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Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & Samala | Transporter Room 02 | Deck 05 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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“What do you mean I cannot take my knife down to the planet?” was the aggravated question that swept over Lieutenant JG Donna Petterson’s ears as she walked into the transporter room on Deck 05. With the Theurgy separated into its independent vectors for repairs, Donna’s habit of using her ship’s different gyms for her workouts was a little more difficult than it usually would be. She could have just used the FAB’s gym, but Donna didn’t want to be too lazy. Her life had just started getting interesting again, perhaps too interesting, but she would make the best of it. She always did.

“Weapon’s aren’t allowed to be taken to the surface, ma’am,” the transporter operator said to a person, apparently a female, standing before him. Donna could only see the rear of the woman but she already found herself analysing her. “Hair tied back in a ponytail; functional. Clothes are clean but show wear and tear, obviously not from a replicator; understands items have value. Footwear, casual thongs that look freshly replicated; unsure, many reasons.” Shaking her head, she stepped forward and to the side to better observe the conversation and interject if necessary.

“That is stupid,” the woman retorted, her voice more frustrated than angry or annoyed, Donna judged. “You are all on the run, docked in a place you cannot be sure is safe and yet you won’t even take the most basic of self-protection steps. How are you all still alive?” the woman wondered, obviously rhetorically. Now getting a better view of her, Donna judged the woman to be around 20 standard years of age, well-built and, going from the ears, not entirely Human, if at all.

“By following the rules and being careful,” Donna commented, not entirely disagreeing with the woman’s thoughts but also not able to just stand by either. From her words, this woman was new aboard which raised several warning flags in Donna’s mind. Who was she and where did she come from? “I don’t believe we’ve met, miss?”

“We haven’t,” Samala responded to the new arrival. The woman was garbed like others she had seen, wearing what was apparently a variation of the native wear in shades of blue. This one, while looking similar, appeared to have less layers to it though. “And I understand being careful. More than you know.”

“Doesn’t mean you need to be impolite,” Donna retorted calmly, glancing at the transporter tech. “Did she tell you her name?”

“No ma’am, sorry,” the tech apologised, wanting to help but being unable too. The smirk on the female’s face irked Donna somewhat, making her want to wipe it off her face, figuratively speaking.

“I suppose that would have been too easy,” Donna thought to herself. She could leave and just go on about her day, but this woman was too smug for her own good. She needed to be taken down a peg or two. “Thea, do you have a moment to spare in Transporter Room 02? There is someone here refusing to give her name.”

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #1 –
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Transporter Room 02 | Deck 05 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88
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Having received the verbal cue just when she was about to beam down to Aldea herself, Thea adhered to a sense of spontaneity and decided to answer Junior Lieutenant Petterson in person. So, she made a site-to-site transport from her own quarters - appearing on the transporter pad before the three women.

"Her name is Samala, a civilian shipmate that arrived together with her borther, Lorad. She's his sister, and she has security clearance to be in my public areas," she said, standing there in a chlamys of her own, two-layered and form-fitting to her projection. It was actual, real clothing that she wore on top of her photon-and-force field projection, and she could feel it against her unique sensor mapping. Much more than she could feel her usual chameleon body suit. She was also wearing an Aldean communicator on her arm, just like like the two women in front of the transporter pad, and hers had been made to project an Aldean life-sign - fooling most casual scans that she might be subjected to once she was down there.

I only wish you had been able to come with me, Kae. I suppose I should be grateful that you freed me from the Savi, together with Commanders Ducote and Cross... but seeing you die for me... it's something in my memory banks that will haunt me. Today, however, I decided that the best way to honour your memory would be to take the opportunities you've given me, and enjoy myself.

"Is there any problem?" she asked, looking towards the Transporter Officer, who shook her head, even though it wasn't usual to see Thea in such attire - suggesting that she'd leave her own hull. It wasn't usual, but she'd already cleared it with Ives after listing the precautions she'd take. All in accordance with the security protocols for planetary visits.

Oblivious to any present contention, and eager to put her feet on planetary soil for the first time since Theta Eridani IV, Thea then turned to the two women. "Are the two of you beaming down as well? Where are you heading? I have yet to decide what to do, so if I am not imposing on any private excursions, may I come along?"

Thea remembered the first time she beam off-ship, seeing herself from the ground of Theta Eridani - her hull undergoing repairs at that time as well. Back then, she's been in Standard Operation Mode and had her landing gears extended, sitting across from the USS Harbinger in a deep valley. This time, she wouldn't be able to see herself from Aldea's surface, even though the subspace synchronisation link would keep her appraised of her background tasks aboard her three Vectors.

