Posted by Ensign Kalani Kāne (Science Officer) in Engineering- A Request

Posted by Lieutenant Corinne Dalton/SARAH (Ships AI/Avatar) in Engineering- A Request

Posted by Lieutenant Corinne Dalton/SARAH (Ships AI/Avatar) in Engineering- A Request
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
It was the most reasonable thing under the circumstances and she suspected the Captain would ask her about it at another point. She had a decision to make. Actually no she didn’t. She already knew that she wanted to follow up with the Captain’s suggestion of the holoemitters, but it was actually going through with it and making the request that was the issue. She probably could have sent a message. An impersonal, blanket message to the department that would completely ignore any personal ties with the Chief. But that wouldn’t do her, or him, any good. It sucked to know that.

With a sigh, Cori (in her uniform and using her emitter), moved through the ship and stepped into Engineering. She knew he was about (the handy thing about being the computer for all intents and purposes), but that didn’t mean he was free.

Her electric blue eyes searched the space and she listened, while standing rather conspicuously about, trying to calm her nerves.

~Corinne Dalton

Jarred had been in his office, the morning had been chaotic as loud banging could be heard from his door. The large glass doors gave a few as it was clear Elizabeth was in his office as she was playing with her toys while Jarred sat at his desk. Kalani sat on the couch as she was grabbing toys as she clearly was putting stuff away into the bag that laid on the table.

“Thank you for coming early, I know I thought I could watch her for your entire shift but after three hours… I just wasn’t sure what else I could do.” Jarred said with a small sigh as he got up behind his desk as he lifted up Elizabeth and placed her in his arms. She was nearly five and getting big, but he still treated her at times like his tiny baby girl ignoring she was clearly not the same.

After stuffing the random toys in the bag she started on the Barbie Carry it All tote. The child-sized tote was bubble gum pink and came on wheels so that any Intrepid Barbie could travel in style. Kalani smiled looking at the crew of the USS Atlantis strewn about the table. Picking up a blonde-haired officer she lifted it in front of her face letting the doll respond for her. “It’s fine but you are going to have to do some tit for tat with Teller. I swear that man is a saint but if he gives me any lip,” Kalani moved the doll back and forth like he was animately having a conversation. “I am sending you and,” she turned the male doll around to see his face, “who is this?”

“It’s Ibán Burdeos,” Lizzie laughed at the silly face Kalani was making. “He is the talky man of a ship,” she explained smiling.

“He is the comms guy? Might want to think about a specialty change,” Kalani winked at Jarred. The details of the dolls were so amazing. This guy looked like a charmer as much as the Orion Chalíki Marduk looked like the could punch you through the wall with the details on his biceps.

“No he is the one that makes people be nice to each other. He is the dipslowmaddox officer,” Lizzie said with a serious face.

Movement in the office drew Cori’s attention and it didn’t take her long to figure out that she was intruding, but also that she didn’t want to go in there, at least not under these circumstances.

Looking out his doors twin windows he saw a sight he hadn’t seen looking in Engineering often as he placed Lizzie down.

Seeing Cori outside the door, Kalani stopped playing around and began to clean up again. Jarred was on duty which was why she was here to pick up Lizzie and then head home.

“Can you give me one-moment babe?” Jarred asked as he left his office out to the main area to a pacing Cori.

“Can I help you, Cori?” Jarred asked as he stood, waiting to find out what she needed. The past few months had been hard for certain, he wasn’t sure how to move to a place where she would ever forgive him. It was hard when someone admitted they loved you, but they were not in love with you. His past had been so broken and hard that the present seemed so much better, but the remnants of the heartache and trauma he hadn’t fully mended was right in front of him in the form of Cori.

Alindor, CE

Kalani Kane science

She vivid eyes took in Jarred and for a moment she just breathed slowly, not that it had any actual effects, but yet it still calmed her. “I… have a work request, but I thought it would be better to make it in person.” This was soooo… awkward. Why did it have to be so awkward?

~Corinne Dalton

“Okay, do you wanna come in?” Jarred said, without really thinking as he turned around as reminded himself Kalani and Lizzie were in the office. “Or… we can do it out here… wherever you feel comfortable.” Jarred said as he looked back towards Kalani as he ran his hand through her hair trying to brush back that feeling. Their last encounter had her saying to get away from her, and now she seemed to need something that felt almost favor like. It was a step forward he guessed, but it wasn’t like he had a playbook on how to deal with the things that had occurred between them.

Alindor, CE

“Who is that Kalani,” Lizzie asked seeing her Daddy talk to someone outside his office. He wasn’t signing a PaDD or staring at a part someone had brought him. This meant it probably wasn’t work but Lizzie didn’t really know what her daddy did besides spend all day with his feet sticking out of a console.

“What buttercup,” Kalani said letting her eyes drift to the door. Whether or not Cori noticed it, Kalani caught a glimpse of the deep cobalt blue eyes of Jarred last love. So many questions remained unanswered about the woman. Jarred was almost brutally honest in the conversation where he talk Kalani about his and Cori’s past. Looking at the woman, Kalani could not deny her beauty and exotic quality.

