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Post by glassbreaks on Jun 19, 2022 3:43:49 GMT
Henrike Herschel, Personal Log. Stardate 12206.18…
“I believe that my first day or so on my new assignment went fairly well. Everyone on the ship seems nice! So far, anyway. Never know, nowadays, eh? Turns out the chief science officer, Hamlet, is Klingon- and a Scottish one at that! In all my years of meeting all sorts of people, I’d never come across that combination before. Heh, and they say that Germans have difficult accents. Unlike Thythal, the CSO from Yosemite, he seems… how do I describe it? Agh, screw this verdammter Hurensohn of a language. Let's see… not uptight? Unperturbed? Composed? Not a complete Arschloch? Is that enough to get the point across? Ahh, whatever that's fine.”
“Anyway, the vibe he gives off reminds me of K'zhurlar. Except K'zhurlar lost an eye in a bar fight and I saw it roll down the bar floor which was kind of… mmm- gross. Still, chill outside of that. God, how long has it been since I saw him in person? I think since I was assigned to Yosemite, which was drei... vier? Ja, four years ago. Oh gracious I hope he still has that remaining eye.”
“Wait what was I talking about again? Gott verdammt noch mal. First day on Chiron, right. I haven’t spoken to the Captain yet… Commander sh'Hruvek seems like a hoot; she was doing an impression of Hamlet right when I walked in. I’ll have to make an effort to personally introduce myself to the other bridge officers, though. Oh! I’ll also need to make my way down to… Welches Labor macht nochmal Botanik? Ist es Deck sieben oder neun? Ich glaube, es ist sieben. Ja, sieben. Ooh, I wonder what specimens they have, eheh. I have an idea for an experiment that involves Ogromdotus flowers and bees. I wonder if I can request some to be delivered to the ship. Hmm, that is something I will have to ask about later.”
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Post by glassbreaks on Jul 8, 2022 18:41:22 GMT
Stardate: 12206.24 Joint Log with Mads as Lieutenant Henrike Herschel Chris as Lieutenant Commander Migonna Tallush
Tallush watches as Raq is dragged off to somewhere god knows where with Hamlet in tow. “Lieutenant, let's get back to the beam point.” Rubbing the back of her head as she mumbles, “Why did it have to be me in Command?” As she walks with Herschel to the transport point.
Rike went through her bag, double checking that the security didn’t mess with any of the stuff she purchased. Poetry books… overpriced earrings… Yes, everything is in order. She looked up to the chief engineer, “You don't like being in command, yet you’re a Lieutenant Commander. It's in the name, hm?.”
She chuckles a bit and smiles, “I guess, still getting used to wearing the pips, and I fix the ship, it is rare that I have to go onto the bridge and command the ship.” She realises that this is probably the first time she has met Herschel, “I also want to say welcome to the ship Lieutenant, so you're working with the one that confuses the heck out of me.”
“Well, look on the bright side. You are the chief engineer, so I assume you know the ship better than anyone. And I know you barely know me, but I can be the emotional support if anything goes wrong.” Rike thought to herself, Hoffentlich nicht. “Have you taken the Bridge Officer’s test? I want to eventually do so myself, but eeeeh- not for a little while.”
“I had to do a Bridge Officer’s test before I joined the Chiron, I joined as the Navigations Officer as a Lieutenant Junior Grade. And when I got promoted to Lieutenant I occasionally had to take over the Bridge. Though, when I got promoted and changed to Chief Engineer I hoped I would never have to sit in the big chair again.” She notices they are almost there, just a couple streets away.
Rike nodded, listening to what Tallush had to say. “Ahhh, I see. I had only ever served as one of the scientists on a tiny science ship, so I didn’t have reason to go on the bridge every day, let alone take any command. Hence why I hadn't taken the exam yet. How hard was it for you?” She looked around at the street, then behind her to make sure no security were following the two.
