Science Arrival

Posted on Sun Dec 11th, 2022 @ 4:14am by Lieutenant Commander Mel Torma & Ensign Quinton Grey (Kosugi)

Mission: The Goddess
Location: Science
4366 words - 8.7 OF Standard Post Measure

/ON/

It took some doing but Quinton finally caught up with the Gladiator. He had missed the embarking time due to the ship he had been on had been attacked by some privateers, before he could get to the station. Happily though, through sheer luck, Quinton was able to catch a ride with another ship and now he was on the proper ship he had been transferred to, the USS Gladiator.

Stepping off the transporter pad, Ensign Quinton Grey said, to the transporter chief as well as the security, "Thanks, uh could you let me know where I can find Commander Torma? Or where I can meet up with her?"

The security personnel held up a finger and tapped on his combadge, "Commander Torma, we've got a new arrival within your department, where would you like the ensign to be sent to?"

Mel perked at the chirp, and then doubly so at the prospect. A new arrival? Oh wonderful! "A new arrival? For sciences? Oh wonderful. You can send them directly to the Science Lab. I'll meet them there. Torma out." and the binary officer started to get ready. Brush up the fur a little, make sure everything was neat and symmetrical. First impressions were SO important, after all. Once she was ready, the Dalacari headed out to meet the newcomer at the labs. Hopefully to beat them there, helps to make an impression when you're THERE to make the impression, after all.

Quinton managed to make it to the Science labs, before he stepped inside he adjusted his uniform, checked his boots and made certain that his hair was smoothed down, even did a breath check. He didn't want to have bad breath when talking to his new boss. Okay looked like he was ready, squaring his shoulders, Quinton stepped inside. He was looking forward to meeting Commander Torma, having not met any of her race before. It looked like she had beaten him there.

He had a wide smile of greeting, and a curious look in his gaze mixed with wonderment.

"Hi, I'm Ensign Quinton Grey." Quinton spoke offering his hand out in greeting.

She was indeed waiting. Even managed to take being busy to disguise the trek she made getting here. "Oh hello, it's excellent to meet you." If it was one thing any Dalacari loved, it was making connections. One of her binary forms took his hand in the universal sign of friendship. The other just stood there like an extra. Both of them were smiling, but no teeth. Humans evolved from omnivore stock, so predatory displays might still bother them. "Good to see you made it. Did you have any..." and that's where the chat ended.

Only to be picked up without pause by her other body, "... trouble finding the labs? The ship can be a bit big at first."

His mouth turned into an 'O' as he glanced from one to the other. It was a mind bending experience! " I've never met anyone like you before and sorry If I am staring just this is an incredible chance that had been given to me." giving a bit of a smile.

She giggled a bit, in stereo. "Trust me, when we first met Single Instance Life we were just as amazed. Dalacaris Duocorperus Unanimo to be technical. Dalacari in the common..." and it happened again, the one speaker just stopped, while her twin picked it up exactly, "...tongue. I understand that my tendency to focus shift is a bit jarring, so I try to stand close when I'm chatting. Still though, I'm getting plenty of practice in..."

"... making the shifts a bit longer. It's a bit of an exercise to talk to just one person. One person, as in, well, Singular focus, singular instance. Oh that sounded..."

"... so rude, I'm so sorry. Umm, so, starting over. Hi, I'm Mel Torma. I have four feet and two mouths and I can't keep one out of the other." she giggled, again. "So, by all means, ask away. We're explorers..."

"... after all. New life, yadda yadda, right?"

"My full name is Quinton Tucker Grey but if you'd like you can shorten my name to Quin. Anyway, how about we find a place to sit, and I can start asking questions and you can ask me questions." his eyes just sparkling with excitment.

"Of course, we can use my office." One form motioned while the other mentioned, before the pair stayed to lead the way. "Do you prefer Quin, or Quinton, or..."

"... something else? In casual conversation I prefer names over ranks, so..."

"...Mel is fine. Please not Mrs Torma, that's my mother." She giggled as she opened the doors to her office. Spacious, bigger desk, more chairs. Though that could just be a trick of the room layout. "Help yourself to the..."

"...fabricator. I've programmed some matrices of Dalacari food and drink, but nothing..."

