Heimweh [Vol and Flick]

[Volskene]

[Holosuite Two - Simulation of Tholia]

"Warning: temperature exceeding safe operating levels", squawked the computer as Starbase Columbus' one and only Tholian commenced a simulation that he had prepared in the time not spent calculating complex subspace equation solutions. "Maybe for a humanoid", Volskene fired back with a sneer. Indeed, ever since that debacle on the Holosuite (where he now refused to partake in any "adventures" besides his own), the Tholian had busied himself with unlocking the many secrets that this somewhat miraculous (by Tholian holographic standards) technology held. And so it was that he had designed this magnum opus after experiencing a feverish bout of homesickness for the planet of his people.

As forcefields sprung up to barricade the door from the Y-class environment, Volskene stepped into the warm embrace of his home as he remembered it. The scene which met his eyes stirred a rainbow of emotional threads within his thoughtspace, and it was truly rapturous. He was standing on a hillock of craggy terrain of various shades of red, brown, and tan which overlooked a vast lake of molten rock. In the distance, mountains of the same surrounded this hillock, and far across the lake, a visible settlement. The dwellings, which could just be glimpsed from this far away, were structured with regular, balanced forms, not unlike a hive. The sight of this harmonious arrangement plucked the threads within the Tholian's psyche like a harp, reverberating with dulcet tones through him and perhaps, the Lattice that was so far from him right now. It was a serene perfection.

With that realization, Volskene knew that the bulky environmental suit which he was forced to wear among humanoids was unnecessary here, on his world. He began to disengage the various mechanisms and securing devices of the suit. So far, so good; his carapace had not begun to crack. Gingerly, the Tholian extricated one of his six legs from the suit and planted a two-toed foot on the ground, sensing its suitability. It was not long before Volskene was fully free from the accursed confinement, discarding it beside him for the moment. The sight of his unsuited form was beautiful; a balanced crystalline carapace that, upon closer inspection, swirled with many different hues and tones within: not only reds and oranges, but greens and blues. Bringing his legs out to their full position and standing tall, Volskene surveyed the recreated environs and was overcome. His crystalline body acting as a natural resonator, the Tholian let out a warble which was both pretty and haunting... he was home once more.

[Felicity Ellis]

[The White Rose Café]

Felicity considered calling it a day. A sleepless night followed by a packed schedule had left her beyond the point of tired, and heading toward exhausted territory. But she knew that sleep would probably prove just as elusive as it had the night before. A combination of a troubled mind and troubled memories would see to that. It would have been his birthday today.

A happy occasion under normal circumstances, but all of the coffee and chocolate cake in the world wasn't going to make her feel like celebrating. No matter how tasty the White Rose's famous brownies were.

She drained the strong coffee in the small cup and checked her PADD for the dozenth time that hour. There was still no response from the suddenly evasive Tholian. Initially it had seemed as though Volskene couldn't sneeze without letting her know, or searching her out to discuss it. Now, Felicity thought her charge might be ignoring her. Not that she could blame him all that much, she had nearly gotten him killed in the holosuite. She found herself wondering if Tholians could sneeze. Deciding to ask him herself, Felicity tapped her commbadge.

"Computer, locate Specialist Volskene."

"Specialist Volskene is currently in Holosuite Two."

Her eyebrows lifted with surprise, thoughts of sleep forgotten. She rose from the table, pushed her PADD into the waist of her uniform and with a wave and quick thanks to the White Rose's staff, she left for the holosuites.

[Holosuite Two]

When the doors slid open to reveal the cardinal landscape she drew in a quick breath and stared. Volskene himself stood atop a hillock, unsuited and declaring his presence to the world via a strange trill; a sound that was not unpleasant to Felicity's ears.

She surveyed the alien place before her, eyes eagerly taking in the ochre hills, the fiery lake and mountainous backdrop. But the most surprising sight was most definitely the freed Tholian.

"Wow."

Felicity stepped forward and walked straight into a force field.

"Warning: temperature inside has exceeded safe operating levels."

"Of course," she muttered, shaking out the hand that had been outstretched in order to return the feeling to it. Volskene was inside, suitless, and she'd been so distracted by the feast for her eyes before her that she'd somehow missed the fact she'd likely burst into flames as soon as she stepped inside.

[Volskene]

[Holosuite Two]

When the doors slid open to reveal the cardinal landscape she drew in a quick breath and stared. Volskene himself stood atop a hillock, unsuited and declaring his presence to the world via a strange trill; a sound that was not unpleasant to Felicity's ears.

She surveyed the alien place before her, eyes eagerly taking in the ochre hills, the fiery lake and mountainous backdrop. But the most surprising sight was most definitely the freed Tholian.

