Selected Quotes June '24
Posted on 03 Jul 2024 @ 8:23pm by Commander Calliope Zahn
SELECTED QUOTES JUNE 2024
A Very Inconvenient Vulnerability
The first communication was a curt trio of words from Commander T'Sheng: "Appointment cancelled today." This meant his lucrative opportunity to sell her overpriced jewelry had evaporated. A misfortune, since he possessed trays upon trays of extravagant items: bejeweled beetles adorned with tourmalines and sapphires, dragonflies crafted from moonstone and diamonds, scarabs boasting pink topaz and latinum, praying mantises sculpted from solid gold, and cicadas and butterflies with wings of shimmering turquoise. All for him to keep. What misery!
~
“Do you really think I sent you a box of chocolates because I like the colours of your eyes?”
“Worse things have happened,” he replied.
Refractions: Chatterbox
“Let’s start over again. My sources tell me your name is Metjin Luuveyichk Yatzjeirnit, am I pronouncing that correctly?”
He snorted. “Your tiny, tuskless, huumon face hole is not capable of pronouncing my name!”
Refractions: Find Out
Inside of a heartbeat, Lofthammer’s phaser had cleared the holster but the instinct of the Nausicaan was just as fast as his, the big fellow yanking out of the Deputy’s grasp as he sensed his crewmates taking the opportunity to rush their guards. In a swirl of braids and spittle the Nausicaan twisted, manacled hands balled into fists while winding himself up to strike the human in the jaw.
Refractions: Strong Suspicions
“How did we make it off the station? The station which was actively being sucked into a vortex of void space?” She leaned back in her chair sandwiching her hands behind her. “All I can say is that the force fields went off and it was bedlam. I just followed others through the chaos. The rest is a blur.”
“You failed to present yourself for your court date.”
“You know, it was difficult to recall the time and place.”
“We’ll issue you a new one, and amend it with the latest charges of attempted piracy, hacking, hostage taking, and murder. Oh, and escaping custody. It’s a pretty tall stack. I’d consider negotiating if I were you.”
“You would,” she echoed. She, however, wasn’t the kind to cooperate with Feds.
“A few of your cohorts are considering my offer. You might want to get your side of the story in as well. You’ve been around the block with Tergosa. Maybe start there. Did he recruit you? Or did you recruit him?”
“‘Recruit.’” She laughed. “That’s rich.”
Reconciliation
"That dubious friend of yours, Brek. I wouldn't be surprised if she's been lining her pockets with your latinum. A real shame,because she looks costly. Though, I will admit... I did use her services once. And let's just say, she exceeded expectations."
Brek blinked, utterly confused. "Services? What services? What did you buy from her?"
Ara leaned back on the sofa, a single finger tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Her loyalty, little beetle," she said, her voice dripping with amusement. "And it seems, even after all this time, it's still holding strong.”
~
“I've been separating the witless from their wealth for seven long decades."
~
It might not be what you want to hear, but I’m your best ally.”
“Unwavering allegiance, Brek?” She asked, her voice softening just a touch. “Is it what you are bringing to the table?”
“It has always been there, Ara. It’s not my fault that you often refuse to see it.”
The old woman grumbled. “At this rate, you are going to make me cry, and that won’t do. Sentimentality makes my skin crawl.” She took a deep, steadying breath. "Very well then. Fetch us a glass of the finest brandy. It's time for us to formulate a cunning plan."
"There you are," Brek said, a hint of relief in his voice. "The Ara I remember.”
Runaway: Duped
They’d been circling this no-name planet (any planet that Sam couldn’t remember the name of received this pejorative) for going on five days. The Romulans had stopped the convoy here and started pealing off individual cargo ships for what they said was the final run in. They said it was a route fraught with warlords’ ships. Every day, another ship left. Every day the Romulans said they’d made it successfully and there was nothing to worry about. To him it defeated the purpose of a convoy. Convoys were like schools of fish. Yeah, a predator might gobble up one, but the others would survive.
One Way or Another
Meanwhile, she watched both of the kids, their kids, trying each other's choice of breakfast; Olivia sampled Ikemba's cinnamon toast while she tried to make Ikemba use a spoon instead of his hands to try her oat cereal. Ikemba was unconcerned with her opinion. His way was best. When he put his fist into her bowl of cereal and milk, Olivia went on an instant tirade in Korinn, trilling and clicking and screeching as she got a new bowl of cereal from the replicator, finishing her opinion out in English and declaring the first bowl to be his now, since it was full of his own 'dirt and boogers'. And he'd better eat it, too, since 'we can't afford to just waste food.'
Refractions: Let Me Help
“Starfleet was my dream.” Calliope bristled. “My mom didn’t have to talk me into it. And I’m not ‘into’ high stakes situations.”
“Pardon my saying.”
“They just find me.”
“You just put yourself in a position for them to find you.”
“This is my job.” Of all people, he ought to understand. But he was sounding like Corvus now. “You think I go asking for trouble?”
“I think you’ve made a career out of it, yeah.” He looked her in the eyes, gauging the way she was resisting the assessment.
In Plain Sight
Cortes took the lead.
“Computer was the figure in question ever captured on footage before?” asked Cortes.
“Affirmative.”
“What? But I just asked her….. Computer, you just informed me and I quote “the figure in the image does not match any known body markers on record”
“Affirmative. This figure is not currently in the investigative record. Security footage is not actively stored in the investigative record. Security footage is currently saved in a separate database unless specifically requested to be saved in the investigative record as part of a criminal or civil investigation.”
Dresden palmed his face.
Beyond Words
“My journey provided ample opportunity to delve into the available literature. But what truly piques my interest are the lines I'll be reading. This always takes a little rehearsal. Are they beautiful? I don’t like to read mere commercial words. Although I have done it, at times... to put food on the table, you understand.”