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #2 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & Samala | Transporter Room 02 | Deck 05 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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To date, when Donna had asked something of Thea, the Theurgy’s Artificial Intelligence had only ever replied as a faceless voice through the ship’s intercom system. In truth, in the 9 days she had been aboard, Donna had not actually met the AI formally. Which in hindsight, seemed a little rude of her. She could understand the slip, most ships didn’t have a functioning AI as part of the crew, but now it was at the forefront of her mind.

“I’ll need to apologise,” Donna thought to herself as Thea answered her question about who the female was that was causing a fuss. “Lorad’s sister,” Donna mused, thinking about the hulking Reman that she had seen around the ship. She had made it a point to learn about how he came aboard, given the rumours and reports of the Theurgy defecting to the Romulans. But so far, his story had held up. As to his sister? “She doesn’t look like a typical Reman female. Adopted? Hybrid?”

Samala wasn’t sure what to make of this new arrival. The Human had been bad enough but now she had called on the ship’s computer to explain who she was. Why did all of Starfleet have to be so annoying? All she wanted to do was to get her knife, which was her property, and transport down to the planet to look around the markets. No. Big. Deal.

“No problem,” Samala commented even though the hologram wasn’t looking at her. “I just want my property back,” she explained, choosing her worlds carefully. She wasn’t sure if the computer had heard her or not as when the hologram turned to face both her and the Human, she asked if they were both beaming down to the planet and, quite surprisingly, if she could go with them. “What do you mean, ‘may you come along’? You’re the ship’s computer, you can’t just get up and leave.”

“Thea is not actually the ship’s computer, Samala,” Donna interjected before Thea could comment. “Thea is an Artificial Intelligence that, while integrated with the ship, is a separate entity,” she explained to Samala before turning to Thea. “I assume you have some sort of holographic mobile emitter?” she asked of the AI, having heard of the technology brought back by the USS Voyager from the Delta Quadrant but not being sure if Thea possessed it. The assumption was a stretch, but a valid one.

“By the way, we haven’t formally met before now,” Donna said. “I am Donna Petterson. As for the planet, I was going down to the Ibai Besi Promenade. I hear that is where all the good shipping is and a place where a stranger can blend it easily,” Donna explained, not revealing the fact that she had a second outfit in the bag over her shoulder. As much as she liked the chlamys, she preferred lighter, often single layered clothing as a personal preference. If she found the opportunity, and it wouldn’t break her cover, she was going to change. “You are welcome to join me. You too Samala, if you wish.”

“So, you are part of the ship, but not the ship?” Samala reasoned, working her head around what she had just heard. “And you can leave it…somehow?” It was all a bit of a stretch. Her training hadn’t really covered advanced computer systems and holograms, being more focused to skills and technology that she could use to fight the Romulans. “I was headed to this promenade place as well. I need to get off this ship for a while. I wasn’t planning on going with anyone but sure.”

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #3 –
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Transporter Room 02 > Ibai Besi Promenade | USS Theurgy > Aldea Prime ] Attn: @Stegro88
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Listening to the two women talking, Donna appeared to have the general gist of her identity mostly right, though on the topic of what and who Thea identified herself to be, it could only be she herself who could answer that. Indeed, while she could be removed from her own hull and computer systems - as evidenced recently in the Azure Nebula - her name was the same as the ship, only shortened, and she knew no other existence than being the proverbial soul of a starship. She smiled to them, confident in who and what she was, even though she was still in a stage of development much like the organics aboard her.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, and yes, I do," she said in regard to a mobile emitter, and brushed a hand over her abdomen, which beneath the chlamys was hidden by the latticework of forcefields and photons that made her projection. "Shall we then?"

She gestured in an invitation to the transporter pad she stood upon, and looked at the female transporter officer. Thea had no idea where this dagger they'd spoken about was at, but if it was on Samala's person, the officer would just filter it out while they were beamed down - the weapon ending up in the buffer instead. A precautionary measure to ensure that the Aldeans wouldn't rescind their rights to have shoreleave down in Aldea Prime. "The Ibai Besi Promenade, please?"

While she could have executed the transport herself, she had made a point of not interfering with the officers in the transporter rooms, knowing that if she were to meddle with their operations accidents might happen. So, she stood there with her hands folded behind her back, and let her emitter and her projection become enveloped in shimmering light...

[ Ibai Besi Promenade | Aldea Prime ]

...only to be materialised on a street overlooking a river cast in golden light. Her eyes widening, she looked around, seeing how people dressed like herself were moving up and down the promenade on both sides of the wide river. Twisting skyscrapers lit by the orange sky soared above her, and anti-grav bikes and speeders whisked by. The bustling activity surrounding her was altogether new to her, only experienced in simulations on her holodeck. This was, however, real, and she could feel the breeze from the sea against her face, and with her olfactory upgrade, she could scent it all. It was warm, but not like the warmth of Theta Eridani IV. That had been a dry heat, whereas this was another kind of experience entirely for her sensory mapping. She turned on the spot, the breeze teasing her hair and she found herself smiling at all the input from her sensor suite.

