A Garden Of Memories

Posted on Fri Feb 15th, 2019 @ 7:03pm by

2,671 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: S1:4: A Murder Of Crows
Location: Computer Core/Clee'sans Chambers
Timeline: MD 62 17.00PM

The transporter beam released Jolani and Ari amid the brassy tendrils and vines that infested the computer core chamber. The air was heavy with the scent of ozone, like the coming of a thunderstorm. Clee'san's firefly avatar dissipated into its component parts, flittering back into metal work topiary.

"Thats better."

Clee'san appeared behind them, a fully fledged holographic avatar this time instead of a swarm. Tall, broad-shouldered, but with the grace a dancer or martial artist would aspire to, she looked less mystic than her wording often made her appear. She weaved both sets of arms across her chest, studying the pair of Starfleet officers.

"You I have respect for," she said and nodded at Ari, and then looked at Jolani. "You I find kinship in. I see these as agreeable steps towards progress."

Jolani looked around, trying to establish her surroundings and ways to exit. "This certainly was unexpected," she muttered as much to herself as to Clee'san and Ari. "I think you need to explain yourself," Jolani flatly demanded of everyone.

"I was lead to believe your society prizes direct action? Something about begging forgiveness after the transgression has passed?" Clee'san postulated.

"The Terran phrase is 'Better to ask forgiveness than ask permission.' It is a way of justifying an action that you know might be wrong to get what you desire. Is that what you intended?"

"Who cares what she intended," Arivek said, glaring at Jolani. "Clee'san, send us back now. We don't have time for games and there's a lot of work to do."

"With all due respect, Lieutenant, you do not have the authority to do anything without the permission of the Captain," Jolani told Arivek, remembering the chastisement about being unpleasant to Arivek or referring to him/it as a traitor. "Therefore, I believe it is wisest to hear out Clee'san. The Captain will get a full report either way."

"I don't need you to act like my babysitter," Arivek said. "You weren't there, you don't know what happened. So kindly leave your bias at home."

"I will not return either one of you," Clee'san said. "Whilst I have learned a great deal from viewing your crew at work, there is a great disparity between the way things are run here and the Morning Star Empire's more...rigid understanding of proper hierarchies. I have made a bargain with your captain to serve him, and in return, he will help me find my people. To aid you more fully I require your help-"

She looked at Ari, and then turned to Jolani.

"And I require someone the Captain will vouch as honest to say all is well. In doing so we might get progress seen in our lifetime and for you Ari the rebuilding of trust between you and your crew." the hologram said simply.

"Will all be well because you intend to have an honest discourse or because you wish to effect my mental state? I am afraid that there is not a lot of trust here. While I care little of myself, keeping one hostage, so to speak is hardly a way to build up trust between us." Jolani bent one knee and put a fist at her hip.

"Given I must prove my truthfulness when I have so far done only my utmost to protect this endeavour, then perhaps I should start with a gift?" She said, turning to walk among the trellised brass tendrils around them. "That gift is an ongoing service I am providing as we speak. For you see, Abborax is still attempting to subsume control of this vessel."

Next to her, one of the brass tendrils coiled, tarnishing as she reached up to touch it. The metal bubbled and blistered, reforming into a pair of new tendrils that wound ever tighter about themselves before reforming into a single strand once more.

"Your ship is travelling at super luminal speeds, but is still detectable by the Myriad. They have been attempting to subvert control, as they did so above the desert moon to shoot down your civilian transport. I have prevented this. Their attempts are mainly to seek control, though twice now they have attempted to reduce the magnetic confinement of your antimatter containment system to zero. I would assume that to be a state of affairs that is unacceptable to you Engineer?" Clee'san said tartly.

"No, I can assure you it would be detrimental to us if the Myriad took control of this vessel," Arivek said, glancing between Clee'san and Jolani.

"I am keeping that fate at bay. Without my presence, your ship would either be dead in space or a large expanding cloud of disassociated atoms," Clee'san paused. "Of course, there is the fact that I cannot prove this, beyond lowering those defences I have in place and putting this ship in mortal peril."

