhart: Oh. I must say that I might have been a little too excitable for my own good then. ::walks towards her plant, caresses the leaves:: I get ahead of myself sometimes when I can feel others’ positive energies in close proximity to my own.
DeVeau: that’s okay. So, I have a positive energy, huh?
Swenhart: ::nods:: Both you and Morah. That's what I'm going to name her. ::glances at the plant and smiles:: Morah Swenhart.
DeVeau: Morah’s a beautiful name.
Swenhart: Perhaps we can see each other again? I do have to get back and log in that your replicator has been fixed.
DeVeau: Oh sure. I’d love to hang out, and I’d love to learn more about you and your people.
Swenhart: That sounds like a lovely idea!
DeVeau: It was lovely meeting you. Have a great day, and thanks again.
----
Second Class Crewman Miskre Swenhart
Damage Control Technician
StarBase 118 Ops - USS Narendra
V239507GG0
&
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Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau
Science Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
M239008AD0