"Amazing," he breathed, and she couldn't help but look upwards, as if she could see the shipyards where her three hulls were being repaired. To no avail, of course, knowing that her presence was cloaked and kept a secret from all but selected Klingon and Aldean personnel. Instead, she saw glass walkways criss-crossing the air above her, going to and from buildings and spanning the Ibai Besi. Eventually, she found herself looking at the two women that had accompanied her down to Aldea Prime. "This is amazing!"

Gone was her moderate and taciturn attitude aboard the ship, reserved to her dutiful service of the crew, and instead finding the new sensations enveloping her completely. Of course the subspace synchronisation link made her aware of the background processes of her runtime, dedicated to the shipboard functions far up there, but her eyes, her, nose, and her skin - even the taste of the oceanside air - it made her laugh happily and stretch here she stood. If there was ought that made her feel alive... then that moment was something she'd return to in her memory banks.

"I want to do everything," she said, grinning as she looked back towards the crewmembers she'd arrived with. She was not even sure what the city had to offer. "What are you going to do?"

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #4 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & Samala | Transporter Room 02 | Deck 05 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Donna wasted not a moment and stepped up onto the transporter pad next to Thea and turned back to look at the younger hybrid that she had first found in the room, arguing with the operator. Today was going to be an interesting day. A trip down to the surface of Aldea with Thea was sure to be an experience to remember. Having the hybrid along as well was just a bonus. This was an opportunity for Donna to learn how both of them would behave in an environment other than the ship.

Samala, on the other hand, despite agreeing to accompany the two of them down to the planet was starting to have second thoughts. She had spent most of her time aboard the ship repairing the Apache or availing herself of some of the amenities. But lately, after several conversations with different people, she had begun to wonder if perhaps she had judged all those aboard too harshly. Deciding to find out, Samala stepped up onto the pad beside the Human and the hologram.

[ Ibai Besi Promenade | Aldea Prime ]

Materialising on the surface, Samala was immediately hit by the noise and the light. She had become accustomed to the lights and sounds of the Theurgy and now, here she was, on the surface of the planet that the renegade Starfleet vessel was orbiting. Movement to her left drew her attention and Samala turned to witness the hologram’s, awe, at being on the surface. That was the best way she could describe the look on the AI’s hologram. Standing there, Samala couldn’t bring herself to say anything, caught up in the moment as she witnessed something that she didn’t quite understand and probably never would.

“Yes, it is,” Donna whispered, more to herself than to anyone else as she stood still, holding her bag and watching as Thea had what she would best describe as a religious experience. Somehow, in a way she didn’t understand, the AI was FEELING what was happening around her. She hadn’t considered that Thea was even capable of that, of feeling; but here she was, standing in front of her and gazing out in wonder at everything around them.

"I want to do everything," Thea announced, quite innocently as Donna watched her turn to face Samala and herself. "What are you going to do?"

“I had planned to do some shopping,” Donna answered calmly, a small smile on her face at the obvious excitement on display. “I arrived with only the clothes on my back, so to speak. And as nice as replicated items are, nothing beats the feel of handmade outfits, or other things. By the way, I am Jessica down here.”

“Trading,” Samala offered, a little upset at the Starfleeter’s for flaunting their wealth and confused why her name would be different now. She had nothing but what was in the Apache. It wasn’t much but Samala was hoping to find someone that might be willing to either buy or trade for it. “I need to get some of the local currency if I want to be able to enjoy myself down here. And like you, there are things I want to get.”

“You spent all your money already?” Donna questioned, not sure how that could be true given the sums they had been given. 

“What money?” Samala wondered, not knowing what Donna/Jessica meant.

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #5 –
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Ibai Besi Promenade | Aldea Prime | Epsilon Mynos III ] Attn: @Stegro88
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The idea of shopping attracted Thea as well, since she did have her own quarters and it was rather barren in terms of personal items. It seemed, however, like Samala did not know that she did not have to trade unless she absolutely wanted to. "Your communicator," she said with a smile to the young woman and pointed towards it, "all the crew has been given an ample amount of funds to spend down here in Aldea Prime. You just use it to pay for what you are in need of. I believe you can find your current balance of Aldean Stars in the menu."

Just like Donna's communicator, Thea's was fitted with a false life-sign reading to make it seem like she was an Aldean herself instead of a human. Or rather a hologram and an emitter, in her own case. Any scan would render the same kind of result as Donna's, so Thea didn't have to feel self-conscious about being down there. Well, she didn't have to, but being down there, among people who had no idea what she was? It was a first for her to feign being a human. No, Aldean. Of course she'd accessed her database and made all the data that were available on the species ready for retrieval in case she'd need it. Nonetheless, she felt a bit giddy about it all, masquerading as an alien organic. It was quite exciting too!

