Birds of a Feather

Posted on Sat Aug 14th, 2021 @ 9:36am by Captain Kelly O'Connor & Lieutenant Commander Amaya Capac & Lieutenant Cyrus Jericho

3,662 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Mission 8 - A Blast from the Past
Location: Guest Quarters
Timeline: 2296/03/12 1315

ON

When they were off the bridge, Maya turned to Cyrus. "I'm glad you suggested no uniforms. I agree that they may already have preconceived notions about Starfleet." She looked him over and grinned. "Although, I think you look far too dapper for this particular assignment."

"You forget. Your dapper is my casual." Cyrus replied with a smile as he continued to walk with her. "At the very most it's not a uniform which is what we want. Establish a communication by not shifting their attention to our uniforms and trigger their already slated views on who we are. If we keep the conversation honest and not give them a reason to lump us in with what they've already been led to believe we can open their minds to the possibility its wrong, or at the very least, they've been mislead." He looked to her, with a smile, as they entered the turbolift. "This is our first assignment from the Captain. Let's try not to get ourselves killed. That would be a terrible outcome."

She had to admit, his casual was definitely classier than hers. "Agreed." She grinned at Cyrus. "I don't relish getting pecked to death."

The way to the avian quarters was simple.

Cyrus approached the door and smiled at the guards there. Immediately, he turned to Amaya, and asked. "You still want me to take the lead? You're still the senior officer. I might be able to get them talking but I could make a mistake and make things worse. Last chance to take over." He smirked.

"Yes. I want to see your moves." She gave him a cheeky grin. "I also like your approach. I'll take backup."

He took of his hat and suit jacket, folding the jacket slightly, before handing them to a security guard. "Hold this will you?" Cyrus smirked slightly before rolling up his shirt sleeves up to his elbows as he began to come up with certain scenario's in his head. He didn't want them to fail, but he also didn't want to make things worse, so he would need to find a happy medium. Lying to them would only prove their distrust in Starfleet and, possibly, turn this first contact into a last contact followed by a fight. Cyrus didn't want that, because he didn't want to disappoint the Captain on his first assignment. So, the best thing to do, would be to play it by ear. Offer up what they can without giving too much. Stick to the answer to the question and not offer more than necessary.

"You'll do great," Maya assured him quietly.

Once admitted in, the pair of officers were met by two figures on wooden perches. Two emerald green feathered, for lack of a better word, parrots appeared before the pair. They had large beaks and two eyes that were faced mostly forward but were spaced more to the side, giving greater peripheral vision. The creatures' heads did not appear to have a neck but the higher one said, "Kaw! I Captain Kaktaw. Who are you?"

"My name is Cyrus Jericho and this is Amaya Capac." Cyrus replied as he held his hands out, showing he meant no harm and wasn't carrying any weapons, as he remained still. "We're here to talk to you. Learn about you. Hopefully, we can learn enough about each other that we become allies. Maybe even friends. We'll leave that for you to decide. For now, let's just start simple." He lowered his arms and smile a bit as he said. "Hello."

Warily, Captain Kaktaw raised his wings. Underneath them were another set of claws, unlike the avian creatures on earth. "Oooo not fwends! We towd dat ooo were not to be twusted. Yet, ooo aved uz. Do not know wat to do abowt dat. And, ooo av good bewwies."

Amaya smiled. "We like good berries, and we like to share. We also like to help people. Cyrus and I just arrived and we don't know much about you and your people. We'll be happy to tell you more about us if you tell us more about you."

"Just awwived?" the Captain asked tilting his head an awkward angle. "Ow dat possible? Dis sip iz ere. Ow could ooo be fwom anywewe else?"

"We came on a transport ship," Amaya said. "We have many ships in the Federation. Is the ship you came in the only one you have?"

"Yes," the Captain responded, tilting his head from side to side at 45 degree angles and occasionally somewhat upside down, wondering if what Amaya was saying was true.

"I'm quite impressed with your understanding of our language," Amaya said. "Would you mind letting me hear some of your native language?"