"Wow."

Felicity stepped forward and walked straight into a force field.

"Warning: temperature inside has exceeded safe operating levels."

"Of course," she muttered, shaking out the hand that had been outstretched in order to return the feeling to it. Volskene was inside, suitless, and she'd been so distracted by the feast for her eyes before her that she'd somehow missed the fact she'd likely burst into flames as soon as she stepped inside.

[Holosuite Two - Simulation of Tholia]

A perturbation wove its way through Volskene as the Tholian sensed a breach of his inner sanctum, shattering his perfect illusion instantaneously. Pink and red flares of surprise and indignation sprung within him as he realized just who it was. Of course, at this point, he had honestly become accustomed to the many encroachments of the Primary Medical Castemember. Volskene had heard tell that she had advanced in her caste, which was preposterous; Tholian society relied on a rigid caste system with little mobility. It was the basis for harmony. He dismissed such talk as a silly rumour.

Humanoids and their curiosity... fumed the Tholian as he decided to see what exactly piqued her interest in his beautiful homeworld. Volskene bolted towards the open doors. Unhampered by the bulky environmental suit and energized by the atmosphere, he cleared the distance between himself and the forcefields at a rate that would never be possible elsewhere. No doubt the Primary Medical Castemember was in for a surprise when she turned her attention to him once more. For once, Volskene remained silent; the euphoria of revisiting his home (albeit a facsimile) still fresh within his thoughtspace.

[Felicity Ellis]

[Holosuite Two - Simulation of Tholia]

A perturbation wove its way through Volskene as the Tholian sensed a breach of his inner sanctum, shattering his perfect illusion instantaneously. Pink and red flares of surprise and indignation sprung within him as he realized just who it was. Of course, at this point, he had honestly become accustomed to the many encroachments of the Primary Medical Castemember. Volskene had heard tell that she had advanced in her caste, which was preposterous; Tholian society relied on a rigid caste system with little mobility. It was the basis for harmony. He dismissed such talk as a silly rumour.

Humanoids and their curiosity... fumed the Tholian as he decided to see what exactly piqued her interest in his beautiful homeworld. Volskene bolted towards the open doors. Unhampered by the bulky environmental suit and energized by the atmosphere, he cleared the distance between himself and the forcefields at a rate that would never be possible elsewhere. No doubt the Primary Medical Castemember was in for a surprise when she turned her attention to him once more. For once, Volskene remained silent; the euphoria of revisiting his home (albeit a facsimile) still fresh within his thoughtspace.

[Holosuite Two]

Fighting for dominance in The Weirdest Thing I've Seen Today category...

The way the Tholian moved was startling. Unintentionally she'd taken a small step backward when Volskene spotted her, and scuttled with impressive speed toward her. Out of the environmental suit, the Tholian looked almost predatory. She found it difficult to reconcile the idea of the irrascible, yet harmless Volskene with the dangerous alien that was coming to a scampering stop right in front of her.

And he was naked. Well, not exactly, nudity really was a humanoid concept, Volskene was just in his natural state. Felicity had seen holoimages of Tholians, she knew what they looked like. But now she was looking right at one. In all his shiny, carapaced glory. She wondered if she was being rude by staring at him. She couldn't know, so she decided to play it safe and pulled her stare away from those unexpected, swirling greens and blues that coloured his unsuited form.

He stared right back at her, silently. Felicity shifted her weight slightly, suddenly self-conscious and feeling a little at a loss for words. Strange.

"Hi, Volskene."

Stellar opener.

"Going for a walk in hell?"

Slow. Clap.

[Volskene]

Felicity shifted her weight slightly, suddenly self-conscious and feeling a little at a loss for words. Strange.

"Hi, Volskene."

Stellar opener.

"Going for a walk in hell?"

Slow. Clap.

[Holosuite Two - Simulation of Tholia]

It took a few moments for the Primary Medical Castemember's words to register in Volskene's thoughtspace. "What? No! Preposterous! How could you conceive of my homeworld as such a place?! Your humanoid worlds are far greater cesspits. Waste belongs there." Owing to a quirk in the translation matrix used to translate the Tholian language, Volskene understood the Primary Medical Castemember's description of Tholia to be a "lavatory".

Watching her movements of fear at his unsuited self, Volskene wondered what it was that prompted such a demeanour. Perhaps she was simply too overcome at the ideal proportions of his crystalline form. Tholians had long considered their biological arrangement to be superior to that of humanoids; hence why humanoids were often used as slave labour withing Tholian territory.

"I was simply reminiscing of my origins. My home, which you so rudely insulted. I feel separation from the harmony of the Lattice."

