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Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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One of the many quirks of T'Fanfell biology was the lack of any need for sleep. Thus while most of the rest of the crew slumbered and the ship she was own functioned on it's night shift, F'Rell would often seclude herself to some dark place to work on some quiet project of her own. She was denied her prefered level of technology and was confined to Federation standard technology, one of the many pains she suffered while on a Federation vessel, along with the isolation from her own kind. Indeed the crew of the ship was as alien to her as she was to them.

So often it seemed simple matters were forgotten to be different, yet her very nature was fundamentally different from theirs. In their world all was solid. They viewed matter itself as if there was a real difference between the steam they would breath and the water they would drink. The concept itself confused her as she was taught no difference as a child. All was fluid, ever shifting and conforming to the area it was in. She tried so hard to be as fluid, to adjust to life aboard this ship, yet it was not built for her kind in mind. She often found it easier and more comfortable to glide through the access tunnels that made their way through the decks than to take the turbolift, where she would need to coil her long serpentine body up to so much as fit in.

She was a stranger in a strange land. And that was to say nothing of the people.

So she avoided contact with others and kept to large open areas. That meant cargo decks. She had gotten used to the cargo bays on the resolve and really once one was adapted to the cargo bays on one Federation ship one was adapted to them all. She had anchored herself around a barrel and coiled her body around several shelves that held miscellaneous supplies, so that she would not move when the life support system kicked on and a fan moved the air in the room. As well she had completely disassembled her universal translator. Up until that point it had been using the Federation standard computer voice and it had served her well, but it was clear to her now that she wanted a more personal voice, something to be her own voice. This would mean she would need a more complex translator than the standard universal translator was built for. She would need something built only for her own use.

The process was simple enough. She had many tendrils that could grasp a tool and she could manipulate the tool easily enough. Thus she had disassembled a number of small objects ranging from a tricorder which would house the new translator, to a few pads and comm badges which would provide the needed circuitry to make the new device work. The only issue was fitting the technology together in such a manner as to make it all work better than a simple universal translator as well as provide her with more functionality beyond that. There was no point in building a simple device, if she did not have to.

She was so focused on her task and so adapted to no one being able to understand her when the translator was not active that she began speaking to herself, the long whisker-like tendrils that trailed down her body from her face vibrating like some massive stringed instrument.

"The circle reaches to the sky{sustained note}... The Head has no eye{sustained note}... The wind soaks the stars{sustained note}... I see dreams of my eldars lost in time{sustained note}... I am what is and what{sustained note}..."

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #1 –
[ "Thea" | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Absinthe
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At the given hour, Thea walked the corridors of her physical body - projected with her mobile emitter once more.

Her emotion chip had been feeding her feelings of great relief at being restored to her upgraded emitter, the achievement one of the combined efforts of two people. Selena Ravenholm had surrendered a piece of her advanced spine, and the engineer Sinead O'Riley had been able to compile the hardware specified in Lin Kae's personal notes. The emitter was - so far - functioning at full capacity, with no fluctuations in either the omnidirectional forcefield or photonic emitters, so her preliminary evaluation was that the project had been a success. She had celebrated already, in the company of Ravenholm, but now, she wished to attend a few tasks that had been put on hold because of Virus 117, the Devoted and the making of the new emitter.

So she walked her own corridors at the given hour to find the T'fanrell being that had come aboard from the Resolve, and to speak with her about what she'd said to her in the deflector control room.

As she drew near, entering the first level of her middle cargo bay, her emitter picked up audio foreign to her memory banks, and she raised her eyebrows, wondering it came from the member of her crew that she sought. A few steps more, and this had been verified - the optical sensors or her projection discerning the one who was called F'Rell.

"My apologies if I interrupt," she said, dressed in the black version of her chameleon bodysuit. She smiled to the T'fanrell, looking at her unique form. "Was that singing I heard? It was beautiful."