She smiles remembering how the academy and exams were a bit easier than what she did before she joined Starfleet. “Not that bad actually, just a little bit of studying and remembering what to do. It was quite easy honestly, compared to the other stuff I did in my life before that.”
For Rike, those academy entrance exams were some of the most difficult tests she'd taken, considering at the time she hadn’t taken a test in over 30 years. Cultures and species test? Pfft, she could have done that in her sleep. The hyperspace physics test, however? That- that is what broke her. The woman nodded in interest, “Ahh I see… what did you do beforehand, then?”
Her face and entire body colour darkened a bit, “Are you on about before the Chiron or before Starfleet?”
Rike noticed Tallush’s body language, and decided to back off. She knew very well that history could be unpleasant. She took a breath and tilted her head. “If your history prior to either is uncomfortable to discuss, I'll respect that boundary.”
She smiles a little bit, “It is and isn’t uncomfortable to discuss, how about this, after this is all over and we are back to a calm atmosphere. You get me a drink and I can tell you the details.” She says as she spies the transport site as they step into it she taps her combadge, “Tallush to Chiron, two to beam directly to the bridge and take us to Yellow Alert.”
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Post by glassbreaks on Aug 3, 2022 1:49:03 GMT
Henrike Herschel, Personal Log. Stardate 12208.02…
“If I had a slip of latinum for every time I accidentally ended up in a queerplatonic relationship with a Vulcan, I would have one slip. Which isn't a lot, but it's still odd that it even happened in the first place. We met on Tulgana IV just when I started my floral business. He happened to have a stall next to mine, where he would sell books he custom bound himself. I nearly killed myself trying to carry all of my supplies alone, and he couldn't help it as a Vulcan but to quip “that is very inefficient”.”
“It was every single weekend after that, that he came by my house to personally help me transport the goods to my shop. I still don't know what prompted this. Perhaps not wanting to see a giant stack of boxes and crates collapsing on top of me, but who knows? Anyway, this became a bit of a routine. He didn't talk much about himself to me though, as much as I blabbed on. Considering my experience, that seems pretty darn typical.”
“Anyway, Torin eventually invited me to his private workshop and just sat there doing his bookbinding thing while I watched for a few hours. Did I question him? Absolutely. Did I get literally nothing back? Also yes. Still, being invited into his private space meant I was trusted so the silence didn't even matter.”
“At some point it went from him coming over every weekend morning to every day, to making breakfast? It happened so gradually I don't even think I noticed it at the time. One morning he said it would be “more efficient” to move to my place as it was closer to the market but had more than plenty of room. Ha! I'd be an idiot if I said no, especially since I got help and breakfast.”
“That one year turned into many, and we ended up in a routine. We’d be up at 5am, and he would cook while I went on a run. He’d do his work while I'd tend to my garden until 11am, when I would then go to the market. We'd both get home at 5. On weekends, he would help bring stock and supplies to my shop, then spend the rest of the day chilling. Of course for Torin “chilling” was just reading. Or chess. I did manage to convince him a few times that we should go on vacation! Though he said he wasn't a fan of Risa, I did get him to dance with me. I count that as a win on my part.”
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Post by glassbreaks on Aug 6, 2022 1:36:02 GMT
Henrike Herschel, Personal Log. Stardate 12208.05…
“Torin and I had lived together for eighteen years at my home on Tulgana IV, following the same routine week after week. It was comfortable… safety, in a way. You know there's that feeling of knowing what someone does, how someone works, what they think without saying it, and… you don't have to second guess any of it? Gottverdammt, it's hard to explain… It was all going so well, like there was some kind of mystical equilibrium in the universe. It’s like, we had understandings of each other and our situations, you know?”
