Posted by Ensign Sharah Fayth (Science Officer) in Side Sim - 17/18 Forward - Early morning duty

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Eve (Engineering Officer) in Side Sim - 17/18 Forward - Early morning duty

Posted by Ensign Sharah Fayth (Science Officer) in Side Sim - 17/18 Forward - Early morning duty
[snip]

OOC: As the pedantic maker of the Mythology I’m offended (Joking obviously!) that you call our luxurious 17/18 Forward a weee little ‘mess hall’ :P

You know what the sensation of tiredness just awaken is, you feel already bored, already out of energy but indeed you do just need a good cup of tea and some paperwork that everything get in place and you feel the kick to start the day. So it was this the setting that found Guy in the mess hall earlier in the morning when on Earth the sun would have raised up only a couple of hours later. The chillness of the space, the rumble of the engines. Pancakes and tea, Guy was alone among his thoughts and ideas not expecting to meet anyone else at that time “Ensign Roy does have familiar problems…” he tapped his pen on the table “Need an anti-depressant prescription? It seems yes.” A sip and a bite and again the tip was writing something on his fancy paper sheet notebook.

Lieutenant Freeman, Guy - Chief Counselor Officer

CockRoach

Eve did not understand the sensation of lingering tiredness when clawing one’s way out of a heavy sleep. Eve did not sleep. Therefore she also did not wake. Which made it all the more surprising that, as the android entered the lounge and replicated for herself an empty cup, every circuit and conduit in her synthetic body appeared exhausted.

Spotting the Counselor, she slowly shuffled over to him and flopped into a chair then for a few moments mimicked drinking from her empty cup in silence. Then, with great effort she shifted her focus to her companion and spoke, in an emotionless, monotone voice, “Good morning, Counselor. How are you today?”

• Eve (Eng)

That voice.. The counsellor gasped confused “Eve?” Turning around and taking off his sight from the stars, Guy had looked for the feminine, neutral-feeling voice and found that it was indeed Eve. He really didn’t expected anyone to come, but somehow that someone was Eve “Morning… Eve? I’m fine thanks, I was compiling some paper works and stuff… you know counsellor duty. It sucks but it must be done.” he raised a brow “may you tell me what you’re doing this early in this beautiful lounge?”

OOC: wink wink Problem solved, Captain!

“I am…” the android appeared to hesitate, as if struggling to identify the correct response, “…having breakfast.”
As if to prove her point, she lifted the empty cup and mimicked drinking from it.

Sharah entered the lounge the next morning. The day before had been long and she’d forgotten to turn on the delta waves before she fell asleep. She’d woken up some time in the middle of the night, her head hurting. She’d turned them on then and done some meditation techniques while they began to work. The headache was gone now, but she was a bit sleep deprived. She had also been disappointed to not have gotten a reply back from Joseph yet, until she realized the time difference had changed from what it had been on Europa. So she put that out of her mind. She had three arboretums to check on that day, and it was going to be another long day to go through everything.

She headed over to the replicator and ordered a very cold glass of water and yogurt with fruit. She didn’t want a heavy breakfast this morning. She turned looking for a table. She saw Lt. Freeman and decided she should at least say hello. She knew, from personal experience, that sometimes people avoided doctors because they were afraid the doctors would only harp on one’s health. She was sure the concept carried over to counselors as well. And since she’d never worried about talking to a counselor she didn’t mind engaging them socially if the situation arose. She began to approach the Lt when she noticed his companion, who wasn’t ‘there.’ Nothing, absolutely nothing: no thoughts, no emotions. The woman, based on appearance, was nothing but empty space, and Sharah was fascinated. She walked over to the table. “Good morning Lt. Freeman,” she turned to his companion, “Good morning, Lt.”
En Fayth, Science - Botanist

IC: The second voice turned Guy even more weirded than before. He couldn’t help but to sigh to his chill morning work and focus more on social interactions at which he wasn’t really that good. Nodding at the Ensign, Guy rotated his chair so he could stay comfortable and greeted properly Fayth who was coming toward their table “Ensign Fayth…” he cleared his voice and left on the table the cup he was drinking from “You too? I guess people today are having rough time sleeping uh?” he checked again the time to be sure he wasn’t confusing 5AM with the 8AM, a more reasonable time period when more officers gathered In the lounge “Anyway, Ensign Fayth, Lieutenant Eve. A friend I would say.” He looked at the synth “She’s pretty much my best friend…” he presented her.

Lieutenant Freeman, Guy - Chief Counsellor Officer

“I do not sleep,” Eve commented.

But Freeman’s description of her as a ‘best friend’ activated something laying dormant in the neural network of the android and, for a brief moment, her inner turmoil at the loss of her baby was forgotten. Turning her head towards Guy, a brief yet brilliant smile flashed across her lips, before she shifted focus to the woman and stated in a voice more reminiscent of her usual, musical tone, “Greetings, Ensign Fayth. I am Eve. Myself and Lieutenant Freeman are best friends.”