[Felicity Ellis]

[Holosuite Two - Simulation of Tholia]

It took a few moments for the Primary Medical Castemember's words to register in Volskene's thoughtspace. "What? No! Preposterous! How could you conceive of my homeworld as such a place?! Your humanoid worlds are far greater cesspits. Waste belongs there." Owing to a quirk in the translation matrix used to translate the Tholian language, Volskene understood the Primary Medical Castemember's description of Tholia to be a "lavatory".

Watching her movements of fear at his unsuited self, Volskene wondered what it was that prompted such a demeanour. Perhaps she was simply too overcome at the ideal proportions of his crystalline form. Tholians had long considered their biological arrangement to be superior to that of humanoids; hence why humanoids were often used as slave labour withing Tholian territory.

"I was simply reminiscing of my origins. My home, which you so rudely insulted. I feel separation from the harmony of the Lattice."

[Holosuite Two]

"Cesspit? Waste? What, no... I didn't mean..." She spluttered, wondering if Volskene thought she intentionally insulted his homeworld. "I just meant - Oh, nevermind."

She sighed. Was it just her imagination or was she becoming more and more useless at this 'ambassadorial' thing as time went on? Or was it just Volskene's fault for being grumpy and touchy. Yes, that was it. It was the lonely, homesick alien's fault.

"I do that sometimes," she said thoughtfully when he spoke of Tholia and the separation he felt. She looked passed him, to the vista beyond again. It was a frightening landscape, of that there was no doubt, but it was quite striking in its bloody starkness. "Miss home, I mean. I have a program of the beach near where I grew up. It took me weeks to get it just right. I visit it when I need to remember."

She couldn't help the wistful smile when she thought of Wilderness Beach; that beautiful blue sky, the crashing waves, the swaying pink and red vygies flowers that bordered the winding path down the incline toward the water's edge. She had only ever shown Leanna her 'Quiet Place', because it was very personal to her. This made her interruption of Volskene's program all the more disrespectful in her eyes.

"I did not mean to intrude. Or cause offense. Tholia looks... " She searched around for a word that summed up what she was seeing. She came up short, so she opted for honesty. "Quite indescribable."

[Volskene]

Volskene continued, despite feeling attacked, "Yes, this program was painstakingly designed within those time points not devoted to my work on subspace. It represents the culmination of long cycles of recollection among time and space. Though you may believe you have a similar experience, this is a level of familiarity and intimacy that I do not expect you to understand." The Tholian turned to face the open doors that beckoned him once more to return.

Yes.. he could almost feel the resonances of the Lattice here, across the great distances of the stars. "Few outsiders, if any, have seen the splendour of our great world", Volskene spoke, still facing the view of the planet, "If your curiosity is piqued... I strongly suggest avoiding it at all costs. Tholia is not kind to aliens." The last sentence ended on a bitter, ringing note tinged with blackness coursing through his thoughtspace. Returning just as quickly to the precipice as he ran to the doors (perhaps quicker), Volskene resumed his resonance.

[Felicity Ellis]

Volskene continued, despite feeling attacked, "Yes, this program was painstakingly designed within those time points not devoted to my work on subspace. It represents the culmination of long cycles of recollection among time and space. Though you may believe you have a similar experience, this is a level of familiarity and intimacy that I do not expect you to understand." The Tholian turned to face the open doors that beckoned him once more to return.

Yes.. he could almost feel the resonances of the Lattice here, across the great distances of the stars. "Few outsiders, if any, have seen the splendour of our great world", Volskene spoke, still facing the view of the planet, "If your curiosity is piqued... I strongly suggest avoiding it at all costs. Tholia is not kind to aliens." The last sentence ended on a bitter, ringing note tinged with blackness coursing through his thoughtspace. Returning just as quickly to the precipice as he ran to the doors (perhaps quicker), Volskene resumed his resonance.

[Holosuite Two]

There was superiority, and then there was just plain rudeness.

"Well, that sure told you," she muttered to herself, her eyes narrowed as the Tholian didn't even grant her the courtesy of time to respond, and legged it back over to his little cliff to continue his weird warbling.

Truthfully, the landscape was still breathtaking, and the sound Volskene was making was still strangely pleasant, but Felicity was a little miffed. She crossed her arms and stilled for a moment, weighing up her options. She respected the sanctity of his program, but she was still curious. She raised her foot, pulled back her leg, and began to kick the force field.

Once, twice, three times, until the interruption was enough for him to acknowledge her existence again.

"This isn't Tholia," she told him, her tone matter of fact. "This is a representation, and I would like to see more of it. Even if its splendor is beyond my limited comprehension."

She uncrossed her arms and pointed toward the environmental suit he'd discarded nearby but out of her reach. "May I have that, please?"