Meeting the Deputy and Department Heads - ACSO

Posted on Tue Oct 5th, 2021 @ 2:45pm by Major Naomi Sylan Griffiths & Lieutenant JG Vespa Kale

Mission: Season Two - Incidentals
Location: Science Lab Two

[ON]

After finishing up in what she had to do, Naomi decided that she should attempt to make nice and get to know the Fleet Officers on the ship, as she was the only marine she felt that she was given a wide berth due to her green shirt, it seems everyone thought that all Marines were jarheads, granted some were, but not her, so it was up to her to show them that she was not like the other marines. Naomi decided to meet a Lieutenant Kale, she had seen her on duty but had yet to actually meet her in person, as it was a quiet moment she located a Lieutenant Vespa Kale and headed to Science Lab two.

As she was near Deck One and the Science labs were some levels below it would take her a short amount of time and so she headed to the nearest turbo lift, stepped in and when the doors had closed "Science Labs" she said and she timed the trip the doors opened on her requested level just after the three-minute mark, she was impressed by the smooth running of the turbo lift. Walking away from the lift she made a beeline for lab two and slowed down as she neared the door which just opened she walked straight in hands behind her back "Lieutenant Kale!" She said loudly.

Ever seen someone jump? Double it, and that's a Dalacari. The twin forms were certainly now aware of the visitor, and the pair padded their way over towards the main door. "Oh, Major Griffiths this is a surprise, albeit a welcome one. I was just running an inventory on the department to see what we needed to pick up from Ketram," one spoke, while the other was nose deep in the PaDD she was carrying. Both managed to navigate the Science department without bumping into anything or anyone. Though as the one that was speaking finished, the other one looked up from her PaDD and passed it over to the other body. They switched roles, it seemed.

"I was looking for a chance to talk to you upon my entry to the Pennsylvania roster, but then things got so hectic. I apologize." a pause, "How can I help?"

Looking at the pair "forgive me, it will take me some time to get used to talking to a binary pair where the other finishes the other sentence, so if I give strange looks on occasion, I do not mean to be rude or nasty, it is just new to me and that is the reason as to why I am here, I may be a MArine, but I am also the First Officer and I should get to know the Heads and their Deputies of each department" Griffiths said.

Vespa listened, ears perked and both attentions now rested on Griffiths. The full attention of a Dalacari was something that you could almost feel. There was an importance to the moment that a Dalacari focused their total notice on. "Oh, I .. sorry I don't even realize I'm doing it sometimes. It's a focus shift, happens as a reflex." she commented, "There are a rare few that can hold the shift..."

"... off for almost a full conversation, but that's not my talent." the pair giggled, "So, I'll try to keep all of me as close to one point as possible to help everyone keep track..."

"... of the conversation. I know, and really every Dalacari knows... or at least can sympathize. Being Single can't be easy." a pause, "Oh Dia that sounded so..."

"... racist I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean it like that, just.. I mean, we're working on some new terms to be more Culturally Appropriate." she took a breath, across both forms, and then let it out.

"Hello, I'm Vespa Kale. Two mouths, four feet, and they meet often. I'm pleased to meet you." she said with a pair of smiles. No teeth though. "A Marine? I figured there was a..."

"... reason behind the different colour of your uniform. That's fascinating. We don't have Marines, well not anymore. Not for a long time, really. If we have any need..."

"... for them, we enlist the aid of our allies." a pause, "Otherwise, we just use drones."

Looking at the pair "so when I am talking to you, do I concentrate on one of you or both of you? I only ask as I would not want to insult without meaning to" She asked.

Vespa couldn't help but giggle, "See, now there's the interesting question. To your perspective, I'm two bodies. To my perspective, I'm a complete Dalacari." she started, "So it'd be hard for me to tell you..."

"... where to put your focus, just like if I were to ask you which hand you'd want me to pay attention to. As long as you're looking at, I guess the proper answer..."

"... is, one of me, then we're okay. I can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell across what you'd consider 'Both' of my forms, and I'm aware of which one is..."

"... which. It's weird to explain. Like trying to describe that weird feeling when you hit your elbow on the counter just right, to someone without elbows."

Through it all, she wore smiles. "It'd be hard to offend us since we as a people understand how unusual we are to each other. As long as your curiosity is genuine, and your mistakes are not intentional."

