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Day 03 [0913 hrs.] Bladesmiths

STARDATE SD 57563.57
MARCH 13, 2381
0913 HRS.

[ Lt. Jg Suq | Library | USS Theurgy ] @Stegro88

Library, library…Where was the library? Actually, better question, why did Thea have a library? What use did physical books have? Even digital copies of books--it’s so much more convenient to have access to the ship’s library through a database connected to the ship’s computer. A quiet study space could be found wherever there were not many people. Personal quarters worked well. Jeffries tubes, even better. A library couldn’t offer computers, everyone had one pinned to their goddamn chest, and an AI--spirits damn her name--who would call up just about any information relevant to the situation at a whim.  A library was inefficient use of space and raw material. As Suq stepped into the room and glanced about, he thought about all the other things that this room could be used for. A ballistics lab, a chem-lab, industrial replicator room, more computer space, accessory sickbay, emergency hospital, quarantine area…There was so much. It seemed to Suq that perhaps the Theurgy had not been forced to survive quite so hard the way the Resolve was. Perhaps these Theurgists had gotten a little bit cushy…

Nevertheless, he was here. Apparently the knowledge he was looking for was a bit more obscure than the computer could handle. He jammed his hands in his pockets and began wandering. He wasn’t too surprised; the forging and maintenance of traditional Efrosian blades and polearms wasn’t exactly knowledge the Federation would have on hand. Efros took great care to keep traditions like this out of the hands of Foreigners…but he’d lost his old polearm from his boyhood in the Resolve’s death, and he wanted to make another one. Problem was, he forgot how...

He remembers how he shaped the thing, but damn if he couldn’t recall how he forged it. He didn’t even know the Standard name for the metals he used, he just knew he mined that stuff by hand from a volcanic cave and it had glowing streaks under darklight. So he browsed the aisles, hands in his pockets, trying to find something on…well, he guessed obscure forging techniques. Actually, he had no clue where to start.
“Computer?” He asked, his raised voice cutting the silence like a hot knife. He didn’t know that, in a library, one was expected to be quiet. “I need something on obscure blade forging techniques. Traditional style, with an open flame.” He announced.

Re: SD 57563.57: Bladesmiths

Reply #1 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad | Library | Deck 15 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow
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Lorad ached. But he was told that was to be expected. Afterall, a part of him wasn’t actually him anymore. And while they could replicate the appearance, the nerve sensations and the feeling; they couldn’t make the body fully accept a part of itself that was not wholly a part of itself. Especially if the mind knew that it was not.

Lorad had tried to look in the mirror a few times. But each time he did, he was reminded of the cost that protecting his sister had taken on him. And though he would gladly pain that same price over and over again, a part of him wondered if he should. What did he get out of it?

Samala hadn’t spoken to him in three days. Not since she had read the unfinished account of the three days that she had been in stasis. And he understood what his words must look like to her. They would appear to show that he had gone against everything he had sworn to protect, everything that he had taught her and sworn her to protect. The secret of the cloak. The one thing that was allowing their Reman brothers and sisters to continue the fight against their Romulan overlords. And that he did it for nothing.

"Computer?" a familiar voice asked, cutting through Lorad’s stream of thoughts and self-accusations. "I need something on obscure blade forging techniques. Traditional style, with an open flame."

“Could it be?” Lorad asked himself, standing up. He had come to the library to choose a design for a replacement blade. He would not risk his father’s blade unless he had no other choice and his own had been broken off in the corpse of a Borg drone. He had doubted that he would be able to get one made aboard but had hoped to find a Klingon smith down on the planet.

“SUQ!” Lorad called out in Standard to the Efrosian sitting at the next station over. “You alive! That good,” he remarked, in a much more subdued manner as he mind caught up. “Wait, you make blades?”

