Posted by Civilian Dawson (Intelligence Operative) in The Parthenon- Securing Risk (Marishka, Faye, Dawson, Khabal)

Posted by Civilian Khabal (Civilian) in The Parthenon- Securing Risk (Marishka, Faye, Dawson, Khabal)

Posted by Civilian Khabal (Civilian) in The Parthenon- Securing Risk (Marishka, Faye, Dawson, Khabal)
Posted by… suppressed (25) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Marishka wanted Khabal to give a demonstration and explain it. She called it technobabble, but what Khabal might not be expecting was that Faye held a great amount of information in her brain and could process it at sometimes alarming speeds. She wasn’t worried about following his explanation.

If Faye had a concern, it was that she didn’t understand why someone who was just here to supposedly make repairs was integrating himself into a Starfleet ship without any checks or balances. It made no sense. But it had been someone else’s call and no one had bothered to ask her about the potential issues. Fine. She’d deal with it, but she wasn’t going to be someone other than who she was, and Faye Calloway hadn’t survived this long without investigating the unknown variables around her. If Khabal was upset by her wariness, well, tough. She wasn’t in her role to be everyone’s favourite person.

Stepping into the Lounge precisely two hours later, Faye’s stormy grey-green eyes took in the lounge looking for Marishka.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Ted saw Faye enter the lounge and knew that she had an appointment with Marishka. Making his way to her, he greeted her with a small bow.

“Hello, the boss will be with you in 5. She told me to expect you. Would you like a seat at the bar and your usual?”

• Ted

Given that she didn’t drink and didn’t have her stone with her, Faye smirked. “Sure. But that coffee better be black. No sugar or milk or anything. And thanks,” she told Ted.

Following him to the bar, Faye slipped up onto a stool, folded her arms on the bartop and waited.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Within 3 minutes a large, black, steaming hot cup of coffee was set before faye. Ted always aimed to please and he was learning to know his customers.

• Ted

She laced her fingers around her mug and let the heat sink into her skin. Faye left them there until that point where the heat became uncomfortable and reason told you to pull away. But Faye was always curious and let them rest there an extra moment. It didn’t hurt that her hands had not been babied and had seen hard work all her life. They could handle a longer moment of pain.

Taking a sip of the coffee, she let the hot liquid slip down her throat and the warmth radiated outward in her body. She was tempted to close her eyes but Faye couldn’t help but be on alert just now, casually checking her surroundings. The fact that she had chosen a stool at the bar that did not leave her back fully exposed was an obvious tell, but she didn’t care.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Khabal came out of the back making his way over toward Faye with smiles waves and hellos to other patrons of the Parthenon as he passed them.

As he stopped in front of Faye his smile was warm and friendly, very genuine. His outfit was a deep Scarlet. It fit him well while allowing freedom of movement yet still having a comfortable looseness.

“Hello commander, I hope you’re doing well today. Are you ready for the demonstration?”

• Khabal, Quarm

She studied him intently and tilted her head. “I understand you can ensure privacy in places. You have me curious, so sure, let’s see this demonstration.”

~Faye Calloway, CIO

“It’s more like I can ensure you a private place. For the demonstration, I’ll get on with it once Marishka is here and we are all prepared.” Khabal said smiling warmly as he rested his elbows on the bar top between them and put his chin on his hands. Something about him was childlike in that moment. Was it the smile, the pose, the way he looked at the people in the Parthenon with genuine warmth?

• Khabal

Faye wasn’t great with social cues at the best of times, but she honestly didn’t know how to interpret Khabal and it weirded her out.

Marishka appeared from somewhere in the bar and slipped into a stool next to faye. She nodded and smiled at both of them as Ted put a cup down in front of her.

“Ah, I see your sampling today’s Suto’Vo’Kor edition of our coffee Faye. I hope you like. Are we still waiting for Dawson?”

• Marishka

“I’s good coffee,” Faye said and then nodded. “And yeah, he should be here soon.”

