Posted by Ensign Jay Westland (Doctor) in Lounge

Posted by Ensign Mwezi (Sec) in Lounge

Posted by Ensign Jay Westland (Doctor) in Lounge
Posted by… suppressed (13) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Jay strode into the lounge, bottle in hand, and did a quick glance around the room. There were few people there at the moment, but he spied what he was looking for, an empty isolated table near a viewing window. He stopped by the bar and grabbed for an empty glass and made his way toward the table.He positioned one of the chairs so that he could see out of the window and still the the entrance, an old habit.

He sat down and took a long look at the bottle, and gave a heavy sigh. He pulled the cork stopper out of the bottle of Scotch and breathed in deeply. The warm peaty aroma seemed to war his soul as he breathed deeply in. He raised the bottle and filled his glass. Looking down he pulled a small picture from his pocket. It was a copy of the same one on his desk in his quarters, graduation day at The Academy, Nathan himself, and Raina together and happy.

He lifted his glass and said, “It’s been 7 years and I still miss you every day.”

With that, he put the picture back in his pocket and and drank down the whole glass in one shot. He refilled his glass and turned his attention to the star field outside the window. It was going to be a long night.

Jay Westland, MD

Mwezi stepped into the lounge and glanced around. Unfortunately, most if not all of the tables were occupied. He noticed an officer nursing a drink off to the side and stepped over after getting himself some coffee. “Howdy,” he said, “You look like you’re brooding… Mind if I sit?” He gestured to an empty chair at the table.

Mwezi

“Certainly,” he said as he kicked the chair causing it to slide slightly out from under the table.

“I don’‘t know if I will be good conversationalist this evening, but please have a seat.”

Jay pushed the bottle of Scotch toward Mwezi, ” please have all you want.”

Jay Westland, MD

Jay realized that he had probably come of as not wanting Mwezi to sit down and hoped that he didn’t take it that way. He turned toward Mwezi and said, “I was hoping we would get a chance to talk”

Mwezi sat down, but refused the offered Scotch. “I’ve never been the biggest fan of alcohol,” he explained, lifting his coffee. “Plus, I’m on duty in two hours. I don’t think my DH would be pleased if I showed up and I’d been drinking,” he smirked.

“A lot of people say that. I’m guessing you have lots of questions about what a werewolf is doing walking around the ship? Or is it something completely different you want to talk about?” He said with a gentle chuckle, tapping his toe on the ground. He didn’t seem annoyed about the fact… He was actually amused by how curious humans were about him. Well, the werewolf comparison was a little annoying.

Mwezi, Sec

“To be honest with you Mwezi, I really don’t know where to start.” Jay started. “I will admit that I was a little surprised, and yes, you do look like what on Earth would be called a Werewolf.” Jay was genuinely intrigued and really did want to learn everything he could from Mwezi about his culture and planet, but today might not be the best day.

“Well, when you think of a good enough starting question, feel free to ask. I enjoy a good conversation and I’ll be sure to ask you questions about your people as well,” he said with a chuckle.

“Mwezi, I know you are drinking coffee, but would you join me and raise a glass, or a mug, to the memory of old friends?”

Ensign Jay Westland, Med

“Of course,” Mwezi lifted his coffee mug with a small smile. “To old friends. And to new ones as well,” he added.

Mwezi, Sec

OOC: Also, when you folks ask me questions about the people of Galdor, it forces me to come up with answers to said questions and further flesh out my aliens ;)

“Agred,” Jay said as he lifted his glass in salute to the toast. He drank down the warm smoky Scotch and poured himself another. He turned toward Mwezi and asked, “What do you think your culture’s greatest achievement has been?” He knew that it was a very open ended and somewhat vast question to ask, but he hoped to grab on to some kernels of knowledge which to use as a spring board to ask more questions.

