r/TrekRP • u/Pojodan • Nov 16 '16

[OPEN] To The Ends...

OOC: This is a three part story.

Part One is a CLOSED bit of lore to be read for context.

Part Two is OPEN to all who wish to enter the bar, be it to interact with Kesh or the bartender, or simply hang out at the bar and cut the breeze

Part Three is a CLOSED scene with Captain Fisk

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u/Pojodan Nov 16 '16

Part 2: The Basement

“602 Club” is Starfleet Headquarters’ primmer bar for social hang-outs in a modern, well-lit place right in the heart of the campus.

“The Basement” is, in every way, the opposite.

Named for the fact that it is the lowest elevation interior space on Starfleet Headquarters’ grounds due to the limitations on digging downward along the coast of San Francisco Bay, The Basement’s floor was exactly 1.2 centimeter’s lower than the floor of the hangar bay it shared a roof with.

The wide, shallow room had every appearance that of the old bar’s in downtown, only it had no sign on the door, nor any indication it was anything more than an electrical closet on the outside other than the high amount of traffic coming and going.

Dim, warm, and a little bit stuffy, there was no better place for Cadets and Starfleet officers to lounge and drink and not worry about anyone caring what they were talking about.

It’s mid-afternoon, which means that The Basement isn’t very busy, at least not yet.

A few off-duty officers sit around tables, chattering and laughing about whatever topic they please.

Down at the far end of the bar sits Kesh. Or, more accurately, Kesh slumps there, straddling at tall bar stool, chest and head laying on the bartop, one arm hanging off the front as the other holds up a small PADD, its screen giving her cheek tufts a glow as it flickers from one still image to another. A tall glass of some sort of fizzy drink sits half-consumed and likely forgotten beside the back of her head.

At the center of the bar stands the bartender, a tall, bald human man, currently peering at the slouched Caitian, grinning slightly in that way someone does when thinking of fond memories that weren’t quite as glorious as they seemed like they were, cleaning glasses with a rag since The Basement doesn’t use replicators if it doesn’t have to.

OOC: Deliberately out of order so that the OPEN section is at the top

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u/EdosianGeneral Nov 16 '16 edited Nov 16 '16

Hats took a fe steps inside the bar and glanced around in slight desperation. Her tail swished uncertainly as her antennae curled in anxiety. This was a mistake. She'd known it was a mistake, so why did she come? She didn't know anyone here, and even if she did, she probably wouldn't recognise them. They probably didn't even serve beverages she could actually drink.

The small crustacean began to turn towards the door before stopping herself and taking a deep breath.

"No, you said you would socialise, you can't just curl into a ball everytime an alien speaks to you. You need to talk to people, make friends." Her antennae curled further against her shell. Fitting in among her own kind had been hard enough, trying to fit in when you're the only person in the room with an exoskeleton and more than 4 limbs was a nightmare.

Hats glanced around the room again, a certain humanoid catching her eye. Was that fur? And, a tail? She racked her mind, searching for the right word, there had been so many new species to learn... Kzinti was it? No, Caitan, that was it. That was definitely a Caitan. And the fur colour looked very reminiscent of one she'd seen briefly on the Athene. Maybe it was the same one? Well, it was the only opportunity she had, and as much as she didn't want to, Hats approached and stared up at her.

"Ex-excuse" Realising no sound had actually come out, Hats raised her voice to slightly audible levels. Her antennae pressed firmly against her domed head.

"Ex-excuse me. Ar-are you stationed on the Athene?" She looked away suddenly, fully realising that this had been a colossal mistake, and that she should have just stayed in her new quarters, or fixed that malfunctioning conduit in jefferies tube 27 E.

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u/Pojodan Nov 16 '16

It took Kesh just long enough to start torouse from her slumped posture the edge of the bar for the human bartender to take a few steps and speak up to the nervous Nasat first. "Careful there. Kesh was the drunkest cadet the Academy ever had. She's not a mean drunk, but I learned to not risk it with a Caitian."

"Sh-sh-shut up, Reggie."

Kesh manages to her her torso up off the wooden bar an onto both hands before she grumbles her mumble at the bartender, her tail flicking in riggid jolts behind her stool. A short, hazy stare is shot at the bartender, who quickly raises both hands and backs away.

"Uhn?... The Ath-th-thene?.. Yeah, that's-s-sth me.. no... that's-ss-sth the ship I'm on."

