Posted by Lieutenant Tom Jarvis (Internal Security) in IntSec Office/Tom’s Quarters

Posted by Ensign Tigress (Science) in IntSec Office/Tom’s Quarters

Posted by Lieutenant Tom Jarvis (Internal Security) in IntSec Office/Tom’s Quarters
Posted by… suppressed (24) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Tom sat behind his desk staring at the holographic displays floating above the surface.

Tom didn’t notice the day to day scenes playing out on the monitors, he was too deep in though. The bomb Julien had just dropped in his lap. Tom knew that LaKia’s reappearance on the Genesis would cause some disruption, but this… He didn’t see it coming. His whole reason for being assigned to the ship was leaving and no-one else currently on the ship would be able to directly remember him.

His options were limited. Ask for reassignment and be soon forgotten or stay on the ship and deal with the awkwardness people usually felt only knowing about their interactions via recordings they have seen or heard.

• Tom, IntSec

Just then the chime rang. It was Tigress on the other side of the door. It had taken her some time to find this Tom person. She had apparently spoken to him some time ago. She fingered if anyone know anything about the Caitian people it would be the international sacurity officer. She also half wondered about the record from an interaction with him months ago.
Ensign Tigress

The door slid open. The monitors tom had been looking at appeared to be sinking into the surface of Tom’s desk.

‘Ensign Tigress… To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” he asked.

• Tom, IntSec

“ a message in a boddle or in this case a computer. Anyway I was wondering if you know anything about caitians?” She asked seeming not at all bothered by the fact that she had forgotten Meeting him. He’s sent was familiar and that was enough for her.
Ensign Tigress

Tom smiled.

“We’ve had this conversation before. Have a seat.” he said as he waved his hand over the surface of his desk.

A display panel seemed to rise out of the surface to float vertically just above the surface of the desks’s black top.

“Playback file, M’Ress.” he said and the floating holographic screen began playing back the recording of their meeting where she came to ask the same question.

• Tom, IntSec

Tigress giggled “ I didn’t think I have a copy of this” she said. She shook her head. “ that right you have that strang telliphathic ability” she shook her head.
Ensign Tigress

“Ability, curse. I guess it all depends on how one looks at it.” Tom said with a small shrug.

• Tom, IntSec

“Witch do you think it is? I can imagine you have a hard time making friends ” Tigress asked.
Ensign Tigress

A brief look of frustration crossed Tom’s face before the stoic cold blanket smothered it back into oblivion.

“As I have no control over it, I’d classify it as a curse. It has created a situation where I don’t even try to have friends, or relationships. And with the Captain leaving, there won’t be anyone on the ship able to remember me organically. Sure, you’ll remember my scent, but once you leave, you’ll forget everything about me that links me to that scent and it will be just another of many mystery smell you may or may not notice during your daily duties. You won’t even remember that recording because I’m the one that showed it to you. The neural links that connect it to memory are prevented by my condition. The only way around it is to send you recordings that alert you to watch them five minutes after we part company or use the comms system when we’re not within line of sight of each other. It makes developing social connections awkward.”

• Tom

“ well sence I’m not a very social individual myself way not give it a try. Sertenly cant hurt anything I’m shure writen message works just as well.” Tigress said with a smile. She was oldly enuff for the scientist offering to me his friend. She know it would require effort on both there parts and natural Ben would be brought into as well. “ Abe think of you an I are from you will have to hangout with Ben on acasion that would make two friends besides the captain” she said. She was worried he would disappear from the ship altogether and she under not fitting in there were only two people she spoke to regularly onboard the ship. She definitely did not fit in with the other crew members.
Ensign Tigress

“Written, recorded, electronically translated. Anything where I’m not directly present.” Tom said in reply, “Just so you know, you aren’t the first person to want to try this experiment. At least you’re not proposing a more personal relationship.”

• Tom

“ I’m in a romantic relationship with Ben and the only people I talk to on the ship are Ben, the Cso and the consuler” she said completely blanking on the that’s twos names. She so rarely talk to ether one of them and rarely used there names. “ perhaps you have not met someone with the right personality for this exsperiment to be successful” Tigress suggested.
Ensign Tigress

Tom nodded.

“Could be. Then there’s also that I never know when I’m going to be assigned an investigation in another location. I could be here for long while yet or I could be gone in an hour. Yes, my location is that uncertain.”

