Post Number 49 Meet and Greet

Posted on Mon Mar 13th, 2023 @ 5:10pm by Rear Admiral Paul Sanderson & Lieutenant Tara Herculoid PhD & Major Jackson "JJ" Barnes {Meji} & Lieutenant JG Ainkara "Kara" {Meji}

Mission: Vanished
Location: starbase
Timeline: current

ON:

Ainkara gathered Barnes and the insectoid to her and made her way back across Sickbay, approaching Herculoid, Sanderson and Long. "Ladies, gentleman, this is the insectoid we pursued down below. He did not fight us, he did not attack us, and I aided in healing his wound, to which he seems immensely grateful."

"Matter of fact," added Barnes. "He stood with us for a while, never reaching to pick up his weapon off the floor, so I handed it to him in a show of good faith. He has carried it neutral ever since."

Tara walked over with a PADD, tapped a few commands on it and looked at the being "I hope we're able to communicate, I'm Lieutenant Herculoid, friends call me Tara. This is Doctor Kristian Long, Admiral Sanderson, JJ Barnes and Ainkara who you've met." Tara had spoken slowly hoping the being could understand her.

The insectoid moved its head slightly, keeping its large eyes mainly towards Herculoid, then it looked to each side at Ainkara and Barnes, then back to Herculoid as it gave forth its chittering and garbles, its jaws moving as it did so.

Barnes gave a smile and chuckle. "That's about what we got while talking to him. The UT still hasn't deciphered what he is trying to say. Hey," he touched the bug's arm in a friendly way, then pointed at himself. "Barnes...Barnes. My name is Barnes, what they," he motioned around. "Call me. Can I call you Antis?"

The ant man gave what appeared to be a shrug, then nodded a few times slightly, as if saying yes. "Alright," said Barnes with a smile. "Antis, it is."

While those few were speaking to Antis, Ainkara saw Jensen stirring under his blanket, excused herself, and went across the room to the young man. He was definitely waking up, and if he saw Antis, he may react badly to it. She went around to the side of the bed his face was on, his back to the bug man. "Hello," she kept her voice low, just between them, his eyes fluttering open. "Seems you were tired, after all."

"Yeah," he said around a yawn, keeping the blanket around his shoulders as he sat up and threw his legs over the side to sit up, facing Ainkara. "It's cold in here." He then looked back over his shoulder and saw Antis, immediately throwing his blanket off his shoulders and jumping to his feet on the floor. Ainkara, before he could say a word, gave him a Vulcan neck pinch and caught him as he went down unconscious. Scooping him up she carried him back over, near to the others, and laid him on a bed, covering him with a blanket. "Sorry, but his body language said he would react badly to Antis."

Kristian nodded as she checked on the rest of the children who remained asleep

Tara tapped a few more commands "Antis we do not want to harm you. Can you understand me?"

Antis made a quick garble noise, and learning from these mammals and how they reacted to stimuli, he gave a nod, as he had seen them do when answering a query with yes.

"Well, it's a start," said Barnes. "If the UT puts that down as yes, then maybe it can go from there if it has a common frame of reference?" He was asking since he was not the expert here, but his common sense was working it out.

Jensen again awoke, and this time he sat bolt upright and looked at the ant man. His eyes were full of fear, anger, sadness, all that he had gone through.

"Easy," said Ainkara, in a firm but understanding tone. "He is not hostile. We are calling him Antis. If we can get through to him then it may lead to finding out about the missing people. Can I count on you to remain calm?"

She could see Jensen's internal turmoil in his eyes, and his body was rigid as if ready to attack. But, after a few moments, and hearing Ainkara's soft tone, his shoulders and torso visibly relaxed and his eyes became more neutral. "Yes."

Tara tapped again on her PADD inputting the sounds Antis was making and working to get a translation so she could establish communications "I believe your as frustrated as we are. I'm trying very hard to communicate with you. Are you understanding me yet?"

Paul walked over to Jensen "She's trying to communicate with him."

Ainkara was flabbergasted. Had none of them heard what she and Barnes had said? Her face and body language stayed as stoic as a Vulcan, giving nothing away as her left hand reached out and took hold of Jensen's. "We told you it understand us well enough. What the issue is is its language."

"Where is my dad, Antis?" Asked Jensen, looking the bug in the eyes.

Antis used his hands to gesticulate, the chittering and garbles coming forth like a torrent as it tried to explain. The hand movements seemed to indicate they were under something, or beneath something. It then showed a sign of giving, its hands reaching out towards Herculoid as if it was offering something.

