Orions and Ice Cream
Posted on Tue Sep 12th, 2023 @ 12:53am by Corporal Rairror Thoran
Edited on on Tue Sep 12th, 2023 @ 1:07am
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 14 - The Poseidon Adventure
Location: After 11 - Deck 11 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD011 1600 hrs
Rairror sat alone at a table eating a chocolate ice cream sundae. He'd already had a strawberry one and the empty container in front of him.
Remira walked into the After 11 Lounge to see if there might anyone worth meeting. She noticed a dark-haired Orion sitting by himself who seemed to enjoying some ice cream. Well enjoying was subjective, Remira wondered if anyone could really enjoy much alone.
"Hello," she said walking up to the Orion's table. "I'm Remy, just arrived a couple of days ago. New A-Chief in Operations. Still trying to meet everyone. Could I maybe join you? Or are you waiting for someone?" she asked.
Rairror stood up. "Hello, Remy, I'm Rairror, welcome aboard, feel free to join me. Can I get you some ice cream." Rairror hadn't met many Orions in Starfleet. There was Ensign Sinclair, but she was different.
"Oh yeah, sure! Do they do an alright banana split here?" Remy asked, taking a seat at the table. "One of my favorites, you get a little bit of it all," she said with a grin.
"We'll see." Rairror said. "Server." He called. The server arrived. "A banana split for the lady, please."
"Yes, sir."
"So what do you like to do for fun around here?" Remy asked, a warm smile on her face. "When you aren't eating ice cream, that is," she said winking at the Orion.
"I enjoy working out, and watching 20th C Earth Action movies." Rairror said. "What about you?"
"I work out too, but not so much at the gym. I get kind of bored there. I prefer to get on the holodeck and do parkour, or go mountain climbing. I like to get friends together, and just hang out, go dancing or whatever," Remy said. When she talked about her hobbies her face lit up and she spoke with an upbeat energy that exuded from her.
She looked at him curiously, "How did you get into Earth movies? I don't know many people into those. Where do you watch them? Do you have a - what it's called? A projector set in your quarters or do you go to the holodeck?" she asked curiously.
"A fellow Marine on the Williamstown, named Jim Adams, introduced them to me with a movie called 'Predator', it was about a US Army Special Forces group that find themselves hunted by an invisible alien. I enjoyed it and Adams gave me copies of the movies and even helped me put together the projector to play them on." Rairror said.
Remy's banana split arrived, and she dug in with her spoon, careful to get a little bit of each of the flavors on her spoon. She closed her eyes, savoring the first bite. "Wow, that is so good. You've never had one? You should try a bite," she said offering him her bowl. Changing the subject back to Rairror's movie hobby, Remy commented. "I've never seen a movie. Maybe I should try watching one sometime."
"I'll be glad to find one for you." Rairror said.
Remy tried to read the Orion sitting in front of her. That was unclear... Find one for her. She didn't know if that meant if they would be watching it together, or if she'd be watching it on her own. Either way she supposed it would be fine and perhaps the beginning of a great friendship. She knew there weren't many Orions on board.
"I'd love that," she said. "I'm always up for trying new things."
Rairror smiled. "So, what do you do to relax?" He asked.
"Oh, anything really as long as it's with friends. If I'm picking the activity, I try to convince everyone to go dancing - or even better... karaoke," she said. "But at my last posting I had some people I'd hang with and a lot of times we'd just go to the lounge and hang. Or maybe go bowling. Have you ever tried that?" she asked.
"I've heard of it, but never played it." Rairror said. "Why do the 'pins' look roughly humanoid?" He asked.
A quizzical expression crossed Remy's face. "You know, I never really even thought of that until now," she said. "Interesting observation though. No idea," she said shaking her head. "Now I wonder how many people who like to play, have that very thought, and are taking out aggression on people..."
"I'm sure there are some." Rairror said.
"So what's your job in Starfleet? What do you do around here?" Remy asked.
I'm Marine, a heavy weapons specialist. I have a weapon I call the Key, that allows me to open or make doors." Rairror said.
