Dining with Aliens (Part 2 of 3)

Posted on 15 Nov 2013 @ 11:48am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Scarlet Blake & Lieutenant Theron Rhodes & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant JG Delainey Carlisle & Lieutenant JG Victoria Crawley & Commander Norvi Stace & Ensign Im'er Mor'an

2,276 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 04 - Exodus
Location: Setisar VI - Surface, Alien Dining Room
Timeline: MD 06 - 1510 hrs

Previously, on Dining with Aliens (Part 1)...

Stace now felt as though she was on the edge of professional suicide. It felt so alien for her to lose control of her emotions. She had spent years of training learning techniques to compartmentalize one feeling from another, one experience from another, and one life time from another. And yet something welled up inside of her belly. A vitriol explosion of fire and loathing that she couldn't quash. Her hands started to violently shake as she attempted to screw her courage to the sticking-place. But as the first tear began to well in the corner of her eye, she inhaled a breath and slowly began to rise from her chair. The tear was the first of many. She was angry at the aliens, angry at the Borg and angry at herself for losing what she had fought so hard to succeed. Stace took in another breath as her knees locked beneath her and exhaled with a guttural sob. "I know how important this is to us, Commander" she managed, wiping away the tears as she placed both hands on the table to support her slender frame. She reached over to the middle with one hand for a napkin and attempted to compose herself, sitting back down with a slow sense of grace. She glanced back up to Blake and nodded. "I'm sorry. I'll push aside my personal anger and act like an officer."

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Scarlet watched her for a long moment, and although her features were neutral, she felt for Stace. She'd gone through so much. "I know," she said softly, sighing as she sat back. "I really do know," she said again, but not just to the apology and reassurance from Stace, but also in reference to all of it, of how she felt. She trusted her to know that she was capable of calming down. And she didn't want to add to her distress, so she didn't feel the need to say anymore about it.

Watching the exchange, Delainey was half-way out of her seat, prepared to suggest she and Stace return to the ship. Carlisle didn't blame her for her reactions, and in fact a part of her was envious of her for releasing emotions they were all battling on some level. However, there was a bigger picture to be considered here, and Delainey knew they couldn't afford to have emotionally compromised members, no matter how justified the reaction, on the team. Carlisle was loathe to give others and Stace the message that her reactions indicated she was incompetent, though, and so she resisted the urge to jump into action impulsively.

Stace, again, wiped her face down and shook off her feelings. "So, what do we do now? Wait for Nar to return?" Her tone was even, and it felt like she'd experienced the release she needed for the moment.

"I don't see any other option," Aria admitted, shaking her head as she looked around. She reached up, touching her bald head before grimacing. She felt like an animal for slaughter like this. And so vulnerable.

Allyndra listened to the exchange and all were valid points. "We cannot change what has happened, but think upon this; the Galileo is being held by the Borg, it is highly damaged, and we must learn and attempt to convince these people not to suddenly consider it a threat. We must try to preserve the lives that there are rather than vengeance for those lost. Also, consider this, these people have managed to do something that no one else that we know of has done, control the Borg. If we could find that secret and take it back with us think how many countless other lives may potentially be saved. We must tread carefully though in our dealings, these are a fragile people and I suspect from all I have observed and collected a culture that is on the brink of collapse if it has not done so already. Desperate people make bad decisions. I too feel very frustrated, but remind myself that I must learn more before I make a decision that will reflect badly."

Allyndra took her tricorder and then tapped upon it and then pushed it over again. "Here take a look at this reading," she said. There was no reading, but it simply said: 'There is a good chance they may be listening.'

The message didn't reveal anything Delainey hadn't considered, though perhaps the possibility would help to curb some emotional reactions in the others. She doubted Stace or Victoria were in a place to care about being monitored by the beings in question, but perhaps it would lead them to consider whether their behavior was putting the rest of the team in jeopardy.

Nar returned to the dining hall having seemingly come out of nowhere, but this time she had two more aliens escorting her while walking towards the away team. Standing on either side of her, they appeared slightly taller and more bulky than the female alien, and were dressed with thicker blue chest and upper arm garments. Garments was perhaps the wrong word, as the material appeared to be solid as if it were some sort of reinforced plating. A strange, visible electrical static charge surrounded each of the two larger aliens in a bubble which could have represented a personal shield of some type. They looked to be guards.

The woman's voice was calm and neutral as she began to speak. "Your crew members are aboard your vessel. Not the cube. Including Legatus. We did not retrieve them," Nar informed the away team, specifically Scarlet. "You asked us to return your crew members. We agreed to assist. But there is no need for our assistance. Why the deception?"

Scarlet looked to the rest of her team with shock at the words, but the only sign of it on her face for those who knew her was the slightly wider than usual eyes. Inside, her heart was beating hard and fast at the words. How? How had that happened? Why? And if it were true, why didn't they know about it? "There was no deception," Scarlet said quickly, looking back to her. "You have my word on that. Perhaps a...confusion?" she offered, her mind racing. "If we could be allowed a private line to our ship, I can try and find out exactly what is going on."

