Mutually Beneficial

Posted on Sun Apr 9th, 2023 @ 1:17am by Ensign Madelyn 'Madi' Moore & Crewman Finn Jones

Mission: Sojurn
Location: Planetside, Commerce District
3939 words - 7.9 OF Standard Post Measure

"I think that went okay?"

With her faint exertion resulting in puffs of vapor as she breathed, Madelyn glanced back over her shoulder towards the building they'd just left and made sure she stayed close to Finn. Like most of the crew, she had felt like there was just too much to see, too much to do, too much to take in since arriving on the planet, and so it had been somewhat reassuring to have official business to take care of even if she had only been offering moral support. The botanical exchange had been a source of mild panic at first, since their destroyed crops had only yielded a few viable saplings and the prospect of surrendering any of them as a gift for the Realian's organic archives seemed unwise, but the reciprocal offer to supply a fresh batch of seedlings optimally suited for propagation in a hydroponics bay had left Leroux with a very easy choice. Surrender some of what they did have in exchange for not only a source of food that was possibly faster growing and more hardy under the conditions, but a significant increase in variety. Madi had been excited by the anticipation too, until she'd been asked to accompany a very-nervous Finn to make the first delivery.

She hooked her arm through his and gave it a squeeze. "You were great! I don't know why you were so worried, I was the one with an entire degree on studying alien cultures and then I couldn't even form a sentence."

Finn was shaking but he felt relief that it had gone well. He knew the opportunity should have been given to a more senior officer but he had been the one trying to get hydroponics thriving by himself. It had been a hard slog but now it seemed to be paying off in that other officers were now coming into support after the crop had been destroyed by the crashing out of warp. "Because I am a crewman and not... not something more." He explained quietly squeezing her looped arm and smiled at her. He was glad it was her there and not someone else, at least he knew he could thrive with her.

As was more the case in situations where she felt like she could relax, Madi fixed her friend with a furrowed brow of pointed protest. "I don't think competence has anything to do with rank in this case, Finn. Since you dragged me in and turned me into a gardener, you've pretty much single-handedly guided our entire menu. I nearly murdered the first lot of seedlings, remember?" Clumsiness, as it turned out, was not the best attribute for working with delicate plants.

"But you did not." He reminded with a smile. "I am sure the new seedlings from the Realians and from our attempts will be more than hardy for the next couple of months to create a new menu. I wonder what chef can do with it all." He said thoughtfully as he pulled his hood up against the snow that had decided to fall. He was glad that he was no longer carrying the plant pod and trying to walk around, keep Madi upright and keep himself dry.

Likewise bundled up, Madi supressed a shiver as they rounded a corner into a more open space, the steady breeze a brisk reminder that they now had actual weather to contend with. "I guess there's time for gathering some local recipes to go along with it all. Speaking of, if you see anywhere selling something that looks like decent tea, let me know. I'm frozen." She'd always felt the cold, and whilst it was now a novelty that Madi didn't mind enduring, she'd still been forced to make the most of the hospitality of their hosts and replicate herself multiple layers.

"You want to explore some of these places?" On the way towards the botanical centre, they'd passed an entire shopping precinct that had created more questions than either them had reasonable guesses for. Speculation was fine but Madelyn, buoyed by their success, found herself brave enough to delve deeper.

The man stopped and looked at what she was suggesting and nodded. That really did sound like a good idea, they might not have tons of credits or shells as the credit was called in standard, but they might be able to get some goodies. “Nothing like tea but something smells good.” The man admitted sniffing the air. There was just something about fresh cold air that made everything better smelling.

"I've been trying to find the perfect keepsake," Madi admitted as she steered them in out of the wind and in the direction of the first shop, which seemed geared towards clothing and accessories. "This is the first genuinely unexplored alien culture that I've ever had anything to do with and part of me is so disappointed that we're going to leave it behind and never come back." The wistfulness in her tone betrayed the young woman's abundance of passion for fresh inspiration, but Finn was one of the few on board who ever got to hear her express it. "And I kind of want to get something for Kiyara too. They're taking this whole thing more like a work assignment, getting them to lighten up is going to take work."

Finn felt the same but he was living with the hope that they would find a way back to Earth quick if they kept going. He shared that hope with no one other that Christian which was perfect for him. No one else needed to know just how childish the hope was. “Engineering.” Was Finn’s simple response around it. Engineering was a mess thanks to them bursting out of warp badly so the whole department was taking it hard. “I bet they would love something from here.” Finn observed seeing what could only be described as a snow globe.

