A chance encounter

Posted on Wed Nov 18th, 2020 @ 1:57pm by Ensign Wulfgar Duergar & Lieutenant JG Vespa Kale

Mission: Survival of the fittest
Location: Ten Forward - Deck 10
Timeline: After "finding new life" mission posts

Wulfgar sat in ten forward, he was enjoying a nice long island ice tea and enjoying the view. He had been confined to quarters until recently and was enjoying the freedom. There were a few PADDs on the table next to him but they were forgotten at the moment. So much had happened in the last week that he was surprised to be here still. He took a sip of the potent drink and smiled at the tingling burning that ran down his throat.

The doors to the lounge slid open, allowing the twin forms of Vespa Kale entry. The two moved in a weird harmony, motivated by one mind but existing across two bodies. Cheerful and friendly, the pair waved to everyone they passed by on their way to the bar to order a pair of drinks. Once the pair had the drinks handled, they wandered around the lounge, observing and greeting.

The wandering pair eventually did find their way over by Wulfgar, and she gave a pair of nods. "Hello again." one of the pair greeted, but both of them gave him their attention. "Wow this place is so impressive, I love it." she seemed so happy to be here. Then again, she was one of the newest arrivals.

"Good recommendation on the donuts before. We have something like them back home, so it was a welcome reminder..."

"... of home. Listen to me, hardly a few days off ship and talking like I've been gone from home for years." the pair giggled. "May I join you?"

Wulfgar had looked up at Vespa's voices and smiled. "I always welcome company, please sit ladies." He motioned to the other chairs at the table. "I know the feeling. That longing for home always there in the back of your mind but the thrill of the adventure makes it tolerable." His eyes looked out at the star field as they cruised. He could feel the hum and vibration of the engines throughout the table and the ship with his hand. They were running about 6.7 right now. "Tell me about your home. Jane says talking about home brings a part of it with you and the best times is when your missing it the most."

The pair each chose a seat and sat, while at his request the pair actually smiled, "Oh, Dalacar. It really is a magnificent place. Let's see... well first off, the weather is almost always nice. We get plenty of warning for large storms..."

"... so there's hardly ever a time when you get caught unaware in the rain. Plus, I mean if you did, there'd be a drone there with an umbrella for you so..."

"... you're always being looked after. I think that's what I miss most right now: The Drones. They're there to help, no matter how big the job may be." she cited something, from the sounds of it.

"Dalacar has two moons, only one of which we've built colonies on. Terraformers turned it into a habitable moon, but the other one is purely research, so..."

"...mostly domes and drones. It's comfortable there, but it's the homeworld so it's where we'll be the most comfortable. The air, the water, heck even the..."

"... gravity. We're slightly higher than what I guess is Terran standard, but whenever we host guests we have gravity generators in place to make..."

"... their stay in guest villas comfortable. I've considered asking if I could tune my quarters to Dalacar Specifics, but that'd mean if someone had to come..."

"... in during an emergency, they might get hurt or disoriented. So I'll just make a simulator out of it." a pause, "I'll show you home sometime if you..."

"... want? I imagine everyone here would love to see Dalacar." each of her forms took a slow drink, "So, what's your homeworld like? Any fun places? Fun stories?" she inquired with that smirk, ears perked for the response.

Wulfgar laughed. " My homewold is beautiful. I grew up in the northern part where we had large forests of trees. We only have one moon but have colonized most of the moon's in our solar system. We are a varied race with many different cultures. Some are more welcoming than others." He took a drink again. "My family consists of my parents, my little sister and I. My father is a handyman and Mr fix it while my mother is a nurse at out local medical facilities. My sister had a passion for cooking and baking. She actually started her own bakery. I learned my skills working on stuff with my father and that got me interested in engineering. I joined the academy against me parents wishes though. My sister was the one to encouraged me to follow my dreams as I had always told her to do." He looked back at the two women sitting there. "I started my career at Iota station after the academy. I was stationed there for awhile then about 7 months ago I went into the officer candidate school and became an insign. Now I'm here." He smiled.

A pair of smiles, "I grew up in a nice city. We love our cities, though we love being around others. A Dalacari by themselves goes a bit off." she giggled. "It must be wonderful to have..."

"... a sibling. Dalacari aren't allowed to have large families because every complete Dalacari is technically two mouths to feed." she pointed out with a pair of smirks. "Though, I had..."

"... the home drone, Lita Seventeen, growing up so that's like a sibling. Mom liked to cook, though we didn't really have to. Every home has a fabricator so really it's just..."

"... to satisfy curiosity rather than actually cook. Dad was a drone controller for a local construction yard. Hardest four hours of the day, he'd say. I attended a cross-social..."

"... academy, but might have gotten into a little trouble when I would make caffeine stim packs tailored to specific genome receptors. Essentially, coffee that only worked..."