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Re: Day 03 [0913 hrs.] Bladesmiths

Reply #2 –
[ Lt. Jg Suq | Library | USS Theurgy ] @Stegro88

“SUQ!” Someone shouted, and right away his hand went to his hip where a phaser would typically sit, he whirled around crouching low, looking for the source of the danger, Romulans most likely--

Wait, that’s not a Romulan. That’s a Reman. And not a Reman armed to the fucking teeth and just waiting to shred Suq into tiny Efrosian-flavored ribbons. That was--
“LORAD!” He beamed, and flung his entire body at the Reman with reckless abandon. The computer was droning on, using Thea’s voice to tell him where his book was, and Suq heard it, but he was far too busy wrapping his arms around the gnarled Reman face and planting three kisses on him. One on each cheek and one on the nose.

“I thought you were gone! I was going to perform funeral rites! Funeral rites! That’s not even legal for me to do!” He laughed, his legs wrapped around whatever part of Lorad’s body they could find purchase on, like a koala bear. Or a leech. He continued conversation from this position.

“Of course I can make a blade. I’m trying to remember how I made my last one. Lost on the Resolve you know. I’m so glad you’re here--Has Samala found you? I don’t remember anything except waking up in Sickbay and threatening to fist fight a nurse.”

Re: Day 03 [0913 hrs.] Bladesmiths

Reply #3 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad Library | Deck 15 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow
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Suq’s reaction was, unexpected, to say the least. First, he dropped into a crouch his head whipping about as he searched for danger while his hand went to his hip, as if reaching for a phaser. And then, when he realised that he was in no danger and that it was only Lorad that was calling to him, he charged forward and scampered up the Reman like some sort of simian, wrapping his arms around Lorad’s head while kissing him repeatedly. Honestly, Lorad had to resist the urge to throw the Efrosian off of him as he sputtered something about funeral rites. Before he did so though, Suq moved on to answering him about being able to make a blade. And asking about Samala.

“Yes, we’ve seen each other,” Lorad replied evenly in Reman, not wanting to speak about his sister at present. “But it is good you can make blades. I want to get one for Samala. Her day of birth will be soon and wanted to get her a gift. She has always wanted a sword of her own.”

Setting Suq down, Lorad walked back to the terminal he had been using to try and choose or design a sword for his sister. Changing the image on the screen from a kukri he had been looking at to the sword, Lorad turned back to the Efrosian.

“Can you make this?”

Re: Day 03 [0913 hrs.] Bladesmiths

Reply #4 –
[ Lt. Jg Suq | Library | USS Theurgy ] @Stegro88

Lorad was alive! Alive and here, in his arms. Suq never wanted to let him go. Unfortunately, he had to. Lorad set him down on his own two legs once more. He was alive though, that’s what mattered, and Suq honestly couldn’t even care that the Reman had implants visible. He was alive! Alive!

The Efrosian followed after his Reman friend and wrapped an arm around Lorad’s, as if they were strolling along in a garden or something. He couldn’t believe the gnarled man was alive--he had to keep touching just to assure himself that yes, he was still here.

“A birthday gift?” He asked, smiling. A blade was an excellent birthday gift! And to be asked to make one--what an honor! What a fantastic, wonderful honor!! He peered at the terminal, and the blueprints of the blade were laid out in front of him. It’d be a breeze to replicate, based on these blueprints, but hand-forge…? It seemed serrated, and that curve at the tip looked a little tricky to get just right. His smile faded as he tried to visualize exactly how he’d go about this--and he wasn’t even an expert smith…

“I’ll tell you now Lorad, I’m not a professional, you know? If I was, I wouldn’t be here. Pros make good money on Efros, a noble profession…but shit, my coming of age blade, it was a lot more complicated than that. No serration, that’ll be new, but if I can find some sort of resources…Well wait, you want this hand-forged or replicated? Because I could get that replicated for you in any material you want in five minutes. But hand forged might take a few days and might not be as perfect…Oh, and did you want me to pray over it?” He looked up at him, then went on to explain…

“Depending on how Samala will use the blade and the intent that you have in giving it to her, I can do a couple of blessings. I’m not ordained, but I don’t think I have to be if I’m the only Efrosian on the ship…Some of the prayers can take a half day, but for stuff like good fortune or forgiveness, it really helps.” He felt himself smiling. This was exciting to him. He could share a very important part of his culture in a way that wouldn't break any of the myriad rules about culture-sharing on Efros. Not only that, he got to talk shop with someone who actually knew what he was talking about. This week was already turning out to be awesome.