A hint of amusement flickered across Brek's face. “I won’t let that happen again to you,” Brek said.
Refractions: While the Iron is Hot
Sven remained quiet, contemplating the qualifier on Tergoa's otherwise agreeable sounding statement. Of course not everything Tergosa would say would be perfectly trustworthy. But Allers Tergosa was now playing a familiar game in his circles, one of dominance and subservience; Sven expected him to participate so far as he believed it served him, and as far as he thought pleasing the Orion woman in charge would curry him favor. And in his world, lying to a Mistress didn’t usually get you very far. So he would likely as not deal in marginal truths and pad his information, judging what he could afford to sing about and what might have other consequences… Sven thought about all of it with his head partially bowed still, letting the shadows of his brow hide his always vigilant eyes.
The Unbearable Burden of Hospitality
“As I meant to say, the FCA,” Glimm resumed, his voice louder, “has created a special program where specialists, such as I, encourage underperforming citizens of our lucrative planet to make more profits. After all, your gain is our gain..”
Brek blinked. Certain words give the impression that your interlocutor is not living in the same dimension as you. Their lies are so enormous, so gross, you feel like you’re losing your grip on reality. Every Ferengi with a shred of self-respect knew the cardinal rule: the FCA never received its full due. It was a sacred tenet, an unspoken pact.
Mr. Wallace's Mural
The Ferengi had postponed its transfer to the Environmental Ring for several hours, meticulously verifying the artwork’s authenticity. He would die of shame if another art dealer tried and succeeded to fob him off.
Fortunately, the wing's prior owner, a gruff Andorian named Ch'Koloth, had gone to great lengths to ensure the mural's safe passage through space. The crate itself was a work of art, adorned with a whimsical collection of labels such as: "Art - Handle with Care," "A Symphony in Marble," "Fragile Beauty," "Keep dry," and a stern "Do Not Stack."
~
Either way, the design for the habitat filtration system would be transmitted to Korix or carried back, if the Fleet ever returned the delegates.
All this was on her mind as she tracked between the Lab and the Environmental deck. Through the clear walls of the lift she looked at the park below; from a distance she could see the place they had planned and gotten approved for the installation, and sure enough, there was a tall part of a wall, veiled in black cloth. When walking from the lift to the installation site, she approached with a quick step, and a kind of giddiness, biting her lip and stealing glances up at the sky- or what served as sky, being the lighted dome over head from which her own quarters overlooked. Although the feature looked to loom large up ahead, she knew it would actually account for very little difference in the landscape from so far away... but it was possible. As she came closer, she could barely contain herself from running, making for a funny looking walking jog.
~
Brek stammered, "Ms. Xeri...?" He found himself frozen, caught in a mental tug-of-war. Tears, in his world, were a weakness to be ruthlessly preyed upon. [...] Also, tears were never an option for him. Men, in his world, didn't cry. Instead, they opted for months of lethargy or explosive rampages.
Forsaken Shore
"Hold Fast" was the longest standing order I have ever known.
This order was to be carried out on a shore, the last remaining shore of a planet which has forsaken shores. This one island defied an ocean full of oceans to lay bare a patch of sand beneath its star— buffeted by the sky, shorn in relentless wind, the air with no more pity than the water for the defiance of this lone rise of stone— all overseen by the one mountain of the world.
Drawing the Thread
Something was off, though Oly couldn’t put his finger on the exact source of his disquiet . Physically, the pace wasn’t helping, but he had practice with mitigating discomfort. He supposed he could call the sensation atmospheric. He felt watched - as if the crossbar of a phaser sight was fixed on him. Oly closed his eyes, willing his breathing to settle. “I’m not entirely sure rushing is a good idea,” he offered T’Sheng in reply. Of course the hunter would want his quarry harried and unwary. Focused as they were simply on arriving, there was no telling what might actually be awaiting them.
In Plain Sight II
After a few seconds inside the metaphorical privacy bubble she entered with, she awkwardly turned and watched Dresden and Cortes stare at her in awe from across the room. It was almost like an old wild west showdown in the town square as both parties eyed each other yet didn't say or do anything for a few moments.
Refilled, now to reboot
A true mind healer of the Vulcan variety could enter the psyche via such a touch and rewrite certain areas of functionality based solely on their own personal force of will. Their mental strength, overpowering the mental strength of the person that they were healing. If done with consent, it was an extremely effective treatment.
Reality setting in
He never thought that he would have the chance to be a parent, not because he didn't desire it but because he was almost pathologically incapable of settling down. He had a lot of fun with many lovely ladies but the idea of being tied to a single woman was off-putting. Now though, he wondered if he'd ever get another partner with this tiny enormous change in his priorities.
Sleeping with your eyeballs open
"I did not know that I was going to be parent. She did not inform me of the impending child. If I'd known I would have done things differently. However I haven't slept since he arrived. Though he is perfectly happy to sleep as long as he's being held, I cannot claim the same. It's beautiful, but I cannot sleep and hold him at the same time. It brings too much anxiety to me. " His Russian accent was getting more and more prominent as he got more and more worked up. He was almost embarrassed at the burr his voice held, but Mia seemed amused.
Data Echoes
Where most summaries and detailed reports painted a simple picture of the goings on aboard a ship in a given set of time, he knew how to arrange them into a veritable Rembrandt.
A Thread, Neatly Pulled
“Callum?” Sepandiyar said quietly, almost fatherly to the younger man. “Callum. Who deleted it?” He asked, but it was as if Callum was in his own conversation, almost muttering to himself. Thad observed that the man looked exhausted, he had looked out of sorts when he came in but now it just looked like pure exhaustion. It made him wonder if he’d slept at all since they’d returned.
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