"The drink," said Barnes. "That stuff you drank, Ainkara. Maybe he is trying to convey that they are well hidden and being cared for."

"Like that lady there," said Jensen, his eyes going to Tara. "You offered me a staff, and that motion he did was like he was giving you something, or something to someone else." He gave Tara a grin. "Thank you for offering, by the way. I was tired and angry so I apologize."

Antis made a motion for Herculoid to get in next to him, so he could see her screen as well. He then pointed to his eye, then back down as if trying to convey that if he saw what she had so far, then they could work together to create a syntax to bring it together.

"You can still have it, we can teach you to use it," Tara said moving to stand next to Antis and showed him her screen "I speak many languages and want to learn more."

"Tara and I can both teach you, it's a powerful weapon," Kristian said "Mine is in my pocket."

***

In his mind Jensen heard Ainkara, but she did not speak aloud. He looked up at her and she simply raised her eyebrows as if to keep it between them. "Show me all that transpired here after I left. All of it. I apologize for invading your mind without asking but I am curious." So, he did, running through his memories of the event.

***

Antis stood with Tara, and he began to make motions with his hands for certain things. He picked up a cup and chittered. He showed a rough charade of a bird flying, and chittered. One word at a time, and on the screen the UT was beginning to piece together the chittering and garbles based on how the language was used, and in what context. Over the speakers they heard a rendition of the voice of Antis. "It seems we have success. Your empathy is most gracious. I am Antis, for you. In the hive we have no names for we are all one and know the internal voice of all, even as individuals."

"Booyah, Herc!" Barnes said, smiling. "You did it. But, I'd love to see you try and use that language yourself, you'd end up with a sore throat inside a minute, I bet."

"Her apparatus is insufficient to pronounce," said Antis. "Your language is understood, so we all understand. Our apparatus cannot form your words."

Tara nodded "But now we can communicate. The people from the ships and this base, are they okay?"

"They are being cared for with the same amount of love we show to our larva. Some were agitated so they are given more membrosia than others to keep them calm. What is your word? Oh, yes, sedated." Answered Antis.

"Lieutenant ask him why they were taken," Paul said

"Antis why were they taken?" Tara asked "Did they harm you in some way?"

Antis replied matter-of-fact, with no anger detected. "You trample what is not yours. You seek to take what is not yours and claim it for your own hive. We were warned of your coming. You are destructive in your quest for knowledge and you force to the surface what you should wait to have given. Your methods of gathering are not benign. Your many hives all do this. Mammals are destructive and interruptive, and seek to control what is not pleasing to them."

Ainkara had returned to the now, outside of Jensen's mind, but the boy could still feel she was upset over something. But, she controlled it well and kept it beneath the surface. Hearing Antis she had to ask. "Who warned you we were coming?"

"I misspoke." Said Antis. "I did not mean you," he motioned around to the people here. "I meant you as a whole, as one. Your Federation. Another called Romulans. Still more called Klingons and..."

Barnes raised a hand. "We got it. All the hives means all of us humanoids, correct?"

"That is an approximate understanding, yes." Answered Antis. "The hive will defend our larva, and hold dear what we need to survive. None of your hive have chosen to join, except one. The one we now call the emissary. As one of you he will aid us in our understanding and bring peace between us. If this is not possible then we fight to the last to keep our hive safe. He is how we now understand your tongue and he freely gives his knowledge to prevent violence. Even now, here, I feel the hive and their excitement."

Ainkara was glad to hear all this, but someone or something had told them about the Federation, that it was a threat. They struck out first, even if it was done in a benevolent way. She was glad for this, but the question seemed to have been glazed over. Jensen's memory still echoed in her mind so she remained quietly fuming.

"Antis, please tell us who harmed you? The Federation is not one to cause harm. We're prepared to assist you in any way we can," Paul said

"We do want peace," Tara said "My commodore has two fighters out to scout the solar system. Tell me and we'll tell her, I also heard that there is one missing from our ship, has he been taken?"

"The voices are raised so it will take time to ask," said Antis. "Any who were taken are safe and cared for. They will be set free once the Festival of Awakening is completed."

Barnes had stood there listening, trying to piece together how Antis spoke, and then overlapping that with what he was trying to say from a Humanoid point of view. "Wait. Antis, you said that we take when we should wait. That we take what is not ours. Do you mean resources, planets, things like that?"

"Again, yes. You are of a mind, Barnes." Antis gave a waving motion to mean the galaxy around them. "You claim worlds that are not yours. When you seek resources you claim them with violence instead of waiting for the planets to offer the gifts you seek. All will unveil as it should, when the time is right."

