Posted by Lieutenant Commander Stark Nightstalker (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Post-Sim - Wandering Deck 38’s Arboretum

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Lane Grauagen (Medical Researcher) in Post-Sim - Wandering Deck 38’s Arboretum

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Stark Nightstalker (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Post-Sim - Wandering Deck 38’s Arboretum
Posted by… suppressed (12) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip-a-roo>

Lane’s grey eyes blinked up at the man for a long moment. “Oh,” he intoned, mellow, as casual as the answer should have been, “You’re the one with modifications.”

Grauagen, Medical

Stark squatted down next to him. “Welcome to the Athena, Lane Graugan, and my thanks for your part in getting us back”.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Lane sat up and ran his fingers through his hair to dislodge what belonged to the ground. It was growing, not yet near long enough to be in his face, just awkwardly messy. “My contribution was small,” he murmured. His shoulders shifted in approximation of a slight shrug and he looked away.

“I’ve been posted to the Athena before.” Lane almost wanted to smile, wry, but almost was not sufficient. It would be disingenuous. “Or so I’ve been told.”

Grauagen, Medical

Stark raised an eyebrow and flicked his ears forward, “Now that’s a comment that bears further explanation, please, do go on”.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

“Is it?” Lane seemed to file this away with a tilt of his head. A truthful gesture, in part, that Nightstalker had not known him had been unknown to him. “I can’t,” he answered. How could he? West could, perhaps, if he were inclined, but not Lane.

He twisted to look back again at Nightstalker, dragging one knee up to lean an arm on. Unexpectedly, Lane noticed they were of height. “You recognized me, so I presumed you’d read my record.”

Grauagen, Medical

Stark nodded, “Indeed I have good sir, but records lack nuance and the flavor that personal recollection supply. If I relied on just the dry and dusty records I wouldn’t bother to come and meet people in person. It’s your tone, reflection, and body that tell me the true story. I’m drawing you out. How you react to that tell me a story as well as well as does your reaction to my even asking the question.” He raised an eyebrow “Can’t help myself, occupational hazard and also partly cultural, we’re a very curious bunch we Caitians”.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Stark Nightstalker CIO

OOC: Honestly, somebody yell at me for time awareness.
IC:

Lane appeared unsurprised. “I expected so,” he confirmed, indifferent to any possible slight, and he considered Nightstalker for a long moment. “We may be at an impasse over myself, there is little I can offer you.”

“What is the ship like? I’m at an disadvantage onboarding now due to…” Lane hummed, “recent events.”

Grauagen, Medical

A humming noise, much like a small motor sounded as though it were drawing nearer to Lane’s and Stark’s location. The CIO would immediately recognize it, given his experience with Orvos and said device. And just as it sounded as though it were right on them, trees moved about and a crashing noise could be heard as a small drone like device got caught in the limbs of a nearby tree.

-Lt. Orvos Legen, CE

Stark looked at Lane and then answered his question, “The ship… it’s full of surprises… always”.

Lane merely inclined his head. His eyeline had followed the small object and where there should have been curiosity, or even surprise, there was nothing.

Stark launched himself up the tree and started to untangle the drone, “Orvos, you’ve really got to get the hang of flying this thing!”.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Lane stood as Nightstalker did and only regarded the action from his spot. This time he didn’t bother to dust off the bits of plant matter and dirt, though his fingers flexed. The casual blacks he wore lacked the pockets he seemed to habitually shove hands into. “The Chief Engineer,” he commented at the name.

Grauagen, Medical

“Yes,” Stark fished the offending drone out of the tree and leapt to the ground with it. “This is his.”

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Suddenly, two little children rounded the corner with massive grins on their faces. One of them had the control mechanism attached to her temple. When they found Stark with the drone, their smiles faded, knowing they were likely about to be in trouble.

The young boy was a bit more bold than his older sister. “We’re sorry, sir. We’ll go put this back where it goes.” He offered his hands out with an apologetic face.

-Lt. Orvos Legen, CE

Stark raised himself to his full height and tried to look stern, but he had a secret, a big one… children were his kryptonite.

He sank down in front of the pair and waggled a paw, “If our Chief Engineer knew you were playing with this…” he left the statement openended deliberately as he catalogued all the combinations on that control mechanism that could have had some very interesting results. He looked at Grauagen for morale support, his stern face was fading fast.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Lane had watched the children silently from the side. There was a stiffness to his personable interactions he knew and had no internal emotional inflection to care to correct it, but children remained a egregious knowledge hole. He had no common reference, no base of study, no intuition towards them.

The doctor caught the look thrown his way and his brow creased. “Perhaps,” Lane considered, “it would be best to contact the Chief Engineer to retrieve his device.”

Grauagen, Medical

“That’s the mystery”, Stark said quietly, “Orvos doesn’t lose track of his gear so I’m wondering why he let these younglings have access to it in the first place… either that or he’s getting senile”.

Stark whispered an aside to Lane, “I’m betting he’s listening, calling him senile should hopefully draw him out”.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Lane inclined his head at the words, though he looked towards the children a moment longer before turning his head more fully. “May I see it?” he asked with, for once, just enough volume that his voice carried to the two younger as well.

Grauagen, Medical