Cultural Exchange

Posted on Sun Mar 17th, 2019 @ 8:58am by Lieutenant Commander S'hib

Mission: Episode 1: Hell is a four letter word
Location: Holodeck 2
3270 words - 6.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Trotting slowly down one of the Elysium's many corridors S’hib glanced down every corridor he passed, The empty hallways filled him with ease and the steady temperature of deck six flowed nicely over his bare torso, letting his fur covered skin breathe naturally.

A long flowing brown dress wrapped around his waist and fluttered behind each hoof as he turned a corner, stopping outside of Holodeck two.

“Computer, does the Elysium have any information on Sequella in its holobanks.” S’hib asked curiously, not expecting much of a response.

“Data on Sequella is currently limited to the southern hemisphere of Rellulla and surrounding coastal regions.” The computer responded as the related files blinked up on the holodeck control panel.

“Wrong side of the planet, but it will do.” S’hib shrugged, Hoping his home region was on file as he typed on the display.

Moments later the doors slid open to reveal a vast beach of deep orange sand, Crystal clear water slowly rippling along the shore line. In the distance vast lush green mountains jutted out of the ocean, peppering the horizon with their unique geological formations.

“They got the smell right.” S’hib smiled after walking inside, his hooves digging into the warm sand with blissful eagerness as he walked away from doorway and towards the ocean, letting the door shut and vanish behind.

“Computer, please save this program to my personal files.” S’hib said slowly as his hand moved to his waist and tugged gently at his waist, letting the dress come away as it dropped to the sands behind him and allowing his home star to bask over his entire body as if he was truly home.

“I’ll have to send a request to the embassy to update the files.” S’hib said gently as small waves brushed past his hooves. He was looking off down the beach and into the distance, studying a vast but randomly generated mountain where a vast sprawling city should have been.

That was when the surroundings suddenly changed to a snow-covered landscape with rugged mountains. A village appeared and the smell of wood fires filled the air. The sounds of the sea were replaced with the noises of smithing and woodworking. A man in a suit of scale armour walked past S'hib, saying, "No lollygagging!"

Through the holodeck's doors, Anya walked in to make use of her appointed time. She was dressed in a nice set of plate armour, in preparation for the bandit raid that was about to hit the village.

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.” S’hib yelled as the pleasing warmth of the beach was replaced by harsh arctic winds “Computer, uniform!” S’hib snorted quickly after noticing the holodeck door open, having his nude body covered by a uniform moments later. “Hello?” S’hib coughed in a very flustered manner, unable to distinguish anyone that didn’t look like they were part of the current simulation as the door shut and vanished.

Anya, standing in the centre square of the village, looked about to see where the bandits would likely be coming from. There were very few defences. The houses were arranged so that there were few gaps between them, and all their doors and windows opened into the village centre. Fairly flimsy gates defended the remaining entrances, and there were no proper walls or gatehouses, likely because the village had not received the privilege to fortify itself from its feudal overlord. Breaking through at any point would be easy for the bandits, and so Anya decided to stay in the centre and fight them off there. It meant she would be fairly safe from arrow fire, though she didn't worry about that too much in her full plate.

Then her gaze fell on the weird creature in a Starfleet uniform. She approached, asking, "You're not from here, what brought you to these parts?" She was wondering whether it might be a mistake in the programme.

“You did, I'm guessing?” S’hib snorted as he looked down at the armoured figure with a deep frown across his face. “My apologies, I was unaware this holodeck had been booked.” He added before looking around. “So I’ll leave you to... whatever you are doing.” He said shortly before an arrow flew past his head and hit the wall behind him.

"You better get ready for a fight", Anya said. She drew her two-handed sword from her back scabbard and approached the gate which had just been thrust open. Villagers dropped their tools and ran for cover, barricading themselves in their houses as they put on what passed for armour and grabbed what few weapons they had to defend their livelihood and families. But with her armour and sword, Anya was a force to be reckoned with, and she soon proved to S'hib the agility that articulated plate afforded the wearer.

