Posted by Lieutenant Wulf Baumann (Armory Chief) in Captain’s Mess with Guests

Posted by Captain Arialla Bovar (Captain) in Captain’s Mess with Guests

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Alison Barr (Chief Science Officer) in Captain’s Mess with Guests
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
“And you are all individual minds? You speak for all but are not all?” Bane asked the Captain. “We have heard of .. others like you spanning the stars again.” His head tipped to one side. “Mess?”

Glancing at those present, she made her decision quickly. “Baumann…you, Barr, Hudson, and Stovik and T’Leia with me. NE Branson, you have the bridge. Shall we?” She glanced at the others then, still smiling, back to her guest.

Captain Ari Bovar
CO
Ooc… Giggles… They’re sssssoooooo cccoooooolllllll!

“Aye Captain.”Was T’Leia’s only response but it was obvious she was uneasy with their new guest. A collective race? That was even more daunting. Collective races usually liked to collect more…
Stovik nodded though he did not speak. He took a moment from his communication with the Arrha to try and mentally scan Bane again. He pondered how they were to know which set of beings were telling the truth. Until he had more data he could not judge.

It took a second for Alison to look up as the Captain spoke her name. As soon as Bane has appeared on the bridge, she had been engrossed in trying to figure out how he had done it. Was it some sort of transportation? Or were their species able to just leap across short distances in space. Not to mention his species in general. They had only had a brief moment of contact, but there was already so many questions.

“Hmm? Oh right yes Captain.”

Standing up, Alison motioned to her replacement to come over. As the NE approached she lowered her voice and spoke quietly to him. “See what you can find out of how they were able to suddenly appear on the bridge. Anything, anything at all. Okay?”

Backing away, she turned towards the Captain and waited for them to proceed to the mess.

Ltjg Barr - CSO

Baumann nodded in acknowledgement, but remained on the bridge. He wasn’t leaving the Command staff alone with their… guest. He simply waited for the CO and XO to make their way and would follow them.

Baumann, AC

Despite his question of ‘mess?’ earlier he would go with the group to wherever they led him. His gaze did take in a lot of where they went. Along the way he would comment, “Your mode of travel. Is it comfortable?”

Wookiee for Bane

T’Leia and Stovik walked stoically and silently behind the Captain and their ‘guest’ as they exited the bridge.

Commander T’Leia
Healer Stovik
((Moved to Captain’s Mess next to the bridge))

As Ari led the way off the bridge, she was aware of their guest glancing around. She hoped everyone was doing what they were supposed to. If it was the case, she doubted their was much the ‘man’ could glean merely from looking at half lit consoles.

The idea of a collective species seemed intriguing at the outset. It always was, in her opinion, a faster, more efficient way to ‘be’. But when she had explored it more deeply on her own, she didn’t like the idea so much. Humans reveled in individuality and the thought that everyone knew what everyone else knew left little to ‘the imagination’ and thinking out of the box, in her opinion. “In answer to your first question, yes, we think individually. I am the leader on this ship so I speak for us as a group in this situation.” She didn’t go into details about folks like Stovik who could mind meld with some species and think ‘collective like’ with them.

“It is difficult for me to imagine. We are as a collective, and to see all of you as individuals is as seeing a multitude of collectives. It is daunting.”

As he asked about their walking, she nodded. “It suits us. Walking, I mean. As for ‘comfortable’, I suppose it depends on distance and speed. And such comfort levels in those situations are based on the individual.” As she palmed open the door to the mess, she stepped aside to motion Bane in first. “Do all of your kind prefer the less solid manifestation of your kind? Is it difficult for you to be in this form?” She motioned to the humanoid outline he now occupied.

Bane did enter then answered. His gaze took him to his left arm that he held out, bent at the elbow. It looked like it essentially dissolved into a dark gritty gas before reforming. “All matter is made up of small elements with mostly space in between. Taking this form is only slightly different from the natural form that is .. formless?”

Alison nodded as she listened to Bane. Somehow this race had come up with a way to change how much space their body took up, spreading out themselves into a fine mist, or probably able to make themselves very dense. That made sense on how they were able to get through the hull, but she was surprised that the hull plating hadn’t disrupted the link that still connected the cells of their body.

As Bane entered, she would nod to T’Leia and hope the woman understood to keep her guard up. This dual meeting was becoming a bit less ‘fun and unique’ and more ‘confusing and troublesome’. Part of her wished she had remained a mere scientist instead of a Commanding Officer. But then her brain kicked in and she chided herself. This was what she had hoped for. A chance to do all the things a ‘mere scientist’ couldn’t. And here she was!

T’Leia nodded subtly back to the CO, catching her warning glance. She was uneasy as it was with these beings and more concerned by Stovik’s silence as well. She had the feeling that Stovik was finding these beings just as disconcerting.
Stovik stopped and stood slightly behind T’Leia who took a seat at the table, it looked as if he was keeping himself slightly separate from the proceedings as he continued contact with the Arrha.

Commander T’Leia

“Please… have a seat. We do find sitting more ‘comfortable’ than standing and walking.” She smiled and offered one of the seats at the table to her guest.

Capt Ari Bovar
CO

Baumann waited until everyone was seated before he took his own seat near the door.

Baumann, AC

Bane examined the chair as if trying to fathom the use then sat down. As there were others seated on the bridge, it was ‘logical’ to consider that he had learned that way. “We are an old race. Long ago we .. explored. So much of the galaxy was evolving at the time. And you are, I understand, the product of this evolution?”
-Wookiee

‘Product of this evolution....’ This race was long lived enough to consider time in evolutions? That was a bit daunting. What was more daunting was the possibility that this particular entity was long enough lived to be speaking of himself.

T’Leia’s brow raised at this surprising statement and question. If this species had not evolved, what had they done?
“Are you saying that you were here before this evolution, and watched it?” She couldn’t help asking.

Commander T’Leia

As T’Leia voiced her own surprise first, Ari merely sat down and waited to hear the answer. She glanced at the NE cook who stepped in and waved him off with a murmur to stand by for her comm.

Capt Ari Bovar
CO

Alison sat back speechless as she listened. If these aliens were that old, how much had they seen? What sort of secrets could they reveal of the beginnings of the universe, and maybe even of their own past.

Ltjg Barr - CSO

Not wanting to be rude, but already guessing the answer, Ari turned to their guest. “Is there anything you desire for food or drink? If your species consumes anything that way, I mean.” It was obvious she was trying to be polite but also unsure how to do so when all the normal protocols went out the proverbial window.

Capt Ari Bovar
CO

Baumann remained quiet as the conversation took place. He was concerned about how to keep the ship and crew safe should the dialogue turn… hostile.

Baumann, AC

Alison couldn’t stop thinking of the different possibilities of what could be done with a power like that, to change ones density. Especially when you could slip between the atoms of a completely solid object. She wasn’t even sure if this was possible, but here it was, proof right before her. She wondered if it would be possible to get a closer look at their visitor and their technology. It would be an amazing opportunity.

Ltjg Barr - CSO