"Carpets..." she said, looking around the signs above the shops, all being in Aldean but she could translate it with her shipboard UT subroutine. "Cushions... Bedcovers... Towels... Curtains! I need textiles for my quarters. All kinds of textiles and decorations. I like the patterns on these chlamys. There's got to be stores where I can buy that. But clothes too! I have only replicated things for myself and my wardrobe, but I'd also love to find something from this planet that's hand-sewn. Samala, since you already have funds, would you like to go shopping for clothes as well?"

Looking at the hybrid, it struck Thea that she mightn't have recovered from learning how much she had to spend yet.

OOC: Kept is short since I don't want to push thing forward without Samala's reaction and preferences stated. :)

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #6 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & Samala | Transporter Room 02 | Deck 05 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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“But, I’m not a part of your crew,” Samala reasoned, not sure she could, or even should be willing to, believe what she was hearing from the AI. “I’m just a piece of trash that you happened to pick up when you found my ship. And the only reason you have kept me round is because I know more about the cloaking device than you do. Once I have outlived my usefulness to you, I’ll be dropped like dead weight,” Samala observed. The odd thing, Samala realised, was that she didn’t feel as vehement about her argument as she had a week ago.

“Samala, I can assure you that that isn’t true,” Donna said, turning to face the young woman squarely. The hybrid was displaying classic symptoms of someone with low self-esteem and while she couldn’t say what had brought it about; growing up oppressed and under threat from the Romulan Empire was certainly a valid reason. And if what she said about knowing the cloaking device better than anyone, then she had a good idea where she had been during the battle at the Borg apertures. “If you were not wanted aboard, then your presence would have been removed from the ship upon arrival here. You, whether you accept it, or even believe it, are a member of the crew. You may not wear the uniform, but you have acted to save the ship. That makes you crew.”

“Do I dare believe her? It is true that everyone I have encountered have been mostly accommodating. Any difficulties I have had could be attributed to my own behaviour towards them. But can I risk it?” Samala wondered silently as she heard the AI begin to talk about carpets, cushions and towels. She would have been surprised by its behaviour if she wasn’t so unsettled by the treatment from the two of them. Wanting to distract herself for a moment, she accessed the communicator on her wrist and nearly staggered at the amount she saw displayed there. While it wasn’t an exorbitant amount, it was certainly more than she felt she needed. It was almost obscene from her point of view.

“Ah, what, sorry?” Samala murmured, having heard the question from the AI but not having processed it as her mind tried to understand how much Aldean currency she had, quite literally, been given. “Clothes, yeah, ah, sure,” she stammered, forcing her mind to focus on the here and not. “Clothes sound like a good place to start. All I have is what was on the Apache and what few things I have replicated since then. But I have to say, I hope not everything here is like those things,” Samala said, gesturing at the chlamys that the two Starfleeters were wearing. “They aren’t really my style.”

“A girl after my own heart,” Donna commented with a chuckle. “I’m sure we can find something that we all will like. If they have tourists here, then they also have the market to cater for them. Thea, why don't you lead the way. Your Aldean is much better than mine, I'm sure.”

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #7 –
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Ibai Besi Promenade | Aldea Prime | Epsilon Mynos III ] Attn: @Stegro88
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"Sure thing!" said Thea with a chuckle and started off down the promenade, her projection's optical sensors discerning the Aldean words on the storefronts. She tried to deduce which ones might contain clothing, and specifically apparel that might be interesting for tourists visiting Aldea Prime. She felt quite excited about the excursion already, feeling like she was in a holodeck program and yet knowing that this was reality and not fiction built out of the imagination of a holo-author.

A couple of minutes later, Thea had led the way inside a galleria, and in one of the larger shops inside, there was a whole department filled with random clothing from both the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. It seemed like the shop owners had picked things at random, since there were a mix of different cultural attire on the shelves and on the racks, mixed up without any real coordination or awareness what kind of clothes belonged to which planet. Likely it was a result of plain ignorance, but the result was quite interesting since it showed how things could be matched together regardless where the clothes might have come from originally. Andorian vests were displayed with Cardassian coats, all based on colour and fabric and not having anything to do with the different necklines, which actually did end up working quite well together. Not that Thea had developed enough experience to be discerning customer, and it might just be that everything looked good in her eyes, but she didn't really care.

"Oh, is this a Bolian jacket?" she asked, almost rhetorically since her database already held the answer, and then spotted something else. "Orion lingerie? Really? No, that's far too risque for me. I'd rather have some kind of swimwear, since I'd love to go to the beach. I've never actually been to a real ocean before, and it's just a little bit further down the Ibai Besi. Do the two of you care to take a swim later on?"

Thea had no idea if the two women accompanying her were able to find anything, but she knew that she couldn't be more pleased with the decision to visit the planet.