Peering through the window, her hand held up to shield her eyes, Madi stared at the fashion on display and frowned indecisively. "I don't know how practical any sort of apparel would be," she worried, as much as the colours and fabrics used were mesmerising. "Maybe I'll come back here later," she pulled away, conscious of not dragging him into a parade of her trying on ill-fitting clothes. She moved instead to stand beside him, head tilted to appreciate the trinket he was admiring. "Everything's so pretty." After so long on board a ship, just the use of colour was enough to appeal. "Oh hey, jewellery."

Stepping behind him, Madi moved along the shop-fronts and crouched to admire the pieces; delicate chains and aquamarine gemstones, or sturdier pieces designed to be worn as circlets. The Realians seemed to wear them a lot, likely because a lack of hair created a canvas out of their smooth heads. "I really like their bands," she remarked, jabbing a finger towards the row of intricately-carved rings forged from a metal that seemed to reflect the colours of the ocean. Madi glanced upwards slyly. "Could always purchase one for later, just in case."

Finn could think of several people who would love the non-practical clothing but he was not about to mention the who or what or the when. He knew secrets and was more than happy to keep them all. He followed at a more serene pace taking in things that just seemed completely out of the world to him more than anything he had already seen. He had seen the rings and considered it for a moment before he remembered that marriage did not mean that much to him as it did not mean people actually liked each other in the marriage.

“You completely could. Any thoughts on who?” Finn said bravely turning the sly look back on the woman.

It earned him a roll of her eyes. If there was one drawback to having a friend blissfully content in their relationship, it was enduring their incessant desire to assist others in achieving the same level of happiness. "Nobody who'd say yes," Madi replied as she rose from her crouch, sounding intentionally ambiguous. If Finn had his secrets then Madi's ran so deep she didn't always have direct access to them herself. It would have taken a great deal of soul-searching to even arrive at an agreement of having noticed anyone in that regard but it wouldn't hurt him to think she'd finally shown an interest.

Serve him right.

With a dramatic flounce that betrayed a flair for performance usually lost beneath her reservation, Madi moved onto the next store. "Oh wow, these are the boards they use to come down the mountain." It turned her mind immediately to the day previous, and for a long moment, Madi simply stared wistfully at the contraptions. She had zero desire to try one but that wasn't true of everyone. "It's a shame there'd be no use for it on board." Realising she'd made it sound like she'd suddenly taken leave of her senses, Madi glanced across and explained, "Beckett wanted to try one out."

The boards had been something that instantly perked up Finn's interest. He had seen a group of different species carrying them the previously today towards what looked like a huge sleigh to disappear off with and wondered if they were similar to what they had back home but looking closely at them they were very similar. "Beckett? Are you sure?" He asked quickly trying to work out if they were thinking on the same person but who was he to judge when he did not know the pre being stuck together.

"I know it sounds odd but she's really come alive here." Madelyn had been taken aback at first by the other scientist's enthusiasm, more inclined to view Anne Marie as a kindred recluse. It had been...nice, to see her so animated for once. "I guess there's not much scope to be an adrenaline junkie on board. These things are insane though, have you seen the aerial stunts they pull on them?" Madi shuddered, ensuring that at least one of the department's klutzes was content to stay in her lane.

“I can’t see this version of her but I will look forward to seeing it.” Finn turned to watch a screen further in the shop to see what the the stunts were all around. It was pretty impressive and something he had only ever seen athletes do in the Olympics. “Never seen anything done like that outside of Winter Olympics.” He admitted.

There was a noticeable pause where Madi took the time to ponder her own interest in seeing their friend dash excitedly from one daring prospect to the other but for reasons she didn't fully understand herself, she chose to leave the topic behind. Talking about Anne Marie without her being present felt a little too akin to gossip and Madi had dealt with her share of that during Smith's reign of misdirection. Content instead to watch the projection of a sport she never intended to try, the quiet brunette nodded. "They don't seem to know what a snowman is though."

That recollection brought about burning cheeks and the twist of embarrassed recollection to the pit of her stomach. It had been a childish whim, meant only for nostalgia sake, but having built her crude facsimile unintentionally within eyesight of several ice sculptures being prepared for the festival, the difference in skill and presentation had been immediately mortifying.

“That’s a shame. Snowman’s were always fun.”