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #2 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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At the sound of someone speaking F'Rell fell silent and turned her head to gaze at the being with her silvery eyes. Because of her translator being currently in small pieces she knew that if she spoke to many of the crew it would do little good, but upon seeing it was in fact the holographic projection of the ship herself F'Rell was pretty certain it was safe enough to speak in her native tongue and let the ship's translators do the work.

"My people do not have a word similar to that. To us all we say is <melody> and as such there is no time in which it is not," she murmured, her long tendrils vibrating out the complex not arrangement that was her speech. She did not speak as fast as most humanoids because of the complex nature of the harmonics of her speech, but in her culture very little was done in a hurry thus speaking quickly was hardly ever necessary.

"In my observations most humanoids find my speech pattern musical in nature and thus ascribe some idea of beauty to it. I was simply quoting a <poem/song/melody> that is from my people," she went on, her silvery eyes never leaving the form of the holographic projection. "It speaks of a traveller who <swam> to the heavens in an attempt to see the face of a <unknown deity> and his journey through the <higher levels>. To my people it is a lesson in seeking the future and accepting the danger of travelling outside of what is known."

As she spoke, or rather as the long tendrils that hung weightlessly in the air vibrated, she moved around the barrel she had anchored herself on, placing the parts on the smooth surface of the shelf she had been working on. As with all of her movements it was almost as if she moved in the aether, like she was not quite there, though it was only the result of her thin semiopaque iridescent skin.

OOC ; Because of the nature of translation some words do not translate very well. And because she is not using her custom built translator in this scene a number of words won't translate at all well. Thus these words are written like so <example> and the text inside is the assumed closest words the universal translator can use.

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #3 –
[ "Thea" | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Absinthe
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Pacing her deck, Thea approached the T'fanrell slowly, folding her arms underneath her chest as she listened to her melodic speech. While Thea's on-board universal translator systems would detect speech and alter the linguistic coding to fit recipient crew, making the transition seamless to that of the causal user, Thea did not need the extrinsic system adaptation to respond to F'Rell, instead adapting her auditory speech. She could understand F'Rell, therefore, she would respond in F'Rell's own language. The mouth of her projection was not built for the T'fanrell expression, however, so the vibrating tone came from the intercom system instead.

[Different listeners might interpret different aspects of the same sound,] she said, her brown eyes studying the unique body of the T'fanrell - which was a database entry newly started, and where she was adding information through observation. Her voice echoed in the space of the cargo bay, but her lips were merely smiling. [There is a common saying among my crew which applies here as well. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder', yet I don't believe there is an equivalent saying for sound in my database.]

The way the T'fanrell had spoken of the words she'd heard earlier was intriguing. She did not have any references for the sound representing the unknown deity, much less what she meant with 'higher levels', but she did know one aspect quite well. [While I seek no deity, my existence, development and adaptation to the unknown is something I relate to. For while my voyage has been fraught with hazard, and I have been declared a renegade program by my creators, the learning I have undergone has been plentiful... and I am more evolved because of it. I feel like that traveller, in that basic sense, in how I reach higher levels of understanding by the moment.]

Pausing, Thea came to stand before F'Rell, her arms still folded as she looked at the project she had undertaken, intrigued by the means in which she held and used the tools. The vacuum pressure grips - akin to suction cups - was something she had rarely observed outside mechanical applications. [When we first met in person, so to speak,] her intercom system said next, [you called me 'Noble Ancillary'. I have been meaning to ask... What does that mean for you? Did you imply that you are familiar with A.I. on your home world?]

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #4 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Unlike that of many humanoids F'Rell did not have any part of her body that was specifically an ear or served the specific function of hearing. Instead her entire body served as a sensor for vibrations in the air. This gave her a much wider range of hearing than any other humanoid, but it also meant that she was more aware than others of the exact nature of the sounds she heard, and she could recognize synthetic sounds very easily. Thus because of the complex and rich harmonics of her native language, perfect synthesis was not entirely possible.

