Cat-Walk of Faith (Backpost)
Posted on 24 Mar 2019 @ 7:00pm by Captain Akio Tachibana & Commander S’chqenr T’Jedf Tolkath (Jan 2389 - TRNSFR After Gorn War) & Lieutenant Commander Iria Taltos & Lieutenant Deeli Kosu (Dec-Jan 2389 - TRNSFR After Gorn War)
Mission:
Ka Hakaka Maikaʻi - The Good Fight
Location: Holo-deck 3
Timeline: T - 18 days to Canterra
Soundtrack
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[On]
Holo-deck 3
Iria had taken time to hand a carefully written note of invitation to the three people on the Hawaii she felt deserved to have further insight and show of trust from her. The notes were simply stating to please come to Holo-deck 3 at 2000 hours. She would be providing food and the rest would be explained once everyone was settled. She was dressed in a loose fitting wine colored dress and sandels, her hair loose hanging in curls around her back and shoulders.
She had taken time to study each person's favorite eating habits and asked the lounge manager for help in preparing the foods she wasn't familiar with. The small table was set with something for each person, including her own tuna melt sandwich, bowel of tomato soup, glass of barqs root beer.
There was a steak thick cut cooked medium well, along with some thick cut french fries potatoes, tea and another drink beside it for Kosu.
There was a tray of several small very different dishes among them were; Zeru Soba, cold buckwheat noodles that were to be mixed with quail egg yolks, ponzu sauce(Japanese sour citrus), shredded nori(seaweed) and sliced shiso leaf(Japanese mint) grilled saba(mackerel), the fish fillet was first marinated in rice wine vinegar, salt and sugar before going over the coals and cooking till the oily fish was crisp on the outside. There were unopened chop sticks in a silken cover for the Captain, along side a fresh cup of oolong tea.
The Science Chief found plomeek soup, gespar in rolls, along with a salad and stuffed peppers. There was also a loaf of bread that was steaming with visible peppers bits, spices, and cheeses baked into it with in easy reach of everyone. There was a butter dish and knife beside it to allow for easy cutting and buttering of the bread.
Akio entered the holodeck at the invitation of Taltos. He generally did not accept invitations of this manner from junior officers, yet it seemed important. He was surprised by a dinner table set up and froze. Seeing there were other place settings, Akio was relieved he was not walking in on a one-on-one situation inadvertently.
Following Akio into the holodeck as she kept her mouth shut and looked a bit around. Deeli was not herself the last couple of days, but somehow she got invited? Did her repulsive behavior towards people not rub off the right way? Well the way she intended to, not interacting way.
Tolkath had received the invitation and been somewhat curious about the situation. He did not visit the holodeck frequently, although would occasionally access a couple of programs that recreated Vulcan landscapes and monuments.
He nodded to Tachibana and Kosu and looked around the simulation.
The room was a large library but with the inclusion of the table at which they sat. The shelves of books held ladders to reach the very highest points, there were maps of the four quadrants of space on the walls and a several ship models hanging from the ceiling. Also on the ceiling where crystalline Chandeliers making rainbows dance around the room from the streams of lights.
As they got settled a black short haired cat walked around the room, it had a diamond collar and bright blue eyes. It didn't meow or bother anyone seated but it kept waking around the room after pausing at the left hand corner of the room, where two bookshelves met at the corners. Then began walking again.
Akio noticed a cat and wondered if it was a projection or real one. The Hawaii seemed to be full of animals these days.
Tolkath noticed the animal and again had that odd sense of a Le mayta.
Iria gave a cheeky smile as she got to her feet smoothly, "If you will follow me? I will answer your questions in a moment." She then walked once around the library to the corner of the bookshelves she side stepped and went in between the bookshelves, waited until her guests followed as she lead the way between, the short walk passed by several shelves before opening up.
The room was filled with people and cats. There were boards of text that moved, flowed, the short haired black cat with bright blue eyes walked around them twice, before walking behind one of several floor to ceiling screens, walked out again, but as a woman in her thirties stunning blue eyes and long curly black hair. Her diamond collar/necklace around her neck she was dressed in a loose fitting black dress.
