JP - Lieutenant Madison Marsh, Lieutenant Gila Sadar, Lieutenant Commander Robin Hopper, & Commander Alora DeVeau - “The Velestus Conference” - Part III
Madison Marsh
Part III
((Tarola’n Conference Center, Tarola’n, Velestus))
Sadar: ::startled:: Oh! Uh, Yes Sir.
Hopper replied with an encouraging smile, having received some poignant career and (honestly) life advice from then-Commander MacKenzie, not all that long ago. It was still fresh in her mind.
Hopper: Oh, Gila, you’ll have to pass her my regards then… And is, ahem, Lt. Dakora still the Chief Intelligence Officer…?
A brief burst of uncomfortable energy spread throughout Gila’s body as Doctor Hopper immediately defaulted to her given name, but she was proud to realise that the discomfort was significantly mellower than it used to be. She was finally getting accustomed to the aliens’ different perspective on manners. Then, she realised that the Lieutenant Commander had asked a question, and she slowly nodded.
Sadar: ::blinks:: L-Lieutenant Commander Dakora is still with us, Sir, b-but he was promoted to First Officer almost half a year ago.
Hopper: ::Slightly flabbergasted:: He what now? ::Composing herself:: Ah, I mean, that’s amazing. I’ll have to send him a ‘congrats’ or something. Oh, and please call me Robin, or if you insist on the formality, Commander is fine. “Sir” and “Ma’am” feel so suffocating, don’t you think? ::Changing the subject:: Anyways, how’s everyone enjoying the conference so far?
Robin took a few steps back, reaching behind her for the tray of assorted Centauran foods she’d collected from the vendor hall, while listening, then began nervously snacking while she listened. In that time, Gila gathered her wits about her.
oO The conversation’s moving to work now, Gila. Come on, you can do this! Oo
DeVeau: It’s been good thus far, though I’m quite interested in some panels after lunch. One especially on recent floral discoveries and promising research on medicinal applications.
Sadar: I had my eyes on that one too… I’ve been doing some research with the medical application of a genus of saprobic Lorillian Swamp Fungi. After feeding it specific types of medical plants, the resulting nutrients deposited in the hyphae after it broke them down to a cellular level showcased an exponentially increased potency. It would be interesting to see the latest research in a similar field.
Madison listened to the others provide their feedback on how the conference was going for them at that point. It was always nice to hear others' perceptions of events at large conferences like this one. She was basically there because of her desire to visit her homeworld and to take advantage of the opportunity to spend time with Gila along with meeting new faces.
Marsh: The conference has been quite a delight. There have been several genetics panels that have piqued my interest. I have made a few connections to potentially research in the future because of this conference. It’s also nice to be back home every once in a while.
Hopper: ::Eyebrows raised:: Back home? ::Reaching out, resting a hand on Marsh’s:: Are you Centauran?! ::Moving the hand back to her chest:: Me too! Or, well, half-Centauran that is. My mother, Ansyra, is from Da’aden Epestor.
Madison felt Hopper’s soft hand make contact with her own and shift away as she addressed her. There were plenty of Centaurans who served in Starfleet, but from her perspective they were not as boastful about their race like Humans were. They instead blended in with the crowd and were often mistaken for being human. Her long-term friends Aine Sherlock and Alix Harford were both caught by surprise that Madison was not human after assuming she was for years.
Marsh: Yep! It is lovely to return to my homeworld from time to time. My mother, Iris, is also from Da’aden Epestor and my father, Ora’ssam, is from Santerini. I was born in Tarola’n and initially raised in my creche for five years prior to moving to Earth primarily under my mother’s care.
Hopper: ::Speaking Low Centauran:: Xylosta amarath kalistothio mirkos lykosoros. ::Chuckling:: Yalana miromor pira! ((It's such a rare treat to talk the old language. I'm probably a bit rusty!))