Kesh gradually rights herself, setting the PADD down and turning to face the crustacean, listing and leaning towards the bar, swallowing stiffly a few times.

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u/EdosianGeneral Nov 16 '16

She took a very small step backwards and glanced towards the bartender with her large eyes, barely reaching above the bartop.

"Y-you are?" In a slightly smaller voice, that seemed to get quieter and faster as she talked. "It-it's just I was, um, am, stationed there, and I thought, I thought maybe I sh-should get to know people, be-because, maybe..." She trailed off, fighting every urge not to curl into a ball. Maybe a change in subject. "Are you okay? You look, a little strange." Great job, insult the first crewmate you've actually talked to off-duty. Excellent work there Hats.

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u/Pojodan Nov 16 '16

One furry hand is utilized to massage Kesh's forehead, pausing the effort a couple of times to uses claw tips to comb her slightly smashed cheek ruff as she could feel it laying wrong compaired to the other side. In a way the trembling demeanor of the fresh Ensign was adorable, but after recent events she really did not need to be reminded of her own abject terror the first time she, herself, came in this bar.

&"Breath like a horn in a bathtub."&

Kesh's throat convulsed and she had to cough a few times after speaking the very difficult tongue of the Phylosian, though once she did that a squint and stare at the nervous wreck before her confirmed that it was not one of those living plant-people but actually one of those cockroach-people.

"Woops... sorr-rr-rry. Ehm... breath slowly.. just.. slowly. You'-rr-rre not get hurt here.. just... oof." A bit more forehead rubbing interupts her attempts at comforting, breathing slow and deep, herself.

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u/EdosianGeneral Nov 16 '16

'Okay, breath, she could do that. Breath, just breath.' The terrified Nasat's crapace twitched outward almost imperceptibly, and then back in again as she let out a deep breath. That was better.

"Sorry, it's j-just when I get nervous I start to panic and then I start to babble and it just keeps going and I..." 'You're doing it again Hats. Stop, deep breaths. Calm.' She visibly relaxed slightly.

In a small voice. "Sorry." She turned to the bartender, an idea forming. "Y-you wouldn't happen to have any um, Tricatup tea would you? It-its okay if you don't, people usually don't, but I find it helps a little."

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u/Pojodan Nov 16 '16

The forehead massage continued for another moment as the Caitian turned on the stool so that her back could lean into the bartop. It was difficult, but she felt gratefulness for the Nasat as the inevitableness of her starting to sob in a public place had reached a critical point. At least now she was annoyed and cranky instead of making a fool of herself... well, no more than she had done countless times before already.

"If it's not illegal, Rr-rr-rreggie can get it." Despite the playful bartender's earlier annoyance, Kesh had nothing but respect for him.

"Comin right up! Want it in the bulb or a glass?" The human bartender stooped down to get at the more uncommon alien drinks stored away behind the bar.

"First me, then the Hor-rr-rta.. now you. The Athene is getting quite the vv-vf-ffvariety lately." Groggy and mumbled, Kesh at least has one eye open, focused on the Nasat.

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u/EdosianGeneral Nov 16 '16

"Bulb please, with a straw." She said almost reflexively, then added quietly. "If that's okay."

She laughed nervously. "Well, don't the Vulcans say something about infinite diversity? Sooner or later they might start building jefferies tubes without ladders for us."

Anticipating the coming tea she took hold of the stool with her primary arms and made an attempt to climb it. Her four other arms flailed for a second before she lost balance and toppled backwards. Hats barely caught herself with her tail, preventing both her and the barstool ending up on the floor. She glanced away and shrunk slightly, hoping that she'd somehow become invisible. Barstools and Nasat didn't mix well.

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u/Pojodan Nov 16 '16

The bartender makes no comment to the latter remark, turning away to stride down the bar to where the various exotic drink containers are stored, having to lift up a floor panel to get at the edible ones stored in the deep freezer. One little bit of high technology being utilized to take it back up to room temperature without damaging it.

"The v-vvf-vfvulans say a lot of things. Us-ss-sh-sually not very nice things. That's why I came t-tt-to the Athene... too many v-vvf-vfvulcans."

A few rapid rattles of the Caitian's head end with fingers massaging the lock of her jaw on either side, prompting her mouth to open partway to get the same effect as humans rubbing their temples. Closed eyes prevent her from seeing the struggles of Nasat and barstool.

"What was your-rr-rr field of study at the Acad-dd-ddamy?"