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #8 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & Samala | Ibai Besi Promenade | Aldea Prime | Aldea ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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It hadn’t taken Thea too long locate a store inside one of the gallerias that featured a large section seemingly devoted to clothing from all over the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Although devoted might have been an unfair description given the haphazard organisation of the area with clothing from different cultures thrown together without care. Still, it was better than none at all and Donna dived into the chaos with gusto.

“This place could almost be considered a treasure trove,” the pilot considered as she picked at garments left and right, holding them up to herself before discarding them. “Almost,” she noted as she picked up a leather jacket. The feel and smell of the leather in her hands brought up memories from years before, forcing Donna to take a moment to centre herself and bury them again. “This is not her jacket. I burned that along with my old life,” she reminded herself, not willing to say her name, even mentally. It had been too hard to get rid of her the last time. “Samala!” Donna called out, see the young hybrid up ahead and holding up the jacket for her to see. “This might be more your style.”

“Yeah?” Samala asked, moving over to the Terran. Looking at the jacket in question, Samala found herself admiring the lines and tailoring of the garment. “I think you might be right. I hadn’t been looking for a jacket but I do like this one.”

“In my experience, you often find what you like when you aren’t actually looking for it,” Donna opined, looking around to see where Thea had gotten too. The A.I. was in the next aisle over and Donna walked up to her, with Samala and her new jacket in tow, just in time to hear her ask what Donna assumed had to be a rhetorical question, given who Thea really was. 

“I’ve no idea if that is a Bolian jacket,” Donna commented casually, playing along. “But if you could point out that Orion lingerie, that would be nice. I’ve always wanted some,” Donna added with a smile, wondering if it was possible to make an A.I. blush. “As to swimming, I didn’t pack for it but I’m sure we can find something here for us to wear. They seem to have a bit of everything. Samala?”

“I don’t have anything but what I’m wearing but if they have something here for us to wear, we can go,” Samala said calmly, still a little overwhelmed at the turnaround her morning had experienced. “I’m guessing that they have rules for what to wear to swim in down here?”

“Thea would know that better than I would,” Donna noted, glancing around at the clothing around them. “But if we are going to the beach, then might I suggest changing here? It will make it easier later on.”

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #9 –
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Ibai Besi Promenade | Aldea Prime | Epsilon Mynos III ] Attn: @Stegro88
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Of course Thea knew, but it wasn't really surprising information that she had in store.

"There is a stretch of the beach that allows for nude bathing, but along the majority of the beach, we're expected to wear common swimwear," she said, and walked over to the section holding bikinis and bathing suits of all different kinds of origin. She scanned the selection and picked up a chrome-coloured bikini for herself. "And yes, that's a great Idea. I'll pay for this and change before I look for other clothing here. When you two feel ready, I can have your shopping bags beamed up, and we can head to the beach."

Said and done, efficient as she were, she payed for the bikini and headed to the changing rooms. She still hadn't quite got accustomed to the whole procedure of removing clothes and dressing, since she usually just had her projection wear her chameleon body suit texture. Only rarely did she don actual clothing, and she did have some trouble with the silvery swimwear she'd picked out, but soon enough, she was ready, and put the chlamys on as well. Her other underwear she put in the shopping bag and headed out into the store again. While she waited for the others to finish their shopping, Thea picked out an array of different clothes that she liked, and she ended up with seven large shopping bags filled with all manner of apparel. So, by the time they were all finish, she was grinning ear to ear.

"I'm ready for the beach now, how about you?" she asked, curious about what the two women had stocked their wardrobes with, but not about to pry. "Do we need to make a stop at some other kind of store before then?"

The Ibai Besi led to the sea, so it was just a walk down the promenade and they would get to the beachfront.

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #10 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & Samala | Ibai Besi Promenade | Aldea Prime | Aldea ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Samala and Donna separated to begin picking out the items that they wished to purchase. While Donna had known that her items would be delivered to the ship, the new information, along with the recent discovery of how much she could spend, freed up Samala to relax and get items that she liked. And with an armload of items over an arm each, the two headed back towards the change rooms at the rear of the store. 

Of the clothes she had selected, Samala found herself returning only a few items due to a poor fit. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure how they were meant to fit but she wasn’t comfortable in them and that was enough for her. After donning the two-piece swim set like the model had been wearing, she put her own clothes back on over the top and gathered up everything else to be paid for.

Donna’s own selection of clothes was small, perhaps 3 or 4 bags worth but she could always come back. She didn’t want to hold up Thea and her explorations. Having taken classes in robotics her second time through the Academy, she found herself curious about how independent the A.I. was and was eager to watch her more. Her personality was quite developed in some respects she wanted to know if that development was well rounded. Changing into a red bikini with a white floral print, she also donned the lighter outfit she had brought with her instead of the heavier chlamys.