"I've never heard of it," Remy said with interest. "Do you get to use it often?"
"On some missions, otherwise I just supply cover to the rest of the team." Rairror said. "I'm quite robust and can take a lot of punishment." A frown appeared on his lips. "I was a slave who was trained to be a bouncer and employed in a Orion run bar, far from my homeworld."
Remy tilted her head sympathetically. She almost reached out to touch his arm, but thought better, and stopped at the table instead. "I'm so sorry," she said. "My mom was a slave. Part of a group of Orion women, rescued during a syndicate bust. My father is human, Starfleet, so I was lucky enough to be raised away from all of that."
"How did you get out?" Remy asked.
"I was approached by an undercover cop, and helped him and his colleagues take down my Masters and testified in court." Rairror said. "My Masters were found guilty and I was then a 'freeman', without a purpose. My legal adviser suggested I enlist in the Marine Corps and the rest is history. The Corps is my family now."
"Found guilty?" Remy said incredulously, her distaste for the outcome evident in her voice. "You were a slave, you had no choice. That does not sound like a just outcome at all."
"I was not found guilty, also I heard the transport carrying my former Masters was attacked and they were killed." Rairror clarified.
"Wow," Remy said. She was playing with her ice cream now more than she was eating it. "How did that make you feel?"
"Would you think less of me if I said relieved and a little happy?" He asked.
"No," Remy said honestly, shaking her head. "What you went through much have been awful. I'm sure it was a relief. My mom wouldn't even talk to me about what she went through, but I know they messed her up pretty badly."
"I can understand why your mother would not want to talking about it, it would be like reliving it." Rairror said.
"Yeah, I know," Remy agreed. "So you have people you hang out with here?" she asked.
"Yes, the other Marines aboard." Rairror said. "They're a great team."
"I'm looking forward to getting to know mine," Remy answered. "It's a bit of a skeleton crew right now, obviously," she said her eyes twinkling. "We didn't have a marine detachment on my other postings. Do you work with the other crew much or are you self sufficient? Like does ops ever take a look at your computers, or an engineering team look at your engines if they've been damaged?"
"We can work independently, but we're also integrated somewhat with the Pioneer's crew. The ship's XO and Chief of Boat are both Marines and our senior Corpsman, works both with the science and medical departments and in some missions we support Security. As a weapons specialist I have some technical training, but we still need Engineering for the big stuff. We've recently been assigned a combat engineer, but their job is constructing temporary installations and setting up defenses."
"Well, hopefully I haven't bored you too much," Remy shrugged. "It's nice seeing another Orion around. I heard there aren't too many on the ship.
"Not at all, Remy, I enjoyed your company." Rairror said. "Its nice to talk with someone who can relate to what I've been through, I hope you mother will find a way to work though the horrors of her past." He added.
"I think she has," Remy nodded. "My parents are pretty happy together. All of that was a long time ago for her." She took a relaxed breath. "It is nice to be around another Orion. There are so many complicated relationship politically, and with the Federation trying to make nice with the Botchok government while also condemning the slave industry. I don't know that everyone gets the hypocrisy. Not polite conversation. I'm sorry," she said shaking her head bashfully.
"Its okay, not everyone can see it from our point of view." Rairror said. "The Orions will not abolish slavery, its too lucrative." He added.
"Right. So movies? You find that to be a good escape?" she asked.
"Yes, they can be violent, but it isn't real, so I can switch off from everything for a while and just enjoy the acting and story telling." Rairror said.
"Well, I should probably get going. But I would love to hang out again. Movie and ice cream next time?" she asked flirtatiously.
"Sure," Rairror said. "I enjoyed meeting you too, Remy." He added with a smile.
"Next week then?" Remy said with a smile. "Send me a message with a good time for you," she said as she got up from the table.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Junior Grade Remira O'Malley
Assistant Chief Operations Officer, USS Pioneer
Corporal Rairror Thoran
Weapons Specialist, Team 2, The Cure
USS Pioneer
RSS Feed