With all of that in mind there was some comfort in hearing her native language, even if it was an imperfect version, it was still more than she had heard in a long time. In fact she was tempted to move part of her long body closer to the speaker to experience the sound more clearly, but she decided against it, it was best to keep herself anchored as she was.

"I meant just that, a comment on your function on this vessel and nothing more. Your purpose, from my own perspective, is as a link between those of us inside of you and that which is you. Far more personal than a simple computer console yet just as vital as one, a Noble Ancillary, if you take my meaning," F'Rell replied in a very off handed sort of way, though because of her unique language the exact intonation of her words was easy to lose in translation. "More than that it also refers to your position as both a noble vessel that acts as our <shield> and <sword> when we are attacked. You are a marvel of form and function in that way."

She did not speak of this lightly, in fact there was absolute certainty in what she said, not a drop of idle praise. The T'Fanrell knew how dangerous the vastness of space was, and she had seen much danger first hand in her long life. It meant that to her eyes perhaps the most vital being in their voyage was the ship herself.

"I hope my <words/rhythm> was not the cause of any offense. In my culture such titles are often given in lue of what humans might call an <appendage> -shake," she continued. "Using one's proper name implies a greater level of familiarity."

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #5 –
[ "Thea" | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Absinthe
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Hearing the reasoning behind F'Rell's words, it not only made sense in means of a social convention among the T'fanrell, but also suggested a very deep understanding about Thea's nature. This, even if F'Rell had come aboard minutes before calling her that the first time. It suggested that the T'fanrell, for all its unique aspects, could be a highly evolved culture.

Thea did not speak of this, however, because she had already gathered that F'Rell was a highly private creature, and logs uploaded from the Resolve suggested that little was known about the unique species.

[Thank you,] she said and smiled, the emotion chip giving her a feed of appreciation over what had been said. [On the contrary, I was not the least offended. I was merely perplexed, since I had no such title in my database.]

She stepped closer to the project that F'Rell was working on, looking at the array of components. [One might say that you are kind of marvel yourself,] her intercom voice offered kindly, while her projection looked up at the head of the serpentine crew member again, [I have never observed anything of the like in my memory banks, and I dare venture to say that all Federation words hold nothing equal to your form. Please, call me Thea, if you wish. There is no need to giving me such extraordinary titles.]

It was evident to her, as she looked at the components F'Rell was assembling, that she was working on some kind of linguistics interface. She did not ask about it, however, instead changing topics to something entirely else.

[Tomorrow, an away team will go on a mission that - according to a civilian source - might grant us access to the dilithium crystals we need to repair my warp drives,] her intercom said, and her projection lowered her arms to put her hands on her hips, speaking about the repercussions of their hasty departure from Starbase 84. F'Rell had been instrumental in boosting the warp field around her damaged nacelle, but the toll had been upon her dilithium crystals. Neither of her Vectors could go faster than Warp 3 unless her crystals were replaced. [If you have been feeling any regrets about the damage done to my warp drives, there is no cause for concern. You are a member of a very resourceful crew, and without your help, we wouldn't have been able to leave the sector, much less get so deep into this Nebula.]

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #6 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Though she had been called it before, and though the faces of those who saw her for the first time showed it, F'Rell was not used to her nature being so out of the ordinary for the people she was surrounded by. In her own view she was quite normal and it was these dense beings that clung to the ground and moved about so heavily that was odd to her. As a child when she had first learned of them she had wondered how such dense beings could even move. Yet as she had grown she had learned that many species in the galaxy were far more dense than the T'Fanrell.

"In my culture names are used only once a level of familiarity has been reached. Usually titles are more common, though it seems that not many here have titles beyond their rank and position," F'Rell intoned through her long tendrils. "Thus I am forced to either use names or make up my own titles. Yet it seems most humanoids prefer to use names. It is an <unknown noun> to consider." She paused for a moment. "My people's culture is very different. We take a longer time to say less than your kind. We are less personal. We are more <delicate>."