The implant on the back of Nar's neck pulsed again while she determined the most appropriate course of action, after which she looked down at the away team's leader with an expressionless face. "I will take you to interface with your vessel. The others remain here." It was not a request, more of a command despite her docile voice. She walked towards the far side of the room from where she had previous entered, waiting for Scarlet to follow her. The two guards remained behind, standing on either side of the large dining table where the away team was seated.

Rhodes had noted the upper blue coverings on the larger of their species. With a significant height and bulk, he was sure they were their enforcement team. He then considered the energy shield that was about them. He thought, A force bubble of some kind, no doubt..

Allyndra pulled back the tricorder and tried to take a scan, but the field seemed to interfere. She was curious about these two as they seemed a bit more robust even though otherwise they appeared the same as the other aliens they met. She wondered if they were the same species or not. On her world they had the non-fertile males that were much bigger and stronger and worked in the more labour intensive jobs, could the same be situation here?

The woman named Nar had said to remain here, but Allyndra took that as to stay within the room, not at the table. She got up and stepped back watching the two and said, "Mind if I stretch my legs? I am child of open spaces and such tight quarters makes me restless."

Neither of the two aliens replied, but instead diligently watched her, keeping her under constant supervision in case she should attempt to flee or violate the hospitality, which had been shown to the away team.

Allyndra noted that they did not react, other to make sure she did not leave. At least she could stretch her legs. She hated the waiting but there was little to do about it right now. She remembered that sometimes it helped to engage guards, to be friendly and she steered slightly in their direction, plus she was curious.

"I am sorry. I do not think we got introduced. I am Allyndra illm Warraquim, the ship's chief physician."

Again, neither of them answered the Akkadian, and simply stood in close proximity to the table. Their dark eyes swept across each member of the team while lingering on Allyndra a bit longer than the others.

Theron considered the Doctor's instigating type of banter. He thought, Typical training for protection or enforcement personnel would be to remain calm and not react.

Allyndra waited a few moments, but when she got nothing more than a look, she shrugged and turned back and took a seat at the table with the rest of the mission.

"It would appear that we are more prisoner than guest," she said sourly glancing back over her shoulder. There was that feeling of should they remain calm or attempt something and currently waiting diplomatically was just winning over attempting something. Allyndra had her back to the guards having taken a seat opposite that were she had been before. She dropped her voice low, "What next?"

"We wait, Doctor," Delainey replied evenly. "As you said, they're not sure what to think of us, and if the positions were reversed, I don't think we'd want our guards to be easily distracted by pleasantries, right?

Allyndra just nodded. Diplomacy first and action if need be. She wondered how long this was going to be. She supposed the next thing to try would be to request the use of a bathroom. Even these aliens from her scan had indications of such bodily functions. She would wait another ten minutes quietly before trying that approach.

Lt. Rhodes listened to the dialog between the two Doctors and found it quite amusing. He did feel that Allyndra seemed to come to an understanding concerning their host's security, that remained quiet and undistracted by the current banter.

Victoria bored holes into the guards' skulls with her eyes, her food long since forgotten and a steely look etched onto her face. This was not okay. Go away, or die. Dying would be good, too. She crossed her arms like a petulant child and continued to stare at the men, hard.

Scarlet didn't even hesitate in following her that time. She was too keen to get to the bottom of this sudden change around. She moved quickly, watching Nar intently. "I can assure you, no deception has been intended," she reiterated as she prepared to speak to Dea, or the Captain if she was back on her feet, but it would be sooner than she'd expected if that was the case.

The alien woman did not reply, instead preferring to remain silent while she guided Blake into the room where she could communicate with the Nova Class in orbit. The chamber was medium-sized with two more guards present, and in the middle of the floor was a large, glowing circular pad which vaguely resembled those found in Galileo's transporter room. "Isomorphic projection. Step in to the circle," Nar instructed, waiting to activate the device.

Scarlet did as she was told without a worry. They had seen them 'projected' on Galileo after all, it followed what they knew of them.


USS Galileo - Main Bridge

Sitting at the primary mission ops station on her ship's bridge, Lirha watched the status reports come in as the last of the rescue away teams beamed back to Galileo, all successful in achieving their primary goal of retrieving assimilated crew members. She felt a great deal of elation after realizing that her gamble had paid off, and leaned back in her chair and wiped her hand across her sweaty forehead. The last thirty minutes had been as tense as ever for the commanding officer, and she was once again beginning to feel nauseous from her over-exertion.

Suddenly, the lights on the bridge dimmed, after which a familiar figure shimmered and materialized near the command chairs. Lirha looked at Scarlet with shock and surprise, wondering what exactly she was doing back on Galileo and where the rest of her team was. And why was her hair was gone? All of it. "Commander?" she asked incredulously.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Nar
Le'kt Representative
[PNPC - Lirha Saalm]

Lt. Theron Rhodes
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

Lt Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

LT CMDR Scarlet Blake
Chief Counsellor/2XO
USS Galileo

Ensign Im'er Mor'an
Operations Officer
USS Galileo

Junior Grade Lieutenant Norvi Stace
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Aria Rice
Assistant Chief of Security
USS Galileo

LTJG Victoria Crawley
Psychologist
USS Galileo

LT Delainey Carlisle
Asst. Chief Counselor
USS Galileo

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