• Tom, IntSec

Tigress looked at him and shook her head.” And with all this technology your telling you have never held a friendship together over a long distance” Tigress asked.
Ensign Tigress

Tom shook his head, “With my job it’s not unknown for me to be out of communication often and for long periods of time. From infiltration missions to sequestering for evidentiary reasons. Friendships aren’t easy to maintain when one spends long periods of time incommunicado.”

• Tim, IntSec

“ it’s still worth a try wouldn’t you say. I would think it be lonely to not have any friends even if the exsperiment only works a short time” ensign Tigress said with a smile.
Ensign Tigress

Tom gave a laugh that had a bitter undertone.

“Lonely? That’s my life since I was twelve years old. You could say that I’m used to it. Now I’m not saying I won’t try, again, but I’m not holding out much hope for success.”

• Tom, IntSec

Tigress smiled. “ you up for a game” she asked with a smile.
Ensign Tigress

“That depends on what you have in mind.” Tom said with a suspicious arch of an eyebrow.

• Tom, IntSec

“ you ever play a board game we could always get Ben and try and play hide and seek that would be interesting “ tigress said giggling. The last part of her stamens was a joke. “ how about tennis or some kind of sport” tigress segested after she calmed down.
Ensign Tigress.

“I’ll have to decline the hide and seek because I cheat.” Tom said with a friendly smile, “And my mind has an innate ability to calculate ballistic trajectories so tennis could be interesting if I were the athletic type.”

Tom was in good physical shape underneath the layers of carefully cultivated fat that made his body look to be in average shape and he didn’t want that secret out.

“I do enjoy a good board game on occasion.”

• Tom

“ what’s your favorite” Tigress asked smileing. She pulled a pad from her poket in order to take notes so she could remember the information later. She actually was trying to make a friend for once “ have you ever felt like an outsider” Tigress asked. She had no intention in writing down the answer to that question down she just wanted to know if someone else felt as alien to people as she did.
Ensign Tigress

Tom’s outburst of laughter was short, sharp, and bitter. He stood up and stalked over the the window, his footsteps were silent even to Tigress’ ears. She could see, in the reflection in the window, that Tom had a hard look on his face.

“I haven’t felt like an outsider, I have been the outsider since I was twelve Terran standard years old. The only way to be more outsider than I am now is to be invisible and immaterial to everyone and everything.” he said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it had a cold intense edge that carried an impression of barely restrained violence.

Tom stood there for a bit. He was so silent and still that if Tigress hadn’t known better she would have thought him a mannequin.

• Tom

Tigress aproched him. The cold hard edge to his voice did not seam to bother her. Infect she even understand the violence in his voice. To her ears it was like being growled at by midnight.” Would you believe me if I told you I can understand that” she said. She put her right paw on his shoulder an attempted to confront him. Though she had no idea if it would help. She still did not understand human’s very well.
Ensign Tigress

Tom didn’t turn or react to her touch on his shoulder, but the cold edge in his voice was still there.

“I believe you may have some understanding but every being’s experience differs. Within three minutes of us parting company, you will forget all about this meeting and having ever met me. Unless I send you a recording, and you watch it, you’ll likely end up coming back to find out more information about Caitians again. What is your primary concern? Feeling out of place, feeling alone, and being socially awkward?”

Tom wasn’t trying to be insulting or condescending, his life after becoming a null made him perhaps more direct than he should be at times.

• Tom

“ I never claimed my experience was the same as yours. I only said I could understand.” Tigress said. Tigress was a scientist if there was one thing she was good at it was taking and reviewing notes. She put some of the information into her deta pad. “ I’ll make shure the file is encrypted to answer your question no I am out of place and socially awkward. I was alone but not anymore thanks to Ben. My consurn is that I don’t know who I am I’m not human, I don’t particularly want to be Caitian but genetically I am. Wether I like it or not I need to know that history I need to know who I am I can’t hide from that question anymore. It’s ok if you don’t understand “ tigress said with a smile.
Ensign Tigress

Tom turned and looked as if the tense part of the conversation never happened. He had a warm friendly smile and the edge to his voice was gone.

“Well I mostly like games with a fair bit of complexity, games like Zombie Survival Night, Betrayal in the Alpha Complex, Monster City Empire… Sometimes I go fro something more simple, card games like Exploding Chokers or Treasure Hoarder.”

• Tom

Tigress steped backwords a confused look on her face. “ are you ok, did I miss something. Humanoid communication is a bit confusing for me” she said. It was clear Tom had thrown her for a lope with his sudden change in demeanor.
Ensign Tigress