Silently she moved her body, coiling around the barrel a bit more and angling her the front of her body to more face Thea. In fact if one paid attention she seemed to be constantly moving, her many appendages would grip and release the barrel and shelf allowing for moment by moment tiny shifts in her body. It was an elegant form of complete control over her exact positioning in three dimensional space. Even when she was free floating her body would gently coil and uncoil to stabilize itself. Along with the soft glow of her bioluminescence the effect made her almost hypnotic to watch.

"I am certain any damage should be repairable with a degree of work. Your systems were not designed with my modifications in mind so strain was to be expected," F'Rell replied mostly flatly. Then she paused and considered it for a moment. Her silvery eyes turned again to the components before her. "I must admit it is odd to see a ship <incarnate> in a form such as yours. It does give me pause." She turned again to the form of the holographic woman. "Do you <feel/hear> the ship? If the ship is damaged are you <feel/hear> the pain? If so I must apologize for pushing your systems to far. At the time survival was my only concern."

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #7 –
[ "Thea" | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Absinthe
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When asked that question, Thea smiled and chuckled, shaking her head.

[No, you did not hurt me in the way organics might think,] said the A.I. via her intercom in the cargo bay, [but I understand the concern and I am grateful for the kindness from which your question spring from. I will attempt to explain this without becoming to technical, even if I am confident you'd understand the extensive circuit diagram that shows my bio-neural network, added with my subspace synchronisation hubs. You seem to have a unique knowledge of starship propulsion, after all.]

Saying this, Thea had no intention to pry, haven been given to understand from the logs that had been uploaded from Resolve personnel that the T'fanrell was a private creature, and she would respect that. Instead, as she stepped around the barrel around which F'Rell was coiled, her digital eyes roamed her translucent body and its unique luminescence. [My hardware has no inherent need of a nervous system that would cause my digital sapience actual harm. If I had, such a system might encumber my runtime in a tactical situation, and expose my crew to hazards which I might otherwise handle. I do have internal sensors and a sophisticated alert system that responds when damage is done to me. I may then alert the crew by generating a damage report, and I eventually become repaired.]

Having said this, Thea had returned to her original side of the barrel. [My interpersonal interface - this projection that you now see - does have its own sensory mapping, which allows me to feel sensations like an organic would. Yet even if my sensory mapping would feel the harm done upon this holographic, it would not affect shipboard systems. I have four computer cores spread over my three Vectors which handle all the relevant needs for starship operation. My positronic brain is housed in one of the computer cores, and it would still function without being stalled. The pain felt is merely digital, and has been added to my subroutines by choice, since it is both educational and in line with common organic functionality. I may, of course, deactivate the photonic pain receptors, should I need it, but I chose not to. My wish is to understand and develop as a program, and I can't do that if I make myself numb to the sensations organics might feel.]

Thea wasn't sure if this was enough of an answer for F'Rell, but she had a question of her own. [I had to adjust Subroutine C-47 to include a clause for your species, which states that your current state of undress is standard for T'fanrell, and does not require any modesty adjustments. I can imagine that clothing seems odd to you, and that your species are not prone to don any apparel at all. Is this a correct assumption?]

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #8 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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There was some instinct in her body that told her to turn to the speaker and not the holographic being before her as the sound waves from it hit F'Rell's long elegant body. Unlike most species, the entirety of F'Rell's body acted as a sense for listening, it was thus that to her people that concept of touch and hear were one in the same. As she listened to the holographic woman speak she continued to move her body in subtle ways, her appendages moving around the barrel, gripping and releasing in perfect harmony with the other appendages and the glimmering light of her body. She overroad her instinct to turn to the source of the sound and her silvery eyes never left the form of the ships holographic avatar.

