Star Trek: Starbase 777 - primary-mess-hall

Alizati was at the mess hall, honestly just trying to get to know the newcomers who was visiting from other factions. He was not eating, because he never ate, but he did have a nice tall glass of bio lubricant with him to sip on as he scrolled through his PADD. Long blue cobalt hair tied up in a high ponytail paired with cold eyes, he seemed engrossed in whatever he was reading. Beside him say his pet, the Furberus, a mutant three headed Furby with knives for beaks that chirped softly as they slitered by his feet.

A somewhat uneasy look was already apparent on the Trill’s face, as a mixture of nostalgia and grief washed over her. The way the station looked was similar to her parent’s home, too similar. It was eerie, it made her vulnerable, and she didn’t like that. It felt as if someone would wisk her away again, and make her feel so small. With these wandering thoughts in her mind, her eyes darted about, paranoid as any Romulan could be.

Alizati looked up when he heard the sound of someone walking into the mess hall. He turned to look up to see who it could be-- Terran uniform? His gaze narrowed in on the person, hesitent, and a little worried. The Furberus slithered up onto the table as well, detecting that there could possibly be danger. The android kept his gaze on the person, just watching her to see what she would do-- if she would do anything.

She glanced around, locking eyes with Alizati for just a second before she tried to pass it off as just looking around. She moved off to the replicator, noticeably fiddling with it as she hesitated on what to order.

Alizati did not take his eyes off of the Trill, in fact he only stared harder as she moved to the replicator. He was aware that anyone from any faction could use this mess hall, but he was hesitent about any faction member using the mess hall. He was all too familiar with how the Terran Empire did things and he hoped that there would be no trouble. However his distrust for the other faction couldn't have been more obvious.

She quickly got herself a drink, moving over to a distant table. She didn’t seem to realize Alizati was looking at her, as she drank her drink rather slowly. Despite her uniform, she almost seemed un-terran in her body language, at least for this moment, where there weren’t any other terrans around.

Alizati looked around the room now, just scouting out of there was anyone else around who looked suspicious and there wasn't. Just the single Empire officer. The Furberus was already on high alert and was already slithering their way across the table in the Trill's direction. Alizati grabbed his mug of bio lubricant and made his way to where the stranger was sitting. It seemed like they were to have a conversation, at least, that's what the Furberus seemed to want. "Jolan tru," The android said in a deep husky voice. Much deeper than his primverse counterpart. He sat across from the woman, mug in hand. The Furberus was now curled up at Alizati's feet, out of sight from the Trill although she most likely caught them slithering over towards her.

Whatever fear was in her eyes was masked with a glare of suspicion, as the Vulcan sat across from her. “Jolan Tru. I believe that’s a Romulan greeting, no?”

"It is," Alizati replied simply, gently pushing the Furberus with his feet so they wouldn't move too close to the Trill. He was still hesitent about this new person in the mess hall, they had taken away (most) weapons, but then again, who knew what people hid on their person. Alizati wanted to believe everyone was here for peace, but looks could be deceiving. "I am one of the engineers on this station, Lietuenant Commander Alizati i-Dartha tr'Kota, and as you may have guessed I am half Romulan, half Vulcan," Alizati introduced himself, skillfully glossing over the fact that he was an android. It was not something he was open about, not at all, although anyone observant enough could probably tell he was not blinking or breathing.

“Jayrehi Aviltih M’Kahl.” she responded, with a slight snarl in her tone. “ACEO on the Eventide.” she eyed him with suspicion again, her body language firmly showing she was getting defensive. She felt the tension in the air grow, as she continued to drink.

"ACEO, interesting," So an engineer just like he was? But she was ACEO. It was improper to ask so he kept it to himself, but Alizati wanted to know how many people Jayrehi stabbed to get that position. He could sense the growing paranoia in the air, it was a good thing he didn't breathe or else he probably would have inhaled some of it. The Furberus squeaked softly as they slithered up Alizati's legs and into his lap. "What is your specialty, Jayrehi?"

“Mechanical Engineering. I assume you’re an engineer too?” She asked, with a polite but distrustful tone of voice. He had heard stories of ruthless Vulcan officers, and it was a little uneasy to be infront of one with all that bias. This station, however, was for peace talks, not violent talks, so she figured he wouldn’t do anything.

"Artificial intelligence and machine learning specialist," Alizati stated his specialty as he grabbed the Furberus by all three necks and hugged them close. Mirror Alizati was much more open about his love for his mechnical pet. The three headed furby had off white fur covering all three long necks and the small 'body' they shared. Their beaks were metal, tiny knives that would certainly hurt if poked. Their six eyes all blinked in unison, pitch black in colour. The Furberus looked at Jayrehi, just staring. "Is this your first time aboard a Commonwealth station? I am aware the Empire does not do much exploring aside from that of conquest," Alizati was definitely out here roasting his previous job, he hated the Empire and he didn't care if it was obvious in his tone which sounded a bit aggrivated and highly suspicious. Yet despite all of this, his expression was neutral, eyes staring along with his Furberus.

