To Market To Market
Posted on 05 Nov 2020 @ 11:22pm by Commander Calliope Zahn & Captain Corvus DeHavilland & Lieutenant Theodore Winslow & Lieutenant JG Samantha Cavendish
Mission:
M1 - Emergence
Location: Kalara City, Obsidian
Timeline: MD 05 1345
3004 words - 6 OF Standard Post Measure
The heat. It was brutal. Calliope could feel the thirsty air sucking her skin dry and knew she already made a preparation mistake in not thoroughly moisturizing. Good thing it was going to be a short visit. Next time, she thought, she should come in the early morning instead. They passed a very few trees, one which shaded a boy with his little herd of goats, to whom he was playing a small carved flute. The notes had a sort of strange breathy noise under them, and Calliope felt both repulsed and drawn by the effect. Under the thrall of the music and the oppression of the star Loki, the goat-creatures, if that's what they were, all knelt on their front legs with their hind quarters in the air in some kind of bowing half repose that seemed to Calliope a little like a preparation for a leap that was never coming.
"Soothes the savage beast, no matter where in the Galaxy you are," Corvus mused to Calliope as the passed the boy and his flute.
Theodore could not remember ever being as hot as he was there and then. He had grown up on a colony with colder temperatures and it was showing as the sweat poured off of him. "Sounds familiar?" He wondered if anyone else recognised it.
"No. But I think I'm going to have it stuck in my head now." Calliope said as she realized the repetition was kind of catchy. They approached the busier market street and the density of people increased with the murmur of voices discussing trade.
Calliope was a little self aware. She was used to garnering looks, appearing differently than a lot of others, and not even that different, compared to many species she worked with, but here the singularly angular humanoid faces of the Obsidian market people seemed to inspect her and the other OC crew with disdain or distrust or else a sort of forced looking indifference.
"Hard crowd." Theo almost whispered to himself as he watched a woman look away with a look that reminded him of Haumea and the mistrust that had occurred there. It was not hard to miss that it seemed to be the whole community and not just a small percentage.
"Despite being a protectorate for nearly a century, they're still fiercely resitant to Federation ideals," Corvus supplied, "It's amazing that they let us here at all," she added. Obvious the socio-political climate was far more complicated but in a nutshell they were about as welcome as a dry well.
Calliope didn't disagree with that assessment, but from what she heard, the city was supposed to have been at least indifferent to Starfleet, if not in some cases cooperative anyway. "I don't know. Feels like something else in the air."
The shade of the canopies and the occasional high density solar shielding awning covering the market street was such a relief. Calliope pushed her hat back, letting it fall against her back and folding her shades into her collar. The colors under the canopy were a rich cacophony of hand woven textiles, rugs and awnings, and clothing. Compared to the historical photos, the Kalarans had diversified quite a bit in fashion, other than the over cloaks which had largely remained dusty or light brown colored, though not all of them as strictly utilitarian in shape, instead sewn into different styles of hoods or high collars or with various textured patterns and decorative fringes.
The scents of various food vendors all formed an aromatic that Calliope inhaled deeply. "Smells like a barbeque...."
"Let's not turn it into a culinary experience if we can help it," Corvus whispered in reply. "I'm sure Doctor Mazur has enough on her plate right now without one of us coming in for a bout of indigestion," she added with a smirk. It was more for her own than anyone else's; their last meeting hadn't been exactly smooth and she wasn't keen on repeating the same again. She wanted their next meeting to be strictly business. She had to admit though, abrasive as she was, the Doctor was nothing if not efficient and by all accounts skilled as well. She'd read the morning's report from the Infirmary - she clearly was capable. But that didn't mean she had to like her.
The security officer in the group turned to look at where the smell was coming from and wished that it was a more informal trip. He could do with something other than ration pack food. "I would happily risk her wrath for a barbeque." Theodore was not afraid of the doctor despite meeting her husband and having him tell him what she was more than capable. She would understand that they had done it after days of rations.
Calliope found herself in agreement with Theo, while knowing she should stick with Corvus. "Let's pick something up on the way back to the shuttle," she struck up as a compromise. The deliciousness wafting around made it hard to put off. "Plus if we get indigestion after dinner it will be second shift in Sickbay. Mazur might not even be on duty." She glanced a little out of the corner of her eye to try to read Corvus on the subject of Mazur. Maybe if Corvus didn't entirely appreciate the CMO either, Calliope could make her case with her friend. Later.
