JP: Ensign Nilsen, Ensign Kovacs, Lt Herrick, LT Arlill, Z.Johnson, Ensign Yinn, 2Lt Maxwell - JOPA: Insert Coins To Play. (Part 1)
Lhandon Nilsen
(Holosuite 1, Deck 5, USS Oumuamua)
Nilsen: =/\= Computer activate holoprogram Nilsen 16 =/\=
As he spoke, the program activated. First, the floors and walls formed; they were a dark purple with various curved patterns in the carpet and neon lights hanging from the ceiling in various colors. Then the machines arrived. Pac-man was first, then Space Invaders, and soon more arcade games spawned. Then the games from the 1990’s and 2000’s spawned, Sega Rally, Ridge Racer, and Dance Dance Revolution among others.
Nilsen had been happy with this. All the core games he could think of were accounted for and there was more than enough space for people to recreate their favorite games from their people’s history or their planet.
Nilsen had kept track of who got the coins. He checked off the list on a piece of paper, rather than a pad. So far, he’d dodged Sherlock, if she found out about this, he had a plan to eat the paper in the last few seconds to forever keep JOPA the secretive organization it is. Lhandon had thought about using Holosuite 2 for this, with it being on the same deck as the security office, there would be a certain thrill to that, and sometimes Nilsen missed the days when he and his brother Kei’ran would tag graffiti where they could, go and trespass on another farm or just be stupid young boys committing the most minor of crime.
Nilsen: Here we go =/\= computer activate program Nilsen 1337 =/\=
Anyone who got a coin from Nilsen should now get a message telling them to get down to Holosuite one, it's a priority one message. Soon the door opened and the first of the JOPA members showed up.
As the doors slid open, Eli had to blink a few times for his eyes to acclimate to the rather colourful atmosphere. He looked down at the mauve floor, which was interspersed by ribbons of yellow, red and gold spanning across the carpet. Hanging from the ceiling were bright signs that almost burned into his eyes. He tried to make out the phrase on one of the signs, but there were strange characters mixed in.
As he looked around, he spotted the lone officer — the host — who had just stepped out from one of the bulky consoles; they reminded him of the ones that sat at the rear of the 80’s ships; notably the Galaxy-class ones, but these stood on their own.
Kovacs: Hey Lhandon. ::nodding towards the ops officer:: Good to see you again.
Nilsen smiled as he saw Kovacs, the two had been getting along really well and the anxiety he was feeling was slowly starting to lift.
Nilsen: Hey Eli, you can call me Lhando, I'm so glad you could make it. So erm, is blue still a thing you're thinking off.
Nilsen was eager to know about Kovacs's possible career move, but before the pair could continue chatting, more arrivals filtered in.
Like others, Zarah had received a coin and a message. Of course she wasn’t going to ignore it and she arrived along with several others, her eyes shifting to take in the craziness that decorated the transformed holosuite. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what it was all about, and the decor was kind of weird, but she’d go with it.
Z.Johnson: Hi. I got a note that I should come here.
She flicked up her hand and there, between two fingers, twinkled the silver coin.
Z.Johnson: And…what do I do with this?
Nilsen: You’ll see
Yinn looked around the room, baffled by the primitive technology’s garish electric lights. She rubbed the ridge on her nose.
Yinn: Is this one of those human things where you spend your time on something frivolous when you could be doing something fun, like working?
Kovacs: ::glancing towards Yinn, then Arlill:: How do Bolians… disconnect?
Yinn was endlessly fascinated by humans, who to a Bolian’s eye were a mass of contradictions. They were a warlike people who built the Federation in the name of peace; they had the ambition to cross the stars, but they were also extraordinarily lazy. They slept a third of the time instead of the usual fourth and they still needed “down time.” All of life’s most satisfying joys — work, exercise, good food, sex — were things they made excuses to avoid, and yet they delighted in spending time on the emptiest “entertainment,” playing child’s games and playing pretend on the holodeck.
Yinn: I grew up in a house with five parents, seven siblings, and two of my fifteen living grandparents, plus nine cousins close to my age within five kilometers of my house. When I left to join Starfleet, I had to break up with my girlfriend and all three boyfriends. And Thunn. We weren’t really even dating but… ::Yinn drifts off for a second as a wistful look crosses her yellow eyes:: That was a tough good-bye.
Nilsen found himself unsure how to react, he wanted to interject, and maybe call for a counselor who’d be better equipped to help Yinn than himself
Yinn: And since I’ve been on board, I spend every night alone, my closest workmates are Binars who only speak to each other, and I hardly know anyone else besides my roommate and Commander Katsim. And you all want to disconnect more? I came to this ::she waves her arms at the flashing boxes lining the walls:: because I wanted to connect! I really felt like leaving home was going to be okay because Starfleet would be my new family, and so far ::she tilts her head to one side like a dog that’s confused:: it hasn’t felt that way.
This JOPA meeting was proving to be a test for him, Yinn found a nerve for Nilsen; o0 How could she not get it? 0o disconnecting was the whole idea, this was fun, he made it to be fun! Why is she not having fun? He breathed again
Nilsen: I guess us humans are fans of the frivolous stuff. We like to connect by erm, disconnecting.
He also wished he invited Salo here, he didn’t know if that would be the most professional thing to do, but her catching his rage in the moments before a snap during their last and guiding him through that really helped him. He caught this rage, this bit of tempter that threatened to ruin his entire night. He hoped he wouldn’t have any more tests. Lhandon kept it polite and drifted away to let them talk.
