The Bubble Bursts

Posted on Fri Dec 9th, 2022 @ 5:36am by Mykaia Kylo-Zahn & Delaney O'Callaghan & Curtis Vaan

Mission: Mission 16: Hysperia
Location: Guided Tour, SS Mary Rose
Timeline: After "At Your Service"
2681 words - 5.4 OF Standard Post Measure

"Okay, you weren't lying. It's huge."

The expression on Kaia's face as she took in the slow revelation, inch by inch, stretching onwards without an indication of reaching the end any time soon, was one of sincere astonishment. There had been plenty of times, especially recently, where she'd experienced smaller variations, more compact and less imposing, and though she hadn't directly called her fellow Risian out on his embellishments, she'd had a sneaking suspicion he'd been boasting for the sake of hyperbolic effect. He was obviously eager to impress, and he hadn't exactly been unsuccessful in that regard, but she'd done him a disservice by bracing herself for slight disappointment. It was everything he'd promised her, and more given her lack of expectations.

The SS Mary Rose was a full-blown starship.

"That's what she said..." Curtis muttered under his breath, then puffed himself up proudly. "This is just a taste. She's better than any pleasure liner, let me tell you. Spacious, comfortable, and yet retro classic at the same time." He grinned, knowing that this was going better than he'd expected so far. She wasn't a typical airheaded Risian that he might have expected to meet, but at the same time she wasn't one of those people that seemed aloof and uncaring either. A helpful balance.

"What's it used for?" Genuinely taken aback, Kaia was attempting to readjust her expectations on the spot whilst also trying to absorb the potential right in front of her. She was no expert on starships, Donnie might have fared better in that regard, but something of this size and capacity seemed rare outside the larger mercantile fleets, or Starfleet's military exploration.

"What isn't it used for?" he replied. "Cargo, passengers, wild adventures into the unknown reaches of the inky void..." He was pleased he'd done this. Showing off the old Constitution-class ship was a sure-fire hit with just about anyone familiar with the last couple of hundred years of Federation history.

"Are you sure I'm allowed to board?" Now that she was face-to-hull with the ship, which was actually as magnificent as Curtis' boasting had promised and therefore lead to her wondering how much of everything else he'd said was true, Kaia found herself more than a little intimidated. She certainly didn't want to inadvertently trigger any security alerts.

"You're practically an honoured guest," Curtis replied, maintaining the bravado he had managed to hold on to this far. "If anyone were about we would have the red carpet rolled out already. Come on, don't be shy!" he said, gesturing to the entryway.

She was less than convinced by his reassurances, having never been an honoured guest even once that she could recall, but Kaia stepped past the security presence with a faint smile and no small amount of relief that she wasn't stopped for questioning, and lifted her eyes to consider the hatchway as she moved from the gangway to just inside the main hangar doors. "How did you wind up working on a ship of this size?" Slowly, with the evidence stacking up to warrant it, the Risian's tone was losing its playful edge in favour of outright awe.

"Well, it's smaller than my usual tastes, but there's nothing wrong with 'slumming it' for a little while, is there?" he answered. "Gentlemen. As you were." He waved dismissively at the confused security detail on the entryway as they passed. "So, what do you want to see first? We've got a lot of decks and not enough hours in the day."

Put on the spot, Kaia was left to acknowledge the fact that she had very little concept of what a starship's features were, let alone having had enough time to ponder what her priorities would be in the advent of being able to tour one. Frowning slightly, she gave the matter some thought and then turned to study Curtis' profile as he fell back instep beside her again. "What about where you work? Unless that's too sensitive," she added, aware that security clearance must still be a thing even with her fellow Risian's apparent authority.

"You wanna see the computer cores?" he asked, at first dubious, then a little taken with the idea. "Yeah, that sounds good. Where the magic happens." Feeling just a little bit forward, he took her by the hand and led the way. "Honestly, some people don't know just how great computer systems really are. It takes the right sort of mind to see one and understand it, you know?"

Slightly bemused, Kaia nevertheless smiled at his enthusiasm. She was not, she'd be the first to admit, the most informed when it came to computer systems, which was to say that she knew very little about them at all, but like most of her culture the Risian had a penchant for people who were passionate about a topic, no matter what it was. Certainly, Curtis' mood was infectious. "A ship this size must have a crazy amount of systems to keep running."

"Oh craaaazy," he agreed. "Needs a really steady hand and a lot of skill to maintain." He patted one of the wall panels, which immediately dislodged with a loud crunch and settled in a noticeably skewed position. Curtis paused, cleared his throat, and quickly moved them on. "Anyway, she's a real classic. And she's got it where it counts," he said, adding very subtly, "Just like me..."