"... for the person that drank it. Except it was more of a stim patch to help keep people awake to cram for late season exams." she gave a pair of smiles. Each form took a small drink while the other talked, so the discussion was almost unbroken. "Dalacari is so beautiful. I really hope everyone here gets a chance..."

"... to see it. Even if it's only in a simulation." a pause, "I could use some of my buoy rations to request a simulation copy of some of the major sites." she mused.

"Do you have any holos of your home city? I'm an Engineer and have dabbled in holodeck simulations. I could probably program it for you if you did." Wulfgar sat up a bit straighter and took a large drink. His breath caught in his throat a second before he could speak again. "I can even show you some of earth."

"I do!" the pair said in unison, clearly excited about the prospect. "I mean, not like, on me right no, no no. That'd be silly." back to just the one twin speaking at a time now. "But, I mean if we could get together, on our downtime and..."

"... work on something like that, oh that'd be wonderful. It'd save me having to use my rations, that's for sure. I'd really rather save them for emergencies or ..."

"... something dire, rather than 'Hi, can I have a simulation of home because I'm a softie.'." she giggled. "We'd have to work out the conversion between our measuring system and..."

"... your standard weights and measures, oh this is going to be so exciting!"

"Yeah and I'll be the first to see it. I can even program it so that those not use to the gravity would feel earth's heavily while you would feel the true gravity." Wulfgar picked up one of the PADDs on the table and started entering data and ideas into it, his half empty glass by his elbow. His black hair was a bit messed up as if he had been running his fingers through it. "What else do you want to add? We can get the basic ideas laid out now if you like."

"Ooooo that'd be great. I could add a gym in the simulation and actually have it mean something." she giggled. "Oh, oh to add something... oooo." she thought for a split second.

"Drones."

"Oh, but the technology that runs them is kinda, well I don't want to call it a secret, but I don't know if we're ready to share it. Or rather, I don't know if your group is..."

"... ready for it. I don't know how to actually word it. But, I'd have to clear it. We can add the drones, and just program them to be super helpful."

"Oh, and the food. We need to get Dalacari cuisine on this ship, you... will... love it." she was so enthusiastic at this point, it was almost hard to keep up with who was talking. Good thing they were next to each other.

Wulfgar thought a moment. "We can use basic protocols for the drones that run the other holograms. It would be easy to simulate them without truly knowing how they work. As for the cuisine, get me some of the recipes and I can program them into the replicators." He entered more into his PADD feverishly. Vespa's excitement was catching just like Jane's laughter. He looked up at the two before him and smiled. 'For not being human, they aren't that bad to look at.' He thought then the second it was there he shook his head and chuckled. It's the alcohol, he didn't tend to drink but he thought after a nice days work he could think and have one drink. He shoved his mind back to what they were doing. "We can then have a party on the holodeck for everyone and have a viewing of your home city complete with authentic cuisine. I'm sure Jane would love to help with that."

She gave a pair of nods, "Well, the core technology behind the drones allows them to call upon a centralized database of preferences for citizens and guests, and predict needs and trends." she began to explain.

"At least, for the drone that would be assisting people. Tending to needs, waiting tables, getting drinks, cleaning, preparing. You know, the basics." she continued. "We use..."

"... a similar system for our military application drones, but I don't think we'd need to simulate any of those." she giggled, in stereo. "But a party sounds fantastic. A celebration of..."

"... cultures, ideas, and society in deep space. The diversity of life in all its forms: Singular, and Binary alike." a pause, "Oh it sounds wonderful."

"Great, I can talk to her about it later." Wulfgar smiled at them both as he picked up his drink. "Humans have a custom called a toast where they cheer something. Usually it's a job well done of luck in a venture. I would like to make a toast to the future most popular holo program." He raised his glass into the air as he spoke.

She gave a pair of smiles, and raised her glasses up to meet his, "To the future, and all that it shines upon."

"Even better!" Wulfgar ecclaimed, grinning as the three glasses clicked and he took a large drink. "Whoa!" He said breathlessly. "Now where were we? Ah yes. The cuisine is the easier of the programming especially if we have an actual sample to insert into the computer. Can you cook?" He smiled, his eyes drawn up to look into two pairs of crystal blue eyes.

"Who, me? No nono, I can barely fabricate, nevermind actually cook." she giggled, clearly amused. "But I can certainly eat. We can try and try and keep trying until..."

"... we get it right. Either that or I blow a few rations to get the recipes. Not afraid to do that if it means home food." It was so odd to admire them. They were identical in every regard. Their eyes were the same dazzle, their fur had the same sheen. Everything.

Wulfgar shook his head to clear it. "If you can get the recipes, I'm sure Jane can cook it. Then you can sample it until it's right." He looked back down embarrassed as he realized he had been staring at them. "Would you like to ask her or would you like me to propose the idea to her?" He asked as he buried himself with gathering his various PADDs.

"Whoever sees her next." She offered with a pair of smirks. "But I always welcome a chance to chat with..."

