Star Trek: Theurgy

Day 31 [1645 hrs.] Paradise Lost

November 19, 2020, 07:57:20 PM

Paradise Lost

[ Xelia | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Having bartered transport or more specifically a safe haven in return for intelligence that she had that was in great need, Xelia found herself somewhat confined by the transactions of her past. She had a ship and crew, but not one that held her banner or profited her pocket, so compromises had to have been made for the sake of her very skin and head. If the Syndicate ever located her then she knew her fate was a skinning and then beheading which would really cramp her style in all honestly. That just wouldn't do. Since that opportunistic encounter and delicate piece of negotiation to get here, Xelia had found life aboard the Theurgy sombre. Everyone was professional, diligent in their very duties from her observations to date, but equally boring. How could a crew function in such confinement, with avoidance to fun and other pleasurable pursuits? It was a rhetorical thought from her observations which actually made her slightly mad in that she knew life was going to be uphill for a while.

Today was one of those days. She had precisely nothing to do. No intelligence debriefings, no medicals, no anything. It was great not to have duties - if she ever did then Xelia would probably ask one of these honourably Starfleet types to put her out off her sweet misery, but having nothing to do was like having chores. Xelia decided to wander and that brought her to the observation lounge where she could at least see more than the four walls of her cramped accommodations. They were pretty petite for living space, and definitely far less than what she had come to expect in her adult life as a broker of deals essentially with her expertise in various software designs and holo programs. Sadly, to this crew that was all self-interest nonsense and worth very little.

Xelia stood looking out one of the observation windows, arms folded across her chest while her eyes stared into what was there, her mind casting her away to somewhere else that wasn't so...barren of life. She remembered the days of luxury, of being pampered in hot baths and virtually served by subordinates for the role so assumed by her own genius. It was a different world to this now. She could feel eyes watching her from those in the lounge, perhaps for simply being an Orion, or for how she was dressed which was hardly Starfleet issue. Ugh. Xelia would kill herself if that was ever to happen. Part of her wanted one of them to interrupt and be rude - make a conversation out of nothing just so there was something to do. She was a expert in virtually all types of software and programs and yet she had no tasks to perform and was adamant anything touched would be monitored anyway. Starfleet types were always so cautious, so consumed by protocol and righteousness. It was suffocating to Xelia and in that moment she was mumbling under her breath, "Would be great if one of you talk to me instead of watching me doing ABSOLUTELY nothing."

Re: Day 31 [1645 hrs] Paradise Lost

Reply #1 – November 25, 2020, 04:47:09 PM

[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Her Observation Lounge | On her 10th Deck ] Attn: @Solena
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One of said Starfleet officers wasn't exactly an officer at all.

Using her mobile emitter, Thea was walking through the back of the lounge when her auditory sensors picked up on the comment that the Orion civilian made. It made her pause, and her projection stopped in its tracks by one of the doors leading to the corridor. Smiling, she turned her head towards the speaker, and set her steps in that direction instead. She was wearing her common black chameleon body suit, since she wasn't assisting any particular Department at the moment. With her hands behind her back, she came to a stop next to the woman and looked out through viewport of her observation deck. The ochre surface of Aldea spanned the horizon from end to end, far below the shipyards she was docked in.

"Lovely view, isn't it?" she made her projection say, and turned her brown eyes to the Orion. She realised, of course, that newly arrived crew or passengers might recognise her voice from the shipwide intercom, and how she preformed all the tasks a standard Starfleet shipbound computer would. She was a tad different, of course, but civilians weren't always privy or knowledgeable about the differences. Judging from the files on Xelia - formerly Adisia - that she kept in her memory banks, this woman just might, if she caught on to whom she was speaking with.

"I don't know if you have been informed already," she continued, realising that there was something of a loose end to address when it came to Xelia being accepted aboard, "but Ensign K'Ren, whom you poisoned, made a recovery, but I would advise you stay away from her as well as her mate, the Lounge Proprietor in Below Decks named Deacon. They might not be as forgiving as Zaryn Arn and his fellow officers in Intelligence, the two of them being less keen on the assumption that you'll be an asset for this mission."

She turned back to look at the view. "Oh, by the way, I am Thea. I hope you're enjoying the comfort of my public areas."

