Posted by Commander Luka (Executive Officer) in XO Meeting Stark

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Stark Nightstalker (Chief Intelligence Officer) in XO Meeting Stark

Posted by Commander Luka (Executive Officer) in XO Meeting Stark
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Oh, this was going to be interesting.

Luka laughed quietly to herself as she stood before the door to the Intelligence Office, home to the CIO of the ship. A Caitian. Stark Nightstalker. A canine and a feline aboard the same ship. Humans might find that amusing. Having spent so much time aboard human vessels, she could see the humor. Luka pressed the chime and waited for Nightstalker to answer.

Luka, XO

A dark voice came from behind her. “I have an office? How intriguing”.

Even darker than the voice a jet black Caitian hove into view. Eyes as black as his fur and with a white slash of hair over one eye from a previous injury, He lifted his hand to his chest and smiled showing sharp canines. His right palm rested on his chest, then extended out in a fluid motion towards Luka. “May your hearts beat strongly, and your love grow wide,” he spoke as he performed the action, then pulled his hand back again, folding his hands in front of himself.

“Did I get that right” he said softly, “I’ve been practicing”.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

White and silver fur mirrored the black of the Caitian, with amber eyes peering out at him. Luka mirrored the gesture and spoke in response, “To you as well, and may your pack stay strong.”

Luka then grinned. “You’re the first of the crew to greet me with my own cultural greeting,” she spoke. “A few humans attempted a handshake. It’s nice to know that some have knowledge of my customs. I am ashamed to admit I am not aware of any traditional greetings from your culture,” she added.

“I am Commander Lukagu, your new Executive Officer. But you can just call me Luka. Or Commander if we have to look professional,” she spoke with a smile. Her voice was deeper than one would expect of a female, but soft and friendly in tone.

Luka, XO

He smiled, his eyes and nose scrutinizing everything about her as was his custom”No need to feel shame over Caitian greetings, there’s little on record and the noise you have to make while doing it is near impossible without a Caitian voice box anyway, most of us are happy with a short stiff bow. S’Raal my nephew would talk your ear off for hours on the subject if you let him, he’s rather old fashioned and likes to keep the old ways alive”.

“I’d love to try,” she chuckled, giving a small bow to the CIO. She overdid the bow a little, just for fun. It was no use being overly stiff or formal with the rest of the senior staff - any ship would be boring as hell without friends, and being overly stiff and formal was the opposite of the right move for making friends.

Leading them into a spartan office with two rather the worse for wear leather chairs, he motioned for her to sit and sank himself down fluidly into the chair that was obviously his. “Your species holds more mysteries than answers in the records as well and being as my job is intel you’ll have to pardon me if I do my utmost to uncover all I can in that regard”. His dark eyes narrowed appraisingly “I love a good mystery, but in deference to your rank and file I’m willing to forgo my natural curiosity for a moment and ask if there’s anything you’d like to ask me?” He steepled his paws and sank back a bit in the chair producing a popping sound from one of his many vertebrae awaiting whatever question might surface, if any.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Luka followed Stark into the office, seeing the chair he did not claim and sinking comfortably down into it. She noted the… well-worn aspect of the chairs, but they seemed relatively comfortable. “I’m mysterious, am I?” she spoke with a light chuckle. “I don’t think there’s anything in particular that I’m curious about. Not that I can think of at this exact moment, at least. Go ahead and ask whatever you want. I will answer to the best of my ability,” she said with a small smile. One of her legs crossed over the other and she tapped her toes against the floor a few times.

Luka, XO

Stark paused a moment before asking any of the myriad of questions he always had about anything. He’d already assessed many of her strength’s and weaknesses, which were few, as a species as was his custom as a predator with a predators mind set. The more civilised part of him, which was small, recognised her ingenuousness as well which seemed natural, and only slightly calculated, so he responded with what was, to him, a more personal question.

“Do you and Mukin hunt together?”

Stark Nightstalker CIO

She tilted her head slightly. He not only was aware of the presence of her pet onboard the ship, he was knew his name. She was impressed. “I’m not really… Much of a hunter myself. Even if I were, I doubt Mukin would be of much help. He’s got the hunt bred out of him. His breed is akin to earth’s lapdogs. Bred for tameness and companionship over help in hunting activity.”

“As for myself, I suppose I have the ability to hunt, if I were to find a firearm and train myself how to shoot a wild creature. However, I have no desire to do such a thing. I look like the fierce wolves of Earth, but I am not a wolf in the shape of a person. The Laleri raise livestock and kill them for meat, and we farm meat-gourds for their flesh. That is how we get our meaty food,” she reflected.

Luka, XO

getting it back on the board
OOC Thank you :-)

“Interesting” Stark said with a quizzical tilt to his head. “I was curious to see how your people embraced “civilised” change as compared to my own. Files contain information on people but they don’t really show you who the person really is. My people hunt together as a way of getting to know each other, your actions on the hunt say much about you that could be easily buried under a mask under other circumstances.”

He paused and then continued, his eyes a mystery, “Would you permit me another question?”.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

“That’s certainly a reason to hunt. It’s not my personal preference though. As a person who, from what I can tell by your words, has hunted in the wild manner before, I hope you don’t think lesser of me by it but… Honestly, I’m not sure I could even shoot an innocent animal, if it came down to it…” She reflected.

Stark looked genuinely surprised “Think lesser of you? Not in the slightest, different isn’t wrong, it’s just, different. I find different fascinating”

Luka nodded at his question, “Whatever you want to know, as long as it’s not classified, I will answer to the best of my ability”

Luka, XO

“Ah” Stark said obvious disappointment on his face over not being allowed to ask classified questions. “Then I withdraw the question… for now. Would you permit me to make an observation instead?”

Stark Nightstalker CIO