Major Shifting Point of The Rubicon Crossing Part 3/5

Posted on Tue Dec 24th, 2024 @ 11:16pm by Lieutenant Ailig Keys [Cronin] & Lieutenant Commander Paisley F'rar & Callisi Veera & Lieutenant JG Aemrialis [Cronin] & Master Chief Petty Officer Akosass Th'idran [GM]

2,025 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: M2: Culture Shock
Location: Ledosian Trading Hub, Aboard Station 02.
Timeline: After "Permission to Dock" and "What You Might Find In A Market Parts 1,2,3"

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And now the continuation…

With that, she turned to the others. "I'll have whatever you have that's equivalent to... okay, we have a beverage back home. You have it in the morning. It's bitter and hot, you add dairy to it, and then it wakes you up." she described. "If you don't have that, we'll talk trade." she smirked. Blib bubbled in mirth, "Water, chilled, carbonated." was his request. "And a bowl of quartz chunks for Craglin. If you could."

Calabrass chuckled at the 'you're on the clock' response for a specific mineral. He wondered perhaps should they meet more of the Slate he should have some Limestone stocked. He grinned at the description of Coffee. "Ah yes, the Alpha quadrant refers to that beverage as Coffee. One chilled carbonated water, Coffee and Quartz coming right up, What do your people call that beverage Miss?"

"We call it Kohi." she replied with a nod, "I don't think the Trilark have anything like it." to which Blib gave a bubbly chuckle, "No no, nothing quite that direct. Long caffeine molecules upset my membrane, but adding a little carbonation to the mix perks one up direct."

"I did a tour with a Dalacari extraction team, my first time out I was worried I'd have to give it up, or settle for whatever it was that the Dalacari use to wake up in the morning. Or the afternoon, knowing them. Turns out, no, they've got something just like Kohi. They call it svarta, and it's pretty much exactly what I was worried I'd be missing out on. Except it's blue."

"I think I may have to ask Engineering to supply the quartz," Calabrass said before tapping his combadge NCC Lounge to Engineering, could a get some quartz bits for our guest?

Paisley was down in the Engineering office, bent over a piece of metal, hammering away. The noise from her Combadge startled her for a moment. Still, she nodded, and tapped hers to reply.

Of course...Where should I bring it? Should I have it transported? She didn't know how much discretion was needed just yet. Any other parameters I need to know? She set the hammer aside, curiosity piqued. It wasn't regularly that she was asked to set aside some bits of quartz for no reason.

Ailig did want to jump in with Callisi's name but decided to let her do it, he glanced around as he listened to the NCC Representative interact with their guests. Sass too was enjoying a little break from the tour guide until they had their refreshments.

"Hope you don't mind fabricator faire, Craglin." Callisi seemed to joke to the Slate. A rumble followed, with the translation following closely after, "Stones.In.Stones.Back.When.Return.To.Planet."

Blib bubble chuckled, "It DOES have such a way with words for one that can't actually speak."

To the Lounge would be great Commander F'rar, it seems that whatever you make will be okay, won't know until our guest tries it I guess, the Coridanite replied with a smile in his voice.

A bit later, the Carjoran appeared, clutching a plastic box with various sizes and mixes of Quartz and other compounds, but some small pieces of pure Quartz, as well. "Hello, here are the Quartz pieces you requested, sir," she said, setting the box down. "There's a few pieces of pure quartz but most of it is mixed with other things-I did the best I could at short notice," she noted. "I'll uh...refine some pieces for later on," she said. She couldn't dip too far into the supply; they'd need it for the Core, after all. "Can you do Deuterium in an emergency?" She asked. She still had no idea what was going on.

The lumbering humanoid shaped stone creature slowly realized there was a box, with quartz. Delicious quartz. A joyous rumble issued from the creature as it reached for the box. "This.Will.Do.Nicely.Appreciate.Thank." came the sound of the translation from the device on the creature's shoulder, or what was agreed upon to be the creature's shoulder. Hands and fingers reached for a small quartz nugget and brought it to its 'face'. It regarded it, marveled at it, and then dropped the nugget down the opening at the front where its face would be. A moment later, there was a crunching noise that sounded like quartz being ground between stones. A content rumble issued from the creature's core. "Delicious.Adaquate.Pure.Appreciate.Thank." though it then realized that it was asked a question. "No.Drink.Only.Consume.Appreciate.Thank."

Paisley nodded. "You're welcome!" she stepped out of the room then, quickly. She didn't want to know.

Ailig approached Blib after watching the Chief Engineer deliver the quartz for Craglin and immediately depart not wanting to know about Craglin's eating habits, he laughed, most beings found eating habits of non-organics and certain lifeforms to be best not observed. "If I may ask how long have you been a trader Captain for?"

"You may." he replied. A moment hung in the air, followed by a chuckle from the suit, the rabbit, and the stone. "No no, apologies. I couldn't resist. I've been attached to the crew for the past three years. I handle most matters of mathematics and accounting. Not out of disrespect to their capacity, but out of synergy of mine."