Somewhere along the way, his attempts at showmanship had translated as jest. It was, perhaps, the kindest interpretation anyone could have offered, especially when Kaia's assumptions were genuine. It seemed, at least to her, that his grand-standing was more a means to make her feel less awkward and so, rather than roll her eyes as might have been other people's reaction, she squeezed his hand and grinned. "One thing at a time." She winked, in full belief that she was simply perpetuating his joke.

Encouraged by that statement, possibly falsely, Curtis practically bounded through the entrance to the computer core control section. The core itself, two massive pillars constructed out of various isolinear hubs all chained together, glowed a subtle blue hue into the chamber. His usual workstation for monitoring systems and making changes was empty, as expected, though some of his tools and materials were scattered untidily about.

"Here we are. What do you think? Stunning, isn't it? All this helps to control just about everything else you see," he explained.

To Kaia, who had just as much experience with computer systems as she'd already confessed to, the hubs were an impressive architectural feat that left her feeling immediately insignificant. Their function was far more difficult to conceptualise, and as a student of psychology, albeit an amateur one for the moment, there were parallels to the sentient, organic brain that were impossible to ignore. That intangible function could result from something as solid and uncompromising as a conglomeration of circuits and other components was, frankly, awe-inspiring. Her gaze drifted upwards to absorb the magnitude of the ship's physical mind and she nodded slowly.

"How does something like this even work?"

It was an idle, speculative question, almost rhetorical in nature. Realising several seconds too late that it sounded like genuine scepticism, Kaia dropped her gaze to meet Curtis' and added, "Technology always makes me feel like that. The endless possibilities of a device that started as minerals pulled from the ground. It's quite humbling."

"Takes years of practice to really understand it all," he replied, his cocksure grin returning. "It's okay to feel intimidated by the size..."

"It's also okay to be slightly disappointed by it, even if you're inclined to be generous with your expectations."

The voice from the door promised no prisoners, as well as carrying a very familiar air of self-assuredness combined with curiosity. Hands on hips, her features fixed in an open and friendly expression that some might have had cause to instantly distrust, the new arrival blinked several times at Curtis before turning her attention to his visitor. "Which is actually kind of good advice where Curtis is concerned."

Kaia, bemused and instantly unsure of herself, had the distinct impression of being caught, though she wasn't entirely sure why. "I hope we're not interrupting," she hesitated, ignoring the jabs at her host's expense in favour of apologising. "I haven't touched anything, I promise."

A slow, smug grin spread across Delaney's face. "Uh huh."

"L-Laney..." Curtis' expression morphed through surprise, then confusion, then pure horror as he noticed they were no longer alone. "I thought you'd be off on the planet somewhere. With Leiddem. Having fun." He spoke the last two short sentences almost through gritted teeth, sensing he wouldn't like the coming reply.

"We decided to try out the new holodeck instead," the redhead replied, her gaze lingering as a smile on the unfamiliar face. "Which was quite an adventure, just not the one we were expecting." Stepping forward, Delaney offered the other woman her hand and failed to resist the urge to grin as Kaia stared at it for an awkward moment before recalling the custom. "Delaney O'Callaghan. Are you coming to work for us?"

Still flustered, Kaia held the taller woman's hand for far longer than was necessarily and then flushed as she dropped it abruptly, hiding both of hers behind her back out of harm's way. "Oh. No, Curtis just invited me on board. To show me around. I'm Mykaia," she added.

Finally, Laney's gaze flicked up to meet her friend's. "That's very nice of him."

"Yes. It. Is." Curtis' teeth remained tightly fastened to each other. "I'm very nice." He glared at Laney, wishing he was telepathic to the point of drilling into her head that he wasn't ready for what he knew was coming.

Silence lingered, which in Delaney's case was downright impressive and might have been a relief if it hadn't heralded some kind of rapid thinking that was sure not involve a lot of tact, even with the hesitation. The twinkle in her eyes as she held Curtis' gaze promised a certain degree of affection without any of the reassurances that it would be enough to keep the grave she dug him shallow. Ultimately, however, it was Kaia that received the bulk of the human's genuine interest, for Laney's brain had finally caught up with itself to realise a striking familiarity that she hadn't noticed at first. Her gaze swung back and forth between the pair, pointedly focused on their foreheads. "So, do you both know each other?"