Finn said not noticing the blush on his friends face for a moment before he glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. Something must have happened to bring that hue to her skin. He glanced around and saw nothing out of place so it have to be connected to what she had said. “What happened?” He asked grinning as the images one the screen changed to another way to use the board when the sea and weather changed to warmer climate. It was akin to surfing but it was nice to know that they were more practical for all kinds of weather.

"Nothing." It was such an automatic response that it didn't even serve as a protest, Madelyn was more than aware of Finn's capacity to keep needling at her until she caved and told him anyway. "I tried to build a snowman just because it reminded me of visiting my grandparents growing up but it turns out Realians are insane at whatever they do." She wrapped her arms around herself as if to shield herself from the recollection of kindly bemusement. "They live in a block of ice, of course they can create masterpieces from it."

Finn watched her and leant over and offered an arm around the senior officer and squeezed her for just a moment before he shrugged. “I bet they all started the same way and have forgotten over time.” There was no way someone got that good at anything without practise and starting in a more simple way.

"It was a pretty sad looking snowman," Madi confessed ruefully, her smile crooked yet grateful for the attempt to reassure. Offering him a squeeze in return, she then wandered along past the next shop, which seemed to sell footwear, and another store selling equipment for ice fishing, and eventually stopped in front of a display that caught her eye. "Oh, those are pretty."

If forced to give a disclaimer, Madelyn would have admitted to being one of those children who collected stationery. Even thought electronic variants were so much more resource efficient, she had amassed a ridiculous collection of paper and stickers and decorative embellishments that still took up an entire chest in her old bedroom back at the family homestead. More than once, she'd wished she'd brought it with her, even if making use of any of it would have turned her quarters into a 10-year-old's dreamscape. Anything would have been better than the same grey walls day in, day out.

The pens in question were ones she'd seen the locals using fairly often, certainly a staple in any of the restaurants where taking down orders was a thing. Madelyn had been astonished at first to see that such a technologically-advanced race had cultivated something as archaic as handwriting but a swift demonstration of the pen's ability to 'write' on any surface had proven its efficiency. Madelyn didn't know how the science behind it worked but the glowing letters it left behind seemed at least semi-permanent until erased without deploying any ink or finite resource that would require replacing. If anything, it seemed to just change the pigment of whatever it touched without damaging the item itself.

She wanted one.

The display was full of a variety of pens in various sizes and exterior colours. The price tag wasn't anywhere near as bad as she expected either, which made the xenologist perk up even more. "Have you see these things? I don't even know how they work but they're ridiculously practical." It was a good excuse.

Finn knew she would not settle for comfort for long so was not surprised when she quickly ventured off into some other type of shop that caught her attention. He glanced around intrigued by what had caught her attention when the whole place felt like it was walking into the future and instantly being out of place. “I do not believe I have.” He said with a shrug. It was not often he noticed details like that “Practical how so?” Anything pretty and practical was definitely something to look into.

"They, like, write on anything. Most things? I don't know how they work, I've just seen them used. They write all over their display boards with them, and then I've seen waiters take orders with them, and they were using bigger versions on that mural we passed on the way in earlier." It wasn't ink, she was sure of it, it wasn't any sort of substance that she could tell. It was a manipulation of pigment that the device could then just revert. Reaching out, she grabbed Finn by the hand. "Come and look." With a boldness that was uncharacteristic, she was the first through the door.

Finn followed mostly as he was sure that if he did not the woman would get into trouble and they would lose this opportunity. “I think I have seen them now that you mention where you have seen them.” He had assumed it was ink but now that he was looking at them he was not so sure. Ink could not write on everything.

The shop was quiet, which was Madi's general experience with stationery stores back home as well. The woman behind the counter, a native with gentle eyes, dipped at the shoulders to bow to them both but didn't approach, which was refreshingly different to Earth standards. Madi, unsure of how to respond, waggled her fingers in a tentative wave and then averted her eyes to make a beeline for the large display of pens.

"I don't know much about currency exchange but these seem hardly more expensive than standard fountain pens back home. It's a magic wand!" She was whispering with as much intensity as she could risk.

The man smiled. “The crew got some credits for exchanging scrap metal and culture database that was shared among the crew. Sure you have enough.” He promoted seeing the enthusiasm she had for the prospect of having something like that in her life.