Dressed as though he had just been to the gym, his slacks were loose and comfortable and his shirt hugged his torso, the definition of his physique quite evident. “Sorry for my tardiness. Lost track of time.” he said before taking a sip of water from a bottle he happened to be carrying with him.

-Dawson

“Well, you’re here now and apparently we’re getting a demonstration.”

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Marishka nodded and smiled. She was glad to see that everybody was finally there. She wondered in passing, was water the only thing in that bottle?

“Yes, I do believe a little demonstration is in order. Mr Khabal, the floor is yours.”

• Marishka

“Lady Marishka has selected an asteroid not too far from here. I’m going to take us via shadowgate. All I ask is hold on to each other and keep your eyes closed until we reach our destination. I’ve already scouted the location and assure you that it is safe even though the oxygen content is a little low but, not low enough to cause any major discomfort.”

Khabal indicated the floor beneath the group’s feet where Shadow had a naturally moved against the light to form a dark pool below them.

“Is everyone ready?” Khabal asked.

• Khabal

Marishka nodded and smile. She had been looking forward to this for quite some time. Even in a life so long ago she had heard rumors of such a thing but never experienced it for herself. Reaching out she grabbed Dawson’s hand without so much as a by your leave.

• Marishka

They didn’t understand what they were asking of her, though she had hoped Marishka would have anticipated something given their very honest conversation in her office. It took of of Faye’s willpower to stuff the panic down and hold out her hand. She didn’t close her eyes yet.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Dawson, despite his gruff exterior, could deeply sense Faye’s anxiety. His hand was now firmly within Marishka’s grasp. He then took hold of Faye’s firmly, yet carefully. His hand was strong and rough, but he didn’t tightly grip her hand as one might a handshake. It was almost like a steel shell that formed to it, allowing her to grip as tightly as she needed, should the anxiety get the best of her. “Ready.”

-Dawson

Faye wasn’t anywhere near ready, but something about Dawson’s sure grip allowed her to take a more steady breath and close her eyes. It felt like every nerve in her body was vibrating and it was all she could do not to bolt out of the lounge.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

The moment Faye’s eyes closed everybody felt like the floor dropped out beneath them except that there was no sensation of motion. Whatever the environment was it was a chaotic mix of signals to their bodies. It felt too hot and too cold at the same time, too loud and too quiet at the same time, no telling what they would have seen if their eyes have been open. Maybe they were there for a moments or minutes, nothing really seemed to connect for that time. Then, it all stop suddenly. The temperature was stable and a little chilly and the air was kind of thin with a fait scent of raspberries.

“We’re here, you can open your eyes and enjoy the view.” Khabal said.

• Khabal

During these minutes, hours, or were they seconds, Mariska had been practicing an ancient form of Orion meditative breathing. Initially she had been told it was sensual practice made to heighten degrees of intimacy but, it had many many other uses. Sighing she opened her eyes and looked around. The last time she had been this exposed on an unshielded asteroid was far too long ago. The naked starscape appeared glimmering and striking against the velvet black of space. Looking around she saw a small dusty rocky planetscape as she had expected. Squeezing Dawson’s hand and looking around and she noticed Faye and Dawson still with eyes closed.

“Well, now we know that it can be done. Quite impressive Mr Khabal. Is there a distance limit to this ability? Raspberries, now I want raspberries.”

• Marishka

OOC: I’m not exactly sure how to gauge the setting. Is there a shield of some kind that allows them to breathe? What else is around them? More details would help for those of us who don’t know this place. ;)
IC:
Faye opened her eyes, trying to even out her breathing but finding themselves elsewhere. Marishka was all nonchalant about it- good for her. But for Faye, being whisked off the ship without proper foreknowledge activated a whole lot of complicated emotions. She didn’t know if she could let their hands go, but she was sensorily overwhelmed. “Explain how,” she said abruptly, needing information to help her sort this situation out.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

OOC: It’s a rocky asteroid about 80% of the mass of Earth but a bit smaller in size due to the concentrations of iron and other high density minerals and metals. It has an atmosphere that is breathable due to primitive algaes but, impurities in the atmosphere make it smell like raspberries. The oxygen level is a little lower but there is nothing harmful in the atmosphere. As far as the skies go, it’s pretty much what you would expect from an asteroid, able to see other asteroids and stars with little to no atmospheric distortion.

