Star Trek: Theurgy

Ch 4 S [D01 | 1445] So, About That Exploding Star...

December 20, 2023, 02:02:35 AM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Temporary Quarters | Erudite ] Attn. @Eirual

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It took everything that Alistair had. Every ounce of willpower, every iota of concentration, every bit of his experience in Starfleet was required, but he managed it: he avoided throwing up in public. Sure, he emptied his stomach with frightening fury into the first bathroom that he could find (figuring out how a Savi bathroom worked was its own stressful adventure), but the key point was that nobody noticed.

Thus, feeling rather proud of himself, Alistair made his way through the living area assigned to the Theurgy crew, PADD in hand. The halls were full of people coming to and fro, some pulling boxes on antigrav pallets, others simply chatting. Some crew from the Apache and Allegiant were present, taking one last chance to see friends before they left the Erudite on their own missions. Even as Alistair walked by, he noticed a group of crewmen hugging and saying hurried goodbyes. The Apache was due to depart in only fifteen minutes.

Alistair, not wanting to dwell on the fatalistic mood in the air, focused on the tiny map on his PADD. Mia's quarters were on the edge of the living space, but eventually he reached them. Momentarily baffled by the Savi door controls, he hesitantly pressed what he thought might be the chime...

...only for the door to promptly open.

Re: Ch 4 S [D01 | 1445] So, About That Exploding Star...

Reply #1 – December 20, 2023, 03:26:29 AM

[ Ens Mia Dunne | Temporary Quarters | Erudite ]
Attn: @Griff

Mia was still seething about being dressed down, not to mention she really was miffed at that holier than thou Savi liaison they were stuck with. The damn medical robot was a hell of a lot nicer than that guy. And these rooms were definitely not what she would think of as VIP. But then again, there were an awful lot of extra people on the ship and their group was only supposed to be getting a lift and not staying on to the final destination, wherever that may be. She had dragged her supply crate and shoved it into a corner and her personal gear was sitting on top of that along with the uncomfortable armor vest they expected her to wear. Mia huffed out a breath as she pulled at her jacket.

Staring at the vest only made her more upset, “What the fuck am I even doing here? How is xeno-archaeology or xeno-anthropology supposed to help stop them from making a star Explode?” In frustration she pulled off her jacket and looked for someplace to put it. There were limited options in the room.  She had just tossed the jacket on what she imagined the Savi considered a comfortable chair, but looked more like a torture device to her, when the door swished open. She spun to find Leavitt standing in the doorway.

Crossing her arms under her more than ample breasts she narrowed her eyes at him, “What do you want,” She said and then belatedly added, “Sir?”

Re: Ch 4 S [D01 | 1445] So, About That Exploding Star...

Reply #2 – December 20, 2023, 04:43:03 AM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Temporary Quarters | Erudite ] Attn. @Eirual

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As the door slid open, Alistair froze, momentarily terrified that he'd catch Mia at an inconvenient moment. He relaxed upon seeing that she was clothed, but frowned as he saw her posture.

"Er...hi," he said awkwardly, glancing at the door controls. "Sorry, I meant to hit the door chime but...actually, I'm not even sure that the Savi have door chimes. Anyway..." Alistair hesitated, weighing whether to press Mia, then reluctantly entered the room proper. "I'd like to talk to you, if that's alright, about the mission and...er...anything else, really. I know that we got off on the wrong foot earlier."

An understatement if ever there was one. It had been years since Alistair had a bad relationship with a junior officer, and he'd never been good at handling such situations. Still, hopefully this situation would work out better than last time. The stakes were simply too high for any other outcome. Besides, Mia was a scientist, and apparently quite a good one; if nothing else, maybe they could connect on that level.

Re: Ch 4 S [D01 | 1445] So, About That Exploding Star...

Reply #3 – December 20, 2023, 05:45:39 AM

[ Ens Mia Dunne | Temporary Quarters | Erudite ]
Attn: @Griff 

Mia paused a moment to try to get a feel for the officer. The fact that he hadn’t come in yelling sort of threw her off, and even managed to ease her anger somewhat.  Mia relaxed her stance slightly, freeing one arm to wave to the other chair in the room, “Um.. Of Course, Sir, Would you care to sit,” she said stiffly but much less aggressively, “Or would you prefer to remain standing?”