"Understood, but I find it fascinating the only other time I have encountered such a symbiosis was with a species called the Binars, I never met any personally, but I read the reports on the Enterprise-D's first encounter with them, it made for some interesting reading, I take it your species are naturally linked mentally?" She asked, "as the Binars were linked via mechanical implant from a young age" she finished.

She gave a pair of smiles, "You know, I've read up on them too. Poor souls, but they're heading in the right direction. They'll get there someday." a pause, "Oh, just would be nice..."

"... to meet another binary instance species. Or at least be there when they finish, and welcome them. They're gonna have tons of questions," she said, so enthusiastic at the concept. "But, more on that later." she shook her head.

"We evolved from swarm predators. Nasty little lanky things form a kind of cloud empathy with each other. You sneak up on one, and the whole pack responds." she illustrated as best she could with the hands of one of her forms. Only one form, though. "When one of them finds food, the whole pack jumps. It's kinda terrifying to watch," she admitted.

"Over time, they got smarter, and as they did the pack got smaller until it settled on a pack of two: Modern Dalacari, Dalacaris Duocorperus Unanimo."

"Sound like it is a form of the hive mind, except evolved to the point where you finish each other sentences, an interesting evolution you have there, there are insects on earth called Ants the Scientific name for them is Formicidae, you might find the reading interesting as they have a similar trait as to what you mentioned about if one knows the rest know," Griffiths said.

She made a 'bleh' face. "Bugs? Bleh. Yeah yeah I know I know, masters of the ecosystem true rulers of any world they land upon yadda, yadda. Don't like 'em." she shook her head.

"Though I think you may be overstating the connection, and don't worry, it's a weird concept for Single Instance Life to wrap around. Okay so, hmmm... okay so we're..."

"... not a hive mind, we're certainly not the Borg, Dia forbid." she giggled, "Dalacari are... okay, so close your eyes. I'm gonna try something that might help." the pair stood single file, so one was right behind the other.

"By eliminating the notion of what you see, it may help you better understand what a Dalacari is. I finish my sentences because they're my sentences. There's not two..." her focus shifted to the twin behind her, "... Dalacari here. There's one complete Dalacari, two parts of the same whole. I.. am Vespa Kale."

"I'm one complete soul too big for one body. I'm a mind that spans between two brains. I'm an idea that needs two mouths to express. I'm... running out of cute..."

"... ways to describe it. You can open your eyes now." and the pair stepped back to each other's side. "You see two beings, so you assume two beings. I'm challenging that perception right now." she offered with a pair of smiles.

"I'm terrible at describing it because I've lived it my whole life and I actually have a very little notion as to how *you* perceive the world. So, it's a learning curve..."

"... for both of us. You and me. Well, you *all* and me. Us. Okay, hold on let me get my foot out of my mouth." she giggled again. "Did that help?"

Naomi nodded "It did a little, I never pretended to fully understand species that do things differently from others, I accept them for who they are personally and then worry if I might be insulting them without knowing it, while you both are separate, you are also one being, I will treat you as one person but be mindful that you have two bodies and one mind," she said and paused a moment.

"I am curious though, how do Dacalari survive if they lose their twin, if at all? Can your people survive with just one body?" Griffiths asked generally curious.

"I appreciate that. Just, please don't split me up. That's really all I ask. If we have to evacuate, plan for two seats. If we take a shuttle, room for two please." the Dalacari informed the Major.

"Now, as for your question. We used to call it being rendered Single, but with cultural sensitivity being at an all-time high trend, the Bureau of Medical Practice and..."

"... Wellbeing renamed it being Stranded, and it's the most terrible condition a Dalacari can suffer from. The loss of a twin is devastating. It leaves the survivor confused..."

"... withdrawn, possibly even violent. We offer them the greatest courtesy of care and work to accommodate their limited capacity to enjoy Dalacari life. Those affected..."

"... rarely rejoin Dalacari society, and either live out the rest of their lives in assisted living facilities or request assisted sanctioning. It's..." she paused. It wasn't a shift, just an emotional moment. "It's a lifelong death sentence."

"We've tried several alternative medication techniques, bonding methods, we've even considered calling in telepaths to see if anything can bridge the gap." She just shook her head.

Nodding in understanding "that is sad indeed, if I had a twin-like you, I would be a basket case as I do not like what goes through my head as it is, to have another with a shared or similar connection would likely drive me crazier" Griffiths said with a laugh then sobered up "still I have to marvel of the kind of bond Dacalari share, I have to admit it is quite an interesting trait" she said kindly "but noted on the two seats on a shuttle" she added then had a random thought.