Callisi gave a nod, "Blib's a genius when it comes to math. I'm no slouch, but he puts me to shame."

Ailig chuckled as he knew the cause of the mirth. "No need to apologise," he smiled. "I walked into that one. How long have you and your crew been trading in this region and surrounding sectors?" He asked, he knew the Captain would want to know. Speaking of which he considered calling for the Captain to join the tour though wasn't sure since he and Sass were assigned to it.

The Yeoman gestured at the suit Blib was wearing. "If you wish we are capable of establishing a mobile contained environment for you so you do not need to wear your suit?" The Andorian asked.

"Oh it's been, what? Six standard years?" Callisi turned to regard Blib and Craglin, and after a moment's thought Blib confirmed, "Six entire years. I remember when the Shipmaster first saw your dossier, he was very insistent that we scouted you. I don't know if it was your impressive military record, or a sense of stellar nationalism, but you've been a good friend. More than qualified for what we needed." he assured her. Craglin simply nodded its form, a rumble, "Ts'usugi.Good.Pilot.Good.Friend.Will.Remember."

Though at the offer, Blib simply waved the generous offer aside, "No no good sir. No need for specific environmentals. I'm a Trilark." a pause, then realizing that might not be knowledge enough for the Yeoman. "Our bodies are complex protoplasmic forms, so it's not for comfort alone that I wear my encounter suit but also that it gives me rigid structure." he stood at attention slightly as he walked with, a bit of a posture to his gait. "I appreciate the offer, but the mark seventy four Distol encounter suit is a Home Away From Home." he said, with the cadence of a shopping advertisement.

"I never met a Trilark until I joined the crew." Callisi offered up, "They don't get involved in military operations, or at least try not to. I know their government is considering a defense alliance with some of the other home sector powers, but Trilark consider everything before committing to any course of action. Social effects, economic effects, and especially environmental effects. At the moment, I think they're more comfortable staying off the proverbial sensor sweep then they want to admit." she turned her glance towards Ailig, "I imagine it's the same across the rest of the galaxy?" a pause, "Politics, I mean."

Ailig nodded. "There are a few who wish to remain isolated after first contact and the Federation respected their choice, though may leave a transceiver just outside their space should they change their minds. I don't think we have any reluctant member species, all of them wanted to be involved in the galactic community." He nodded to Blib. "As you wish, we understand, let us know if our engineers could provide any technical assistance for the suit or any other suited individuals on your crew that may wish to enhance or upgrade their suits."

"Indeed, we can look into it when we are near Engineering." Sass added with a smile. "We should get on the tour again, let's go." He gestured to the Lounge's doors as he took a few steps towards them but faced Ailig and their guests again.

"Enhance? Upgrade?" the burbles and bubbles from inside the domed helmet blurbled, while the suit's actuator turned it into actual words, "You cannot improve on perfection. The precise number of arms and hands to deal with solid lifeforms, the proper number of... hand grips... to properly hold the tools they construct. And look at these ketrium plated aestheticometers!" he motioned to golden-tinted piping along the suit. "Do you have any idea what it does?"

"Nothing." Callisi offered with an amused smirk.

"But it does so with such grace." he burbled in response, laughter from the actuator. A moment, and the moment calmed down, "I look forward to seeing the tour, but I do not believe I will need any improvements." Blib refused, courteously. Craglin produced a rumble that simply translated as "Amusement."

"As you wish." Sass replied and he led them to the Arboretum. Once inside the lush garden and biome smells was delightful to the Andorian and Betazoid as they walked further in, their guests just behind them. Ailig turned around. "Does your ship have a nature preserve or organics growing facility?" He asked.

Callisi took a moment to enjoy the scent of fresh plant life, a sensation that Blib and Craglin could not share in. The rumble building in Craglin announced its intention to question. "Weeds.Smell.Good?" and Callisi snickered, "They're not weeds, and they do. You think all plants are weeds." she teased, but then turned to Ailig, "We do, of a sort. It's tradition on a Ts'usugi vessel to bring a piece of home with us. This can be anything as simple as a piece of driftwood from a beach near the shipmaster's home town, up to a fancy large sitting rock that overlooks a favorite valley. We try not to take something that would rob another of the experience, so what is taken says a lot about the caliber of command. That relic of home is kept on display in the ship's mess in a tidy place, a quiet place to reflect."

"They say that because of this, whenever a Ts'usugi craft is attacked, the crew are inspired to go further in defense, since now it's not just the ship being attacked, it's a part of home. It IS home." she explained. "The Prosperity's Venture has a collection of riverbed stones from a river near our shipmaster's home, along with a collection of stones from the river's edge."

Ailig smiled. "That is nice to bring a piece of home with you. We do share this custom though it is a range of possessions, not just greenery."

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To Be Continued…

 

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