With a nod, the Captain gave a short, high pitched whistle. It was followed by a chirp, a series of chirps and tweets, a twitter, and then a caw followed by a chirp.

"Do you speak with other birds as well?" Maya asked. "As in, do all birds have a universal language, or is it more like humans where different species have different languages?"

Cyrus hung back, allowing Amaya to do her thing with the bird creatures, as his first attempts only brought out mistrust. Mistrust that was quickly averted upon Amaya simply being Amaya. He didn't understand it. Cyrus showed no hostile intent, he walked in without a uniform to disconnect him from the people they associated with mistrust, and even spoke calmly. Brandishing no weapons and simply announcing their desire to talk and learn. However, with one phrase the lovely linguist was able to break down the walls of mistrust with the greatest of ease. What was it about Cyrus that fostered such a reaction. Was it his appearance? His tone? His smell? Could they smell the stench of his hostile and dirty world off his very skin? Could he not scrub hard enough? Was he destined to be labeled a bottom feeder no matter how much confidence and calm he portrayed?

So many questions. He wanted to pull himself out of the dirty of his world and rebuild himself with this new life in Starfleet. Cyrus didn't want to disappoint the Captain and show his usefulness, after such a good first meeting with her, only to be met with such a roadblock as not being able to break the ice in such a tense time. An idea he insisted he could do. Regardless, he would reserve himself to observing, and allowing Amaya to use her expertise in this tense time. Maybe it was better to let her take advantage of the situation. It was her arrival that seemed to spark such a disappointed reaction from the Captain. Maybe this was better off being Amaya's win than Cyrus'.

"Biwds?" The Captain turned his head nearly upside down to the left, considering the situation. "Ah! Ay av eard dis befowe. Der awwr udders dat I wud tink dat ooo wud tink awwr da ame az me. Der awr difwent tonz or wurdz as ooo say." He raised his head back to the side. "Ooo say ooo awwr uman. Do ooo all av difwent fevvers? Captain Connor as wed fevvers. Ooo av dawk bwown." He pointed a long wing, with a claw becoming visible underneath it, at Cyrus. "She as bwack."

Cyrus raised a brow, turning his head slightly to Amaya, before whispering. "Did that chicken dinner call me a she?" He quickly cleared his throat before raising his hand. "I'm a male, actually." He ran his hand through his hair, combing it back slightly, before adding. "I'll let that slide because I can understand how this is all confusing for you guys." He looked over to Amaya, shrugging slightly, before looking back to the bird Captain. "Yes, we all have different feathers. Some people actually go to a place and change the color of their feathers periodically. Maybe to stand out. Maybe to look different. Maybe to even look younger and more attractive to their opposite sex." He paused for a moment, laughing a bit, just as he added. "I actually know a much older woman who insists on changing the color of her feathers from gray to blonde because she's convinced she will attract younger men. Interestingly enough she actually manages for bring one home from time to time." Cyrus smirked slightly. "She's got to be hitting 80 something by now. Nice lady. Heavy drinker. Makes for really interesting, and awkward, conversations."

Maya smiled at Cyrus, then directed her comments to the Captain. "Unlike your kind, humanoids come in different colors for both male and female." She nodded to the man next to her. "Cyrus is male, even though he has black hair. Captain O'Connor is female, even though she has red hair. Our body shapes often differentiate us from each other, but that varies from species to species. It's complicated, but I'd be happy to show you images to help you understand, if you wish."

"Change fevvers? Make moww atwactive. Intewesting. I cud eee dat. It impowtant to attwact a mate," the Captain told Cyrus. He then looked at Maya and said, "Not now. Der is a wot to tink about. Pahap ooo tewl Captain to wet us go ome?"

Maya was smiling at the comment to Cyrus. She thought he was quite handsome enough as he was. "I'm not sure what the delay is. Your ship might still need repairs. However, I will be talking with the Captain shortly. I'll ask her and make sure someone lets you know." She glanced at the the security officer. "Perhaps Cyrus could bring you the information? In the meantime, is there anything you need? More berries? Some nuts?" As much as she wanted to learn more about them, she understood the necessity of getting them back home as soon as possible.

