Yalu

Woohoo! Congratulations and welcome (back) to the fleet!

Excalibur's current mission has played out a bit like a Harold. Our crew took the basic premise and spun it out into (figurative and literal) orbit with some amazing details, clever side plots, and strong characterization. Now that we're hurtling toward a conclusion, @Talos Dakora has done a stellar job of weaving a unifying thread through many of these disparate details; tying them together logically and without feeling contrived; and setting the stage for what will inevitably come next. All whilst giving the rest of the crew a wide berth to shape the unfolding plot. Super storytelling here, Travis. I want you on My improv team. ((Bridge - USS Excalibur-A)) It felt like a very long time had passed since the orb had reappeared on their sensors and Talos had sent their pieced-together message of peace. They had already seen the physics-defying way the Orbs had moved in the past, it seemed almost as if this one was now taking it's time on approach. It almost seemed to be easing up to them cautiously, like you would a friendly-looking dog that you hadn't met before. Maybe. Just Maybe, the broadcast had worked. Maybe they weren't about to have their consciousnesses shuffled like deck of cards again. Even if they found a way to stuff his consciousness back into the right body, would he even still be himself at this point? How much of the memories shared with him by the Yalu Symbiont were part of his own memories now? He still hadn't quite gotten used to the cavernous silence left behind by his lack of telepathic abilities, but Talos had begun to feel comforted by the presence of the multiple people whose memories lived on inside of him. Did he even want to go back? It was a stupid question. Of course, he did. It bordered on blatant narcissism, but Talos Dakora loved himself. Probably more than anyone else, save for his family. It was the driving force behind his penchant for the hedonistic pleasure-seeking that he indulged in at every opportunity. Even as he thought about it, memories of Eira surfaced; The struggles and joys of her 40-year marriage and the equal-parts harrowing and amazing journey of raising children. Ideas that Talos had either never even considered or had long since shrugged off as "not-for-him" Staring at the sensor image of the Orb, he couldn't stop thinking about what life would be like on the other side of this experience. Etan (as Nicholotti): Response He snapped out of his thoughtstorm about the orb and the effect it had had on them at Iljor's words. He was right, now that the issue in sickbay had seemingly been resolved, they needed to loop the CO in on what was happening. He tapped his/Yogan's comm badge. Dakora (as Yalu): =/\= Ensign Dakora to Captain Nicholotti =/\= He'd immediately turned to Illjor, wondering if it would be his badge that received the call, since it was pinned to the chest of the raven-haired CO that he was trying to contact. Fortunately, someone had managed to reprogram the badges to match the person occupying the body at some point. That was nice. Nicholotti (as Etan): =/\= Go ahead. =/\= He stared at the Orb's sensor reading. It was still gradually approaching, though it hadn't yet responded to their message. The computer program that Hallia had initiated had continued crunching through the data though and had decoded a few more words, which would be handy when if it ever did decide to respond. Dakora (as Yalu): =/\= The Orb that the ship encountered earlier is coming back around. =/\= He paused, considering if he wanted to add the information about their attempts to communicate with it, before requesting her return to the bridge, but she seemed to be of a similar mind. Nicholotti (as Etan): =/\= I'm on my way. =/\= ((Time Skip - A Few Minutes Later.)) Nicholotti (as Etan): What's our