“That is correct, I must admit it is… rather odd to be here.” She looked around the room again, as echos of distant memories ring in her mind. She looked down at the table as the other two stared at her as she drank more of her drink.

"Odd here? How so?" Alizati asked, probing for information of course. The Furberus clicked all three of their beaks at the other engineer's response, as if they were also interrogating her. Alizati's gaze was strong, just staring with one hand on the Furberus and the other on his mug of bio lubricant. The android really wondered how the Empire personnel found the station. It was no secret that the Empire was not found of outsiders and definite not defectors. Looking at the other's uniform reminded the Vulcan-Romulan that not too long ago, he was also wearing the same outfit. "I take it you are not too impressed with the Commonwealth's architecture?" He asked, specifically asking that question to try to get hints at how she felt about the Commonwealth and perhaps even the Empire.

“The architecture is familiar, and that is all I will say.” She said, a slight hint of aggression on the last few words. In truth, she was feeling rather scared, oddly enough. But knowing the man was staring at her, made her eyes unfocused. She tried to brushed it off, instead masking it with a look of inquiring suspicion.

A very PR response if he ever did hear one, Alizati thought. The Trill engineer was watching her tongue, good idea when you didn't know who was listening. Even in the Commonwealth, it was never good to let your guard down. Being an android protected him from stabbings, well, it was hard to stab through metal, but that didn't mean he was invincible. Far from it. Maybe he was immune to stabbings and poisonings, but that was hardly the full range of assassination techniques used by the Empire. Was Jayrehi planning on taking him out? Or maybe she still didn't know he was an android? Alizati took a sip of his bio lubricant and the Furberus clicked their metal beaks. "I see. Well, if you have any questions or concerns.. Hmm, you may ask me. I want this peace conference to go smoothly and hopefully end the fighting between the various factions. I am sure you want the same, right?"

"I'm sure you want the same, right?"... Now that hit her somewhere she wasn't expecting, as her face flinched slightly. Some part of herself did agree, some part of it wanted for the bloodshed to be over, some pa- no! No, what if someone knows she did? She'd be dead for sure, she can't agree, but something inside was telling her to... Her face seemed to grimace, as she looked toward Alizati as if he had just pointed a gun at her. So she just remained silent, looking dead on and staring at the Commander.

Alizati caught the twitch in the other engineer's expression as she processed his words. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on in her head, but the grimace was a hint that it was not good, but he lack of movement towards him was reassurance that she was indeed not going to try to stab him. The lack of verbal response was unsettling to say the least, causing the longest head of the Furberus, Bir, to lay down on the table, sharp beak clicking as he looked at the Empire officer. Alizati took another sip of his bio lubricant, glancing away at the Lieutenant. He seemed awfully calm despite the tension between the two of them, but he was Vulcan and Romulan, two species who were known for their outwardly cool aura. He did not speak again, but he did raise a single eyebrow as if to nudge her into giving him a verbal response. He could discern some things from appearances, but he was not telepathic, not even in the slightest. He was an android after all.

“I’d- rather not say.” Her body shifted slightly, slowly, a look of anxious unease was becoming more apparent, as she started to fidget her leg, swinging it quietly, but noticeable. She seemed to eye the room, making sure there wasn’t a Terran in sight.

Rather not say, was she nervous about others hearing? Of course she was, they all were. Everyone in the room knew that any wrong move could mean the failure of the peace talks. A fight could break out if you looked at the wrong person, many of the Commonwealth officers were defectors, Alizati included. The android looked left and right, just like Jayrehi did, showing he was just as paranoid as she was. The Furberus clicked their beaks, Bir was still staring at the Trill, intrigued by the officer who seemed to not have noticed the mutant three headed Furby that had been crawling around this whole time. "We have a number of factionless people on this station too, I would watch my back. My fellow Commonwealth officers would never do anything to jeopardiee the peace talks but hmm... I cannot say the same for others on this station," Alizati sipped his bio lubrican slowly before offering some to Ikki, the second shortest head. Ikki extended his long ass tongue into the mug to drink the liquid. It seemed the mirror Furberus could eat and drink, unlike the primeverse Furberus.

“I will take that advice to heart.” a place where she hoped she wouldn’t get stabbed. She looked down for a moment, before looking around again. She still felt highly uneasy, but at least this man wouldn’t attack her, right?

"Shall I leave you to your food?" Alizati could tell that is officer was nervous about talking with him, or was it just speaking in general? It was fine for a Commonwealth officer to speak with someone from the Empire because well, they were hosting the peace talks. However the other way around, he was not sure if those from the Empire were really alright chatting with a Commonwealth officer. There had been talks about defectors for as long as the Empire had been around. Even Alizati was one of them not too long ago, he would not be surprised if a couple Terran officers ended up defecting after these peace talks. Alizati put his mug down and gently pulled the Furberus back, hugging them to his chest. He did not notice the fidgeting of the other officer as he was busy making sure his mechanical pet did not cause too much of a disturbance.

“Wait.” she suddenly blurted out. “Weren’t you a former Imperial?” she said, with a slight aggression in her tone, but there was a slight flutter in her assurance.