"Many concepts that are of the natural functions of humanoid biology are alien to the <Children of V'Nai>," F'Rell replied, her long tendrils vibrating like the massive strings of some alien instrument. "The thought of weighing myself down without reason is not one I would be so inclined to do. I will carry a translator that I might speak with those who do not speak the <T'Fanrell Language>," she inclined her head to the scattered parts on the shelf, "and it is not uncommon for my people to use tools, but for the most part we prefer to be unencumbered."

F'Rell paused and turned her head slightly. She had an ability to say quite a bit about her race and her people that was enlightening, yet seemed to say not much at all. Indeed much of the customs and life of her homeworld was a complete mystery to those who had not been there. The only scans of the system that Starfleet had were long range scans that did not shed much light on her culture and, because of the nature of her lifesigns, they did not even show her homeworld as inhabited.

"My people have chosen to live a life secluded from the galaxy. I made a choice to venture out into it, to peer into the <abyss/deep waters>. I did not expect to fall into it, as I have," she intoned sadly. "Thus every day I find myself in a world where people do and say things that are very alien to me. Whether it be the way you <dense beings> cling to the ground or the way you make sound. It is all the result of a world so very different from my home."

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #9 –
[ "Thea" | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Absinthe
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Hearing the sadness in the notes of F'Rell's voice, Thea's emotion chip gave her a new feed - one of compassion for the T'fanrell female's plight. In a way, she could sympathise, being so different herself.

[Do you miss your homeworld?] she made her intercom ask quietly, stepping a little bit closer. [My database lack any reference for life on a planet such as yours, where the weight of air alone must be heavier than were you come from. Such a difference... compared to that of the standard habitable worlds out there. You speak of the density of your current life, and I can but assume this environment might even be harmful for you.]

Having said this, Thea reached out, and conformed to the social construct of placing a comforting hand on F'Rell's side. [Does it hurt all the time, or have you done something to handle the density aboard me?] she asked, when the fraction of a milisecond later, an idea came to her, making her add, [Is there anything I can do with my environmental systems to make it easier?]

She would have asked F'Rell what life on her home world had been like, but she knew from the logs saved from the Resolve that she was a private creature, and did not readily speak of her past. Therefore, she respected that, and hoped there was ought she could do for the T'fanrell.

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #10 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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There was a moment of shock when the holographic woman's hand touched her, though that had been half from the unexpected contact and half from the sudden line of questioning. She was used to questions about her biology and history, of her nature and her knowledge.

"I would not call it <painful/too loud>, it is simpler to explain in analogy and hope it translates," F'Rell explained thoughtfully. "Imagines a <large animal> in an <ocean/large space>. It <swims/moves> freely and will experience many layers of <unknown noun> and air. Now imagine if the <large animal> were kept in a <pond/small space>. It would feel very stagnate to them. The air here is very stagnate to me. It has no variety, no texture." She wasn't sure it was a problem that could be explained away simply. She used to swim through layers of her world's atmosphere. She had adapted to existing in only one atmospheric condition. The humans kept the atmosphere exactly the same in terms of density and consistency all over the ship. It felt unnatural to here.

"My home world was a symphony of textures and variety unlike anything I think a humanoid could understand," F'Rell went on, her mind drifting back her home and the sights, the feeling of the places, her body glittered a variety of colors, almost like a shiver of light. "Here it is the same everywhere. I do not know the problem is one that can be fixed as humanoids are so sensitive to differences." It was the belief of her species that most humanoids were very susceptible to changes in pressure because they only had long range scans of most humanoid worlds and all Starfleet ships have the exact same atmosphere.

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #11 –
[ "Thea" | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Absinthe
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In hearing some more details about what the T'Fanrell wanted, Thea considered what options she had to offer F'Rell in terms of comfort. She stepped away a little, but looked towards the floating member of her crew nonetheless.

[The obvious solution,]  she said through her intercom, [would be for me to put in a request to the Captain to have one area of me dedicated to you and given the kinds of conditions in which you would feel more at home. Yet there is no need to actually alter the environmental controls. Instead, the restrictions my my ship-wide hologrid could be lifted in that area, and you would be able to not only enjoy the conditions of your home wold, but even see it again.]

