One of these things is not like the other - part 2

Posted on Thu Dec 1st, 2022 @ 6:47pm by Lieutenant Myne Redal & Captain Gary Taylor
Edited on on Thu Dec 1st, 2022 @ 7:38pm

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Deck 14 - Holodeck 4
Timeline: Prior to current mission
1891 words - 3.8 OF Standard Post Measure

//ON//

~~ Previously, on the USS Elysium ~~

"Yes, I'm the executive officer and you are right no matter how hard I try I can't free Myne er you and yes you are quite literally tied up. Please don't think me rude but where is Myne?"

~~ And now... ~~

Myne looked at Gary confused. "Wait, what do you mean where is Myne? She is right here? Well, in a sense I am inside of her, but I honestly do not want to explain. But do not worry, as I said, I am Naril Tezehl, fifth host of Redal."

Clearing his throat Naril, using Myne's body, chuckled. "I take my duties as former host really serious! And Myne is here dear Captain. I am Myne actually, we all are. Barring rumors and fantasies, think of me as a defense mechanism of sorts. This place is... doing things, let's leave it at that."

Nodding the PADD before looking up at Gary and keeping the same calm and composed demeanor he sighed. "We have to find the wizard. Which means the panel inside the holodeck more or less, given a fantastic personification. It would be quite fun in any other situation, right?"

Gary looked at Myne standing there bound hand and foot. "Oh yes quite fun under any other situation. Yes, finding the wizard is a given. Any ideas on which way to head?" He spoke to Naril, "Yes I know you are all Myne but can I possibly talk to the Myne I know and make sure she is alright, well as alright as possible under these circumstances."

"Well that saves me a lot of trouble and needles explanations. Myne is alright, at least with me in charge for a bit. Right now Myne needs to rest. Something happened, and she had a lot of stress put on her. This doesn't feel like a normal simulation Captain." Naril said and nodded to the darkening evening sky.

"It is going to be night soon. So let me ask you this Captain, how many hours have passed? Because from Myne's perspective, about 8 hours have gone and she kind of fell asleep from stress and exhaustion." The former host explained.

"Guess, I'll have to take your word that Myne is alright, not that I think you will do anything to hurt her, I just wish I could have heard it from her. As for useless explanations explain away, it doesn't appear will be going anywhere until we find the wizard and you are untied." Gary pointed out. "Speaking of which are you, is Myne going to alright? We have no idea how long this search might last or how long you will remain tied."

"Erm, well, let's approach the topic of being alright first. I have to say this position is really starting to feel unpleasant. Think you can lay me down on a soft, not cold surface? I want really like to lay down, my back is starting to hurt and my feet burn." Naril sighed and stretched his, well Myne's, back.

"And yeah, the kid is gonna be juuust fine. She will be better rested at the every least. Though if you really wanna do me a solid, you could give me a marker, or something to write. I gotta... do some stuff." The Trill chuckled in a playful done. A bit of a trickster grin and a glint in his eye.

"Alright, explanations. What do you wanna know? How long we've been locked in here? Why I am talking to you instead of Myne? Or how funny the symbiont is?" Really, Myne might be closed-lipped about these things, but I got nothing to hide. In theory I am dead on one side, and part of another person on the other.

"Yeah, I guess it is an unpleasant position to be stuck in." Gary agreed as he moved to Myne, and very carefully laid her down on a soft patch of ground. "That better? I think we've been locked in here at least eight hours, what do you think? Yes, and yes to the other questions." Gary admitted. "A marker? Hod on, Myne had some back by the tree. Let me get one, Any particular color? And you'll still be here when I get back right?" He asked Myne who was now lying he hope comfortably on the ground.

"Oooh yeah Captain guy, muuuch better. What the heck is Myne doing with her back at this job of hers?" A few grunts escape the Trill as he makes himself and Myne's body comfortable on the ground.

Nodding to Gary, he continued. "Yeeep, eight hours sounds about right. My count was either six or seven, but Myne blacked out a few times, so clearly I my count was off. And before you ask, something or someone made her black out. It was intentional." He explained and looked up at the darkening sky.

"Marker? Yes, I wanna draw on Myne's face. Leave some funny messages for when she wakes up. Black please! And I cannot move on my own. If I get kidnapped, it won't be because I wanted to!" Naril chuckled only briefly.