Alizati froze when he was asked the question. The paranoia, the fear, all suddenly washed over him. Was it colder in here? The small hairs on his arms and the back of his neck were suddenly standing on end and his eyes shook rapidly back and forth. What did she know? How did she recognise him? Was it the hair? 'Project Jarok' was hardly a secret, as such were all of the Empire's androids. There were not many in service and with his long cobalt blue hair he certainly stood out from his organic peers."... What of it?" Alizati was trying to deflect, find out why she want to know and perhaps how she knew. The android clutched his mug with both hands, the Furbers slowly slithering down his body and back to his feet, out of sight from Jayrehi.

“It’s kind of obvious, your way of speaking, the suspicion in the way you moved. I don’t know you personally, if you were wondering.” she had heard of Project Jarok, but didn’t recognize him. “And I do not intend to kill you.”

"Suspicion is not something unique to the Empire. These peace talks could make or break the relationship between our factions, it is logical to be weary of others," Alizati said in a very matter of fact way. He let go of his mug with one hand and with the other, pulled it towards the edge of the table. Yuch, the shortest head, reached up and with his knife-beak, grabbed the mug to pull under the table. The Furberus was thirsty, apparently. "But to answer your question, yes, I was an engineer for the Terran Empire before joining the Commonwealth. I have never been fond of creating... Machines of war," Alizati said with a heavy sigh as he lifted his arms so he could tighten his long ponytail. "I assume you... Enjoy it?"

She looked down, before looking up. “That’s the problem. I don’t know anymore.” she muttered, almost unintelligible to anyone that wasn’t close enough. It even seemed she didn’t want to hear herself say it.

Alizati tilted his head when the other engineer answered. She was ACEO, quite a comfortable position although it also left her vulnerable. Was she finally tired of all the fighting? The constant danger? "The Commonwealth can be just as dangerous," Alizati didn't want to misrepresent his faction, but he also couldn't hide the fact that living in Commonwealth space had its dangers. Maybe he wasn't going to be stabbed by an angry junior officer who wanted a promotion, but there was still the dangers of just living on 777. The Commonwealth was here for peace, but he knew that wasn't the same for everyone visiting for the conferece. "I wish I could assist you, but... Hmm, I am just an engineer," Alizati could tell the gears in the Trill's mind were turning. The Furberus made soft squeaking noises as they drank the remaining bio lubrican from the mug. Alizati nudged them with his foot to get them to keep the noise down as he was having a serious conversation with the other engineer. "Perhaps you could... Speak to one of the superior officers here? I do not hold any sway in our recruitment, unfortunately."

“Recruitment? Heh- likely.” she sneered with a demeaning tone, but it felt forced. It felt weird, almost like an imitation of a a Terran. It appeared the Trill’s loyalties were already falling apart, she just hadn’t fully realized, or wanted to admit it.

Alizati gave no emotional reaction when the other scoffed at his words. The Terran Empire was arrogant, self absorbed, to think about any officer, especially one of high rank, defecting hmm. But he couldn't help but wonder if the officer in front of him was really considering it. "Well, it is something to think about," Alizati wasn't going to push the matter, especially whilst they were still in the mess hall-- a public place where anyone could see and hear them and he knew people were eavesdropping. Everyone was nosy as much as everyone was paranoid. He reached down to grab the empty cup of bio lubricant and pulled the Furberus up with him. "Well, I believe that should be all? I will remind you we have rules on this station, no killing is one of them."

“I’m well aware of the rules.” she nodded, as she continued to sip her drink. “I assume you have somewhere to be?”

"No, but I know you Empire officers do not like idle chit chat with those of other factions. Even if that is not true for you-- well, I would hate for anyone to misunderstand my intentions," Alizati gripped his empty mug and leaned forward on the table, speaking softly, almost at a whisper. The Furberus was wrapped around his arms and shoulders, also starting at the Trill with intrigued. Alizati and the Furberus were quite a pair, both looked like they were sizing the Terran officer up for.. A fight? Staring contest? Alizati's gaze was steady, never blinking nor breathing.

"Well..." she paused a moment, in thought on what her next move was. Rather quickly, she slid over a small PADD, no larger than the cup she held, "If there is a change of mind, you'll know where to find me." she smiled, in a sarcastic, demeaning sense, but there was a certain oddity with how she said "you'll" as if she had used the wrong word. And in truth, she had.

Alizati found the action from the engineer curious, but took the PADD. The Furberus made soft squeaking noises as if they were worried that Jayrehi's actions were not to be trusted. They weren't, but Alizati didn't say that nor did his face betray his emotions. He kept his calm as he stood up, grabbing his mug now with the Furberus still draped over his shoulders. "Jolan tru, lieutenant," He bowed his head and walked to the replicator to recycle his mug, now curious about if there was more people like Jayrehi around. Would there be more people looking to defect? Hm.

"Jolan Tru." she responded, going back to her drink. She hoped nobody was watching, and indeed, she didn't even want her own self to be truly aware of what she was doing. She soon left the mess hall, her cautious eye making sure nobody was following her.

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