status? Etan (as Nicholotti) / Hallia (as Adea): Responses? Dakora (as Yalu): We reverse-engineered a message embedded in the gravity wave the orb hit us with on it's first visit and attempted to reply with a greeting message of our own, but haven't received a reply yet. The Captain approached her center chair and Iljor surrendered it, unbidden. This was amusing because it looked for all the world like the exact opposite thing had just happened. At some point, Talos was sure he'd get used to who was displaced as who, but it clearly hadn't happened yet. Nicholotti (as Etan): Very well. Keep an eye on it's approach. The moment she finished speaking, a call came through from the away team. They'd been gone for a while and Talos had tried not to do the mental math regarding how long the suits would protect them from radiation versus how long they'd been exposed, but he had, and it was concerning. He'd hate to have to have an awkward talk with Yogan about returning things he borrowed in the condition he received them. MacKenzie (as Tiberius): =/\= MacKenzie to Nicholotti, the orb following us is not a threat. In fact, they may just be our ticket out of this mess. =/\= Talos head whipped around involuntarily towards the direction of the speaker emitting MacKenzie's voice. It seemed they weren't the only ones that had managed to communicate with the Orb-things. Though, it seemed the cohort of sex telepaths had seen a bit more success. Nicholotti (as Etan): =/\= Care to elaborate, Commander? =/\= MacKenzie (as Tiberius): =/\= It’s a long story, ma’am. Drop the shields so we can come aboard. We’ve had some significant radiation exposure. Doctor Adea will want to get us on a regimen as soon as we get aboard. =/\= He winced as he heard the XO's message. He was concerned for his own earthy vessel, yes, but also for Adriana and Meidra and the others whose bodies had gone down there. Hopefully, Genkos had adjusted to being Hallia well enough to take good care of them. Nicholotti (as Etan): =/\= Done. =/\ Talos listened as the CO and XO went back and forth a few more times, the familiarity between them shining through the strange voices they were using. When they finished, a sort of anticipatory silence fell over the bridge for a moment. Whatever was going to happen, would happen soon and he just hoped the news the away team brought would be positive. A notification on his console flashed and drew his attention and his mouth fell open slightly. The message had originated from the orb-thing that hadn't come with the away team, but it seemed that they had been in communication or were parts of the same entity... or... he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. The message, thankfully, hadn't been sent on another wave of gravimetric distortion, which was clear because they hadn't been tossed all over the place. Instead, the orb had shown an impressive command of the radiation that seemed to follow it and had bombarded them with what was not all that dissimilar from an archaic tight-beam laser comm-link. Dakora (as Yalu): The... um, Orb-thing just responded. ::He paused.:: The computer is decoding the message now. Any bridge crew: Responses? As the message descrambled, the computer assigned words to seemingly random strings of characters as it pieced together a message out of what bits of the alien code/language that it knew. %!%%#####RETURNED^^^^****YOUR*$$$UNITS.%%%%%%%ASSIST.%REQUEST%ASSIST.$%^WHERE&&%(*LIGHT@@@&&&&$@$$$%SHAPE He recited the readable bits aloud so the others could here, though his delivery was sort of stilted as he tried to pick through the random string of symbols. Dakora (as Yalu): It says "Returned your Units." ::He paused.:: "Assist. Assist. Where Light... Shape." Any bridge crew: Responses? TBC ======//////======> Ensign Talos Dakora Intelligence Officer USS Excalibur-A O238811CD0