The change in his demeanor had her slightly confused. She had really expected him, maybe not to come to her room, but call her to meet him and then lay into her. This Lieutenant seemed much less like a leader and more like how she herself thought she would act. Looking back at the door she almost smiled, “Somehow the Savi don’t strike me as the ring chime and wait kind of people. And if I would guess, this is not really supposed to be a living space,” she said looking around the small slightly cramped area.

Mia nodded, “I am sorry for the… umm.. my behavior earlier, but those … those… argh, they just rub me the wrong way.” She again motioned to the other chair as she moved to the one she threw her jacket on. “Honestly, Sir,” She said, “I don’t see how I am going to be of much help on this mission. My skillset is so far from useful here. “

Re: Ch 4 S [D01 | 1445] So, About That Exploding Star...

Reply #4 – December 21, 2023, 06:08:11 PM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Temporary Quarters | Erudite ] Attn. @Eirual

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Alistair eyed the chair warily; it was clearly designed for Savi physiology, not humanoid. Sure enough, when he sat down, his back began to protest immediately, so he mimicked Mia by leaning forward. It didn't help much, given the accumulated aches of the past week, but it was something.

"For what it's worth," he said with a grim smile, "I'm not a fan of the Savi either. Echtand looks at me as if I'm something that he just scraped off his shoe. I guess from the Savi perspective, that's pretty much what we are. They probably won't be joining the Federation anytime soon. It'd be funny if they did, though."

Alistair looked at Mia then, meeting her eyes with his. "Anyway...uh...I came because I do know why you're here. We think that the Savi...the bad Savi, I mean, the Scions...we think that they've built a space station near the star in the Hobus system. We need to board it, figure out how they're planning to make the star explode, then reverse what they've done. The problem is that we have no idea how the station is laid out, how they organise things, how they might react to us, how to interpret their systems...you get the idea. Even our allies don't know what to expect; there are apparently big differences between Savi sub-cultures, and they're a bit segregated. That's why Captain Ives assigned you here. We need a xenoanthropologist."

With that, Alistair stretched forward to give Mia the PADD. "This a primer with everything that we know about them." He paused, his brow furrowing with concern. "What do you think? I know that this is a lot to ask."

Re: Ch 4 S [D01 | 1445] So, About That Exploding Star...

Reply #5 – December 22, 2023, 02:23:47 AM

[ Ens Mia Dunne | Temporary Quarters | Erudite ]
Attn: @Griff 


Mia had positioned herself towards the edge of the chair, it was just to uncomfortable to do anything else. She smiled slightly as Alistair apparently felt the same way by the way he was sitting.  “Yeah,“ She said agreeing with his thoughts, “I doubt they would deem us worthy of their participation.” She left a real smile cross her face, “You’re right, it would be funny.“

Then the conversation got serious again as he explained some of why she was on this particular mission. She could see the logic now. They knew very little about the Savi that were helping them, never mind the other ones.  She wanted to kick herself for her actions earlier as she figured she pretty much burned whatever bridge, however flimsy it may have been, she might have had with the Savi liaison assigned to them.  Any input from his species would be useful in figuring out more pertinent information.

She took the PADD that Alistair offered her, “At least it’s something to start with, Sir,” She said as she glanced as it briefly. She sighed heavily, “You are aware that it usually takes months, or even years for an indepth theory. And even then, it’s all really conjecture, Right?” She started to lean back in the chair and changed her mind when her body rebelled. Leaning forward again, she pushed her hand through her hair, accidentally pulling some of it loose, “Six hours is not a lot of time, but I will do my best. Guess I don’t have to worry about sharing a bed, I doubt I would be in it.”

She stood from the chair, mostly to be more comfortable, then lifted the Padd.  “Looks like I have my work assignment for the next six hours,” She said as she began to look at the data, “I’ll let you know as soon as I figure out … well… something useful, I guess.”

Re: Ch 4 S [D01 | 1445] So, About That Exploding Star...