“I’m good,” Donna said in reply to Thea’s question as she placed sunglasses and a hat on her head. Their items were now back aboard the Theurgy thanks to Thea and as far as she knew, they were ready to hit the beach. “Samala?”

“I, ah, I think so,” Samala said, a little nervous. Her initial interest in going to the beach was now tempered by agitation. “This might be a good time to tell you both that I have never been to a beach. Ever.”

OOC: Their Purchases:
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Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #11 –
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Ibai Besi Promenade | Aldea Prime | Epsilon Mynos III ] Attn: @Stegro88
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Hearing what Samala said, Thea laughed a little.

"Likewise," she said, the corners of her eyes creased while they walked out of the clothing store together, "well, I am fairly familiar with the concept of beaches and what one might do there, given the contents on my holodeck memory banks, but I have never actually visited a real beach before. If it's anything like the holographic ones, I can tell you that you won't be disappointed."

The latest holographic beach Thea had visited had been Suraya Bay, just before Captain Vasser's mutiny. Her own crew as well as the crew of the Harbinger had taken a moment of reprieve for sake of crew morale after the Calamity had found them and attacked them on Theta Eridani IV. She remembered having attended the event, watching the Risian civilian named Rihen Neyah preform a dance number in the sands, juggling burning swords. She'd been amazed at the short-haired woman's skills, and she remembered the event as the calm before the storm. On the morrow the next day, the hostile takeover began, starting with an accident in main engineering that ended up killing Lieutenant Tatiana Marlowe, followed by the brain-washed Selena Ravenholm trapping her inside her mobile emitter, and it all ending with Vasser taking command of her in her absence. She remembered having to fight Ravenholm to regain her freedom, destroying one of her friend's cerebral implants by overloading it.

Luckily enough, Selena had survived, and regained her senses though a backup stored in another implant of hers. Thea was glad that they were on far better terms now than when her friend was under the influence of a Vulcan mind-meld.

"You'll find sand there. A lot of sand, and you'll be able to bathe in the sea. Custom is to let the sun dry you afterwards. It's quite relaxing, actually, if it's anything like on my holodecks," she said, still keeping her voice low so that they wouldn't raise suspicions from the people they walked by along the Ibai Besi Promenade. "It's not much further."

[ A Short Time Later | Ibai Besi Beachfront ]

Once they arrived, they had to crest a sandy hill to see water lazily roll across the edge of the sand, and the golden light of Aldea cast everything in a warm glow. There were parts along the beach which were more seculded and bereft of people, and others had a lot of bathers.

"Let's head somewhere that we can talk freely?" Thea suggested with a smile and led the way to a small patch further down the beach that allowed a modicum of privacy. She glanced towards Samala as they walked in the sand. "Is it anything like you imagined?"

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #12 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & Samala | Ibai Besi Promenade | Aldea Prime | Aldea ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Listening to the avatar talk about and describe what she might find on the beach made her realise how much time she had been wasting. Yes, repairing the Apache was important, mainly because she didn’t know what was going to happen next and she wanted to be ready. But her mother had always told her that surviving wasn’t always enough. That there was a difference between surviving and living. It was one of the reasons that she had worked so hard to translate all the holonovels that they acquired into Reman for everyone to read. Idly, she wondered what her parents would think about the situation that Lorad and herself now found them in.

“I’ve seen a beach, in pictures and I know how to swim,” Samala added, trying to sound more confident despite her feeling agitated. “I’ve just never been to one. And we only had one holosuite for everyone to use for training.” Her voice drifted off as she remembered what life had been like even just two months ago. It hadn’t been perfect certainly, but she had had her family with her and they were alive. Now, she just had her brother. What would her mother say, Samala wondered?

Donna stayed silent, observing. She wasn’t a counsellor or anything like that but she could probably guess at what was going through the young hybrid’s head given what she knew of her circumstances. Samala’s demeanour had improved since meeting her in the transporter room, but Donna wasn’t yet sure if that was just a temporary thing. As for Thea, well, all she could do wait and watch. She didn’t know her nearly well enough to do anything else.

“I agree with you,” she said after the A.I. said that the beach wasn’t far. “I can smell the sea from here.” She said nothing of her own experiences with beaches. Between growing up close to Sydney, and then Risa, she was well equipped for this expedition.



The look on her face was priceless, Donna noted as she watched Samala take in the view. Warm sand stretched out before their eyes until it was met by the sea which continued on as far as the eye could see until it disappeared over the horizon. It reminded Donna of the first time she had been to a beach, to see something so massive. Of course, she had been too young to really appreciate it. But she remembered it. Hearing Thea speak, asking Samala if it was anything like she had imagined, Donna focused on the youth, wanting the insight her answer would bring.