"... alcoholic during work hours. Sober crew is a trend I enjoy following." She picked up a pair of mugs for herself. What was in them smelled exactly like coffee, except it was blue.

"That has a lovely aroma to it, may I try some? And also drinking alcohol during work not a good thing, would hate to be drunk and trying to work on an experiment. Something really bad can happen." Quin nodding. "One person who got sent home, had been doing such and set a lab on fire at the academy. Needless to say the instructors were not very happy."

"Oh by all means. You'll find it under the database as 'Svarta'. It's a close enough translation from Dalacarin." she offered, the silent twin taking a sip, while the speaker spoke. "As far as I can tell it's..."

"... perfectly safe for consumption. Save for the caffeine index, which I think is the entire point." at the story of the lab fire, Mel's posture seemed to change. "Was everyone alright? A fire can..."

"... be a very dangerous thing." she paused, "Safety here in the lab is something I prize very highly. To a Dalacari, there's nothing more worthwhile than preserving life."

"We all escaped without any real harm, except for some smoke inhalation and some singed hair. Singed hair is one of those scents that just isn't fun to smell. Had to haul the moron out of there, he was trying to use the wrong component to put out the chemical fire. He grabbed the isopropyl alcohol instead and whoosh!. It was a bit of a scary moment there." Quin walking over to get himself some 'Svarta' once he retrieved it the Ensign walked back to take a seat.

"Okay, so a few ground rules." she paused, "I'm not twins. Not in the sense that everyone likes to think when they meet me. I'm one being, I just happen to have..."

"... two physical bodies. I can split my attention, but it's dizzying to split it between two intense subjects. No, I can't read two books at once." she giggled.

"I'm a Complete Dalacari, or informally you'd call me Intact. Please don't call me a Single Dalacari, it's an offensive term. Our Department of Interspecies Relationships recently..."

"... started to change the lexicon so that we stop using Single, due to our interactions with Single Instance Life. There's a serious, incurable medical condition known as..."

"... being Single. It's when one of your bodies, well, passes away. We used to call it being Single but, you can imagine how that's a little offensive. So now we call it..."

"... being Stranded, but the connotation is still there. So, figured I'd get that out of the way, if you ever need to reference me to someone else. Also, you could always..."

"... just use my name. But that all depends on if they know me. Which, I mean, off this ship that's a long shot." she took a sip, each, of her 'coffee' "So, ice broken I hope. Ask away."

"Okay ice broken. With the way you are, your other side of you." Pointing to the one to his right and Mel's left. "Do you have the same handednesss as in you are right handed on both sides or does it differ?" Quin was hoping he was stating it well enough.

She paused, even mid-sip. "You know, that's... that's an interesting question. Okay I honestly don't know, but I can guess. Okay so I'm Av Hogern which translates roughly..."

"... to 'On The Right', meaning I favor my right hand on both bodies. Dalacari dislike asymmetry very much, drives us up a wall. So I imagine if I started to favor my other hand..."

"... or, from your perspective, one of my other hands, then it'd drive me up a wall until I started using the same hand across the entirety." she offered. "Now, there are those..."

"... of us in Dalacari society called Exoverts. They're very comfortable with asymmetry. They can hold off a focus shift for longer, they can dress in two different outfits." she giggled.

"Imagine that. Two outfits!" the very notion struck her as comedy. "So, so okay... so for an exovert, I can imagine that they could be Av Hogern and Av Vanstern..."

"... at the same time, but that just blows my mind. I never honestly thought about it until right now."

"In essence, with you facing yourself, its almost like looking into a mirror's reflection. Right hand reaching out towards the other. And makes it easier to make certain you look presentable right? Wearing the same outfit, would be simpler as well. I couldn't fathom trying to pick out two outfits for one body and trying to maintain split attention focuses. To me that sounds like a headache." Quin taking a sip of his Svarta, and enjoying the flavor.

"Well, if I were to face myself, my right hand would land on my other right shoulder. Oh, that's another thing. Dalacari don't enjoy coming into contact with ourselves." she pointed out.

"See, I can feel everything I can feel. Dia I know that sounds weird, but... it just, contact with the self feels like static. I feel something feeling something feeling something." she explained as best as she could.

"Think of it like licking a battery. Not pleasant but not dangerous." she pointed out. Then paused, "And yeah, I can't imagine how they do it, but they do. They're popular in retail stores..."

