Away Team: To The Forum We Go [2/2]

Posted on Sat Nov 14th, 2026 @ 12:52pm by Commander Cornelius 'Kit' Hanlon & Lieutenant B'Lakkam Slichez & Lieutenant Xey & Lieutenant JG Lovisa Montague

1,588 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Behind the Curtain
Location: Selo, Apsloe
Timeline: Day 1

Continued from part 1

Lovisa smiled bashfully, colour on her cheeks at the compliment she wasn't used to hearing. "I would love to wear such beautiful clothing. We...do not have any of your currency to trade though," she could only be honest.

"You do not need any, it is a gift," the stall owner said and smiled, before looking over at Xey. "Your spots are remarkable...how far down do they go?"

And now the continuation

Sensations continued to wash over Xey as the sounds, scents and sights of the marketplace flooded the Science Officer in a kaleidoscope of input, and the experiences were almost euphoric; the threshold to each were very different from their previous lives - some now in sharper relief, some oddly muted but with a different emphasis; it was glorious, comforting, and Xey took a small moment to spin, arms outstretched, in unshackled joy at it all.

Wait.. What?

That train of inward critique was immediately set aside as they were addressed by a nearby stall operator who had overhead the conversation with Lt Montague, being offered a very sweet gift of gorgeous fabric. Well, of [i]course[/i] the question was about the spots - whenever were they not? But that oft-raised query never bothered Xey, they found any curiosity about themselves an honour and delight, not to mention the inherent fun in the tease. Forumating a sentence, Xey relayed just how far down they reached-

-which came out as a short, sharp puff of air through the nose and a small giggle as punctuation.

This time, Xey frowned for a microsecond at this tiny, uncontrolled outburst, before stammering a revised, spicy reply. "Only as far as is fabulous".

B'Lakkam blinked several times when he heard the stall owner talking to Xey. Did the Fenrir stumble into a culture that was nearly Risian in nature? First him with Laietta and now this random stall owner with Xey. Something tickled at the back of the Blue Orion's brain, but what was it?

The moment with the stallowner passing, Xey returning their attention to the environs around them. The Science Officer's natural curiosity vied for dominance in their perceptions, and a hand moved to the tricorder on their hip; a few little *giggle* scans should be fine, surely? After all, there was an odd...

...odd...

Their train of thought easily wandered off, and their hand lifted from the path it was destined, fingertips brushing, but not grasping, the instrument. It was hardly necessary. It could wait. This was no time to be hasty. They were just so relaxed, and it would be a shame to ruin it with needless labour.

Xey took a deep inhale, and spent the next few seconds putting the scents into fun categories.

The first shout came from somewhere beyond the stalls, loud enough to carry across the square despite there only being a handful of voices behind it. "No more harvesting!"

Laietta's head turned sharply towards the sound. The warmth in her expression did not disappear entirely, but something in her amber eyes changed as several Apsloens came into view between the pillars, perhaps no more than six or seven of them. "Our minds are our own!" another shouted, joined by a few others as they moved towards the open space around the central platform. Around the market, the reaction was immediate. Stall owners began gathering loose items from their counters, folding fabrics away and lifting smaller displays beneath them, while several of the Guardians straightened and moved towards the edge of the square. None had drawn weapons, but the ease had gone from their posture.

Laietta watched the small group for another moment, her face composed but her eyes cold, before she turned back towards the Starfleet officers. "Come," she said, the warmth returning to her voice even if it did not quite reach her expression. Her hand gestured towards the colonnade they had entered through. "There is much more of Selo I would like you to see."

Kit looked towards the small group, his brow furrowing slightly. "Harvesting?" he repeated, more puzzled than alarmed despite the word itself. He glanced towards the stall owners packing away their goods and then the Guardians moving across the square, something about the reaction bothering him more than he could quite put his finger on. He felt he should have questions but none formed...like a puff of smoke he felt the spike pf adrenaline slip away.