"I think Kiyara would love this too." Though the engineer would likely take it to pieces to figure out how to recreate it. "Maybe Anne Marie? I mean, it's practical but if it's easy to use and doesn't require a lot of maintenance beyond our capabilities, it would make a difference in a lot of things. I miss journaling," she confessed, having filled up the one she'd brought with her and subsequently run out of ink in her only pen. "You think Christian would use one?"

Running her eye along the shelves, Madi furrowed her brow at the slim, flat devices that were set up as an accompaniment. Wandering over, she picked up the smaller size, took the display pen in her left hand and lightly tapped the screen, unsure of how to activate either. "These are what I've seen the waiters use, I think it has internal storage."

“Sure, if it's simple. He used pens and I am sure they are going to run out soon.” Finn had seen Christian using normal pens to create notes to remind himself of things so likelihood the futurist pen would work even better and never run out. “What could the storage be used for?”

"I think it just stores what you write on it, an electronic notepad." Earth had produced enough similar technology that it was less astonishing but just as useful given their circumstances. "No more running out of paper."

“One of the engineers was considering recycling and remushing paper but that works too.” Finn said wondering how easy it would be to synch to their technology. He was much more useful with flora than technology but even if sometimes found himself just wanting to write.

Madelyn stood for a moment, poised in a way that indicated she was deep in thought, which was such a typical pose that barely seemed out of place. Eventually, she set the demonstration models back in their place and moved to consider the boxed kits that contained both devices. "I'm going to get one," she said decisively, commanding the kind of forced bravery that she normally had to muster when attempting anything new. "And see what Kiyara thinks. If they can see a use and figure out if we'd be able to charge them properly, I'll come back and grab another." The selection was smaller than the separate models but Madi still found herself somewhat overwhelmed by choice. "Uh, do you know what Kiyara's favourite colour is?"

“Good decision making.” He praised knowing how difficult it was sometimes for her to make them especially when other people were involved so it was a big step. Look at them doing both being bold at the moment, him embracing his sexuality and Christian and her making a choice over something new. “No idea but can’t go wrong with a black or white colour. I think I will get red for Christian. It will stand out.” He said thoughtfully thinking that there were not many red items in a lab.

Madi hovered for a moment over the more garish choices, and the slightly more expensive finishes that involved locally produced ore that reflected an oceanic spectrum, before settling on a simple, sleek black with golden accents. Holding the package in both hands, she slowly turned to peek through the displays at the purchasing desk and grimaced slightly. "Do you think our credits will actually work here?" She hadn't considered that, having only used them so far on food. What if they'd restricted them to essentials? What if certain businesses weren't obliged to honour them? What if she'd just spent all that time getting excited over nothing?

“Only way to find out.” He commented already moving to where the desk was with his own potential purchase. The Realian linked over at them and offered what Finn supposed was a smile. “Can we use these here?” Finn wondered holding out the strange looking shells.

Madelyn slunk up behind him, peering around her friend's shoulder as the shopkeeper bobbed several times in affirmation but otherwise said nothing. It seemed odd by comparison to Earth equivalents, who were either overly pushy when it came to their sales pitch or very eager to convey just how tedious they found their current employment. At the very least, Madi was used to having to make small talk and relaxed visibly when she realised the Realian was apparently as nervous as they were.

After the transactions were made, Madi stepped through the door and then turned to wait for Finn to follow, frowning. "Did that seem weird to you? They didn't say a word and we know their translators are already doing an impressive job with Earth Standard."

Finn had thought the same but had not wanted to comment or judge but it had felt eerie compared to the other warm and welcoming the Realians had been so far. “Maybe they are not all as welcoming of new species. Can't blame them really we have had a couple of incidents.”

"Wait, we have?" As was typical, Madi found herself the last to know about any sort of scuttlebutt. Rushing to fall into step beside him, she studied his profile with intense curiosity. "Like what?"

“Cusack and Jamesson got into some beef.” He did not know the ins and outs just the scuttlebutt. “I do not know any more than that just that it happened yesterday night.” He shrugged putting the newly purchased device in his pocket.

"Really?" Madelyn took a moment to recall the two men, neither of whom were people she had much to do with, particularly Jamesson who was recently returned from the dead for all intents and purposes. She still hadn't figured out how to talk to the second Manishie, and the brand new doctor... Clutching her own parcel to her chest, Madi frowned and then sighed as she shook her head.

"Sometimes I think the ship could blow up and I'd still be the last one to know."