"... because they can split their attention better. They're also very popular in health care, because they can help care for our Stranded population."

"Since you do not like being in contact with your other self, as it creates a staticy feeling or even a bit of a feedback, that actually answers the question of sleeping arrangements. You have to be in the same room but not in too close quarters in order to not stress yourself out." Quin stated, giving a nod. "That is if I am getting it right."

She gave a pair of smiles, "I like to joke that the only Twin about me is my sleeping arrangements. Two twins, please." she offered. "They won't give me a bed like back on Dalacar because..."

"... then everyone would want them. Big, plenty of space to lounge and tons of tail room." she continued. "We like our space, mostly because we need a lot of it." another pair of giggles.

"So far, you're on the money, as they say. I mean, the Federation doesn't have money which is SO weird. I mean, we have currency. Hell our computers manage the..."

"... entire Dalacari economic exchange, which includes the Ts'usugi, the Trilark, even the Slate. And they EAT their currency." she giggled again. Then came back to the here and now. "It's so odd."

"Well on Earth they one termed paper money as Lettuce which was strange to me." Quin taking another drink of his Svarta. Lowering his cup he looked at Mel.

"OKay your turn to ask me some questions if you are of the mind to do so." Quin exhibiting his delight in finding out about Mel's race.

"Hmmm.. oh, oh I've got one. OK do... there's a TON of imagery using rabbits on Earth, and the Ts'usugi..."

"... bear a striking resemblance to Earth Rabbits. I was wondering if this was just a..."

"... massive cosmic coincidence, or if Earth was visited by then in their ancient past."

"That is an intriguing question." Quin replied, "I don't have the answer to that one. Maybe they had at one time visited Earth. I have no clue that would be interesting to find that out. Or it could even be a big coincidence." taking another drink of his Svarta feeling the buzz of the beverage, go through his veins and making its way to his brain. "Wow this is really good stuff!"

"Oh I know it's just a coincidence. They've admitted they find the entire ordeal amusing. Ask them, and they'll point out that They don't look like rabbits... Rabbits happen to..."

"... look like them. It's adorable, really. But I know for as much of a fact as I can say, they've never been to your sector before. And as for the svarta, I KNOW RIGHT?" she exclaimed, "I tell Single Instance Folks that I'm..."

"... down to four cups a day just to mess with them, it's great."

"This I think I will definitely be keeping it at maybe twice a day as I don't think I could drink this too often. I wonder how long this caffeine buzz will last."Quinton mused. "Well and will find out if there is a caffeine crash to go with it."

Another sip, then Quinton smiled, he wondered if it was a combination of Mel's perky attitude along with the coffee that was really charging up the air at this time. "What are your favorite things you love to work on science wise and anything interesting you've come across that has captured your interest?"

"Please, help yourself. Federation fabricators aren't too far behind our own, so the taste isn't too far off. If you try it fresh, though, you'll be signing the petition to let me..."

"... request Dalacar stock fabricator units. Biphase pass matter construction, takes a little longer, but I've yet to see a Starfleet model that can get a sizzle down right." she offered. "See..."

"... Dalacari evolved from predator stock, so we still appreciate a good side of meat. If you want to get on my good side, remember that." she teased with a giggle. "Now, as for favorite topics. On the..."

"... clock, I enjoy the pursuit of mathematics. I know, corny nerd Mel Torma with both noses in the same textbook. I just, I respect math. I find a form of comfort in its constant nature." she paused to take a pair of sips.

"No matter who you are, where you go, math is there waiting to greet you. Vulcan transformic equations, Klingon battle hymns, Ferengi economic projections. Even..."

"... races back in the Home Sector that never met the Federation have math, and it's all the same at the lowest point. Humans broke the light barrier, the Trilark exchange IDEAS for..."

"... actual currency, the Ts'usugi broke the speed of communication, and the Slate take five minutes to say their name. And yet at the root of it all... one and one is two." she smiled softly.

"Do you know how comforting that is? No matter how different we are, we share a common ancestry in math." she paused again, just to relax and take another comforting sip. "As for Off the Clock Torma, I like to read. I collect works from various peoples and..."