Reply #6 – December 29, 2023, 03:49:14 PM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Temporary Quarters | Erudite ] Attn. @Eirual

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Alistair stood as well, smiling in obvious relief that Mia was so amenable and amicable. That was one problem solved; just twenty more to go before he could breathe easier. Double checking the tactical setup with Ida, organising the teams on the shuttles, talk to Cal about the fighters, set up a triage area with Arven and Zark, verify the attack plan with the Savi, talk to Captain Ives one more time before the Allegiant left...maybe beg the captain to take over this mission, because Alistair was so spectacularly over his head...

"Thank you," Alistair said to distract himself from his toxic chain of thought. "When we get to the station, you're going to stick with me. I'm...uh, well, I'm a computer scientist, so between us, we're going to access the Savi's computer and reverse what they're doing to the star so that it doesn't...you know..." He shrugged helplessly; 'explode' seemed like a wholly inadequate word for the horrific catastrophe that would occur. "Anyway...I'll leave you to it."

On that awkward note, Alistair turned to leave, but a niggling mental image stopped him: Mia, just a moment ago, looking so...defeated. It was a relatively minor problem, all things considered, but Alistair couldn't escape his conscience. Instead, he considered Mia, wishing that he knew more about the woman. All he had so far was "intelligent, xenoanthropologist, irritable, can smile". It was nowhere near enough for someone whom he was about to go into battle with.

"Look, Ensign...uh, Mia," he said clumsily, wincing at himself, "I recognise that it's none of my business, so if you want me to, I'll go, but...erm...how are you handling this? All of this? It's not every day that we get asked to go on this sort of a mission."

Re: Ch 4 S [D01 | 1445] So, About That Exploding Star...

Reply #7 – January 22, 2024, 05:54:41 PM

[ Ens Mia Dunne | Temporary Quarters | Erudite ]
Attn: @Griff 

Mia paused in her inspection of the data on the PADD and looked over at Alistair with a raised eyebrow, “Umm, okay, you and me together. Understood. “ She nodded as she spoke, “I guess that would be the best way to handle it.”  When he started to leave she turned her attention back to the PADD wishing she had her sketchbook with her.  Even if she figured it all out she still needed to see it on paper. That may be one of her most odd quirks. Even Tyreke had mentioned it in passing at least once. 

She turned around again when she heard Alistair stumble over her name and then ask how she was ‘handling’ it all. Putting the PADD down on the small table she turned to face him, “Honestly, Sir, I am ,”  She paused in order to find the best word without getting into trouble with a superior, “I would say uncomfortable. I am not sure I will be able to provide accurate information in such a short time. And forgive me for saying this, but, the more time we spend talking the less time I have to figure out anything useful to the mission.” She allowed a small shrug to lift her shoulders as she glanced at the PADD.

Re: Ch 4 S [D01 | 1445] So, About That Exploding Star...

Reply #8 – February 14, 2024, 11:11:33 PM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Temporary Quarters | Erudite ] Attn. @Eirual

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"Right," Alistair said, feeling quite foolish. "Yes. Of course. Contact me if you need anything else from the Savi. I need to go find where Ensign Danvers assigned my quarters, so...uh...yeah."

Even so, Alistair hesitated, sensing that there was more to be said, but after all, Mia was a grown woman and a Starfleet officer, not a child. She could handle herself. With that, he duly turned around, opened the door, began to walk out, looked both ways down the corridor then stopped.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," he said in exasperation as realisation bloomed. Glancing back at Mia, he asked in a defeated tone, "this is the 22d-5c room, isn't it?" Seeing the answer in Mia's expression, Alistair sighed. It wasn't like he'd anticipated having any downtime before the mission anyway, so it made no real difference, but it was still irksome that Mia would get the privacy that he couldn't. Nevertheless, Alistair smiled at her.

"Never mind, sorry, I'll leave you in peace," he said, making an awkward little wave. "See you later, Ensign."

With that, Alistair left, setting out to meet the Savi captain. It was a mark of the impression Mia had left that despite leaving her to talk to a being who viewed him as a primitive inferior being, Alistair still felt a sense of relief.


-FIN