Dalton’s electric gaze flicked between the office and Jarred. “It’s a… personal request. I’d prefer to just chat quietly somewhere,” she said gesturing further into engineering. The last thing she needed was everyone gossiping about her and at the moment she wasn’t ready to deal with Jarred’ new family life quite so directly.

“That lady,” Lizzie stood up on the couch and pointed at the door. Luckily Jarred and Cori’s backs were turned decreasing the awkward element. Moving to the couch, Kalani pulled Lizzie up to sit by her. “That,” she said in the classic higher-pitched motherly tone one took when talking to a small child, “is your daddy’s very good friend. Her name is Cori. She and your daddy have been friends for a long long time.” Patting her leg with a smile, Kalani hoped Lizzie would drop the conversation with a simple explanation; however, it was Lizzie and the child was like a sponge when it came to anything about Jarred. It made sense with all the years they had been apart for Lizzie to want to know everything about him. This was a topic however Kalani did not want to expand on. “Now, how about we clean up your toys and go get some pre-dinner ice cream.”

“Yes please,” she hugged Kalani around the neck bouncing some. What her dad did all day was still a mystery to Lizzie but nothing trumped ice cream.

Kalani Kane science

Moving slowly, meandering really, Cori was thoughtful. “So, after years of strange existence and then having been stuck in the system and assumed dead, I’m trying to create something of a normal life for myself, whatever that might look like. Sinclair, during some sessions”-she almost hesitated phrasing it that way, but she wasn’t ashamed of needed a therapist to be a sounding board- she was still a feeling being, after all-“suggested that I get myself quarters. I kind of thought it ridiculous at first. I mean, what would I even do? But the more I thought of it, the more I realized that that would give me a measure of privacy and freedom my circumstances don’t always allow. That I can do things for myself as well. Pursue interests. So I have quarters now. But it was the captain who suggested that I look into getting holoemitters installed so I can be in there and not need my emitter. I worry about using it all the time and not having the battery charged when I need it most. And going in and out of Sickbay to do so doesn’t give me much privacy. But if I could move in and out of the system via my quarters, I get the privacy and freedom I need.” She chewed on her lower lip, gazing at him questioningly. She knew it wasn’t just a matter of installing a few holoemitters. Holography was a complex system that needed controls and a power source. It wasn’t like a holographic display, she was a complex being in holographic form and she required a more robust system. That would take time and resources to create. But at least the captain had been the one to suggest it so she knew it was at least approved of. Jarred could still say no and she still wanted to ask. There were no demands here.

~Corinne Dalton

“Of course, anything you need I would be happy to fix it up. I did it once before, like riding a bike. Though I do have something for you… an idea.” Jarred said he motioned her to one of the computers. “Computer access encrypted file Alindor Theta Six Three Omega.” Jarred said as the screen began to display the files he requested. “Before everything…” Jarred said looking up at her with a small curt smile as he took a deep breath. Realizing he lost his romantic feelings for Cori was hard to admit, but what was harder was realizing he didn’t know how to stay friends after the fact. He loved her still in his own way, but it just wasn’t the same as it was. Being the one who does the splitting though, you often don’t get to make the rules on how close you get to be after the fact.

“About a year ago I began this project, and haven’t had too much time to go back. Essentially, it’s a synthetic body that becomes a subspace tether to the ship.” Jarred said, as the schematics show a split body, half a 3D image of Cori, the other half of the mechanics of the suit. “Now this isn’t the same as transferring your entire conciseness to it. I still believe that can fully be done, Data was a full sentient android with just as much memory but due to… restrictions in artificial life right now… I can’t try and make a full-fledged android body for you to transfer in.” Jarred paused as he looked up at her as he tried to gauge her response.

“Starfleet has already made adjustments to allow you to stay on the ship post-Mars Utopia Planitia attacks that caused the ban on all synthetics… you remember the talks when we first had to deal with your return after Starlffet brought in their squads, despite not being synthetic you had a lot of scrutiny. I had to go over a similar situation with this.”

“As I haven’t been able to figure out a full transfer of mind to body, they wanted to make certain the body itself had no AI control of its own… and it doesn’t.” Jarred said as he began shipping the screen to bring up more details. “You could enter the body much like you can access the computer systems when you enter through the tether that creates on the ship you can control it just like a regular body and even go on away missions without worrying about the mobile emitter. You would experience everything like normal, and you could even die but not in a real sense. The body gets destroyed it just shunts the connection between the body and the tether, you technically never leave the ship’s computers so you have no fear of permanently being shut down when using it.” Jarred said, worried what she might think.

The truth was before they broke up he was building this for her. He had planned to use it as a romantic gesture, but as feelings and emotions altered and changed and he knew he just didn’t feel the same anymore, he wasn’t sure how she would respond to him building this. In reality, he wanted to help her any way he could. Giving space had been the way to help her lately, but perhaps now he could go back to the way he was trying once before.

Alindor, CE