Unlike Nilsen, Zarah was completely unperturbed by Yinn’s little outburst. Quickly, she sidled up to the Bolian and draped an arm over her shoulders. She could understand where she was coming. As a Starfleet Brat, she’d made and lost too many friends to count, and it was never easy adjusting, even with all that practice.
Z.Johnson: Then this is the perfect chance for you to connect - while disconnecting! The point is, we disconnect from stress to connect with other. I’m Zarah by the way.
The hand that was not around the woman reached up and offered to shake Yinn’s.
Yinn offered her hand, palm up, before remembering that’s not how humans do it. Their hands did an awkward dance for a minute before connecting, but Yinn also leaned into Zarah and slid an arm around her waist, which felt much more natural.
Yinn: See, that’s what I wanted. Talking to people, actually getting closer, not just staring at a screen! I do enough of that on Deck 9.
Yinn scrutinized her new friend for a minute.
Yinn: Are you young, or just small? I’m still figuring out humans.
Zarah: Both I guess!
Another grin spread across the teens face, which beamed brightly at the prospect of a new friend. Zarah was used to those coming and going and coming and going. She also knew what it was like to be the new person, uncertain of where she stood on the social ladder.
Yinn: Well, nice to meet you. I only knew a few aliens on Bolarus, so a lot of human stuff is new to me.
Zarah: If it makes you feel any better, I’m still figuring Bolians. Feel free to tell me *alllll* about them!
Yinn rubbed the ridge on the top of her head, not sure how to respond.
Yinn: The big thing I’ve come to realize is that, there are so many things about alien culture and biology that seemed strange to me growing up, but I’m starting to see how we’re the strange ones in everyone else’s eyes. Like, I can’t understand how you can only marry one person and stay with them for life, but most species do that. I don’t really get why you have that weird sac of digestive acid, but it turns out no one’s blood breaks down their food apart from us and the Horta.
Zarah already knew some of that stuff, but she didn’t say a word. Honestly, it was kind of refreshing hearing her perspective since she didn’t grow up on a ship and learning all those types of things from the beginning. It was fresh.
Yinn: So I’m not sure what to tell. Stuff that seems really boring and obvious to me sometimes turns out to be unique in all the galaxy, and stuff that seems interesting turns out to be fairly commonplace. So maybe it’s better to start with the boring-seeming stuff. Bolarus has millions of islands, so our culture’s built around the ocean. It was the god we worshiped in ancient times; it’s the great expanse we conquered before exploring space; it’s the source of all of our food and now it’s where we mine the mineral resources that carried the Federation through the Dominion War. Our lives don’t begin when we’re born, they begin the first time we touch the water.
Now that was something knew - Zarah didn’t know anything about Bolian religion. If anything, the islands and geography, that she had a basic understanding of, and some about Bolian anatomy which she knew because it was so unique and had been touched upon in school. She also didn’t know about the water thing.
Zarah: Really? That’s pretty cool…
And maybe this gave her the chance to learn all the little interesting details they didn’t cover in class.
(The Perfect Place For A Brisk Jog, Deck 4, USS Oumuamua)
Max had just about been ready to leave his quarters to go for a brisk jog around Deck 4 when his PADD had chirped imperiously at him. Tuning out the never-ending stream of inane chatter from his roommate, Max picked up the device and thumbed the screen to life.
It was a summons of sorts, from Nilsen requesting Max join him in Holosuite 1. He knew what it must be, and so he quickly ducked back into his own room and grabbed the small silver coin from where it had been placed in a drawer.
(Holosuite 1, Deck 5, USS Oumuamua)
Upon entering the holosuite Max had glanced around at those present, offering a nod of greeting to a Bolian woman that he didn’t know, a grin to Arlil and rounded out his arrival by giving Nilsen a friendly dig in the arm.
Maxwell: Why does it feel like you’re up tae something?
Nilsen: You’re starting to sound like Sherlock
Nilsen smiled, he was glad Maxwell was here, and Maxwell was right, Nilsen was up to something, and he’d soon reveal all.
Zarah craned her neck and peered over at the newest arrival. The man looked like he’d seen better days, his face scared from something or another. If she had to hazard a guess, it was from a fight, but whether it was in service or in a bar room, she didn’t know. She had met him before at another JOPA meeting, but only peripherally.
Eli was glad for the respite; this shore leave was a bit calmer than the last and notably less dramatic; he also was still feeling the aftermath of those red-tagged officers that had succumbed to their injuries when the chroniton weapons fired on the ‘Oumuamua. He’d seen enough action but knew that didn’t compare to some of the vets here.
Z.Johnson: That’s because he *is* up to something. When is he not?
Lhandon couldn’t help but smile at the exchange. Yeah, he was up to something and they were about to find out what he was planning.
TBC
Ensign Lhandon Joseph Nilsen
HCO
USS Oumuamua
O240007LN1
He/Him/His (Both player and character)
&
LTJG Toxin Arlill
Helm, Operations, & Communications Officer
USS 'Oumuamua NCC-81226
Writer ID.: O239910TA4
&
2nd Lieutenant Arturo Maxwell.
Marine Officer, 4/73 Marines.
USS Oumuamua: NCC-81226.
O239311AM0
&
Ensign Elijah Kovacs
Engineering Officer
USS ‘Oumuamua
O240005JH3
he/him/his (player/character)
&
Zarah Johnson
Civilian
USS 'Oumuamua
M239008AD0
&
Ensign Yinn
Science Officer
USS 'Oumuamua NCC-81226
Writer ID.: O240011Y12