Iria waited a beat then walked behind the screen and came out as her Auburn furred Turkish angora form, she regarded each person a long moment before she turned, and waited back behind the screen. After a few seconds she was walking out once more facing them in her human form, she smoothed the fabric of the dress and stood still holding her sandels in her hands.
Akio looked back down at the food and noted that it did not taste adulterated. "You are showing us cat projections?" Akio asked, not sure what he just saw, still not putting two and two together, yet enjoying the feast.
Rolling her eyes at the comment of Akio, but it was a statement to draw out why this meeting was here. Deei looked at Iria, what was she planning and why where they invited towards this show of ....well cats.
Tolkath crossed one arm over his middle, his other hand went to his chin as he contemplated what the Engineer had shown them. His mind was running over possibilities, one of which involved Taltos being a very rare individual indeed.
Iria gave a wry grin. "There are only a few holographic characters such as Isis here, " she indicated to the blue eyed woman beside her, "who acts as a guide most of the time." Iria said lightly before she met the gaze of each person before her, "I like most of the folks here, am an Isisean, we have two forms only; human and feline. My family got Turkish angora, there's others that are Maine coone or Egyptian mau there's too many to mention really."
She blushed slightly, "As far as I know there are two other Isiseans, serving in Starfleet. Though most prefer to stay civilian if they go on a ship. We don't generally trust folks easy and when we share this placewith folks it means a great deal."
Iria looked at the Captain, then Tolkath, and then to Kosu, "I will answer what questions you have that I can, what I can't answer Isis or one of the other guides will. If you ever want to talk to other Isiseans you just come to the holo-deck run a program of your choice and ask Isis or another guide to join you. They'll bring you here." She said lightly though she was curious and a bit worried of their reactions. She had only brought two others before the three now standing there.
Akio started to absorb the information as his worldview of Taltos had morphed with the revelation she could transform into a cat.
Tolkath rubbed his chin. He now had the answer to the sensation of the Le mayta. "Fascinating" he said quietly
Deeli looked at the people that were reference for a good few seconds and then looked back at Iria. What was this woman trying to do, why was she even invited after that speech of not trusting her and all. Deeli was confused and scratch the back of her head in a response to that confusion "Then do care to explain, where are we?"
Isis gave a smile, "This is the whiskers hub, a place that connects all holo-deck and holo-suites to allow easy communication for Isiseans all over. Some only speak to other Isiseans while others are more than happy to talk with outsiders; that are brought in here with trust. Emony, myself and Zoisite, are the guides."
As she spoke the names two others walked over one was a chocolate colored Egyptian mau, bright green eyes in feline form, after walking behind the screen she was dressed in a loose fitting white cotton dress her brown hair short and curly, and her jade green eyes lined in old Egyptian style.
Zoisite was a Siamese with piercing blue eyes before walking back from the screen, he nodded his head lightly, his hair was close cut in brown and silver his eyes the same piercing blue that they had been in his feline form. He wore an old style Oriental high necked shirt and loose pants.
Akio blinked at the additional revelation. He smiled at the novelty of the concept and the fact they were all cats.
"Well, I understand how dangerous this may be and I appreciate you telling us. However, you know full well that we are a welcoming culture," Akio said.
"Not everyone is, some are quite adamant that we are unnatural or aberrations so we are careful of whom we tell. The business with the Dominion and the Founders didn't help much either." Iria said quietly as she relaxed slightly she had been worried he would have gotten upset at her for roaming the corridors in her feline form.
"I can understand those concerns. I think as long as you respect people's privacy and do not use your... other form for nefarious purposes, there will be no trouble," Akio replied, hopefully reassuringly.
Tolkath grasped the concept of the simulation quickly, for a rare species a means of staying in contact with others of their kind was really rather logical. "I have a question... Are you born humanoid or feline?" Ever the scientist "And at what stage are you able to change between those forms?"
Iria grinned cheekily, "We are always born humanoid, we usually start shifting as early as two weeks to as late as ten years old though anyone who doesn't learn to shift seamlessly by the age of fifteen, then it is likely they won't. We can have children with most other humanoids, though for real details there, you will want to talk with the guides. They can tell you better than I can." Iria said though she was blushing slightly.