Ensign Jay Westland, Med

“By Va’al, how does one answer a question so broad?” Mwezi wondered aloud, looking a little lost for words. “I suppose, although it may not be the greatest thing, I believe the most significant thing the people of Galdor did was not kill one another when they first met. I have heard countless stories of populations wiping one another out for some reason or another. I am glad that Galdor survived with all five sapients alive and well,” he chuckled. “How about you? Same question!”

Mwezi, sec

“You know, that is probably the greatest accomplishment of humans as well,”Said Jay. “In in not too recent past, our late 20th Century, the population of planet Earth was divided into large geographic areas that had their own agenda for what they wanted to do with the Earth and it’s resources. Lines were drawn and wars were fought. Each group created bigger and stronger weapons to more efficiently kill the other groups our countries who didn’t agree with them. At one point the larger super powers had developed and made so many nuclear fission and fusion weapons that their mutual destruction was assured if either side decided to use them.” He paused for a moment, “It’s a miracle the human race, and the planet for that matter, managed to survive.”

“Five sapients?” he asked. “On my planet a sapient is usually considered to mean someone who is wise, does it mean the same thing to you? If so, does that mean that you have five individuals who are considered the wisest?”

Ensign Jay Westland, Med

“Ah, no. Sapients is the term we use for a species which has developed sapience. The capacity of thought and reason. Some use the phrase sentience, or self awareness, to describe a sapient race, but it’s not accurate as many non-sapient animals (like dogs) have the ability to perceive individual experience. It’s not accurate,” he explained. “We use Sapience as the term instead. So, the five sapients are the five species of intelligent life on our planet. And it is sometimes a wonder one did not wipe out another, given our extreme differences.”

Mwezi, Sec

“Interesting, five different species all competing for control. It must have been brutal. How were you all able to work it out and live together?” Jay asked.

Jay Westland, Med

“It wasn’t actually brutal at all,” Mwezi replied. “Unlike some races, the people of Galdor were quite civilized even in our ancient history. We didn’t compete. We coexisted. Like symbiotic species, we each found the ways in which we could help one another. The Pipini had no use of land, and no one else could live underwater. The Raka only live in areas where no others would dare try to live - cliff edges, the tops of the Ba’slu trees. The Arwan prefer plains and flat lands, while my people live in the small-tree woods. The Hatriku generally prefer cooler coastal or mountainous areas. We did not compete for land, because our physiologies desire different environment.”

“I say it is a great achievement because we did not attack or try to wipe one another out.”

Mwezi

“That realy sounds amazing. I would love to visit your planet one day. It sounds interesting.”
“So tell me, how is it that you ended up on a Star Fleet vessel so far from home?”

Jay Westland, MD

“I got lucky, I guess,” Mwezi said with a small shrug. “There are six of us in Starfleet right now. Myself, the only Laleri. There is also Arut and Mora, Hatriku, Tado and Lori, Arwan, and Kira, Raka. We’re all here on diplomatic leave. In a way, we’re test subjects. Galdor isn’t a part of Starfleet, although I feel like it will be sometime in the future. I was chosen in a process that was somewhat like a raffle. A lottery to decide who of the many members of Galdor would end up on Starfleet vessels.”

Mwezi, Sec

“Well,” Jay started, ” I think that it is Star Fleet who is the lucky one. I think we have a lot to learn from each other.”
Jay raised his glass in a small salute and then finished off the contents. He reached across the table for the bottle and poured himself another drink.
“So, I guess I will ask the question a lot of people seem to avoid but that fascinates me, what about religion on your world?”

Jay, Med

“We are deeply religious,” Mwezi said with a small smile. “Personally, I worship Lu’ne, goddess of wisdom, but my world has eleven gods. I believe that, like the Prophets of Bajor, the gods of Galdor are powerful non-corporeal beings with some investment in the development of my people. I’m certain they’re real, I’ve had visions of Lu’ne on several different occasions, and she does answer my prayers. I wonder sometimes if she can hear me when I’m so far from home, but then something will tell me that she can…” He smiled lightly.

Mwezi, Sec