Re: Day 03 [0913 hrs.] Bladesmiths

Reply #5 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad | Library | Deck 15 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow
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Lorad listened as Suq spoke about how he could make the sword, the methods, materials and prayers that he could say over it. Lorad didn’t know anything about prayers or ways to make a blade. His expertise regarding them was more in the many varied ways to wield and kill with them. And the only blade he had every owned himself was a gift from his father, who had not told him how it had been created.

“I do know that it was hand-forged though,” Lorad thought to himself. “The blade had the imperfections in its form from the hand of an artisan. If it had been replicated, the blade would have been uniformly perfect. Samala’s blade should be the same way. It may not be a Reman that forged it, but at least it will have been made, not created.”

“Suq, I know little about creating a blade,” Lorad admitted slowly, looking down at the shorter man. “All I know is that I would like a forged sword for my sister. I leave its construction and details to you and trust that you will not disappointment. You have not yet in the short time that I have known you.”

Re: Day 03 [0913 hrs.] Bladesmiths

Reply #6 –
[ Lt. Jg Suq | Library | USS Theurgy ] @Stegro88

“I understand.” Was the reply. He loved his replicators, he really did, but certain things were beyond the scope of a replicator. The metaphysical was a realm no technology could effectively penetrate. That took the Faith to do. Lorad and Samala must know that on some level, or else they would have chosen replicated blades. His mind flipped through the possibilities--suddenly he was energized with creativity.
“Sounds like I might have forgotten more than you learned, which isn’t much from either of us.” He laughed a little. “I’m going to admit right now, everything I learned was part of a coming of age ceremony. For that, we mine our own raw material from a nearby cave system, build a forge, and form it into a certain type of polearm. So I did all that, but I only ever did it once…I’ll pull some texts from here. Hopefully it’ll kick my memory back in, but, you know…I’ll do my best for you, okay?” He reaches out to wrap his arm around Lorad’s shoulder. Suq was a very, very warm body to be near. He knew he was being touchy, but he couldn’t help it. He laid his head on Lorad’s…side. He’s not tall enough to reach the Reman’s shoulder.

“It’d really help if I knew what sort of intent you had behind giving it too, you know? Like…I know it’s a birthday gift, but what sentiments are attached to it?”
 

Re: Day 03 [0913 hrs.] Bladesmiths

Reply #7 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad | Library | Deck 15 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow
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“Sentiments,” Lorad pondered, thinking about his reasons for wanting to get a sword for his sister. While it was her birthday, and a pretty important one as it was her first one after the death of their parents, Samala was also not speaking to him at present, for what she believed was a good reason, and Lorad didn’t know if she would come around to seeing things his way anytime soon. If there was one thing that Reman’s did well, it was holding a grudge. And in that regard, Samala was Reman to the core.

“Suq, my relationship with my sister, at the moment, it is complicated,” Lorad said, trying to explain what was happening between the siblings while being vague about it. “This birthday, it will be important for several reasons and I do not want Samala to experience it alone. And while she may not allow me to experience it with her, I hope that with this gift, that she will know that I still care very much about her.”

“And that I do not have to wait a century for her to forgive me,” Lorad added silently, his thoughts drifting back inward as he considered asked Suq to also make him a kukri to replace his own broken knife. “I don’t think I’ll have the time.”

~FIN~
 
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