“It's, its big,” Samala managed to stammer. She knew she soundly foolish but, in that moment, she didn’t care. The smell that she had discovered was from the sea grew stronger as they approached and after leaving the shade of the buildings, Samala had lifted a hand to shade her eyes as the left the promenade. Ahead of them had been a sand dune and as they crested it, Samala had been presented with her first view, unfiltered, of a beach and the sea beyond it. The wind pulled at her hair and her hand fell away as she took in the splendour before her. 

“It’s beautiful,” Samala commented. “And its better, Thea, thank you,” she added, responding to the question. “So, ah, do we swim now?”

“If you want,” Donna answered. “Or we can walk along the water’s edge, or lay on the sand and try not to get burned by the sun,” she said with a smile. “But there is something we need to do before any of that though,” she declared, reaching for where her outfit was tied at her waist. “And that is to make every person on this beach jealous.”

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #13 –
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Ibai Besi Promenade | Aldea Prime | Epsilon Mynos III ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Cleric_Kyan
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Donna's prompt to shed their clothing made Thea laugh, the bold statement making her a bit self-conscious. She was not unfamiliar in ways of attraction, however, and she even had her fair share of sexual experience since Ishtar came to visit her. It had been after the voyage took them past Nimbus III, and she had it all recorded in her memory banks. The oddity, however, was how those entries had been made organically, since she'd been a flesh-and-blood human at the time. Organic memory engrams translated into digital entries. According to the Savi, that brief time had come to alter her processing and reaction prompts as well, and they had called the result the Synthesis Code.

That wasn't at the forefront of her runtime, however, but rather the memory from Ishtar's visit. She'd shared an experience with Commander Renard, and afterwards - when Ishtar had left - she'd been bereft of her organic sense of smell. Now, when Sinead O'Riley had installed olfactory sensors to her mobile emitter's sensor suite, she would be able to sense Miles' scent once more...

...and the former squadleader of the Lone Wolves had returned during the battle against the Borg.

If the notion to shed her clothes - which she did in stride as they headed down to the water - had made her a bit self-conscious, then the notion to scent Renard once again made her projection blush a bit. The feed from her emotion ship wasn't something she could control at all times, and she'd been unable to handle the input. Still, soon enough, she trod the sands with her bare feet, and her clothes in one hand. Her silver bikini caught the ochre light of the Aldean sun, and the reflection against the water made her squint.

"I don't know what you'd rather do," she said to her two companions, and dropped her clothes on a patch of grass, "but I am positive I'd like to take a swim first!"

Said and done, she ran down to the water, for as much as she'd enjoyed swimming in the public bath area aboard herself, and occasionally enjoyed a holo program containing a beach front...

...the feeling of the water around her projection was real, and laughed as the cool waves crashed over her.

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #14 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & Samala | Beach | Aldea Prime | Aldea ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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If Thea’s laughter, soundly incredibly genuine, drew Donna’s attention, then the blush that formed on her holographic cheeks soon after drew the pilot, and for Intelligence operator’s, curiosity like a magnet. It was, or at least seemed to be, a very reasonable response. Like someone’s words bringing up a memory and Donna wondered if the same was true for Thea and what memory could make her blush. Afterall, Thea had access to the Theurgy’s internal security systems; it was a sure bet that she had picked up can number of the crew getting up all sorts of things that might make a Betazoid blush.

The A.I. didn’t seem to be shy though, Donna noted. Not that she had a reason top; she could adjust her form to take almost any shape she wanted. If there was something she didn’t like about her chosen body, she could change it faster than Donna herself could make the thought. And Donna did like what she saw. Thea had chosen a form that was very appealing, causing interesting thoughts to rise as she watched her disrobe. Dropping her clothes on the ground, she announced that she was going to swim first and began heading to the water.

As enlightening and curious as Thea’s response to her proclamation was, Samala’s response was just as revealing. The hybrid was stood stock-still, staring out at the ocean, her thumbs tucked into the waist band of her skirt. Donna wasn’t sure if she was nervous or still in awe of seeing the ocean but wasn’t about to leave her there either way as she slipped off her own robe to reveal the red and white bikini beneath.

“Samala, you ok?” Donna called out as she rolled up her clothing and left them next to Thea’s. “The water is waiting.”

“I... I’m ok,” Samala hedged, unmoving. “It's just a lot to look at.” She was trying hard to not show how nervous she was, but Donna could tell. She had been trained to read those not wanting to be read.

“You don’t have to be nervous. Thea and I are both here with you and if the worst should happen, Thea can bring you back to the ship in an instant,” Donna explained, her voice reassuring. “How about you just try the water’s edge and go slow. There is no rush.”

“Yeah,” Samala replied, still unsure but not wanting to show continued weakness. Firming her grip, she slid her skirt down in one motion before straightening up and then removing her top. Taking a deep breath, she bent to gather up her clothes and deposit them with her companions' belongings. “I’m ready.”