Corvus ignored the comment, though not easily. The First Officer in her wanted to agree with her crewmates and be the friendly, jovial 'one of them' but she quickly reminded herself that she was the Captain now and anything more than a professional comment on the rest of her crew wasn't acceptable anymore. She'd probably toed the edge of the line already, and chided herself for that. She may not have liked the Doctor, but Starfleet wouldn't have pulled her from Falkirk specifically if they didn't think she was the right person for the job. She reminded herself that she hadn't exactly had the best reputation in the past either, but she'd still done her job as best she could. As much as it pained her to admit it, the case may have been that Corvus and Doctor Mazur weren't all that much different.
A few young children dashed through the crowd calling out to one another in some universal game of tag. Calliope smiled at them and turned to watch them as they passed. Distracted as she was, Calliope bumped shoulders with a man who had a small entourage and took up more than their fair share of the street. They were plainer, more traditionally dressed, probably from one of the tribes outside of the city.
Slightly flustered in her misstep, Calliope gave one awkward bow, a sheepish grin, and a brief muttering of an apology, "My mistake, may we continue in peace." It was as best as she could remember from the brief she had read on the Obsidian culture, but all the while thinking little of it and expecting they'd continue by.
Instead one of his attendants grabbed her by the wrists and shook her. The universal translator was sluggish in making out the different dialect, which created a disorienting overlay of the original speech and the resulting echo of translation, but came around with something like "Exposed alien slut! Veil your shamed head! How dare you sully the Suranj with your touch."
Calliope's eyes flew wide as she tried to keep on her feet, but was thrown off balance to her knees. The attendant raised a hand to strike her in the face and she turned her head in anticipation.
Theodore has heard the commotion to his side and turned towards it not expecting to see one of his senior officers on her knees with her wrist in an awkward position not allowing her to stand up. He stepped forward his reflexes a lot quicker than he gave them credit for and gripped the arm that was about to strike Calliope. Where did the man get off calling someone a whore let alone hit her? It was like he was suddenly back on his home colony where men controlled and women accepted.
“We do not call people that in my culture and she requested you go in peace,” Theodore said pulling the man’s arm back to hopefully release his grip and allowed the woman to rise from her knees.
The Suranj said nothing but stood impassively with only a tilt of his head towards the others with him who formed around Winslow. Calliope gained back her wrist with one twist to press the narrow of her arm through the thumb of the aggressor and quickly came to standing, this time at stance, where before she had been too distracted by whimsy to have been ready.
"Your sky demon culture is a disease to all life— you bring corruptions and temptations!" The Suranj's assistant rotated his arm to release from Winslow's grip and, with an open palm of the arm Calliope had released herself from now reflexively chambered, stepped forward to strike Winslow full in the chest.
Samantha had drawn back into the crowd when the man had started yelling. She kept her gaze moving however looking for other antagonists who may jump at the chance to take out Fleeters while distracted.
The strike barely did anything but annoy Theo as the other three decided that they wanted to teach the man a lesson for interfering in what they perceived as the correct punishment for what had occurred. It had been a long time since he had multiple attackers but they had no weapons other than themselves and had made the first move so all bets were off. He set himself sideways to the opponent closest pushing his right side forward connecting with his shoulder sending him to the sand as two of the new assistants came forward grabbing him pushing him into a market stall. He spun counter-clockwise, on the ball of his left foot as his right leg came up knee-first, the heel of his right foot catching one of the men’s jaw causing a sickening crunching sound.
They had not expected the man to fight back, and fight back well. They had expected three against one to be a good number to prove dominance. They really had not counted on Theodore not willing to be dominated as he kneed the only man who as of yet had not tried to attack causing him to be stunned for a brief moment. The fourth attendant looked at his colleagues and shook his head, he was under no illusion that a fourth person was going to make any difference to the odds when they were beaten, someone had to protect and attempt to pick everyone up after the show was over.
With a moment of thought, the three finally decided despite injuries they were going to work as one unit. Theodore was pulled off his feet violently and was thrown across the floor. He skidded and tumbled along the sand, uncontrolled or stopped by the people who seemed oblivious to it all. He was stopped by the build of sand under him. A groan escaped his lips as the pain from fending off attack started setting in as he rose to his feet shaking down his clothing preparing for more attacks as the men followed that truly wanted to correct the female.
The more modern Kalarans might have disrupted or shooed away the tribal chief a few years ago, but their antipathy towards Starfleet now lead them to avert their eyes and give a wide berth to the confrontation.
A new figure parted through the market crowd and a woman's voice called out, "Enough! Hazami, I ask your audience in this matter!" The translator rendered her words as she spoke in the tribal dialect. She was very narrow in form, swathed in light, airy cloth, with a cape woven with wild feathers. Her face was hidden under a circular form suspended over her head from which a veil was banded around, making a cylindrical gauze halo all the way around.
Hazami held out a hand and his men obediently disengaged, though they remained at the ready.