"... places, because while we're all the same in Math, in literature that's where our unique points shine. The epic tales of selfless heroism of the Ts'usugi epics. The oddly relaxing Slate operas, even..."

"... Vulcan odes and psalms can help relate to such an interesting people. There's love in their logic." another pause, "What about yourself? On and off the clock."

On the clock science, constantly seeking answers learning what i can of things I do not know about. Off the clock, I like to play billiards. i read mystery novels, even participate in the holoprograms. I do fencing and also do Parkour. Which helps me keep in shape." Quinton replied. "It is fun and can utilize physics and science to endeavor to improve physical skills."

"Parkour. I had that described to me once as the art of enthusiastic walking. I've also had it described as what one engages in when almost late to a lecture across..."

"... campus. Either way it sounds delightful but I don't know how good at it I'D be, so I have to say that's impressive." a final sip of her regional coffee. "See, I'd worry that one of me would get..."

"... hung up somewhere, isolated, and then I'd ghost." a pause, "Oh, ummm, ghosting. That's a term. I'm comfortable with about twenty, maybe thirty feet of distance between..."

"... my bodies, as long as I can still see, well, me. Past that, and I get nervous. Jittery. I get confused slightly, maybe a little panicked. Might happen in a crowd if I'm not..."

"... careful. So, if that happens, just take my hand and tell me you're going to help me, and bring me to where I can see where I am." she smiled across both forms, "If you're lucky you'll get to see me do..."

"... the sensory recognition dance, and embarrass myself for the rest of my life." she giggled.

"I will make certain to remember that, Mel. I mean Commander Torma." Quin's cheeks darkened. "So I do have another question for you. If I were to hold your hand with this side of yourself and then with my other hand take the hand of the other side. What would happen?" Quin was actually very curious about that. "Would it cause you some problems?"

She giggled, 'Well, aside from the captain asking why we're holding hands, it'd feel interesting but not a sensory feedback loop kind of problem. It's me holding your hand, not me holding my hand." she pointed out. "It's overlapping..."

"... personal experiences that trigger the feeling. I have to be the cause of, and the recipient of." a pause, "I appreciate the curiosity and concern."

"So if I were to hold your hands, would there be a little bit of a connection like say for instance, some of you perceptions be leaked to me? Sort of an electrical current or just that there would be an odd sensation of seeing something of how you feel or memories? " Quin replied.

"Oh no no, I'm not projective or anything like that. That entire experience is internal to me. Unless you were somehow telepathic, then you'd be able to tap into my senses as..."

"... well, I imagine. There hasn't been a recorded case of a projective empath in the Dalacari genome, so I don't have any real experience with such a phenomenon." she admitted.

"All things being normal, if you held my hands, the only thing it would be for you is 'holding a girl's hands.'. Sorry, no out of body experience or anything." she giggled.

"Not that I was expecting that to happen, but am glad to find out that won't occur." Quin responded. "I didn't know." Giving a return chuckle. "You have been great in answering all of my questions I've asked so far." another sip of his Svarta, it getting to the midpoint. "You had mentioned Dalacar foods, what is the food like? Are you omnivorous?"

"I understand that to an outside observer, Binary Instance Life must look so interesting, so please ask away. The more comfortable we all are..."

"... with each other, as various species, the more productive we can be in the laboratory. So, food." she smiled. "My favorite topic. So Dalacari cuisine is usually served in..."

"... pieces. As in, split into two dishes. Since I have two sets of taste buds, I can taste two things at once. High end Dalacari cuisine is designed to..."

"... blend in the brain, and tease both bodies. Dia that sounded horrible." she giggled. Recovering, she paused for a moment, before one of her forms opened her mouth.

That was a lot of teeth. Sharp teeth. Ripping. Tearing. Holding. Biting. WAY in the back there were a few meant more for mashing but, you had to get through that gauntlet of sharp teeth first. Also, white chompers.

"I'm an obligate carnivore. Dalacari cuisine is mostly meat of some form, with vegetables taking up the bare minimum. Now, we've..." and the body giving the dental demonstration closed her mouth so that she could start to talk.

"... been tracking our nutrition through the decades and as it turns out, the proportion is changing every few generations. So..."

"... who knows where the transition will take us. Until then, sharp teeth." a pause, "Sorry if that threw you off. Most species are evolved from..."