Congratulations @Jack Kessler, and welcome! It was a pleasure to get to write with you in the academy this week. Looking forward to seeing you in the fleet!

@Etan Iljor taking to that captain's chair like Troi to that chocolate sundae.

Congratulations, and welcome! Delighted to have you here!

@Talos Dakora's narrative was outstanding in this sim. Super detailed descriptions of thoughts and happenings, and a beautifully complex depiction of his character's dynamic with another character, all while everyone is bodyswapped to filth. Great writing, Travis. It's a pleasure to read your sims! ((Briefing Room, USS Excalibur - A)) Talos had managed to get his point across through all of the rapid-fire cross-talk going on in the briefing. He wasn't a scientist, despite what the memories the slug-thing in his borrowed abdomen were feeding into his head, so he'd leave the interpretation to the Excalibur's numerous science personnel. He'd been somewhat put-off by Yogan's suggestion that they settle into their current bodies and work towards getting the crew acclimated to the new normal. It was probably the right move, but imagining living the rest of his life as a towering, spotty-faced, glorified schizophrenic wasn't the ideal outcome of his first mission aboard the Excal. His train of thought chugged along, as he recalled what that new guy that was wearing Adri's body had said. Maybe they could give all the newborn telepaths a crash course on telepathy and see what shook out, though he didn't feel great about subjecting Adriana's body to what his had gone through when he'd encountered the orb. For whatever reason, he found himself concerned for both Adri's body and her consciousness, wherever it was, presumably wearing this Niac guy's body somewhere. They'd just had that one connection, or fling, or whatever it was... not exactly a rare thing in Talos' life. Yet, the encounter had left him feeling just a bit different than any of the other single-serving friends and lovers that he'd known in the past. He listened as Nicholotti, set the different teams in motion. Talos noted with a sort of impressed amusement that even though the words were coming from the mouth of the closest thing he had to a friend on the ship, they felt distinctly Nicholotti-esque. It seemed the Flag-Officer authority cared not for the shell it inhabited. Nicholotti (as Etan): Anyone left, let's get things organized and keep the boat afloat. Any questions? Anybody At Briefing: Response. Talos had nothing of substance to add, so he didn't. A part of him knew that part of being a good leader was knowing when to step back and let oneself be led, but the Talos part of him understood that he was an Ensign and not a leader of any kind, so that advice wasn't very applicable currently. Still, he stayed quiet as the briefing wrapped up and the various teams began to file out of the room. He rose from his chair and crossed over to the replicator and tapped in the commands for a dermal regenerator. Something he'd noticed earlier was bugging him and he planned to put his (well, more accurately Yogan's) medical expertise to use. ((Corridor - Deck 1)) Dermal regenerator in hand, he caught up with the person he was looking for. Dakora (as Yalu): Commander, uh... Niac. ::He fell in stride beside him and tapped his nametag for emphasis:: I'm Ensign Dakora, Intelligence Officer and ::He pointed at Yogan in his body:: I'm usually that Betazoid guy over there. It was by far the strangest introduction he'd made in his life, but it hardly even registered on the "weird-stuff-that-happened-today-scale." Talos made an effort to lock down his thoughts about Adriana, but undoubtedly some would slip through. Niac (as A.Morgan): Response Talos raised Yogan's eyebrows at the revelation. Somewhere on the Excalibur, Adri was dealing with the complications of suddenly becoming a joined Trill like he was. Some combination of thinking of Adri and the feeling of the device in his hand reminded him why he'd initiated the conversation. Dakora (as Yalu): Hey, can I take a look at that? ::He tapped his own forehead, roughly where the the bandaged wound on Adri's was:: It looks like somebody slapped a butterfly bandage on you but forgot to finish the job. Niac (as A.Morgan): Response Carefully, he removed the dressing from the wound and surveyed the damage. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound was still open. With a tenderness that was probably a little inappropriate, given the stranger in Adri's body, he ran the regenerator over the injury with the skill granted to him by the memories of Yogan Yalu, M.D. Dakora (as Yalu): And... you're good to go. ::He paused.:: I, uh... Adriana's a pretty special person and I'm sure she's taking care of you, so please, take care of her. ::Somehow, Starfleet Protocol slid into his mind and he made a quick addendum: Sir. Niac (as A.Morgan): Response With the (hopefully) initial awkwardness out of the way, he tried to drag the conversation back on-mission. Dakora (as Yalu): Right. I appreciate that. ::Beat.:: Earlier, what you said about trying to communicate with the orb-thing. Maybe we can get the new telepaths together with the former telepaths and get a sort of crash course telepathy 101 going? Niac (as A.Morgan): Response TAG/TBC ======//////======> Ensign Talos Dakora Intelligence Officer USS Excalibur-A O238811CD0

The source of @Addison MacKenzie's superpowers.

Congratulations and welcome back! It was a pleasure to write with you both in the Academy this week. Have a blast, and see you around the fleet!

Outstanding bit of farcery from @Lt Aine Olive Sherlock trying to access the com system. Brilliant moment and I'm still laughing about it.

@Talos Dakora In awe.

I loved this bit. @Kali Nicholotti

Woohoo! Congratulations! It was a blast writing with you in the Academy this week. Welcome (back); I can't wait to see what stories you tell out here!

@Vitor S. Silveira is a genius.

I wrote this down on a post-it

YES! Congratulations, Ensign Tiberius! Welcome to the Fleet.

@Genkos Adea & @Addison MacKenzie in a terrific little tete-a-tete.

Genkos was right. She's not a queen. She's THE queen.

@Genkos Adea keeping things nice and grand. Loved it.