Well, that was definitely interesting, B'Lakkam mused. Harvesting? Minds being their own? Certainly they're not doing brainwashing on their people, are they? The Blue Orion counselor tried to laugh the thought out of his mind. Would they? Could they have done that to the first contact group? The report was rather sparse. Once again, he shook his head. That seemed rather farfetched. He would have to discuss this matter with Laietta more when they were alone.

The disturbance also caused the Science Officer to turn to the sound of raised voices, and inwardly a chorus of personalities vied for attention within the psychological gestalt. The ensemble, all one and many, struggled through a thick fog of consciousness to be heard, and yet continued to be nothing more than an inner monologue of the being known as Xey. A flood of experience and reactions clawed at what amounted to a transparent aluminum wall between action and contented detachment, and Xey pinched the bridge of their nose as a small headache began to manifest. Nothing a little hydrocortilene couldn't cure, of course.

The distraction of this ailment put the recent protestations to the back of their mind, and the Trill nodded as their gracious host offered a further tour of their culture.

Lovisa nodded absently to Laietta, walking slowly up the steps to follow their host. But her gaze drifted back towards the heckling group...that was already growing in size. She watched as they grew bolder, moving further in...silk banners rising with a language she didn't understand and their voices growing louder with it.

"Laietta," B'Lakkam started, noticing the crowd move further in towards them. "Can you tell me the source of these people's discontent?"

Laietta looked around, her eyes wide with something...not fear. But for a moment there was a harshness there. "They object to the beauty of this world, the safety," she said before she looked over at the steps. "We should walk on."

"It seems a peaceful protest," Kit said, blinking for a moment as he watched, seeing the banners...and the universal translator seemed to glitch, not catching what they were saying. He touched the combadge with mild irritation.

B'Lakkam considered what Laietta answered. Something seemed wrong about that. Who would object to beauty? But safety.... Do they feel they're living in a gilded cage? One that restricts freedom? If so, that would be a serious problem. He started to walk towards the protesters to see if he could learn anything more. He recognized that this was a risk, but learning anything was what they were there to do and Laietta's annoyance only made him more curious.

The protesters started chanting together, arms linked. Some had their golden hair flowing free, not set up into any particular fashion, while others wore theirs in beautiful curls piled on their head. Their voices rose and Kit frowned briefly, the sound reminding him of a warp core with a resonance problem. Then he felt his jaw unclench and his shoulders relax and the thought fled him.

Laietta's lips pressed together as she turned to the away team, looking at them all. "Come, the guardians will make sure this...is contained," she said, before turning and with her head lifted, started walking past the protesters, clearly expecting the away team to follow.

B'Lakkam paused after turning around, Laietta's words reminding him that this was a domestic matter. But wasn't he supposed to be doing something with the protesters? He scratched his cheek absentmindedly. "Of course, Laietta. I am sorry," he found himself apologizing. "You did say that you had more to show us...."

Laietta nodded, casting an eye back before she led them up the stairs, past the people demonstrating. Her shoulders relaxed as the great doors opened, showing the inside of the halls. "Come, it is quieter here," she assured them, her voice softening.

B'Lakkam noticed Laietta starting to relax. He wondered what made her worry. Perhaps she just needed a massage. He could help with that, if she wanted.

The pain in Xey's head increased by every passing minute, and they rubbed their eyes in an effort to alleviate it. It wasn't evident from where it was truly radiating, but the Trill supposed it was from the host, rather than itself communicating discomfort to the physical form more attuned with such matters. Well, that and it didn't have a head to ache, per se...

Pushing through, the Science Officer refocused upon the interaction between B'Lakkam and Laietta, pleased to hear they were now being directed to somewhere quieter. It would hopefully give them some breathing space and, with any luck, clarity enough to do some actual 'science-ing' away from the hustle and bustle that was surely the cause of their distracting malady.

=========

OFF:

Lieutenant B'Lakkam Slichez
Chief Counselor
USS Fenrir

Lieutenant Xey
Chief Science Officer
USS Fenrir

Lieutenant JG Lovisa Montague
Science Officer
USS Fenrir
[PNPC Blake]

Commander Kit Hanlon
First Officer
USS Fenir

Laietta
Apsloen government
[played by Hanlon]

 

RSS Feed