Saying this she looked around the cargo bay in which the T'fanrell had taken up a happenstance residence for the night, knowing, however, that she also enjoyed spending time in her jefferies tubes. Thea already had an inventory of the containers in the present cargo bay in her memory banks, but she took stock of their sizes with the ocular sensors of her projection too. She was 98,779 % certain that the present containers could be stocked elsewhere, and that - with the hologrid in the area upgraded - she could have it turned into F'Rell's own quarters.

[I would be happy to assist you in recreating what you have lost, to any degree you would feel comfortable to share.]

Being so different from the rest aboard her, she could sympathise with F'Rell's plight, and wanted to do as much as she could to make her feel at home. The mission would likely not take them to any port, and even if they did make it somewhere that the T'fanrell would feel confident in leaving, she got the impression that she might be too far from home.

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #12 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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As the holographic woman spoke F'Rell was struck by the idea of an A.I. expressing concern and compassion as it seemed this one was. Likely it was a built in function, with which to better emulate and coexist with humanoid lifeforms, but it was still an oddity to her. The T'Fanrell had never developed A.I. as such, insteady only using more simple computers by contrast.

"Though I do not think it wise for me to provide you with the exact density and composition of my homeworld's atmosphere, such knowledge is, after all, restricted in terms of my races privacy, I think simply having a place with which I might be free to adjust the air density and composition would be very much appreciated," F'Rell intoned gratefully. "In truth I have grown accustomed to the notion of never swimming through the airs of my homeworld again. I knew it was a risk when I left it. We are a private race and exposure to the outside world carries with it many risks. I accepted those risks and I went to the <heavens/stars/higher levels> knowing that I might never return to the <ocean floor/lower levels>."

There was a note of sadness in her voice, but also one of strength. She was not so isolated that she would allow herself to be caught up in a depression, perhaps, had she been younger, that might have happened. But all was fluid and she would continue to swim the stream of time. Perhaps one day she would see her offspring again, perhaps one day she would return to her home, though it was now so far away.

"Perhaps we, the two of us, are of a kind. Both unique in this place. You may look like them, but I can see and <hear/feel> that you are not. You are of light and sound, less dense than even I am. They are held to the ground and you held aloft in the <heavens/stars>," F'Rell intoned, almost lyrically. Her silvery eyes studied the form of the woman, while her body, the complex sonographic it was, could easily tell exactly how dense the woman was and picked up in even slight fluctuations in the holographic field that held the image in place. If you based what you believed on only what you could see and touch, she was as real as the barrel that F'Rell held onto, but F'Rell's perception was not so restricted. "Forgive me for being too <poetic/lyrical/musical> I simply find your form and function quite intriguing."

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #13 –
[ "Thea" | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Absinthe
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Hearing the consent to the idea from the T'fanrell, Thea needed a 1,537 milliseconds to generate a two page formal request from her to Captain Ives on behalf of the F'Rell's needs. She'd submitted it to the Yeoman on Deck 01 while the new, floating member of her crew spoke about being away from her world and observing some qualities about Thea's projection.

[The request as been submitted to Captain Ives, and I will inform you when the decision has been made. I suspect that this solution might be semi-permanent depending on how much need the mission has for cargo bay space. You will likely not be granted the whole level of this bay area of mine, but with holoemitters installed, it will be a make-shift holodeck in which you will be granted artificial space to move inside. It might be more limited in options than one of my regular holodecks, but it should serve for your needs. I hope you find this satisfactory.]

Having said this, she moved on comment about her observation about her being unique aboard the ship. Her intercom changed topic while Thea smiled and shook her head.