"Convenient," Jolani grunted noncommittally.

"Best form of action is one where the action cannot be said to have taken place at all. It is a philosophy of the Morning Star Empire that I see now has greater utility than I thought. What more can I do to gain your trust than that?"

"Best way to gain our trust is to allow us to do what we need to do without you holding us hostage." Ari took a step forward, softening his voice. "Allow us to disconnect you, temporarily so that we can put the Computer Core back where it belongs. This ship needs to get put back together, Clee'san. And once the Core is in place, we will put you back and give you the same access you have now. And in time, we can give you more."

Something welled up inside of Jolani. Something that she had not felt since Fell died. Anger. Hurt. Fear. Whatever the emotion was, it boiled over as she shouted at Ari, "Now you look here, you traitorous hologram! You're not in charge of anything! You are still supposed to be confined to quarters! You were not properly called here and you have no authority whatsoever. Isn't that what got us in this mess beforehand? You making decisions without running things through the proper protocol? I will not have you doing that here and now too. This is the Captain's business! He will make the calls. Am I clear?"

From behind Ari, for a brief moment, a wild beast appeared behind him. Jolani shouted, "NO!" and it disappeared.

Arivek turned to the woman, his face set with anger but his voice sounding calm and unwavering. "You listen to me. I didn't leave my quarters, I was transported here against my will, and then I was brought into this...this..." he motioned around them, "this land of Oz against my will as well. So stop shouting at me and trying to tell me what I will and will not do. I'm trying to save this ship and gods dammit you're allowing your emotions to overpower your judgment. You don't even know half of what happened or what I went through. And if you haven't noticed, the Captain isn't here to make any decisions, do you plan to just sit here and wait for him?" Arivek rolled his eyes before he turned and started to walk away. "Just sit back, shut up, and let an Engineer handle this."

"Whether you left voluntarily or not, I do not see you demanding to go back because someone else is violating the Captain's orders," the Halanan woman observed angrily. "So, I don't see how this is so much against your will." She stepped into Arivek's way. "I'm sure this Clee'san can contact the Captain for us. If the Captain says you're to be permitted to do this, then fine, I won't stand in your way. And don't you DARE talk to me about my emotions." Another image appeared but disappeared quicker than the wild beast did. "I don't care what the hell you went through and nobody can understand what I have been through."

"Interesting..." Clee'san said, her eyes bright and clever as she glanced over Jolani's head at the space the beast had held. "You do have some form of Formation Technology at your disposal. And I can summon the captain, but I find this much more interesting to watch. It helps fill out the social dynamic of the ship."

She reached out and stroked one of the metal vines. A leaf grew on it, expanding out to until it began to form a loop. The air within the circle suddenly shimmered with heat haze, and a face appeared within it looking confused. Captain Rema's voice twittered from the metal frame beside them.

"Jolani...Ari...this is a very different communication medium. Just had a tendril grow out of the bulkhead next to me as I was walking," he said with a smile on his face. "This your doing?I appreciate novelty."

Regathering herself, Jolani replied, "The fact that you see Lieutenant Zhuri is here is the first of my, pr...concerns, Captain. He is out of confinement. However, I must admit that he did not free himself. That would be Clee'san's doing on our Saurian's request." Jolani knew there was more but she wanted the Captain to deal with this problem first.

"Stop being a fucking toddler, me being here is the least of our worries," Arivek said, nudging Jolani out of the way so he could stand in front of the communication device. "Captain, we're a bit trapped in here. Clee'san seems to be holding us hostage because she wants full, unfettered control over the ship and we didn't say yes. We could really use your help here."

Anger boiled within Jolani. "This from the entity that does not even know how to follow orders and does what it pleases!" she shouted back at Arivek. "Pot, meet kettle!" A kettle appeared right in front of Arivek.

Screwing up her face, Jolani closed her eyes and a minute or two later, the kettle disappeared. "My apologies, Captain. However, I do not completely believe we are captives. Clee'san claims that we are under attack of sorts and only she can solve the problem."