IC: Khabal looked at Faye with that warm expression she saw in the Parthenon.

“I’m sure you understand that there are all sorts of different types of movement through space and time. Take your warp drives, they generate counter relativistic fields while allowing you to travel at super relativistic speeds. You also know about subspace as that’s used for communications. There are some vehicles that use subspace for travel because the distances are relatively shorter in subspace. Same thing can be said with nul-space, posi-space, space folding, wormholes, pocket dimensions, etcetera. The shadow realm is merely a different dimension and the entities in it are beyond most sapient comprehension. To see them in full manifestation could potentially drive one mad. However, their technology is so advanced that we might as well call it magic. When the first quarm stumbled into their dimension they withstood the eldritch long enough for them to reduce their manifestation and to broker a deal. As long as each quarm pays their dues, the Eldritch allow the quarm to travel through their dimension. It’s a very chaotic dimension that can be difficult on biological beings from our dimension. The shadowgating is a transport technology, or technique, that allows us to enter and exit the shadow realm from and to places of our choice but we have to know where to go and what’s waiting there beforehand or it could result in unpleasant surprises. The passage of time through the shadow realm can be variable too based on the desires of the quarm. Nothing ages in the shadow realm, as long as you are there you are technically immortal. If one desired one could sit within the shadow realm and study a subject or create something that might take them years and then come out of the Shadow realm moments after they went in from their origin space. Or, it could work inversely. You could spend moments in the shadow realm while years pass in the origin space. It’s all based on the desires of the person who initiates the travel.”

Khabal hoped that the information would give Faye some peace of mind and help her calm down.

• Khabal

Marishka listened intently. She never understood how they did what they did, just that they were able to do it.

“That explanation would probably have somebody interested in those type of things just fascinated. Yes, it does interest me to a degree, but it’s not my area of study or expertise. If I were a simpler female it would give me a headache. I suggest we spend a few more minutes here and then perhaps, get back to the Parthenon. I wonder if I should hold a concert here.”

Marishka said that last part in just although the idea did have a certain appeal to her.

• Marishka

Faye’s expression was not warm. Nor did she join in the banter. She was, in the very least, astounded, and probably not by anything that the others would have anticipated. Her grey-green eyes were as stormy as her mood. “Take me back now,” she said in a low and very angry voice.

~Faye Calloway, CIO

Khabal frowned and nodded then turned to Marishka and Dawson.

“Return together or shall I come back for you?”

• Khabal, Tour Guide

Bump Dawson?

Dawson had been quiet till this point as he took in the scene before them and the information Khabal had provided. “Seems like a lot of talk about how impressive it all is. It’s certainly an interesting skill and place to arrive to. But, every place and entity has their weaknesses. We can go if that is the desire of Commander Calloway, though I am curious what sort of weaknesses these places have. Seems like a lot of power and ability to me.”

-Dawson, Intelligence

Marishka had been watching and listening to Faye carefully. She knew the situation wouldn’t be an easy one for her but, she hadn’t known her reaction would be so visceral.

“I think transporter technology would seem like magic to a primitive race, don’t you? As for whether we should leave or not, Mr Khabal is not a taxi so as much as it might be interesting to stay a bit longer I think we should probably all leave at once. Mr Khabal, I think we’ll leave now and I would like to see you in private after this little side trip is over. I probably need to discuss another contract with you in the near future. Dawson, I’m probably going to see you in about an hour unfortunately. There’s a lot of things going on in my life, moving parts. Faye, I really hope that you understand the reason for this situation and this is only meant to show that we have many many options.”

• Marishka