Looking at the Dacalari "in regards to the Dacalari losing a twin bit, has a bio implant been considered, A.I. is far advanced and if both of the Dacalari copy their beings into such devices then have those devices in a secured place until they are required, has that method been thought of or considered?" Griffiths asked.

"Why thank you." the pair said in unison. "I happen to think my twin is my strongest trait. But don't say that out loud." she giggled. "Man that felt weird to say." she paused to somewhat get herself back in focus. "Calling attention to the part of me..."

"... is, well, about as weird as asking which of your feet is your favourite," she explained with a smile. "There was a consideration a while back, like maybe a hundred years..."

"... or so, in regards to a therapy to connect Stranded Dalacari to a Thinking Engine to see if that could ease the strain. Oh, umm, Thinking Engines don't actually THINK, they..."

"... PREDICT. They're vast, interconnected quantum computers that we use to run our drones and run the acclimation systems that, well, help Dalacari everywhere." she paused, as her focus shifted, "The experiment was listed as an absolute failure, and the research was archived. Though, an interesting topic you bring up. A.I..."

"... research is actually banned on Dalacar, and indeed in any Dalacari facility."

Looking sad "that has to suck, and final for Dacalari if one twin is lost, it is a sad thing when such promising avenues are not allowed for various reasons, si I take it when a Dacalari pair apply for service that could mean the loss of one or both, I assume it is considered brave or honourable?" she asked.

Every time Griffiths said 'pair', it made Vespa giggle ever so slightly. "Sorry." she'd always say. In the end, though, she considered the questions. "Okay so first, I know the reasons why. The Ts'usugi asked us not to engage in AI research because they know first hand what happens when it goes bad." she paused, her focus shifting, "And on an average Dalacari craft, Drones outnumber Dalacari possibly six to one."

"In a city, it's twenty-two to one." she paused, letting that sink in. "Now, we don't really have a deep sense of..."

"... honour, or prestige. I mean there's good grades, good job, happy life yes. But we don't really rank ourselves above one another like that. So it's wasn't honour that had..."

"... me step foot on a Dalacari deep exploration vessel, it was curiosity. We delegate all our menial tasks to drones so that we're free to pursue our desires. I wanted to..."

"... see more of the cosmos, so I applied myself, went to school, yadda yadda, you know the rest. Now, stepping foot off of that nice, safe, secure, familiar starship and coming..."

"... onboard a starship of aliens from the other side of existence, singular life the entire way, probably the most reckless move of my life. I'm in so much MORE danger here..."

"... then I was on my other ship BUT, I have no regrets. I know that I'm safe here, don't worry. Well as safe as anyone can be in space." she paused to collect her thoughts.

"I guess, on a social level, doing a recklessly dangerous thing because you want to is something like honour. I don't really recall the historical studies too much. Sorry, I was..."

"... more focused on the future than the past while in school." she offered a pair of smiles. "Dalacari usually don't do 'Brave'. We do 'Safe'."

Nodding in some understanding, "safe is good got nothing against being safe, so to clarify if not using your rank or name how would I refer to you?" She asked a puzzled look on her face.

"In the singular. I'm a 'She', not a 'They'. Oh, oh I meant, I'm a.." and then she got flustered. "I know there are people out there that prefer being called 'They' due to..."

"... personal identity considerations. I didn't mean anything against that. I just meant I'm not a plurality." she quickly covered her bases, Dia's knees now she felt bad. "Okay so, yeah, just 'She' or 'Her' is..."

"... perfect. And how do you prefer to be addressed outside of name?" she inquired.

Naomi smiled "so-referred to as she or your name got it, as to your question, when on duty Major, or Major Griffiths but off duty Naomi is fine" Griffiths answered with a smile.

Vespa responded in kind, a pair of smiles, "Very well Major. It's been fantastic to actually get to meet you, and to get to actually talk to an actual Marine." she sounded excited about that prospect. "But if you'll..."

"... excuse me, I do have a few projects on my plate - Business and Personal, mind you. That fifth state condensate doesn't freeze itself, you know." she giggled, a science joke.

"Stop by anytime, doors are always open. Unless they're locked, then it's an emergency, and don't open them without knocking first."

Looking quizzically at Vespa at the geek talk "okay, have to make my rounds anyway so I will leave you in peace, nice talking to you Lieutenant Kale" Griffiths said giving a little wave and a smile as she left the Science lab.

[OFF]