Gary absorbed what Naril told him. "Intentional, you are sure? Now we have to find out who, what and why. I'll get you a black marker but how are you going draw on Myne's face with your hands bound behind your back and I don't much think it is funny to do so." Gary grew silent as he thought on their situation. Myne was securely tied and would remain that way until they found this wizard. He looked down to where she lay bound hand and foot. "I'm sorry." he said quietly. "Sorry I can't get you untied, and you have to remain tied. But I promise you we will find this wizard and get you freed."

"You are Human, so I doubt you can relate to this, but if you could wake up in your sleep and leave yourself funny messages to read in the morning when you are awake, would you do it?" Naril smiled innocently and winked at Gary. "And you will write for me of course, I am dehanded as you can see. Handless is also a good term."

"Aaand yeah, intentional. Under extreme stress, the brain can shut down. Felt like that, but there isn't anything in Myne's memories that I can see." Chuckling the Trill shook his, well Myne's, head. "Can you please stop calling the control panel the 'wizard'? It is weird, even for a Human to say. And no reason to apologize. Honestly, what was Myne thinking, giving a program like hers a personality? I think the thing just got depressed and trapped Myne here to punish her for it. Or something ridiculous like that!"

"I guess I might but Myne is a friend and I feel like me doing that is betraying her trust in me. Let me think on it." Gary chuckled at his term, "Handless works." He admitted. "Okay, no more wizard talk. I'll call it a control panel. Your reasoning sounds plausible. Myne does things like that. I think she does it because she is lonely and there is no reason for her to be lonely. I think she' find it hard to make friends which there is no reason for that. She's smart and funny and creative. When she is rested I would like to talk to her but for now let's get some rest. I think we're going to have a long day ahead of us and it is going to be even harder for Myne bound like she is." Gary pointed out.

"You are a total party pooper. The other Captain guy, Super Garrett, he would have done it!" Naril pouts and tries to guilt trip Gary into giving in. "Come on, I bet she will laugh and thank you for indulging me! I am one of her favorite ones you know! I always win the 'funniest former host' award at all the Zhian'tara's!"

Despite the humorous tone, Naril becomes somber soon enough. When he speaks again, his tone is a lot graver. "I think you misunderstand Myne dear Captain. She does things like this because she wants to help, desperately so. She wants to do more than she can handle because she is afraid, not lonely. Lonely was never a problem for her, or for any of us really."

Gary nodded at Naril's words, "You may be right. I may be a party pooper I don't know. I just have your word to take on this. I don't know Myne as well as should. So please explain it to me, Why is she afraid? Is she afraid of failure, or not meeting what she thinks people expect from her? " He sighed Super Garrett er captain Lovejoy and Myne had a special friendship. He thinks quite highly of her, accepted her and likes for just what she is." Gary sat across from Myne, "Tell you what, when Myne is rested and if she says what you say, I'll write a funny message on her forehead."

"Oof, take your pick Captain. The Real symbiont is cursed? It is a bringer of bad luck and misfortune? Or it is just purely evil. Whatever your pick, no Redal host has met a peaceful end. They all started as brilliant and good people, but something always goes wrong. Myne has memories of a dozen previous lifetimes haunting her with this fate."

Gary listened in silence as Naril told him of the Redal symbiont. When he finished, he nodded slowly. "I can see where that would weigh on you and affect your behavior but and maybe I'm just a cockeyed optimist, but I think that doesn't have to be Myne's fate at all. She can have all the good things she wants, friends a family a career. Point is it is all there for her she just has to want it and of course us get out of the holodeck." The last said with a smile.

"Thank you Captain. May the stars bend their ear to your optimism. I am glad to see Myne has such a good XO on her side. Too many of us isolated ourselves, and that proved to be our downfall." The Trill smiled warmly and nodded. "As for the last part, tomorrow is going to be a trippy day for sure. Just write something funny on her head for me though. Something Human related that she will totally misunderstand!"

"Thank you Naril, for letting me know about Myne. I greatly appreciate it. Now you get some sleep if you can. I'll stay awake, make sure nothing else happens. As you said tomorrow is going to be a trippy day and I think you will need all the energy and strength you have and Myne have." Gary returned.

"Well, hold on there goatboy. Deerboy? Ah right, cowboy! I used to be a xenoarcheologist. And you Humans were not on our radar when I was the host. So indulge me a few curiosities before we go to sleep. We are in no danger from this nanny program in any case!"

~~ To be continued ~~


//OFF//

Captain Gary Taylor
Executive Officer
USS Elysium

&

Lieutenant Myne Redal
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
USS Elysium

&

Ph.D. Naril Tezehl
University of Trill, Xenoarcheology Department
5th Redal Host