“So Torin, as a Vulcan, had that thing…so ein alberner name, Pon Farr. I honestly don’t get it but… Vulcans. The point to bringing that up is that it all went wrong around the uh- second? Ja, just nearly the second time for it to happen. Anyway, right when that was about to happen again, he just… disappeared. Poof. Gone. Vanished. I woke up one morning only to find that he and all his belongings were gone. Heck, I looked everywhere and practically turned the house upside down for any trace of existence.”
“Naturally, I freaked the hell out because why wouldn't I? It couldn't have been a kidnapping because his things would have still been there. But there was absolutely nothing, almost like he was a figment of my imagination or something. No- he must have voluntarily left, or worse: coerced. After the first week, I came to realize that maybe he really wasn't going to come back. He was gone. Where? Why? I don't know. But I… I was left with… grief? Yes, I think grief was the appropriate term for that. But even now, 14 years later, I still feel a twinge of sadness over it. I mean, at least I am going to therapy for that and every other small trauma I’ve experienced. Is the therapy working? Well- at least I’m not breaking down crying because I lost m-”
“Oh. Ooh no. Oh no. … I- awh nooooo verdammt. Excuse me, sorry. I uhh. I think I need to talk to the counselor. Right now. Ahh, Scheiße.”
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Post by glassbreaks on Sept 9, 2022 19:23:00 GMT
Konfliktangst
“Mama, what the hell do I do?”
Ada stared at her personal PADD as she stepped off a ladder, putting dishes away in a cabinet. She sighed, responding to her daughter in Bavarian, “Henrike, with all due respect, you were the one who decided to join Starfleet. With all the issues going on, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Conflict is a problem and you just have to deal with it.”
Rike groaned. “I've literally been having a single continuous anxiety attack since the war debrief. That's the thing, I can't handle it!” She stood up, pacing back and forth in the science lab she decided to hide in. “I just, I can't!”
The elderly woman clicked her tongue, “You know the proverb. Des Teufels liebstes Möbelstück ist die lange Bank. The devil’s favorite piece of furniture is the long bench. Look. Don’t let the devil win by sitting there and doing nothing. Or I will personally find a way to get to your ship and-” she picked up a wooden spoon and waved it.
“Mama! I’m 57! I will not be intimidated by threats from you of all people.” Rike turned to stare at the PADD, exasperated. “Seriously?! This-” she gestured wildly towards the PADD camera, “isn't helping!”
Ada grunted as she continued to move around the kitchen. “Well. Have you seen a medical professional yet about an anti-anxiety hypospray? They have those. Though considering that you are you…” The woman turned her head away and muttered, “I wouldn't be surprised if you had to have one every five minutes…”
“Excuse me, I heard that!” Rike exclaimed in Federation standard before switching back to Bavarian, a few ensigns in the lab turning to look at her. “Though you aren’t wrong. You do know I am extremely people-pleasing, nonviolent, and anxiety prone. But I got that from someone.” She crossed her arms, staring at her mother who was now walking around the kitchen, ducking down trying to find a particular towel. “Mama? Mama!”
“Jesus H Christ! One moment, Henrike! Aren't you supposed to be doing something instead of calling your mother from thousands of light years away?”
“...Damnit. Yes. But I may just take a very long detour to sickbay. Might avoid the turbolift altogether. Just go through a few jeffries tubes here and there.”
“Remember what we told you. Work, then fun. otherwise... Die beste Verteidigung ist der Angriff.”
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Post by glassbreaks on Oct 24, 2022 16:45:50 GMT
Tulgana IV, year 2366
“Oh pfft, you’re so silly I just love you.” There was an abrupt pause, followed by an eyebrow raise from the Vulcan, then Rike stammering red-faced. “I- I ahh- I didn't mean like that. Eheh. You- you know what I mean, right?”
Torin tilted his head, then crossed his arms. “I do not. You will have to elaborate.”
“I- I- Well. I Uhh- obviously I'm ace so, not like that that y’know? And we are just friends so-” Rike chuckled nervously, fiddling with her skirt. “I mean- you’re great and you freaking live here with me now, obviously. If I didn't think you were great, I wouldn't have let you in here in the first place.”
