Stargaze

Posted on Fri May 22nd, 2020 @ 9:08am by Lieutenant Commander S'hib & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar

Mission: Season 3: Episode 4: Cause and Effect
Location: Stellar cartography
Timeline: MD 4
1162 words - 2.3 OF Standard Post Measure

A vast view of stars shimmered along the curved grid of the Stellar cartography screen, hundreds of lightyears blinked in a moment before coming to a stop. "Home..." S'hib said quietly to himself as a single star was highlighted on the grid, barely noticing the small annotations appearing by its side as he looked around at the constellations, imaging he was back on Sequella staring up at the stars.

It was peaceful here, he thought, his ears twitching to the sounds of the ship reverberating into the dome shaped room he was in.

Arrianna entered the room and examined the individual inside. Clearly he was viewing his homeworld from space. "Homesick?"

"Sorry I uhh..." S'hib said, turning on his hooves in surprise. "I just needed to come somewhere quiet..."

"It is quite alright. A lot of the crew come by and do exactly what you are doing." Arri noted.

"I'm not in your way am I Commander?" He replied, glancing back at the view of Sequella.

Arri examined the console. "Star is Main Sequence, Class G. Hmm. The first planet in the system exhibits remarkable tidal effects with the star. And the fifth planet shares an orbit with a primordial Class L world. Have your people considered possible terraforming of this world. It is a very promising candidate for both alge and ice meteorite introduction."

"We are very sedentary people... content to just look up at the stars and wonder," S'hib replied somewhat proudly. "Plus we get very lonely when not with our own kind." He added, somewhat implying at his own emotional state and the reason he felt the need to look at his home.

"If we terraformed it, we wouldn't know what to do with it..." He finished with a slight chuckle, looking away from the screen and towards Arri.

"I know the feeling." She pushed a few buttons and refocused on another world in the Typhon Expanse. "This is Sena Alindar. My people's colony in this area of the galaxy in the typhon expanse. And quite possibly the last hope for the Alindari race. We're building a new homeworld here from an ice world we found that was completely sterile and have succeeded in engineering this world for our people. We've spent ten years rebuilding the great lyceum here."

"That must be hard, having a home you have barely known, but knowing it is all you have... But In a way, I feel the same with the Elysium." He said looking back at the screen, admiring the colours of Sena Alindar.

"The most difficult part, is not knowing our homeworld. But I know stories. Cities with spires that glowed silver-white to greet the sun during the sunrise. Great forums and colleges that spanned the world, signifying our resolve to learn all that can be learned. Great halls filled endlessly with the fine works of the Age of Renewal's master artisans." Arri mentioned. "But we're strong, Shib. One day Sena Alindar will shine with the artistry of new masters. I will make sure of it."

"If you know your history and you have your people at your side... Your homeworld, it's wherever you all are." He said softly, turning to look back at Arri. "A planet can be rebuilt, even from scratch... but you as a people, as a culture... as long as that survives Sena Alindar will as well." He finished, turning back to the screen.

"It's why we were so scared to leave our home, we can't take everyone else with us."

"That... was the most difficult part about the Searing of Alindar. The youngest princess of Emperor Kalus, Princess Anara, had to make the difficult decision to tell her people to leave the outer colonies and join her in the Nebula of the lost. They could not bring anything that could be used to trace where they went, only what they could carry. So we detonated the atmospheres on the outer colonies, destroying every trace of ourselves and left." Arri noted. "We could leave nothing for the Borg to recover or piece together. Those who stayed behind, knew what was being asked of them." Arri mentioned. "It was called the Sacrifice of a Thousand Souls. The great prelude to the Age of Exile."

"I imagine that is quite a burden you all carry, to not let their sacrifice have been in vain... But I also don't think they would want you to live in their shadows, looking back at what if's and mulling over a dusty rock..." S'hib remarked, pausing briefly as if deep in thought. "You should contact my people, I'm sure they would be willing to help you build your new world."

Arri looked surprised as Shib, and she had to say it. "By the way lieutenant. You might be surprised to learn something about me." She noted. "Would you be offended if I said I had Earth Horses at my residence on New Alindar? And I have a horseriding hologram on the holodeck?"

"Must be very odd having a conversation with one who resembles a horse," He mused, folding his arms and glancing towards Arri. "But no, I don't find horseriding to be offensive... Especially since we have Sheek's on Sequella... Very stubborn creatures."

"My caretaker usually looks after them. I don't get home enough, as my duties have me preoccupied." Arrianna noted. "It was a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

"And the same to you." He nodded politely, still somewhat curious why she brought up horse riding; his face bemused with a curious smile.

"Perhaps we can take a moment and go into the Glaria Mountain Meadows Program. Sena Alindar is a majestic world of Forests, Mountain Meadows and high snowy peaks." She noted. "Interested?"

"I hope you aren't planning on putting a saddle on me." S'hib grinned stupidly, feeling it was probably best he capitalise on the horse puns before she did.

Arri chuckled. "Not unless you want one, and if we were on my homeworld, my horse Salan would wonder why I was saddling the wrong horse. He is a prideful one."

A hearty laugh erupted from his nostrils as Arri spoke. "You start attaching gear like that to me people are gonna get the wrong idea..." S'hib smirked, walking somewhat away from Arri as he attempted to contain the laughing fit he was having.

Arrianna laughed with her soft laugh... "I should tell you. It takes years in Alindari relationships to get that intimate." She mentioned. "Though sometimes... Well, there was that temporal incident..."

"Incident? I take it this happened before I came aboard?" S'hib asked curiously, wondering if this was why Varis had also joined the Elysium.

Arri shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing too dramatic. It's good to meet you." She noted

"Probably best I don't ask anyway I suppose." S'hib smiled, before looking back up at the large screen.

OFF:

Lieutenant Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar
Chief Science Officer
USS Elysium

Lieutenant S'hib
Security Officer
USS Elysium