She understood what Hopper was speaking in the Centauran language, she was slightly off in her grammar, but overall solid with her context. She returned the favour by responding in kind with high energy and interest in talking to her fellow Centauran.
Marsh: Yalanda felixo ine occursumen tibie. (It’s a pleasure to meet you.)
The language, native to Velestus and quite ancient, had been deliberately left out of the Universal Translator’s matrix in favour of its more modern (and far more ubiquitous) counterpart, “High Centauran”. The former, thus, was a bit of an exclusive dialect spoken primarily by natives.
Hopper: Sorry everyone, don’t mean to be rude. It’s just exciting. ::To Marsh:: We’ll talk more later.
She offered Marsh a particularly warm smile, already finding the woman’s energy and familiarity easy to relate with.
DeVeau: Do y’all have any specific ones you’re looking forward to seeing?
Hopper: I have an embarrassingly-packed itinerary. I’m practically living at the convention center for the next few days…
Robin reached into her bag, looking for the PADD where she had noted her schedule rather than trying to remember all the panels she was interested in attending.
Hopper: Next on my list is Dr. Vreek's talk on the health benefits of aquatic immersion during extended warp and slipstream travel. Apparently it really makes the time fly by…
Marsh: I can’t wait for Doctor Pettingway’s panel on disease resistance in the Bynar immune systems. It will be intriguing to see their immune systems efficiency rate in comparison to species that are not cybernetically enhanced.
Sadar: Dr. Brenner from Starfleet Medical is hosting a symposium on the latest developments in prosthetics with synaptic connections. I’m slightly stuck on a project that has some similar elements, so I’m hoping his presentation might give me some new ideas to try out…
That was not a lecture that Alora had heard about, but mainly because her focus was on other areas of science and medicine. Although she served as a science officer, she did have some medical background, so such conferences were quite interesting to her- especially since a lot of medicines were originally derived from either plant or animal life.
DeVeau: That does sound interesting. What about you two?
Madison, like Gila, was interested in the symposium on the most recent developments in prosthetics with synaptic connections. This would be another topic for the two of them to research and to potentially have full on debates about on subspace communications in the near future.
Marsh: Actually, I share Gila’s interest and enthusiasm towards the upcoming symposium that Starfleet Medical is hosting as well. We planned to attend that panel together and then discuss it afterward.
Gila nodded in response.
Hopper: Actually – that is what I’m most intrigued by as well… ::Stepping back from the table, and pointing out her own prosthetic leg:: For obvious reasons, that’s a topic right up my alley. Maybe we can attend the symposium together! That’d be fun!
Sadar: I-I suppose so… C-Captain MacKenzie and Doctor Adea often say I should get out of Sickbay more often, so I do spend more time in the Medical Labs than the average medical practitioner, I suppose?
It was laughably evident that Gila very clearly understood that she’d intentionally misinterpreted her superior officers’ orders, when it came to ‘getting out of Sickbay’.
Oh really? Alora’s eyes lit up at that little tidbit. She wasn’t acquainted with Adea, but she had served with MacKenzie as a fellow proctor during final exams in the academy.
DeVeau: They did, did they? Well then, we should make sure to do something after the conference.
Gila immediately felt a flytrap closing in around her.. oO Oh no… Moving away from work. Oo
Madison raised her brow and glanced up at Gila. They were not the first to ever provide Gila with that advice. However, perhaps it would help her see that Madison had a point in the importance of occasionally being in community with others. She grinned at her friend with a positive humorous tone behind her words.
Robin, meanwhile, clasped her hands together in front of her in visible adoration of the suggestion. The long journey from the Delta Quadrant had been a lonely one filled with many evenings spent alone in her quarters with a replicated dinner and a PADD-full of work. The thought of sharing an evening out with new friends sounded absolutely divine by comparison!
Marsh: I’ve been telling you that since Freshman year, Gila.
Gila at least had the decency to look embarrassed at that. Madi-net was not wrong about that, but as much as she valued her friend’s opinion, it had a different weight when a senior officer said it… Gila felt much more guilty about ignoring them than she did Madi-net.