"He's a hippy," said Barnes, not meaning it in a derogatory way. But, it was the closest thing he could think of right now. "Peace, love, one with nature and the elements. Like the Native Americans, they only took what they needed and left the rest for later."

"What is the Festival of Awakening? By being set free do you mean returned this base and their ships and families?" Tara asked

"Antis not everyone takes what is wanted. We negotiate for what we need or want, in return we do the same for others. It's the way of the Federation to take things by force. Tell us what has happened and if it's our power we'll fix it," Paul said.

Antis took a moment to think, making sure he was clear and did not use the wrong word choices. "The Festival of Awakening is the larva hatching from their eggs. To become one with the nest and to join their minds with all those around them. While in the egg a hatchling has limited connection, but once they hatch and their minds are fully developed, then they become a part of the hive in all their being. While within their eggs they are susceptible to outside influences."

He then looked to Paul. "Your Federation claims planets all the time. If no one lives there then your assumptions lead you to take them and claim them as part of your hive. There are those among us, other hives or nests, who take by force. Their hives are violent and their melding is done for control not care. They do not gather, they steal. Also, when you seek resources you use destruction to acquire them. You drill holes or blow holes in the earth, destroy comets and asteroids, disturbing the natural selection that the universe has provided."

Ainkara continued to listen. Whoever had prompted these beings had fed them a great amount of information about the United Federation of Planets. There was no way these beings knew all this without having been instructed. Their anxiety was being used against them, to control them, something she was all too familiar with since the Iconians had done the same to her and her people.

Tara and Kristian exchanged a brief look before Tara turned her attention back to Antis "You've been misinformed, I don't know who has been telling you these things. The Federation ever takes planets or resources by force. If we find a planet that no one lives on a team of scientists are sent to study the planet. Should it prove able to support life after the scientis have completed scans and studies on it then a group of colonists will be sent there to live for a time before any decision is made to pertinently live there. In the meantime should we discover that the planet is part of another government then we leave. We never take by force. Yes we'll defend ourselves but we do not make it a habit of blowing up planets, comets, or drilling holes in a planet not unless we're left with no choice. You mentioned the Romulans and the Klingons, Which one have you had dealings with? The Federation does not enslave other cultures or races."

"I ask for the return of out people from the the star base and all three ships and we'll talk about what's happened and why you needed them," Paul said.

"I have said that the Festival of Awakening is upon us," said Antis. "With such an event all else will be on hold. The larva come first."

Barnes looked at Antis after glancing at the others for a few moments, listening to them. "Okay, you say our mining practices are destructive and violent. Some of them are, no need to deny it. But, tell me this, Antis. Does your hive hunt for food, in any way?"

"They do."

"Then, isn't that being violent and destructive to another creature so that you may live?" Asked Jack. "We are not so different. All we do is for the survival of the Federation we hold dear, as you do for your hive. Our primary goal as a hive is to defend others, and to explore. We only fight when we have no choice, and even then, we will try to avoid destroying others. We will offer them aid once battle is over. To show that our goal is peace, not slaughter. Whoever has told you these things is trying to make us enemies."

"I would like to know who told you these things," Paul commented "I'm asking you to give us a chance to prove we're not the destructive ones you've heard about. Yes the ships here are able to destroy but a battle is something we do our best to avoid and as Jack said if we have to engage in a battle we'll do what we can to help. Will you let us help you?"

Antis gave it a few moments consideration. "I must confer with the nest. As I have already iterated. We are not attacking, we are defending. This was the only way we saw to bring dialogue."

Ainkara cleared her throat to get their attention and when the others looked over at her she spoke. "I will let you lot figure this out. For now, I will take Jensen and his friends over to the Amandora. With your permission, Admiral."

"Permission granted, have Cyndi give them VIP Quarters," Paul replied "Tell her to get the shields up and keep them up until we get a handle on this."

Ainkara stepped away and gathered the younglings, then contacted Amandora. The ship lowered their shields long enough to beam them over and they all disappeared from view.

Jack was seeing that the talk was now going in circles. It was time to take a break and give everyone a chance to collect their thoughts and correlate what they had heard so far in their minds. They had found common ground and needed to let all of it settle in before pushing the issue. "Let's take a break, folks. Standing here going back and forth is doing just that; going back and forth over the same roadway."

"Your right Mr Barnes," Paul said turning to Antis "Get with your hive please and keep us posted on things. Stress to them we mean no harm."

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