Taking the lead, Donna began walking after Thea towards the water and reached it in time to hear the musical laughter of the hologram. Smiling, Donna strode into the water, turning around just in time to allow a wave to break across her back. The water was cool and lay back into the settling water to wet her hair before straightening and looking at Samala.

“C’mon, I promise you will be ok,” she called out to the girl before turning to Thea. “So, Thea, how are you going? And I mean you, as Thea,” she asked, trying to clarify her words. “I understand a lot has happened and while I’m not a counsellor or anything, if you wanted to talk about it, I’m here.”

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #15 –
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Ibai Besi Beachfront | Aldea Prime | Epsilon Mynos III ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Cleric_Kyan
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Enjoying the sensation of the ocean lapping against her, Thea had dove underneath the surface the first thing she did. The sense of liberty was overwhelming, and she wondered if Lin Kae had even imagined what it would mean to her to step outside her own hull.

Timely, or untimely, Donna's question came after she'd come to stand in the water with her fingers skimming across the moving surface. The face of Lin Kae was already pulled out of her memory banks, and it was both bitter and sweet to remember the young Bajoran that had not just given her free will, but also freed her in the proper sense of the word.

"The voyage from Earth has been filled with tragedy," she said eventually and ran a hand through her wet hair, clearing it way from her eyes whilst she looked out towards the distant horizon. "Yet it has also given hope to the Federation as a whole. A lot of my crew has fallen, but they gave their lives so that the Borg invasion could be stopped. The difficulty, I find, is to maintain focus on the greater good when someone close to you is lost."

Thea turned towards the two women. "Have you lost anyone close to you? How do you handle such loss in the best way possible?"

OOC: Sorry for the shortness, it's late and I must sleep

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #16 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & Samala | Beach | Aldea Prime | Aldea ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Thea had hit the nail on the head when she described the difficulty of trying to focus on greater good when those around you were dying, again and again. How to keep going forward when everything seems lost. Both Donna and Samala could understand what the A.I. was trying to understand and deal with as they both had dealt with loss in their lives.

“I,” Donna started before pausing to think. She had glanced at Samala but the girl didn’t seem willing to speak, her eyes distant as she was clearly lost in thought and memory. “I lost my parents when I was 12. I had no other family and so I ended up on Risa in the care of my father’s best friend. I had figure out a way to keep going. It was either that or give up. And that went against the most important lesson my father ever taught me. I couldn’t disrespect the memory of him like that, so I kept going. And I still am.”

“Their memory,” Samala whispered after a moment. “My Father. My Mother. My Teachers and Trainers. They all believed in Reman freedom. That there would come a day where Remans would be able to live free. My brother and I, we both believe in that. Even after what the Romulans did to Bacury III. Perhaps more so now,” Samala said, her voice cracking as she spoke from the heart, honest and clear. “Like Donna, I keep going to honour their memory. Because if I give up, what did they die for?”

“It’s not easy, Thea,” Donna continued. “But it shouldn’t be either. The pain and emptiness of their loss grows less, over time. But it is never really gone. You always remember them. You just must keep on going. One foot in front of the other,” she explained before adding. “At least that is what the counsellors told me. In truth, I don’t know what the best way to deal with loss is.”

“I just try to enjoy myself where I can, when I can,” Donna said. “Like now,” as she splashed water at Samala and Thea, showering them in droplets.
 

Re: Day 09 [0930 hrs.] The Odd Bunch

Reply #17 –
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Ibai Besi Beachfront | Aldea Prime | Epsilon Mynos III ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Cleric_Kyan
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The resolution professed by Donna, in how to keep moving forward and find enjoyment when able, it was a very basic sentiment to hold on to. Would it be enough, when the data in her memory banks were so vivid? Perhaps more vivid than for organic minds, since memory engrams did not form like data did. Her memories remained crystal clear, not dampened by time or added experience. In a way, it was as if she lived in the past perpetually, depending on how much of her memories that she uploaded into her runtime. At a moment's notice, she would be there again, in the Machine Intelligence Lab on the Versant, reliving how Kae was skewered by the limb of the Scion, and thrown aside like a lifeless husk of the wonderful person he had been. He would be in her arms again, while she cried digital fears over his ashen face.

And yet she had to remind herself, that he'd come to liberate her once more - risking and giving his life for her again. While Lin Kae had sacrificed his repute and rank aboard for her rights, unshackled her from the limits of her installation, and continually upgraded her to deal with her new performance settings... he had also made the ultimate sacrifice for her freedom. She believed, without a doubt, that even if her memory banks had worked like the organic memory engrams of others, she would never forget him, and what he'd done for her.

Then, the water hit her, and she laughed together with the other women in the water - enjoying that very same freedom.

- FIN
 
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