Not her 'pubic area', she thought to herself - the joke internalised in the digital maelstrom of her runtime.

Re: Day 31 [1645 hrs] Paradise Lost

Reply #2 – November 25, 2020, 07:03:08 PM

Paradise Lost

[ Xelia | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Looking out at the viewport was like casting a wish to roll back the clock of time to when she had many luxuries to pamper herself with, and power over others to satisfy whims or protect her own skin with bargains. It felt like a different life nowadays when taking into the account the surroundings Xelia now found herself within. Everything was nice, practical even, but those lost gems of paradise, her paradise were like a human comfort blanket. Her self reflection in a way was brought short when a voice seemed to breach the veil of self pity Xelia had started for herself this evening. Xelia's eyes drifted to observe the source of these words, this distraction, and admittedly was taken aback at the sight initially. She allowed her eyes the freedom to study the figure before her and it was definitely a fine specimen of human artwork but Xelia's attention to details, being a holo program designer and expert, meant she could see things other may miss. When coupled with that forewarning, well it was thorough, precise, and factual.

Xelia raised a soft but telling smile of curiosity as she processed the dialog and the fashion in which it had been constructed. At first she held onto the possibility it was merely a well informed Starfleet crew member given the efficiency of such an establishment, so rigid on knowledge sharing, but that was too simplistic. Of course the contents of the warning were unquestionable because she had witnessed first hand this mate bond during her time down on Aldea. It was interesting but hardly memorable in Xelia's eyes, so why would it be so shared among this. crew?

"Your public areas? I don't remember us being that close...and I would remember believe me." Xelia took another moment of observation as she began to piece together a theory based on knowledge to date but also sound logical thinking - 'Lords I sound like a Vulcan! I've been contaminated by this ship already.' Xelia raised an eyebrow and moved onto testing phase. "You know, Thea; that was a very thorough assessment of my predicament with a certain member and their failure of a mate. Tell me; what are the percentiles involved in my predicament - let's say; likelihood of being killed on sight versus survival if I caught this crew members eye again or their mate?" Xelia decided to have a little fun before coming outright with suspicions and theories on this particular crew member. If she was right, then running the numbers would be child's play and the percentages for and against something like her being killed by the aforementioned crew member on sight should be already resolved with a click of fingers.

Re: Day 31 [1645 hrs] Paradise Lost

Reply #3 – December 02, 2020, 03:37:49 PM

[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Her Observation Lounge | On her 10th Deck ] Attn: @Solena
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The Orion woman took the danger to herself in stride, it seemed, which illuminated parts of her character that Thea found fascinating. Of course, she knew that in terms of allies to the mission and the priority thereof, and the non-permanent intentions of the nerve-poison K'Ren had been injected with, someone like Xelia could have her track record with Theurgy crew-members nullified. She also knew, however, from the medical journal V-Nine had submitted to the database, that the poison Xelia had picked ended up having far more serious effects than she might have intended. K'Ren had been altered by the Savi aboard the Versant, and something in that process had made her more susceptible to the effects.

"Given that my assessment includes the factor that K'Ren had to undergo extensive DNA manipulation in order to make the effects of your poison stop attacking her nervous system," she said, the matter at hand making her unsmiling as she looked out the viewport, "I would say the odds you'll be attacked unless you made some manner of restitution is 100%. I doubt, however, that the mate or your victim had any idea that the poison you used wasn't designed to have permanent symptoms, even though the bio-scans match it with a commonly used Syndicate concoction."

She turned to look at her and gave her an encouraging smile, however, since there was still a chance to set things right, if she were so inclined. "I can vouch for that claim, if you need me to. Speak the word aboard me, and I will appear. The apology itself, or the manner in which you make restitution for that incident, is something you'll have to handle yourself. Otherwise, I doubt neither of them will heed you."

Whether or not the Orion woman even cared, or simply found it a good idea to defuse an unnecessary altercation, Thea didn't know, but at least she wanted to give her the opportunity.

“I will think about it,” said the Orion, quite succinctly, and walked away.

Thea remained standing where she was, looking at the retreating back for the Syndicate woman, wondering if she had offended her, or said something uncomfortable.

She had no idea.

- FIN