Hopper: ::To DeVeau:: Count me in. Madison? Gila? How about you two? Want to have a side of fun with your conference experience?
Gila shuddered. This was actually moving into ‘scheduling social stuff’ now, wasn’t it?
Sadar: I-I’m afraid I have a scheduled flight the day after the conference closes that I really can’t miss, but, uhh...
DeVeau: It doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Even just going to dinner together would be nice.
After all, all work and no play made them dull gals, didn’t it? Besides, it was the opportunity to spend more time with Madison and get to know Hopper and Sadar better. She wouldn’t refuse the opportunity.
Gila didn’t have to be telepathic to see that the current was moving against her here...
Sadar: O-Oh! That should be… Fine, I think.
Madison nodded her head in agreement with both DeVeau and Sadar in the proposal. A nice dinner would be an opportunity for them to catch up and possibly nourish a new friendship with Hopper as well. She spoke in an assuring tone mainly meant to calm Gila and let her know that it was all going to be fine.
Marsh: Oh, it will be fine. We could all appreciate a lovely dinner together prior to our departure. It will be a nice way to kick back and enjoy the moments before we have to return to our regular duties.
Hopper: Absolutely. ::Chuckling:: I can leave my PADD at the hotel!
Madison looked to the women in the group from gaze to gaze with a look of curiosity being ever so evident on her face.
Marsh: Did you have any particular restaurant in mind? Or the type of food you want to eat? There are several quality options available here on Velestus.
Sadar: I-I, uhh… I don’t know any restaurants here, but, uhh… Well, so long as there are piscetarian options, I’ll be fine.
Alora nodded in agreement. Seafood was fine with her, and she cast a smile over at Madison. The last time they had met, the two had planned to go to get some seafood for dinner. Little did they know their plans would be thwarted.
DeVeau: That sounds good to me. I'm sure we can find a place that caters to a number of preferences.
Hopper: Oh, Gila, you’re on the right planet. Traditional Velestian cuisine is practically all seafood thanks to the geography. And I’ve never had any trouble finding ample vegetarian options, so I’m sure you’ll all be easily accommodated… ::Turning her attention to Marsh:: That said, I’m not very familiar with Tarola’n…?
She appreciated the feedback from the women and their contributions to the meal effort. They had time and Madison’s mother had spent more time on Velestus than she did. She would have to get her feedback on quality restaurants that her party would enjoy together. Madison was fully Centauran, but had spent most of her life on Earth due to her Mother’s historical interest in Terran culture. Madison would visit Velestus occasionally, but did not know the world like the back of her hand.
Marsh: Those are all viable options. Perhaps I could help uncover a restaurant that suits our needs overall. We’ll get a venue figured out soon enough.
DeVeau: Why don’t we plan on meeting at the entrance to the main conference hall at the conclusion of the day’s panels? Then we can head out to dinner and take our time.
She’d likely be exhausted by the end of it. Despite being several weeks out, Alora found fatigue following her wherever she went, but she would gladly forgo some sleep in order to spend time with friends, both old and new.
Hopper: Perfect. ::Raising her PADD, tapping in the details:: I’m adding it to my itinerary now!
Madison smiled as she mirrored Hopper by picking up her PADD and entering the information into her itinerary. She spoke in a tone of excitement as she particularly enjoyed social gathering amongst friends old and new.
Marsh: Sounds like a plan, I’m looking forward to it!
Gila realized that once Madi-net had accepted, she really had no other course but to agree. The petite Centauran would never let her shirk the possibility of socializing, and beyond that, she didn’t want to appear rude to the other two women… Her senior officers…
Sadar: A-As you say, Sir.
Robin rolled her eyes playfully at the slightly-uptight Mizarian’s insistence on using “Sir” to address her. A bit of wining and dining and she’d loosen up soon enough. Robin was sure of that!
DeVeau: All right. It’s a date.
**************
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