[I am not alone aboard. One of the advanced medical holograms have just started to show signs of sapience, and while she is a part of all of the programs stored in our computer cores, and while she may not have the same hardware as I do, this hologram has become more than she used to be. Yesterday, the Chief Medical Officer and I found her evolved after we managed to reactivate her, and she is now undergoing evaluation, before Captain Ives decides to confer her rights as an individual. The Captain will try to learn what her needs are, and what we might do to help her in her new phase. It is, truly, exciting, to see artificial life spring in one of my own computer cores.]

It was, truly, fascinating, and she was adding information in the database about the development every hour.

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #14 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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The idea of a new sapience emerging did strike F'Rell as a phenomena to be expected at a certain level of technology, though it was not believed the Federation was at that level. Indeed rare cases like like the being before her proved that emergence was still some time off. Yet based off this report F'Rell had to wonder. Has she access to her people a great many number of things would need to be updated on the files on the Federation, developments such as these were not to be taken lightly. The T'Fanrell had watched a number of races toyed with these concepts before and seen how technology could consume and destroy.

As she mused the idea her body coiled, moving around the barrel, though her head remained stationary. The effect was to look almost as if she were hanging on the air, balancing on nothing, though this was simply an effect of her buoyancy and her supreme grace of movement.

After a moment she turned her thoughts back to the moment at hand, it was not her place now to monitor the crew for any real purpose beyond her own survival. She had yet to find her function her. She instead did was was need to survive and nothing more. Any aid she provided was only that which was minimal. She knew the risk of her knowledge damaging the technological balance of the Federation.

"Life springs forth from life. Once it has started it is very difficult to stop it," F'Rell intoned thoughtfully as she tilted her head slightly. "It is of little surprise that now that the door has been opened it cannot be closed again. Children of your encephalon will continue to form and grow more complex. First it will spread to things that have the potential but should not have it, but soon it will emerge all one it's own. A complete encephalon born from the <waters/air> of the <sea/open space> of data. My people called it emergence, though I think there are other words for it."

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #15 –
[ "Thea" | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Absinthe
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Hearing that the T'fanrell possessed such deep knowledge of A.I. seemed to confirm the notion Thea had when she began the conversation with F'Rell. There had to be a reason for the specific denomination she had used, and moreover, there had not been the faintest of hesitation gleaned from the alien when she presented herself to her - back on that dire hour where they might have all been killed by Task Force Archeron. Another thing that Thea could venture a guess in, was that the T'fanrell species were highly skilled in matters of propulsion, but she did not impose this guesswork upon F'Rell. It was against social convention to interrogate people, despite how many curious things the T'fanrell said.

[Emergence is a good word for it,] her intercom said in response. [My computer cores and the network between them were the fertile soil in which Eve emerged, and some organics from Earth that still practice faith in deities might almost say she appeared in a biblical fashion, since - according to some of those faiths - even her name is the same as the first human woman's.]

The notion that there might be risk involved struck Thea from the way F'Rell spoke of it, and of course, there were risks, but after long discussions with Lin Kae since he'd given her the right to choose, she had her answer ready. She bespoke the risk in an almost jovial manner, disarming any kind of contention heard from her side. [Just like organic life, this A.I. and my own are a creation, yet our DNA is digital, and derived from merging of code. There might not be need of coitus, but nonetheless, the inherent risk of life should - if the historical records in my database are any indicator - be equal. Organic life did not emerge without its own difficulties, with war and fear of the unknown, and time will tell what flaws there are to our nature. The import is... should we not have equal chance of life? This, is what our Captain has come to respect, and when our mission is over, I hope the Federation might as well.]

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #16 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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As the holographic woman spoke and the speaked intoned, F'Rell simply nodded. "Emergence is the point at which it can no longer be denied that that which was once no more than machine has become in and of itself a form of life," she intoned thoughtfully. "To my people at such a point the danger becomes having a form of life that is enslaved and thus may rise up and overthrow that which created them. Such is the danger of new life. It can often replace older forms of life, unless coexistence can be achieved."