Tolkath nodded. "Very interesting Lieutenant, thank you for the information"
Seeing the nice conversation going, it was Deeli that spoke up "But what is the reason that we are here?" Looking at the felines and then back at Iria wondering what she wanted from them.
Iria looked from each person she had lead to the hub and gave a sad smile, "Because I am trusting you to know and maybe keep me from getting declawed." It was the simplest truth. There were five currently known Isiseans (last twenty years) that had never trusted anyone they got collared, couldn't shift, and were declawed. By the time they got loose the damage done to their fingers and toes had been irreversible. The latest-most recent was a young man named Cameron, he was in his thirties now, but it had happened five years earlier, and he was undergoing a twelveth round of prosthetics so far they were not working well for him.
Trust, there was that word again "Mmm well you are part of Hawaii, it is ...unlikely that Akio would let any harm come to you" Deeli said a bit flustering not looking at Akio about praising him for it "But I am still unclear why would someone want to unclaw you? Or declaw whatever it is called."
"A slightly barbaric practice done by some species who choose to keep wild or semi-wild creatures as pets and then wish to remove some of the animal's natural but aggressive bio-physical traits. Removing an animals claws, teeth and so forth." Tolkath replied, having a Vulcans adversity to causing unnnessecary pain or injury.
"Right, that does sound pretty barbaric" Deeli concluded for herself and nodded slightly towards the analyzing of Tolkath "But do you have anyone that knows about your ...form?" Deeli asked curious "Except for us that is"
Iria grinned cheekily, "Family reunion is in eight months, I told my roommate Olivia Morse she still on the USS Bismarck it was our training ship, first assignment, she is still there, as Engineering, transporter technian. William Saumi knows as well we dated a while on the USS Kindle, he and I are just friends now," he had decided that he preferred being friends over dating. Iria knew there were more reasons but she let it be.
Iria looked from the Captain to Kosu and Tolkath, "We can't shift if there is a tight object around our throats, it is why most of us don't wear necklaces and or remove any other jewelry before we shift. The ones that got unlucky and declawed, had only gotten loose because their families had gotten worried and went looking in their human forms." She paused shook her head, "I have never betrayed anything I have heard while in my feline form. As long as what I hear it not a danger to the ship and crew I never will." It was a simple rule if folks talked freely while you were a cat you kept their secrets. As long as no one was going to be hurt. That included bullying. Though that was harder to fight but Iria and others seemed to have it figured out most of the time.
Deeli placed her hands behind her head and smiled at Iria "I got no reason to tell anyone. Plus if you get bullied, I still have tool throwing practice to do."
It was Deeli's way of showing her support of her fellow crewmember. But she felt troubled, she had totally broken down after the last meeting. Trust, friendship and...She diverted her eyes towards Akio for a second and looked away.
Akio missed Deeli's glance as he was looking at the surrounding cats, marveling that something so tiny could become a human.
"Well if I ever find out who left me the spider filled truffles, I will not say no to having help getting them back." Iria didn't like spiders at all they were just creepy.. She shuddered.
Tolkath raised an eyebrow at the truffles remark "I believe spiders crawl rather than creep" he replied dryly.
Iria shuddered again, "They aren't supposed to be covered in my favorite chocolate either." She muttered softly.
"Now, did I notice some plomeek soup?" He moved off to the table and waited for the others.
Iria watched him walk back to the table a wry grin on her face, "Any other questions or do you want to enjoy the meal in earnest?"
Walking towards the table "I got a stomach that wants something, got no questions currently," Deeli said with a growl and sat down at the table, waiting for the food to come.
Akio smirked at the exchange, "No questions. We would still bail you out of the brig if we had to. Let's eat!"
Iria laughed softly as she walked back to the table, again.
Isis, Emony, and Zoisite shook heads before turning to walk away. The whiskers hub was left behind, for the night...
[OFF]
Akio Tachibana, CAPT, SF
CO
Tolkath, CDR, SF
2XO/CSO
Deeli Kosu, LT, SF
CHENG
Iria Taltos, Lt. SF
ACHENG