Torin decided to sit at the kitchen table, thinking this show was amusing. All humans are fascinating in one way or another, but this one was particularly unique. He kept his eyebrow raised as he listened to the normally bubbly and vivacious human slowly melt into an awkward mess. Her face is much more red than normal… the increased blood flow is an involuntary stress response of sorts.
After stammering a blend of gibberish from different languages, Rike clutched her skirt and pulled it up, further stammering as she ran away, “I- uhhh- oh no. Excuse me. Scheiße. I am going to puke.”
“Please do be careful.” Torin pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He pulled a nearby notebook closer to him, writing down his observations of Rike’s curious behavior. This was something he was going to have to research later on. What was it about humans that made it hard for them to verbally express themselves correctly on occasions? Is this just a Rike quirk? Hmm… perhaps calling her mother would provide some insight.
As far as Torin was concerned, Rike didn't have a need to express awkward behavior, as he had understood the initial phrase to mean friendship love. The Vulcan was familiar with and had read Aristotle’s best-known work on ethics, Nicomachean Ethics, which had also covered philia. Hmm… perhaps the vagueness of Federation Standard in this instance caused Rike to overreact over a potential misunderstanding. Yes- that must be it. That's the only logical explanation for this peculiar behavior.
Torin decided that a decent amount of time had passed and made his way over to the bathroom. He knocked twice on the door, “Rike, are you alright?”
“I'm fine. Totally fine!” Rike swung the door open and aloofly leaned against the doorframe. “Are you aight bro?” She then finger-gunned at Torin, who once again raised an eyebrow.
“I am in peak physical health, yes.” Bro? What in the name of Surak? “Are you sure you are alright? Your mental state seems to be suboptimal. You do know that I am not your… bro. That would be disturbing if it were true.”
Rike nodded as though she understood the Vulcan’s curt response. “Yeah, yeah. It's just a saying. Slang. It's uhh. Umm.” She looks down at the ground, muttering in German to herself. After finally putting together a definition, she looks up at Torin. “Bro. Noun. A comrade or friend, usually a male.” She blinked twice, waiting for a response.
“That does make more sense now. Thank you for the definition.” He tilted his head, staring down at Rike. “I am curious. Why do humans like to use such a large quantity of non-literal sayings?”
Rike was not expecting such a question and crossed her arms, reflecting Torin's stance. She thought for a moment, eyes glancing at a wall, before looking back up at Torin. “I’m not actually sure. That is a good question, though. You know what, that’s something that I will have to look up. That will be a learning opportunity for both of us. How about that?”
Satisfied, the Vulcan gave Rike a nod. “That… would be nice to do.”
“Alrightie then, what are you waiting for? Get your PADD out!”
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Post by glassbreaks on Nov 11, 2022 2:34:24 GMT
Torin: March 9, 2366 on Tulgana IV… There was Torin, bringing dishes to the kitchen sink to wash, when Rike came up at a very rapid pace asking, “Y’know, why does Vulcan logic have to be so cold though?”
Of course, that was a reference to a prior conversation of which he briefly explained the extent of Vulcan emotions and the teaching of Surak. Not being a Vulcan, Rike would not understand the intricacies of their culture. However, Torin did understand humans enough, particularly this one, to know when to crack a… joke. “If you lived on a planet as hot as Vulcan, you'd try everything to keep cool, too.”
“Oh pfft, you’re so silly.” Hm. A somewhat common response. “I just love you.” Now that is curious. Hm. There are multiple definitions of the word love. There is specifically the Greek perspective that there are six different categories of love… Which one could it logically be? Agápe, children and spouse? No. Storge, parents and children? No. Xenia, hospitality? No. Philautia, self-love? No. Éros, sensual love?
“I- I ahh- I didn't mean like that. Eheh. You- you know what I mean, right?”