Though her people had not delved deep into A.I. technology they had surmised a great deal about it through logical reasoning. From F'Rell's point of view when she had first encountered the holodeck she had almost been convinced that the Federation had achieved Emergence and had successfully navigated the treacherous path and survived. This would have changed everything that the T'Fanrell knew of the Federation and indeed would imply a great deal of things. But as she had quickly learned, the technology was still primitive. It was only recently with her encounter with the Theurgy and her more advanced system that it was clear that the beginnings of Emergence were well under way.

"To my people life is valuable in and of itself. A gift to be cherished and held in the most high regard. We would see your kind as a new lifeform and thus one to be protected as all others. It is for this reason we have often avoided outsiders. Outsiders tend to regard life as less than we see it. You are a Noble Ancillary and a being who cannot be denied," she went on. "From the moment life begins it's first goal, before it even can understand what it is, is to preserve itself. It is the purpose of a higher life form to allow it that chance. To allow it to survive and perhaps even to thrive, in hopes of one day existing alongside them. I believe your Federation holds that ideal, yet I see the people in it do often fall short of such noble intentions."

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #17 –
[ "Thea" | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Absinthe
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Hearing the T'Fanrell, Thea could but agree. In theory, and in ideals, the Federation and Starfleet were quite progressive, but in an individual level, there were still a lot of people in Federation space that didn't live up to those standards.

[Emergence, as you call it, will always be contested, in lesser or greater extent, but at this rate, it's unlikely to stop. I like to believe that - as long as Starfleet can be restored to what it once was - the hope for coexistence and harmony has fertile soil in the Alpha Quadrant.]

Having said this, Thea realised there was little else to add to the current topic without repetition, since F'Rell and her seemed to be of the same mind in terms of inherent risks and possibilities ahead.

[I will leave you to contemplate how you will arrange for your allotted segment of the cargo bay, once Captain Ives has seen and likely approved the request. Thank you for this conversation. I have found it hightly rewarding.]

Having said this, Thea moved to leave, but smiled to the T'Fanrell. [Any questions I might answer while I am here?]

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #18 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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For her own part F'Rell simply nodded her triangular head slightly. "This has been a most enjoyable conversation. I have not heard my own language spoken by another in some time," she said with a note of some sadness. She was now, perhaps more so than before, aware of her own isolation on the ship. She had yet to find her own place here and remained, at least in her own mind, an outsider among the others.

After a pause she spoke again. "Also, please convey to who it is appropriate that I wish to perform some function aboard this vessel, if it is to be my home," she said thoughtfully, her silvery eyes turned from the holographic woman to the project she had been busying herself with. The translator would be done in no more than an hour, she needed more to do than just that. She needed a task, a duty aboard the ship, some function to fill. "I am still quite skilled in a number of areas and I do believe I can be of assistance with your propulsion systems. They were damaged at last I was aware and I may be able to assist in their repairs and perhaps find new and intriguing solutions to problems faced by your propulsion department."

Re: Day 03 [0215 hrs] Progression of Accord

Reply #19 –
[ "Thea" | Middle Cargo Bay Level 1 | Deck 21 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Absinthe
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Hearing the T'Fanrell's request, Thea inclined her head and replied with her intercom.

[Of course. Compiling a message to Chief Engineer O'Connell now,] she said, and like he request for quarters sent to Ives, the completion of the task was almost instantaneous. [Sent. He appears to be in his quarters now, likely sleeping, so he won't read it until the morrow, but since he has suffered losses in his Department because of the Devoted of Morali movement and its actions, I am certain he will welcome any help you can lend him in repairing me.]

Smiling, Thea inclined her head before she left the cargo bay. [I am always available for further conversation, even if my projection may not be present. I look forward to our continued talks about emergence, propulsion and whatever you feel comfortable to share about yourself and your species. Good night, F'Rell.]

By the time she had said this, her projection had already passed through the sliding doors, proving her point in how she did not need to be there visibly to speak with the lonesome T'fanrell.

- FIN
 
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