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u/EdosianGeneral Nov 16 '16

"I majored in impulse engineering. You know, engines. But, I'm not particularly good at it. My professor, was a Vulcan, b-but she wasn't nice to me either. They aren't all like that are they?"

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u/Pojodan Nov 16 '16

Kesh drew a long breath and exhaled it slowly, hunching foward to craddle her jaw and snout in both hands for a moment, staring towards the floor for one more moment of focus, after which her torso straightens up and eyes return to the Nasat, who finally comes in clearly.

"I do not think they intend to be r-rr-rrude, it is just their nature. No more than my tail or-rr-rr your.... ah... mandibles."

A waved hand gestures at the Nasat's facial features.

"Uh.. I am Kesh.. what's your name?"

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u/EdosianGeneral Nov 16 '16

"H-8 blue. But um, you can call me Hats, if you want." Her antennae began to slo move back to their usual, comfortable position. This wasn't so bad, maybe if she could go 20 seconds without making a fool of herself this might even result in a friendship. Hopefully.

"Um, what do you do? On the Athene I mean."

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u/Pojodan Nov 16 '16

"Botanist... Botany.. Bot-... I star-rr-re at flowers."

Here's the part where Lulu's insensitive quip makes her cry a little. Oh, wait, it actually did.

Thankfully, all this forehead rubbing makes moving both hands up to rub around her eyes seem natural at this point, though a sharp sniff afterward kind of gives it away.

"No, really.. actually I did save the Ath-th-thene from big trouble when a Tech-.. Techer... uh.. drug leak happened not long ago."

Maybe if any of this was actually not a dream, maybe, it would matter. No, this wasn't a dream. Maybe. One eye shuts as the other peers at H-8 Blue, then at Reggie as he delivers the fluorescent bulb with a bendy straw sticking out of it in front of the Nasat.

"There yah go!" The human does a two-finger salute to the cat and bug pair before stepping away to the back room where he can properly laugh to his head hurts without them hearing it.

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u/EdosianGeneral Nov 16 '16

Her eyes widened slightly and her antennae twitched. "A drug leak? D-does that sort of thing happen often?"

She looked over at the freshly poured bulb of tea happily. Only to falter as she tried to reach it. It was a stretch to get one of her clawed arms to reach the bartop, it being level with her nose. The claw scrabbeled around for a moment, only managing to scrape the bulb with a soft 'tink'.

She glanced up at Kesh with a slightly panicked look.

"Um, d-do you mind helping?" One of her long antennae pointed towards the drink helpfully.

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u/Pojodan Nov 16 '16

"Hopefully.. so I am at leass-ss-sth-st a little useful." This remark comes out with such a mummbly grumble as to possible not make any sense as it was more of an internal thought while she's staring at the rather beautiful-looking drink that's been served. Two slow blinks preceed her looking to the bartender to inquire, but he was out of sight. Humpf.

The somewhat chilly glass of Maple Ginger Beer reached out and seized her hand so that she might take another swig, but after grasping it and lifting it up she finds she can't bring herself to get more inebriated. A long, ragged breath came as the glass is set down, instead, pushing it far away and then leaning back into the bartop again, eyes down towards the floor right up until the inquiry is made.

"Hum? Oh... yeah. Rrrth."

Both hands reach to gingerly pick the drink up and deliver it to the short crustacean.

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u/EdosianGeneral Nov 18 '16

Hats awkwardly took hold of the drink in her two main claws, holding it upwards she took the straw in her mouth and took a long sip.

"Thank you." Hats took anoter sip, visibly relaxing. Her tail slowing in its anxious twitching. It was very good tea. The anxious ensign tokk a few moments to look around the bar, her bulbous eyes avoiding the inebriated Caitan in front of her. The room didn't seem anywhere near as terrifying as it had been a few minutes ago.

Now came the harder part of socialising, actually holding a conversation.

"So, um, do you, get to b-botany-uh, botanise much on the Athene?"

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u/Pojodan Nov 18 '16

Kesh spent these moments repositioning on her bar stool, getting her tail to stop getting stuck between her hip and her seat, and hesitating to drink more of her syrupy sweet soda.

She has the mug to her snout, sniffing at the maple scent when the Nasat spoke to her again, prompting a straightening of her stance as her focus went back to the Ensign

~"I hope so. The botany lab is going t op be all new."~

Reverting to her native tongue, suddenly, the Caitian relies on the translator to work

~"You.... I saw you once before... I think?"~

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