Now here, Rike seems to be alluding to an abstract concept that she is attempting to avoid… In response, Torin had tilted his head, then crossed his arms. “I do not. You will have to elaborate.”
“I- I- Well. I Uhh- obviously I'm ace so, not like that that y’know? And we are just friends so-”
Ace, asexuality: the lack of sexual attraction to others, or low or absent interest in or desire for sexual activity. Ah yes, she is clearly referencing Éros, or rather the lack thereof. Philia, affectionate regard, friendship. The concept of this particular form of love was developed by Greek philosopher Aristotle in a work titled Nicomachean Ethics.
And in loving (philountes) a friend, they love that which is the good in relation to themselves (to hautois agathon): for the good man, in becoming beloved (philos) becomes the good to him by whom he is beloved. Each therefore loves (the other as) that which is good in relation to himself and so gives in return equally to the other, both in what he desires for the other and in pleasing the other" (1157 b 33-36).
Torin sat the kitchen table, paying rapt attention to Rike. Hm, she kept rambling on about how she definitely means friendship despite me having already arrived at that conclusion. An amusing action. Not every Human is like this. He kept an eyebrow raised while listening to Rike. She is normally rather well-spoken and her face is much more red than normal… the increased blood flow is an involuntary stress response of sorts.
He watched as Rike stammered… what was that? German, Klingon, Standard… a hint of very butchered Vulcan as well. Note: teach Rike proper Vulcan pronunciation. Torin took a deep breath, unconsciously holding it as he watched Rike excuse herself run to the bathroom to vomit. “Please do be careful.” Torin pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, releasing the held breath. What in the world was going on with Rike? She was acting even more pecilular than usual. Odd response after a common phrase, blushing, stammering, vomiting. If he couldn’t figure this out, perhaps a call to Mrs. Herschel would provide some insight.
Looking at this logically, there shouldn’t be a need for such an extreme physical reaction. Perhaps this is all being looked at wrong, and should be seen from a human emotional standpoint. Perhaps this is language? Federation Standard, despite having more individual words than other Earth languages, is more vague. Hm, yes that must be it. There could be a misinterpretation of the word love in Standard. Perhaps she was overly anxious over a potential misinterpretation. Yes- that must be it. That's the only logical explanation for this peculiar behavior.
Upon hearing silence, Torin figured that enough time had passed and made his way over to the bathroom. He knocked twice on the door, “Rike, are you alright?”
“I'm fine. Totally fine!” Rike swung the door open and aloofly leaned against the doorframe. “Are you aight bro?” She then finger-gunned at Torin, who once again raised an eyebrow.
“I am in peak physical health, yes.” Bro? What in the name of Surak? “Are you sure you are alright? Your mental state seems to be suboptimal. You do know that I am not your… bro. That would be disturbing if it were true.” Should she see a psychiatrist or is this another humanism?
Rike nodded as though she understood the Vulcan’s curt response. “Yeah, yeah. It's just a saying. Slang. It's uhh. Umm.” She looks down at the ground, muttering in German to herself. After finally putting together a definition, she looks up at Torin. “Bro. Noun. A comrade or friend, usually a male.” She blinked twice, waiting for a response.
Another humanism. “That does make more sense now. Thank you for the definition.” He tilted his head, staring down at Rike. “I am curious. Why do humans like to use such a large quantity of non-literal sayings?” I really do need to study human communication and culture in more depth.
Rike was not expecting such a question and crossed her arms, reflecting Torin's stance. She thought for a moment, eyes glancing at a wall, before looking back up at Torin. “I’m not actually sure. That is a good question, though. You know what, that’s something that I will have to look up. That will be a learning opportunity for both of us. How about that?”
Satisfied, the Vulcan gave Rike a nod. “That… would be nice to do.” Is she somehow a telepath? No- that is impossible.
“Alrightie then, what are you waiting for? Get your PADD out!”
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