The detail that @Vitor S. Silveira has put into this sim is superb. I really enjoyed reading it. ((USS Columbia, deck 6, transporter room 3)) Vitor had his eyes closed as he materialized. He was well used to being beamed in and out, the fear that was growing inside of him had nothing to do with that. He opened them to see the familiar transporter room. He nodded to the transporter crew and made his way out quickly, hands on the backpack straps as he walked. It was fairly empty, one spare uniform, the staff shirt from the Maklau resort he had on during dinner, the framed photo of him and Jonathan and two PADDs. Still he held the straps firmly, and his jaw tensed as he walked the corridors. Returning to the Excalibur was difficult. He didn’t expect to feel like that again. Truth be told he wasn’t. He was feeling worse. The turmoil of emotions running through him, since the Wyke incident, just got a luxury reinforcement, to use an old soccer metaphor. The new star player, being fear. He was already afraid he might not be up to change, to behave properly, to act like the officer that he still was. But that was like the fear of the unknown, the fear for one's life, one of those that he manages to confront and move beside it. Now it was enhanced, brought forth by the place he was in, raised to a higher level. Curiously, although it was the attack he suffered here that caused it, the fear came much after. When he suffered the mental attack from the Iconian he wasn’t that afraid. He was actually more afraid for Antero than himself. And as he managed to get to sickbay he wasn’t afraid, just kind of tired. The fear came when he woke up. Over one year later, of the coma that resulted from the attack. He woke up not being able to see, to speak, feeling trapped in his own body. To this day Vitor didn’t know how long it took for him to voice something, and even then it was nothing more than a gurgle. The same for his sight. After some time he sensed the brightness around him but it took long for him to be able to distinguish shapes. Until he was able to see properly it was over a week. Breathing was painful. He felt strangled, like a giant weight was on his chest. And he couldn't move. He tried but didn’t feel any of his limbs responding to his commands. He felt the medical team touching him, but even that looked like hours after he gained consciousness. Trapped in his own body, Vitor's fear grew. That was the time he felt more afraid in his life. And now it was coming back. He turned the corner of the corridor heading to the turbolift. It was coming back because he was already afraid. Afraid to fail. Afraid of not learning. Afraid of what was going to happen. Afraid of changing. He stopped, entered the turbolift and turned looking down the corridor. His temporary quarters were on deck ten, and he wanted to drop the backpack there. After that he wasn’t sure. Silveira: Deck ten. When the door shut and he was alone he took a deep breath. Leaning back he rubbed his eyes, instinctively rubbing his, now absent, beard. Surprised, he stopped and straightened himself. Vitor was still getting used to not having a beard anymore. Twelve or eleven years of belonging in the “bearded club” had carved deep some gestures into him. And rubbing his skin didn’t feel the same. It was odd how one becomes a creature of habits. He always scratched his beard to focus, always rubbed his neck when nervous. Now he had no beard. Would that mean he couldn’t concentrate? He shook his head, closed his eyes and clenched his fist so tight his knuckles cracked. And hurt. He took another deep breath and when the turbolift door opened he stepped out, heading through the corridor to his temporary quarters where he dropped his backpack on the bed. He returned to the turbolift, narrowing his eyes at each corridor he passed. It was on this deck that he and Antero confronted the “alien”. If the then Ensign Antero Flynn hadn't tackled him, who knows what would happen. But that was then, now he had other foes to face, specially himself. That was why he was facing his fears. Head on, back on the saddle. And there was one thing he needed to do, one place where he felt he should be to gain strength, to feel inspired, a sort of charm for good luck. Even if he wasn’t superstitious. Because being superstitious brings bad luck. He entered the turbolift directing it with a strong voice. Silveira: Bridge The turbolift door’s slide shut and he stood in attention in the empty lift. ((USS Columbia, deck 1, Bridge)) Vitor stood for a second. It was as if he was returning home, after being away for so many years. Standing at ease he stepped into the bridge, walking to the center railing. He was oblivious to those around him. The tactical station was empty, so he walked to it, standing there a second as he did so many times. He passed his hands through the smooth surface. It had been over six years since he last stood here. Here he was again. Fearful, doubtful, submerged with emotions but where he felt he belonged. Back on the saddle because like the last song in his playlist said… oO When the going gets tough, the tough get going. When the going gets rough, the tough get rough. Oo And it was. No doubt in his mind that the trek ahead of him was going to be. Tough and rough. With one final look around he turned back to the turbolift. TBC Lt. J. G. Vitor S.Silveira Tactical Officer USS Resolution, NCC-78145 O238907VS0

This was a great little moment between these two.

Congratulations, and welcome! Great to have you!

I know this thread is "funny things" heard aboard the USS Resolution, and there's a good dollop of humor here for sure, but I really just wanted to give a nod and some applause to @Vitor S. Silveira for coming up with nine (count 'em... neuf) different dishes, each one selected based on the tastes and preferences of its recipient. I just thought this was great. Also, I think Sil is trying to kill Yalu.

Twinings is the sultriest of teas.

Pfft, they probably only serve Twinings. ::shakes fist::