Watching the bandits come charging through with a sigh S’hib stepped back and let Anya swing away, carving an arm free from a man as he fell over with a stomach churning scream.

“I must insist,” S’hib said calmly as bandits broke past Anya and headed for him. “I really should be going.” he added as a barbarian of a man came charging, Wild eyed and wielding a small sword.

"Computer, weapon accurate to the current simulation." S'hib snorted in defeat, a long metal handle materialising in his right hand, its thick leather grip supporting the weight of the heavy head at the end of the mace. "What kind of training simulation is this." He added, raising a small wooden shield that his left hand had been given before blocking a blow from the bandit, bringing his mace up in an arch and cracking into the bandit's jaw, sending the hologram sprawling to the floor.

"The fun kind", Anya said as her armour bounced a blow from an opponent's axe. The two-handed sword was the ideal weapon for her. While heavier than a one-handed sword, she could wield it with both hands, putting more force into the blows. But she had to constantly step back a little to have enough room for blows. In tighter spaces, half-swording was the order of the day. That meant gripping the sword by the handle with one hand, and in the centre of the blade with the other, then using it to impale people.

"It's very unorthodox." S'hib remarked as he struck another armoured bandit with a large swing, clubbing him to the floor with a wet thud. "Similar to riot training." He added, Not understanding the senseless barbarity of it all as just fun and not something to take seriously.

The armoured bandit that S'hib had pushed to the floor was a tougher opponent than most. Contrary to what some people believed, armour really worked, and worked well. Anya stabbed at him with her sword but didn't hit a gap, and the bandit rolled away to get back on his feet. "Careful with that one!"

“I see him.” S’hib snorted, A large cloud of steam trailing from his nostrils as his breath mixed with the fridgid air.

“You worry about them!” S’hib pointed with his mace before dodging an overhead swing, crashing his shield into the man's helmet and staggering him back into a wooden cart.

Anya saw and exploited a weakness in her next opponent's armour. For some reason, she had overlooked this particular piece when modifying the programme. She was wearing a horned helmet. So grabbing onto the horn, yanking her about and stabbing her face with her sword was easy. "Horned helmets are stupid!"

“Historical inaccuracies besides,” S’hib grunted as he swung low, taking his foe's leg high into the air as he stumbled to the floor. “That was a smart tactical exploit.” He added as he raised the mace with both hands and brought it down fiercely, crushing the steel plate that covered the man's chest.

With the last opponent hacked to pieces, Anya looked about to survey the surroundings. "Hmm, not bad. We only lost two villagers." She opened the visor on her helmet. "That's a good score."

“Any amount of civilian deaths is a bad score.” S’hib huffed as he threw the crude weapon and shield to the floor. “That being said, You fight well.” He added, adjusting his uniform.

"It's the game mode, it's almost impossible to get a perfect score", Anya explained. "There are other modes, for castle defence, or wilderness encounters, where you can."

“The combatants we just fought lacked any form of unit structure or tactics.” S’hib explained as he looked around the village.

“With the lack of walls or proper guards the most sensible thing to do would be for everyone to retreat to the centre square, having half of the occupants using bows behind a strong wall of shields.” He gestured around as he analysed the small streets. “No defence is perfect but against the rabble we just fought, any form of strategy would be greatly advantageous to the survival of everyone here.”

"Hey, I'm coming here for fun", Anya grinned. "It's my way of staying in shape. Regular exercise is just too boring."

“I suppose mixing work with fun would be counterproductive.” S’hib snorted with a smirk. “Guess I was taking it a bit too seriously.” He added before shaking his head and mane and extending his hand out. “I’m Ensign S’hib by the way, I only recently joined.”

"Anya Neeze", she said as an armoured hand carefully shook his. "I do wonder what caused you to hide out in my holodeck simulation, though. Were you trying to see what we do for fun around here?"