"Offense must be satisfied," the leading attendant spoke to the woman in white on his master's behalf, all the while not breaking his eye contact with the formidable Security Chief.
The woman advanced, knelt on one knee before Hazami and with slow dignity, removed her head-dress, revealing a bald-shaven Trill, getting on in age, the sun having done her pale skin no favors.
The older woman gazed slowly in a circle. "These are my people. I claim responsibility. I offer to satisfy the offense. I only ask that correction be delivered by Hazami's own hand." She prepared herself, staring forward now in a resolved fashion.
Hazami dealt her a swift backhand to the cheek, her head turned with the force. Then his hand remained stretched to her and she kissed it and said a recitation. "Hazami is wise. His dealings are merciful. May he prosper in all things." She leaned forward to support herself with her fingertips on the ground, bowed her head three times, and the entourage reformed and continued on its way. She remained kneeling until they had long since passed from her sight and the market around them resumed it's usual activity.
When she finally stood she looked at Calliope with disdain. "Put on your fucking hat, Commander."
"Are you ok, Calliope?" Corvus asked, looking with worry at her First Officer and then up at Winslow with pride. Not that she wasn't trained in combat, everyone was, especially those that had gone down the Tactical track as far as she had, but she was by no means and expert and certainly not in the hand-to-hand variety. Winslow owned that by virtue of his Security background and that was one clear display. "Well done, Lieutenant. Very well done."
Theodore joined the small group and just offered a nod to the Captain. He hurt like hell and was sure he might feel worse later on but for now, it was over.
Calliope said nothing, feeling stunned by all manner of mixed emotions. Embarrassed, ashamed, but defiant too. She'd done nothing wrong, she was sure of it. In retrospect, she even felt that pompous ass had likely as not swerved into her on purpose. Untying it from her neck, she pulled her hat from her back and half considered putting it back on like she was told. But who the hell were these people, dictating for her to cover her head?
With the poise of a queen crowning herself, the old woman was re-affixing her own veiled hat. Indignantly, Calliope thought it was made rather like a lampshade, with a ring to set on her scalp to make the veiled cylinder float around.
"Who are you?" Calliope asked.
"Madison Indri." She tucked each of her hands into the opposite tunic sleeve and remained in place, still waiting for Calliope to comply.
"Who?" The name meant nothing to her and yet the woman seemed to think she was some authority, the way she spoke. Calliope looked to Corvus as if to ask if she'd ever heard of her either.
"Fleet Admiral Madison Indri?" Indri sighed. No one ever remembered her, it seemed. "I retired while you were likely still learning how to read LCARS." Indri looked to the human Captain of this away team, in hopes of introductions.
"Corvus DeHavilland," she said, offering her hand but wondering why Admiral Sepandiyar hadn't told her that there was a former Fleet Admiral on the surface, or why the Intelligence reports hadn't mentioned it. She hated being caught off guard. "This is my First Officer, Commander Zahn and our Chief of Security, Lieutenant Winslow," she said, gesturing to each of them in turn.
Indri shook Captain DeHaviland's hand, but also bowed slightly out of adopted cultural habit. "Lt. Winslow is quite capable." She observed. "Hazami's guards are very committed and well trained. Hazami's tribe has different cultural expectations which, due to the current political climate here, they have grown accustomed to strong-arming onto the rest of us. Out of an abundant desire for keeping peace between Star Fleet and all of the tribes, it is recommended that we rock the boat as little as possible."
Miffed in spite of the explanation, Calliope was tying on her hat and looked over her shoulder. "I think Lieutenant Cavendish is around here too." She craned her neck to get a visual, worried about the slight framed woman. "Ah, I think I see her, a few stalls back." Calliope motioned in Samantha's direction.
Samantha turned slowly in a circle to see if she could keep an eye out for trouble. She wanted to make sure nothing like that happened again.
"Are you from Obsidian Command, then?" Indri surmised. "What's your business in Kalara? Maybe I can help."
"Yes, ma'am," Corvus nodded in acknowledgement. "I've been assigned as the station's commander. We came down to meet with a local official here. We're a little bit early. Next time, we won't take the scenic route," she frowned. DeHavilland knew that the planet wasn't exactly Risa but she hadn't expected it to be quite so hostile especially considering all that the Federation had done for these people. Sure, OC had been gone eighteen months, but it wasn't as if they'd had a choice in it or that the Federation abandoned them. But then again, perhaps to them that was exactly what it was.
Indri regarded Loki's position in the sky briefly before she said, "Lead on, I'll accompany you."
"You good, Commander?" Corvus asked, looking to Calliope, just in case she needed another minute to collect herself. She cocked her head the direction they were going in silent suggestion.
"Yeah, I'm good." Calliope said, packing her indignation down for some other time. She continued along with the away team and the old lady.