"... prey stock. We're one of the only ones that seem to have evolved from predatory stock."

"Nah I'm fine I was just really finding it interesting as to the setup of your teeth, just the various teeth." Quin giving a nod. "So if you decide to smile naturally showing your teeth I won't be bothered."

Another pair of smiles. "So, while it's a relief that you're comfortable with the notion, you'll understand if I just don't start flashing the whites..."

"... around. Smiles, yeah, you'll see plenty of those. Teeth, nah, only when I'm eating. Don't worry, I'm not a messy eater." she offered as a consideration. "And no..."

"... we don't stalk our prey or hunt or gather. We stalk deals and savings and hunt trends. I couldn't survive in the wild..."

"... for ten minutes without begging for drone assistance." she giggled. "Would you like to try some Dalacari cuisine? It's clever..."

"... because you got me a little hungry asking about food." she admitted.

"I would love to try some Dalacari cuisine."Quin giving an enthusiastic nod. "I feel I made myself a bit hungry too, just talking about food. And definitely up for trying something new."

Picking up his mug, "Eat it in the break area away from things?"

Mel gave a pair of nods and stood, "A fantastic idea." one complimented, while the other just smiled in reply. She led Quin to the break room, essentially just a repurposed small lab room without the equipment. Once she was in the break room, she made her way to the wall replicator and placed an order for something called mizza. What appeared was a pair of bowls containing small meatballs, one bowl of which had a decidedly red tint to them. She placed them on the table, and motioned while she started to talk.

"It's called Mizza. A simple enough dish, meat in spheres with seasoning and sauce. Each bowl is seasoned differently, and the trick is for each body to eat one different..."

"... bowl, so the flavors kinda collide in your head. For single instance life, though, the best I can offer is to eat two at once." she offered. "I can only guess, but that's about..."

"... as close as getting the actual flavor. I've been told by some others that eating it this way almost has a peppermint flavor to it, sometimes. Or a tomato kind of..."

"... taste, depending on which one hits your tongue first. Give it a shot, it's rated bio-safe for all carbon life." a pause, "Unless you don't eat meat. Then I'm so, so sorry."

"No need to apologize, I eat meat so I am not offended. And yes, I would love to try this out." taking a look at the food. "oooh that looks wonderful." he took a deep breath taking in the aroma. "And smells great." he picked up a fork and speared one of each and placed them in his mouth, and his eyes rolled back in his head, just enjoying the flavors. He opened them back up and smiled."This is great."

Mel couldn't help but have a few herself, consuming them the 'proper' way. "Mmmmmm.... oh Dia I've missed this." she muttered, mouths full. Her mother would have SO many words for her.

"I'm never going to regret spending the Buoy Rations to get this recipe on the Gladiator system." she took another pair. "Okay so whenever you want, I'll arrange for some. I love to..."

"... share my culture, and I love food. So this, right here, is what the Federation knows as a Win Win." she giggled. An odd sound in stereo.

"That sounds like a plan definitely." Quinton replied, then went back to eating the fabulous food that Mel had him try. Another bites then he asked. "I had looked at the manifest of the ship and noticed that there is another person listed. An Emma Walken? Maybe we can do a little get together so we all can meet?"

"If we can get everyone's schedule to line up, certainly. Don't be surprised if there's members on the manifest you never meet, though. Shift changes can be like..."

"... ships passing in the night. An entire populace you never see." she offered. "But until then, eat and enjoy. You'll see me munching on these though the day, or maybe..."

"... with a mug of svarta. It's ..... it's like coffee, I hear. Except coffee is black, and svarta is blue." she offered, and that seemed to be the end of the description. "Anything else on your mind?"

"I think that has answered all of my questions at least for now." Quinton chuckled, "I do though, need to get my quarters sorted out, well once I am finished eating this delicious food." with that he set to concentrate that very thing.

"Fantastic." she offered with a pair of smiles. "Let me know if anything else pops up, and yeah good luck wrangling those quarters. Is 'Wrangled' the right word? I hear it gets..."

"... a lot of use, I just never really know if it's the RIGHT word for the moment. But in any case, good luck with he quarters." she giggled, "And please, help yourself. Food is a universal treat."

"One meant to be shared with friends."

/OFF/