"That part makes sense. The Myriad do seem to have a step up on us in regards to information warfare. And I'd be right in thinking that unfettered access is a means by which you would hold us accountable to our bargain?" Remas asked.

"Indeed. It does seem somewhat in my interest to have a means of enforcing compliance," the four armed alien avatar stated.

"Then a compromise would be the best middle ground for us to find. A place where neither of us got what we wanted, but we each got something. You want assurance, and I desire the safety of my crew. In exchange for allowing us to reinstate the main computer in its entirety, I could see myself clear to giving you full access to the ships sensor and engineering systems. Weapons and defensive systems would remain with us, as well as navigation. But you would have the means to further your own search, and hold us to account if we reneged on our agreement. Not to mention free access to the main computers data banks, so you might learn more of us and the Federation we serve."

The pane of brass in which Remas's likeness hovered canted slightly to one side.

"On a Rish homesteader ship, you don't have the luxury of always getting what you want. Its part of the 'One Ship' philosophy, not all of the parts gel together but they are all needed to make the ship run. Its why I made it clear his skills would be useful in the repair process. Ari is a part of our ship, our family. And in this situation his skills outweigh his debt," Remas said to Jolani, and then eyed Ari. "And if events had happened in reverse, I doubt very much you would be so trusting of another who had put your life and ship at risk."

"And what if he does something that sells us back to the Myriad or allows him to escape confinement. There should be some accountability here, Captain," Jolani replied sticking her balled hand on her hip. She gritted her teeth, fighting to keep herself under control.

"I think we have Clee'san here able to provide a modicum of security on that front. After all, she was able to summon him to her without too much hue and cry," Remas's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked out of the projection at Jolani. "I hope that will be the last I hear on this subject from you. Ari has returned to us and lives among his punishment from day to day. Reminding him of it constantly, I feel, might be seen as somewhat petty. Perhaps vindictive. Traits I know you despise in others, let alone yourself."

Arivek smiled slightly as he crossed his arms.

"I only live to serve this ship and crew," Jolani responded simply, trying to maintain her normal control. It seemed to be getting easier as she talked to the Captain and not to Clee'san or Ari. "We are anything but secure, though, Captain, in this situation."

"We're 8000 light years past the wrong side of the Galactic Barrier, being secure and bein' alive are two very different things. Ship's on course to a Cove System where we can hammer out some dents in the wings, make ya feel like you're flying under your own power Jolani," Remas said. He then pitched his voice up towards the ceiling. "And what say you to our deal Clee'san? Do you find an agreement in it."

"As with all compromises, I see room for improvement on both sides...but in its core agreement. We will work together, a partnership."

"Excellent! Ari, get it done. Jolani, help him. And I want both of you at a reception on the Rec Deck tonight. We're welcoming the refugee's from Abborax's ship to the crew, best behavior from the both of you. Now, if you'll pardon me, I was in the middle of taking a shower before the cubicle grew a leaf."

Jolani just answered, "Aye, sir. I'll do as you ask."

As the tendrils receded back into the environment, Arivek turned to Clee'san. "With this agreement, I do have to ask. Will you allow us to move you, physically? I have no issue with putting you back, but you're occupying the same physical space that the Computer Core is supposed to sit. And ideally, we need to put it back in alignment. Once we do that, we can put your box anywhere you want it to give you the access you need. Will you allow that?"

"I can allow this," she said, and with an elegant gesture, the brass tendrils and vines began to spool out of the box suspended in the centre of the room. The box began to shink, its inner workings becoming threadbare and meagre. And within a handful of seconds it simple unraelled into nothing as the vines snaked and wormed there way into the walls like ivy.

"There, this space is free, as are the data runs and ODN lines you would use. I will inhabit the places within this ship you could not go, and would not notice me. Go about your work, and I will watch."

Jolani kept her hand on her hip but said, "Alright, hot shot. Direct me."

Arivek ignored Jolani. "Thank you, Clee'san. Now, please send us back and we'll begin right away."

"By your command," CLee'san said and sent things back to where they belong.

 

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