"Actually, I was running my own program." He added, looking down at his holographic clothing. "I should lock the door next time." He added sheepishly.

"You should, maybe, get your own reservation next time?" Anya suggested. "Computer, end programme." As the familiar yellow grid lines appeared, Anya's armour was replaced by a a shiny red suit, nice and tight as was the fashion of the century, which she usually wore beneath all holographic clothing.

“Wait!” S’hib barked as she uttered her final word and his uniform along with the holoprogram vanished. “I... my apologies.” He added as he turned around to face away from Anya, hoping to not offend the woman he just met.

“I was visiting my home planet, My species doesn’t wear clothing.” He added as his long braided tail flicked against his legs while he looked around the section of the holodeck he was facing, trying to find clothing he had dropped earlier.

"Want to show me?" Anya asked. Since she wasn't feline, she wasn't too worried about what her curiosity might do to her. She ignored his lack of attire as she was often in the buff herself, playing alone or with others.

"Computer reactivate the program I was originally using, and add in any additional population files you have." S'hib said as he turned around, rather surprised in Anya's interest. "Welcome to Sequella." He said with open arms before clasping his hands together behind his back, feeling the sand beneath his hooves as the holodeck vanished once more.

"So, now you take me along the beach riding on your back?" Anya wondered. It looked like a nice holiday resort. Maybe it was supposed to show one of the prettiest parts of the planet?

"Very funny." S'hib quipped as he walked towards Anya, leaning down to pick up his skirt where it had dropped before. "I could always carry you over my shoulder though it would be a little less graceful." He grinned before wrapping the long fabric around his waist once more.

"I think I'll just walk", Anya smirked. She couldn't tease him too much. He was an officer, after all. "I've never seen anyone of your kind before, so I'm bound to be stepping on some toes here... or hoofs, for that matter. Well, a hoof is a toe, isn't it?"

"I guess you could say it is. But I wouldn't worry about that," S'hib said happily. "I'm just surprised someone showed a cultural interest. So please do ask anything you want." He added as they began to walk down the beach.

"But aren't cultural interests the reason most of us are out here?" Anya wondered. "I mean, not me. I was born here. Starships are my home."

"I find most people are uncomfortable when clothing is concerned," S'hib said, glancing down at Anya and her figure forming catsuit. "I guess it's one of the few truly alien concepts still around. Least it is for everyone else anyway." He added looking back at the ocean.

"Oh, that", Anya shrugged. "No, I'm not bothered. I suppose it's something else for a species mostly covered in fur, anyway. The reason we humanoids had to craft clothes is because we spent so many evolution points on the sweat ability that we had to lose our fur to do it. And now we need clothes in certain situations."

"Don't let the fur fool you," S'hib said cocking his head back towards Anya. "I can sweat just like you, And it's a good thing too." He added before looking up at the holographic sun, whoever had made the program had toned down the temperature.

"Computer please raise the ambient temperature to around twenty seven degrees Celsius, and compensate for humidity." S'hib asked as he stopped walking and waited for the computer to comply.

"Are you trying to cook me?" Anya wondered. That was quite warm, and warmer than Anya usually enjoyed. She picked training programmes in the snow for a reason, after all.

"Well, you are wearing clothes." S'hib said as he looked Anya up and down. "Try not to sweat too much." He shrugged before turning and sprinting for the ocean at a surprising speed for his size, throwing his skirt aside and diving head first into the clear water.

Anya wondered how she should respond. It was obvious he wanted her out of her clothes. That wasn't usually such an unusual thing, but he was trying a bit hard, wasn't he?

Breaching the surface S'hib flung his head backwards, flicking his water matted grey mane out of his face and down his back.
"Come join me!" He beckoned, paddling backwards and away from the shoreline, small waves barely rippling over his shoulders.

"I'm good", she called. She decided she wasn't in the mood for swimming. She sat down in the sand and waited. "I'll just enjoy the view, for now."

