Close Encounters of the Blue Kind

Posted on 02 Feb 2014 @ 1:53pm by Lieutenant Olsam Mott & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim

2,062 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: House Warraquim, Akkadia
Timeline: MD22 - 1000 hrs

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Olsam had stayed inside his rooms at House Warraquim for as long as it had taken to explore every facet of the space. Then he'd immediately grown "bored" and set out to explore the building for himself. He hadn't so much asked permission from Dr. Allyndra to do so as just gave himself permission. He figured if a door was locked, then he wouldn't go inside. Unless he suspected there was something really fascinating on the other side, then he might try to jimmy the lock.

Slinking down the hallway, he froze in place when an Akkadian appeared at the opposing end.

The young apprentice was on his way to attend classes and taking a short cut through one hallway when he came around a corner and his hearts almost stopped when he saw an odd round blue what appeared to be a male with the oddest ridge running down his head and over his face as though someone had split him in half and put him back together again.

"Alien," was Syllanra's first thought. He had heard that there were important alien visitors, not tourists which would never be allowed here, and which most apprentices were warned to stay away from. Lecture was forgotten as the alien man, well he pretty fit the description but then aliens were aliens, seemed to be lost.

He took two steps toward the 'man' and then bowed deeply. Though he appeared male, Syllanra took no chances and defaulted to the respect and address that one would expect of lady of the guild. The only thing he left off would to address the person as guild member which obviously he or she or who knew was not.

"Mistress, I am Apprentice Syllanra. Are you lost?" Syllanra kept the bow. One did not move from that until either given permission or one passed out from the constriction of the chest.

"Mistress?" Olsam asked, turning to look over his shoulder to make sure no one was standing behind him. "I'm a male. You can just call me Dr. Olsam. I came here with my boss. Is your spine broken, or is this some kind of calisthenics routine? Do you always do it at this time of day?"

The Bolian took note of Apprentice Syllanra's posture and then did his best to mimic the form. With his substantial belly constricting his diaphragm, his breathing became raspy and heavy.

Syllanra only glanced up through pale green tiny faceted eyes. His first surmise was correct and the alien was trying to imitate his posture, or at least that was what he further surmised. He was lost in quite how to handle this and wished nothing more than a senior Guild member had been present.

"Sir," he corrected, "umm...no. It is a sign of respect, may I straighten and I will explain?" Syllanra only hoped for a yes for already a little blackness was creeping in from the sides of his eyes.

"Oh, sure, please do," Olsam said, straightening up himself.

Taking a deep breath Syllanra was grateful and then took another before answering. "A sign of respect sir, as was my former address to you sir. I do apologize for any insult as I have never met another alien and decided to err on the side of caution. If I may, sir, are you lost?"

"No, I'm Dr. Olsam. I don't think there's a Mr. Lost in our party," he replied distractedly, eyeing Syllanra to see if there were any drastically noticeable physiological differences between Dr. Allyndra and Apprentice Syllanra. "Oh, wait, you mean am I lost? I don't think I can technically be lost because I don't really know where I'm going. So if I don't know where I'm going, I can't very well be off track, you see?"

Syllanra wished with all his hearts to be anywhere, even on kitchen duty, anywhere but caught in this hallway with this alien that seemed to be teasing him or at least misunderstanding him with every breath.

"You are in the Eastern tower currently sir. This is primarily a floor of visitor chambers. I was on my way to lecture hall which is in the next tower over and down two floors. If you would like I could guide you to one of the Guild members?" Syllanra was ever so hopeful to dump this 'man' off on someone else.

"Guild members?" Olsam asked, looking a bit shifty-eyed. Sounded like the authorities to him. He didn't like handlers. You couldn't wander around when someone was following you. "That's okay. You say you're going to a lecture? I'll just come along. I'm sure your instructor won't mind. What's the lecture on? I hope it's on medicine. I like medicine. I'm a doctor."

Syllanra blinked. It was a sort of odd slow blink which in an Akkadian conveyed puzzlement. "I am only an apprentice sir, not sufficiently ranked enough to be your escort. However, if you wish please," Syllanra made a much smaller bow and then stood straight and gestured with one hand.
"This way." He thought that at least the Guild member who lecturing would at least take this man off his hands.

"Unfortunately no it is not on medicine exactly sir. It is a basic physiology course, one of your standing would no doubt be bored to death." Syllanra smiled shyly though now that the initial shock had worn off he got curious as he lead the way.

"If it would not be intrusive of me sir may I ask what kind of alien you are?"

Olsam laughed and continued walking next to Syllanra. Eventually, he sensed the Akkadian's eyes were still on him. "Oh, you were serious. I forgot Akkadians don't get out much... I'm a Bolian. We come from a planet called Bolarus IX, which is mostly made up of ocean. Though not quite as much as this planet, mind you. We're very proud members of the United Federation of Planets."