"... new friends. Everyone in the ship so far is very nice. I must admit, i feel very..."

"... safe and welcome here." A pause, "Both are very important to..."

"... a Dalacari."

Wulfgar looked up and smiled. "The same can be said about humans as well. We crave to feel safe and welcome." He said as he slid the remainder of his drink away. "I think I've had enough to drink." He was almost drunk by now and thankfully he had gathered his PADDs, the one with the plans for the holo program on top, together. "Is there any other ideas you can think of to add?" He asked.

"Nothing that jumps out, but if something does spring to mind I'll know who to get in touch with." a nod from the pair, and she motioned with her glasses towards Wulfgar. "But thank you for the company, and certainly..."

"... thank you for the chat. But, hey before you go, I have a question." each form looked from side to side before leaning in slightly. "Who do I pay for the drinks?"

"I mean, I know it's fabricated. WE use fabricators, but I brought enough Seventy Six to cover my expenses for a bit. Is it the honor system? Do we leave it with..."

"... the tender on the way out? I ... I didn't want to mess up tradition on the ship."

Wulfgar laughed. "Star fleet doesn't use currency like most of the galaxy does. Onboard a Federation ship, its free." He stood up and smiled. He was a bit unsteady on his feet as he picked up his PADDs. "You don't need money just be part of the crew."

She joined in his laugh after a moment, "Oh that's so weird, but I mean if that's how it is, more Seventy Six for me. Maybe I can have it credited back? Send it home for the folks. Can't really..."

"... work on the eBit exchange so... sorry, rambling. Though still, it's useful as a mineral but, I can worry about that later. Are you alright? Need a hand getting..."

"... to your quarters, or wherever you're off to?" she was a little concerned for his stagger. Subjective gravity, must have been. Or at least, that's what she'd say if questioned about it later.

Wulfgar stood up straighter and smiled at them. "To be escorted by such lovely creatures as yourself would be an honor." He said. "I just need to make it to my quarters. A rest should do me some good."

One of them held up a finger, while the other opened her mouth to speak. After a moment, "I'm not a creatures, just a ... oh, you know what, don't worry. Let's just get you back safe." the pair stood, with one of her forms moving next to Wulfgar to support him, "So just lean on me and..."

"... then tell me where we're all going." it was odd to hear the one that wasn't supporting him speak now, since she was in front of them. "Don't worry, I can take the weight."

It felt true. Sure she felt soft, but she felt steady. She did mention Dalacari had a higher gravity than standard.

Wulfgar chuckled. "I meant that as a compliment my dear friends. I basically was saying that it would be an honor to be escorted by such lovely ladies as yourselves." He leaned against the one and smiled at the other. "Do you feel each other's pain when you get hurt?" He asked as they started walking.

She gave a pair of smiles, "Don't you worry, I know you meant no harm." she offered, "And yeah, if I get hurt, I know which form got hurt and I feel the pain across both. I share every sensation, every perception, every..."

"... sense. It's why Dalacari don't like violence, really. We feel it harder than most."

"I would imagine." Wulfgar stated as they walked. "I must apologize if I seem.... Nosy about you. I'm just curious about you and your race as I'm sure your curious about humans."

Those smiles never left her faces, "There's nothing to apologize for. Curiosity is an endearing trait, and while it's gotten us into a lot of trouble over the years, it's also helped us out more than anything..."

"... else at our disposal. It led us to stumble upon our closest allies, which lead to the Three Dawns Accord, which lead to, well, pretty much an age of prosperity."

"So please, don't ever apologize for being curious. We're incredibly curious about you, just as you are about us. Curiosity put my feet on this ship." she pointed out as she walked down the halls, tail gently swishing from side to side with each step.

"Truer words were never said." Wulfgar chuckled. They had gone down a turbolift and been walking down a corridor as they spoke. "Ah, here we are ladies, 'tis my quarters." He shifts his weight on his feet until he's able to stand steady. He reached a hand out and takes the hand of the one he had leaned upon. He raised it up and leaned down, kissing her knuckles. He then turned to the other and repeated the same movements.

"Such a gentleman." she commented, and she helped keep him steady until he was one foot into his quarters. "You've been safely delivered, and are in good care." something of a rite there, it sounded like a phrase that was often repeated.

"I don't know what humans use to cure alcohol's effects, so I will simply say... do that, and if you need anything, to give me a call." a pause, "Otherwise, good night, and..."

"... rest well, my friend."

"And you two my friends. I'll contact you later for those holos." Wulfgar said as the door slid shut. He turned and looked into the quiet barracks style quarters he shared with two other engineers. It was too quiet, he thought.

She lingered until the door slid shut, and then for a few seconds longer just to make sure she didn't hear a *thud* or anything. Convinced that he was home, and safe, Vespa padded off towards her own quarters. He was certainly a nice guy. Shame he was Single.

Ensign Wulfgar Duergar
Engineering Officer

Lt. JG Vespa Kale
Science Officer