"I wanted to show you something!" S'hib yelled disappointedly as he looked around the water, hoping he was far enough out. "I'll try and find it." He added before taking a lungful of air and dived under the water, Leaving Anya on the beach as he swam down to the coral reef below, Hoping the programmers had added in something unique.

Surfacing once more with a deep gasp S'hib began moving towards the shoreline, clutching something in one of his hands. "I found one." He exclaimed excitedly as he waded through the water and up onto the beach. "I didn't think I would since the files are limited." S'hib added, slightly out of breath as he got to his knees in front of Anya still dripping wet. "Hold out your hand please."

Anya held out her hands, unsure what he was about to drop into them, but not alarmed. But while she expected an animal or a plant from the sea, what she received was much less slimy, and heavier than expected.

"My planet used to have two moons," S'hib said softly, gently placing a small metallic rock in her palm before lifting her hand up to the sunlight. "That's a part of Sh'le. She got too close to Sequella and broke apart from tidal forces." He added as its crystalline structures glistened a multitude of colours. "It's a tradition amongst my people to find a part of Sh'le to give to visitors." He added with an innocent smile.

Anya tried to imagine what it must have been like to have a moon break up and crash down to the planet. "That sounds like a major, extinction level event. This is not from living memory, is it?"

"Not living no." S'hib sighed thankfully as he sat back onto the sand. "She was a small moon that just wanted to visit, So now we give visitors parts of her so that one day she'll be back amongst the stars." He added looking at the small rock, it's dark chromatic metal crystals shimmering on its smooth surface.

Anya looked at it a little more closely, wondering. "Are you sure these aren't the remains of a starship that broke up in orbit, and it's metal parts fell down to the planet?" With how metallic they were, she figured would be an easier explanation. But there was no telling how much myth had been woven around the objects.

"Not unless the starship is a few billions years old." S'hib quipped with a slight snort. "Sh'le and her bigger brother Dalu, Our other moon have remarkably similar chemical makeups." He added looking at Anya. "It's theorised that during the formation of my planet, Sh'le and Dalu were one satellite that was torn apart and reformed into two, Making them twins." He added as he cupped a handful of the deep orange sand, pouring it back into place.

"Sequella herself is very metal heavy, the iron residue in the sand gives it its characteristic orange complexion." S'hib noted, trailing his fingers along the sand.

"And your ancestors found these clumps of metallic rock, and came up with the explanation of a cosmic visitor?" Anya wondered. Myths were interesting, but often even more interesting was how a myth came about.

"Nobody is really sure how the idea started, But the theory is that what remained of Sh'le in orbit only recently... In the last fifty thousand years or so fell to Sequella." S'hib said looking up at the sky. "Ancient cave drawings seem to suggest something did happen along those lines, And that my species did witness her final days."

"So how rare exactly are these stones?" Anya wondered. "I mean, aren't you worried that if you give one away to every visitor, you'll eventually run out?"

"That's the idea." S'hib chuckled. "We want to put her back into space." he added before looking at the stone again. "As for rarity, it depends where exactly on Sequella you are." S'hib continued, looking back at Anya. "The southern hemisphere has a higher percentage of fragments, but it's still fairly common to find them up north." He said before laying down in the warm sand, looking up at the clear sky intently. "You can't really see them now but on a clear night you will often see shooting stars, fragments of Sh'le still visiting."

After a short pause he looked back at Anya, the orange sand sticking to his grey fur. "Thank you for spending your free time with me." He said softly before looking back up to the sky.

"As long as I needn't worry about a stone falling on my head, I'm good", Anya smirked. "I'm glad there are safety protocols on the holodeck."

"Me too, I've heard it hurts quite a bit... and considered lucky." S'hib snorted in protest. "Though I suppose it's not every day you get to say you got hit by a moon."

Anya laughed. "Pass." Not how she preferred to get hurt.