Syllanra mouthed the name before trying to say it out load. "Bolian, Bolarus nineth." He filed away the information. There were courses on the cosmos but outside of Akkadia chartography of the rest was not really taught.

"Uh, so... What, um... What House do you come from?" Olsam asked uneasily, struggling to recall conversations with Dr. Allyndra about how their society was structured.

Syllanra was very puzzled now. Surely it was obvious as the nose their faces.
"Warraquim of course! I am not Guild yet, and as such have not had a match made or to find one in one of the other Guilds, at that time I will be part of her guild."

"I'm a pretty good matchmaker, maybe I could find a lady friend for you," Olsam offered. "Are you like Dr. Allyndra's little brother? I'd better check with her first before I start looking for a mate for you. What do you like? Big wings? Skinny ankles? What?"

Syllanra stopped looking aghast at this alien male asking him all sorts of questions. It almost made his hearts stop. It was no wonder that the Guild's did not want aliens around and the few here were generally confined to limited areas. He swallowed hard. "Sir, please try to understand," Syllanra tried to keep the tremor out of his voice and trying to be as diplomatic as possible.
"Such things are only done within Guild members."

Again he made a motion with his hands, "Please, if you do not mind, I am already late to lecture."

Olsam shrugged and followed him down the hall.

=-=-=-=-=

Before the door opened, Olsam had no idea what to expect. Would it be a large lecture hall, like Starfleet Academy? A small, intimate classroom setting?

Syllanra entered the hall. There was a central spot surrounded by tiers of seats in ascending rows and in a circular set around the room. Syllanra walked to an open spot and shuffled into place. As Olsam entered a collective whisper shot around the room.

The teacher turned to see at first Syllanra and she was about to say something about tardy when she saw the rotund blue alien following. Her eyes went wide wondering what one of them was doing here but they were visitors allowed by the Guild Mistress herself.

"Well class if appears we have an unusual visitor. Sir," the teacher said looking upward. Her gaze flicked to Syllanra to confirm the title and then back.
"Please come down here to the lecture well I am sure the class would be interested in seeing you better."

"Oh, well," Olsam said, looking a little flustered at the sudden attention of an entire room of students. It didn't take long for that attention to go right to his head, and he sauntered into the lecture well with all the pomp and circumstance of the Federation President. He raised his hand to the students and gave a wave, being sure to keep his chin up, gut in and shoulders back.

His speech, when it came, was very slow and exaggerated, as if his universal translator were broken. "Greetings, young people! I am Dr. Olsam Mott from Starfleet Medical. I am a doctor. I am a Bolian. My skin is blue. Bluuue." He rubbed his hand over his arm to emphasize.

Everyone watched in rapt attention and it was quiet. Every student there glued to the blue man in the well of the lecture hall. Finally at the short paused one student stood.

"Sir, could you please give a comparative anatomical difference between your kind and ours. We do not get a chance to study out worlder physiology." The student added that hastily enduring a withering look from the Guild instructor as she stood off to one side.

"Why, I'd be happy to," Olsam said, stepping into a more central position in the lecture well. "Bolians are known for the bifurcating catilaginous ridge running vertically along the center of our head and face, partway down the chest. Our skin color is universally blue owing to our cobalt-based blood. We have a cartilaginous lining on our tongues." He stuck his tongue out. "And our heart is on the right side of the body. Our body fluids are generally considered corrosive, and our saliva can be an irritant to other species. Finally, we're noted for our extraordinary digestive systems." He held his head high. "We can digest anything."

Another student stood, a female, "Sir, cobalt? Then your blood oxygen carrier would function then with a sort of Schiff base, which would imply your blood would be somewhat toxic to another non-Bolian is that correct?"

"Oh, very good," Olsam said, giving the student a big smile. "Quite toxic, I'm afraid. We make terrible blood donors."

Another female student stood next, "Is your species mono, di, or trimorphic or something else?"

"Uh, monomorphic," he replied, though he patted his substantial belly. "Although I guess you could say we take on a bit of a different form as we older."

The questions came faster and deeper until the teacher clapped her hands.
"Enough! Doctor Mott has been very kind to answer several questions." She looked at the Bolian doctor and asked, "If you would like you may sit in on the rest of our time or I shall have a senior student escort you."

"Oh, I'll just take a seat," Olsam said, moving for the first empty seat he saw. Naturally it was smack in the middle of the row, so he spent a good five minutes disrupting the class while making his way to the seat. Several Akkadians got a closeup of Bolian anatomy as he swung his butt wildly this way and that trying to squeeze through. Once he finally flopped into the chair, he was forced to draw his arms close to give the students around him some room. The short student behind him cleared his throat, so Olsam hunched forward a bit, too. The effect was like jamming an elephant into a tiny container.

"Very good." The teacher turned to the rest of the class and the had a display projected in the middle of the room. "Now we were talking about the circulatory system. Now specifically the flight hearts..."

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Lieutenant JG Olsam Mott, M.D.
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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