Sharah looked at him a bit confused. “Trouble sleeping, Sir? OH the early hour. I’m usually up this early. It’s quiet at this time of the day. And have I have a lot of work to get started on today.” And of course she always had trouble sleeping, but last night had been better than she had anticipated. She turned to Eve, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Lt.” She thought it was nice that the counselor had someone on board to consider a best friend. She hadn’t been there long enough to miss Ashlyn yet, but she was sure she would. Ashlyn had been as quirky as she was and they understood each other. She had a brief consideration that she might do to her quarters here what she they had done on Europa–turning her quarters into a mini parkour course. She glanced down at the ring on her hand and smiled. It wouldn’t be long, just another wait time, before she and Joseph would be able to be on the same ship together. The thought made her smile. “I won’t interrupt, further. Have a good day Lieutenants.” Sharah turned trying to decide on a table.
En Fayth, Science - Botanist

Eve was confused at the woman’s sudden departure and internally questioned whether she, herself, was the cause. Had she spoken something inappropriate or unkind? Had she failed to make the woman feel welcome? Or perhaps it was nothing that Eve had said but the very nature of Eve herself? And in that moment her greatest, most primal fear began to cascade through her framework on a neverending loop. It was because she was a synth. That was the reason Ensign Fayth had left their table. That was the reason her baby, Jaberwock, had abandoned her. Because in matters such as this the technological complexity of her neural net was irrelevant, her capability for continual self-learning immaterial. She would never be like them. She would never, ever fit in.

“Forgive me,” she spoke to the world at large, in a voice loud enough for Fayth also to hear.

• Eve (Eng)

Sharah turned around at the forgive me, and looked at Eve. She could feel nothing from her but she recognized the tone of voice. She’d often heard that tone in her own voice. The feeling of never being accepted for who she was. The tone pulled at Sharah and she sat down at the table, uninvited, and reached over to place one hand over Eve’s. She wasn’t sure if she was expecting to actually feel something or not, but she did not. “What ever do you feel you need forgiveness for? You have not done anything wrong.” Sharah felt her own self doubt bubbling up. She’d done something, offended the woman probably, she’d been trying to not invade Eve and Freeman’s morning conversation and she had offended the woman.
En Fayth, Science - Botanist

“I do not apologise for doing wrong,” Eve sought to clarify. “I apologise for being wrong. My creation, my existence, all of it is…wrong. Or so many people appear to believe.”

Eve’s words hit Sharah like a pallet of bricks to the chest. She didn’t need to be empathic to understand the soul crushing loneliness and struggle against judgement that Eve was expressing. She stared directly into Eve’s eyes, and squeezing her hand, “There is nothing wrong with being different, don’t be afraid.” Sharah repeated to Eve exactly what Joseph had said to her, that very first time she met him.

She paused and sipped at her imaginary coffee, the way she had often observed others to do when requiring a conversational break for internal assessment. Then, in that same monotone, emotionless tone, she added, “I know that my kind have…been bad. I know they have given people much reason to hate and to fear them. And since I can not evaluate each rogue synthetic’s programming in turn, I am unable to offer any explanation for their actions or promise that the same capability is not also within my programming.”

“There are others like me who have done very bad things, Eve. I am not just telepaths, I am so much more. I was told I was sick, but I discovered,” and she smiled. There was no discovery to it, she’d been told, and Joseph made her believe it. “That I’m not sick, and I’m not wrong. And I’m going to tell you Eve, you are NOT wrong or broken. You are made as you were meant to be. You must not judge yourself by what others have done. You are one person and you are only responsible for yourself.” It would not occcur to her, but those closest to her, would be both proud and surprised by the confidence she was showing that was so unlike how Sharah normally was.

The android looked at the woman’s hand on her own, longing in that moment for the ability to pause her social evaluation routine, even for one singular second in time, so that she could enjoy this act of friendship. But she possessed no such ability.

“I would understand, if you were afraid of me,” Eve stated. “I understand why Jaberwock was afraid of me.”

• Eve (Eng)

“I am not afraid of you, Eve. You’ve done nothing to make me feel that way.” She glanced at the counselor, what or who was Jaberwock? Eve might be a synth but she was hurting. It clicked in her mind that her bid to give the two best friends privacy had hurt Eve’s feelings. Turning back to Eve, “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Eve. You are so lucky to have a best friend on board. I just wanted to let you spend time with your friend. I miss my best friend, and not getting to eat breakfast with her. But you are fascinating person, Eve, and I would very much like to be your friend. You have a lot of challenges most people could never begin to understand. I want you to know that being friend is not going to be one of them. I am ready to welcome you with open arms.” Miranda had said almost exactly the same to her, and it had shocked her and made her feel, like part of her family. She really should write to her and see how she and Mark were doing. She couldn’t wait to get back to Earth to visit them again. She glanced down at the ring on her hand, and it brought a smile to her face, and a wonderful memory.

She looked at the counselor again. She wasn’t sure what else to say to Eve. “You are a remarkable person, Eve, no matter how you came to be. And if the counselor says you are his best friend, then you must be a very special individual.”
En. Fayth, Science - Botanist

“Wow.” Guy in the meanwhile stood aside this dramatic moment “Are you good, Eve?” He took his papers and the tea to move closer to the android. Although her synthetic manufacture, the man could not really see any problems with Eve. She was the closest thing he could consider to a real friend. And she was an android “You know, not every time a person ignores you means you’ve hurt her or him. Do you have any problems? You can tell me, you know…” he looked over Fayth and made a curious face.

Lieutenant Freeman, Guy - Chief Counselor Officer