Kaia, who was more astute than she was being given credit for, was equally as fascinated by the interplay. As someone who had grown up in a prime position to watch people interact, she had more than a slight academic interest in delving into the impetus for people's behavioural choices. There was certainly tension in the air, though it was mostly one-sided, and had Curtis not already mentioned another name, she might have considered the potential for an air of unresolved friction that stemmed from attraction. Certainly her host seemed tense in this woman's presence, and had visibly shrunk into himself as an animal might when anticipating a blow. "We met in the marketplace for the first time and struck up a conversation. It's not every day Risians meet each other this far from home."

"Right." Another pause. "Curtis mentioned that most of your people aren't very interested in travel." For once, it almost seemed as if the redhead was choosing her words carefully. Delaney's eyes lifted upwards to consider the computer core. "And this was the most exciting place he could think to show you?"

Ever gracious, Kaia smiled. "I asked him to show me where he works."

"And I did. We've seen it. Sooo..." Curtis began making moves to usher the other Risian out of the immediate line of Delaney's proverbial fire. "Shall we?"

"Whoa, steady on there, Romeo. Before you continue your guided tour, I came here to book you for a maintenance check on our freshly-installed holodeck." For a brief moment, Delaney's attention was monopolised by the actual impetus for seeking him out. "Leiddem and I just had a very rigorous hour-long session that involved an admittedly-bugged program looping until we forced a narrative closure. None of the voice activation is working in there," she summarised. Glancing back at Kaia, Laney's expression remained impressively devoid of obvious guile, with the exception of her eyes, which took some experience to decipher. "There's no rush though, finish this first." Smiling warmly, she added to the other woman, "You really should think about applying for work here if you're looking, though. The Captain has a massive recruitment drive going at the moment." A moment of brittle innocence hung in the air. "It'd be great to have another Risian on board."

Caught awkwardly between being put on the spot and having at least partial interest in the suggestion, Kaia cast her gaze sideways to Curtis and then frowned faintly. "I'm not sure I'd be of much use on a vessel like this..."

"Trust me, there's more scope than you realise." The guillotine blade dropped without warning. "I mean, we keep Curtis around."

"Hey, there's only one of us actually employed here to operate the automated computer systems," he protested quickly, his previous facade of superiority quickly sliding into a desperation to correct her. He quickly glanced at Kaia, hoping he wasn't about to lose all of his hard work.

For her part, Kaia seemed more fascinated by the interplay than particularly worried about the details exposed by it. Her gaze, swung back and forth between the pair, had a wide-eyed keenness that exposed her as more inclined to laugh than take offense. "I definitely couldn't offer much help in increasing that number."

"There's more to do here than tangle yourself in computer core wires," Delaney assured the Risian, her sparkling blue gaze lifting to regard Curtis with fluttered innocence. "Right? I mean, we have an entire bar that isn't being managed."

"That's...well, that's true..." Curtis found himself on the back foot momentarily. Laney wasn't exactly lying, after all. But he hadn't thought past the next couple of hours, never mind the potential future where Kaia was a more permanent resident on board. "I just...you're on vacation," he said, looking at his fellow Risian.

Just as put on the spot, Kaia swallowed hard and glanced at Curtis as if to beseech some sort of assistance. "Working holiday," she corrected, though that didn't really help matters. "I mean, we do eventually need to move on after the festival. I'd have to check with Lyndon."

Delaney's eyebrows arched. "A friend?"

"My step-brother," Kaia corrected, brow still furrowed in thought.

The taller woman grinned. "Plenty of work for him here too. I'm sure Curtis will put in a good word for you."

"That's not really my decision-" Curtis fell into the trap before he'd even realised. He shot a quick, alarmed look at Kaia. "What I mean is, I'm not the one who deals with...administrative matters...like personnel." Maybe it would work. He doubted it, given his own wide-eyed and possibly somewhat vacant expression.

"Something to think about anyway," Delaney continued, and by this point, aside from a few jabs, her behaviour had been far too agreeable for the residual energy of a dozen missed opportunities not to have created a kind of static charge that added an additional layer to the good humour in her eyes. "I should let you both get back to it," she added, another kindness not to be trusted. "Curtis and I can talk malfunctioning holodecks later, you both have fun." For a moment, her gaze caught her friend's and, soaking in his desperation, Delaney cocked an eyebrow and then smothered a smirk. "And stay safe."

"She seems nice," Kaia observed once the other woman was gone, her tone slightly mystified.

The enthusiasm and swagger thoroughly drained, Curtis just nodded quietly. "Oh, she has her moments..." he sighed.