"That Captain of this ship has no intention of keeping you hear." Cyrus replied as here. She wants nothing more than to learn about you and your people. Your ship, in the way its designed and how it flies, is unique which brings up many questions. There is also a concern. She believes you were given false information about the group she is aligned with and how it works. The Captain wishes only to learn more about you and your species, as well as, correct any false information you were given." He paused for a moment, looking to Amaya, before looking back to the bird aliens. "She's done everything she can to provide you with comfortable accommodations and repair your ship to ensure you can make it home. All she asks is you give her, and us, the opportunity to show you we are not who you were told we are."

The Captain nodded by bobbing up and down on the perch. "We awwr OK fow now. Wen we get ome, we will tawk wid udders and figur out wat next. Tank ooo fow da visit."

"Thank you," Maya said. "I enjoyed the visit as well. I hope to speak with you or others on your planet again."

She smiled and turned to Cyrus. "Anything you want to add before we leave?"

Cyrus was disappointed, although he didn't express it, he couldn't help but feel this meeting went to quickly and not much was gained. He was hoping they would uncover more, perhaps uncover something that would open up their belief that Starfleet was some kind of enemy, giving the America a chance to keep an eye on this species and potentially offer them membership. While this meeting seemed favorable the bird species seemed to want to rush them out of the door. Possibly to think on the new, yet small, information just given to them.

"Actually..." Cyrus began as he looked over to Amaya before turning back to the bird Captain and their companion. "I was curious about something. It's been made clear that, prior to this first encounter, you already knew about this ship and Starfleet. You recognized the uniforms and emblem that it seemed to immediately cause you to be cautious. I was wondering, Captain, how did you learn about us before your first flight?"

"Owwr fwends. Dey twavel da tars, wooking fer udder people. Dey do not want to be awone."

"We also travel the stars looking for other races. We want to make friends," Amaya said.

Cyrus nodded his head, agreeing with Amaya, but also in understanding to the bird Captain's answer. Understanding as much as he could. The more he heard them talk, and Amaya replying, the more he was able to make out what they were saying. He probably wasn't as good at it like she was, but he was picking up on it a bit better than he would be if he was by himself.

"And your friends?" Cyrus asked. "Do they have names? Perhaps we've run into them or their species. As Amaya said we also travel the stars looking for other races. Chances are we may have run into them before. We won't know unless you give us something to go on. Their names or what their species is called. A description maybe?"

"Pointy external eaws. External eaws awr weird. Awwr ooo welated?"

"There are some who believe we are," Maya said. "There are scientists--people who study why things work the way they do or how our civilizations developed--who believe the humanoid races, Human, Vulcan, Klingon, Romulan, and so forth, came from the same origin. To us, internal ears are unusual. We don't have feathers, either."

"No, ooo don't," the Captain responded. "But I don't know da razes ooo awr tawking about."

"What do the people who helped you call themselves?" Maya asked. She glanced at Cyrus. "It's because we don't want to explain things you already know, so understanding what yu've been told and what you've learned will give us a basis to start with."

"Wiansu. Ard fowr us to pronounze."

"It can be a difficult word to pronounce, yes," Amaya said. "Nearly 2000 years ago a man named Surak taught the Vulcan people the way of peace and logic. Those who chose not to follow him were called the Rihannsu. They are more commonly known as Romulan and Remen now. I don't know of any besides your friends who still call themselves Rihannsu."

"Dat wat dey call demelf. Don't know wat a Vukkan iz."

"A Vulcan is another race of humanoids," she said. "I don't know why your friends call themselves Rihannsu. do I. If I have the opportunity to meet them, I'll ask." Maya smiled. "Thank you for the information."

Cyrus put his hands in his pockets before looking down for a moment. The involvement of the Rihannsu explained how the Bird species knew about Starfleet and the Federation prior to their involvement. So, it didn't surprise him, that this is where it led even though they came in with the idea it might end this way. At least, now, they had confirmation and that's better than still guessing.

"Computer, please place a representation of a Romulan officer on the monitor." Cyrus said as it took the computer a few seconds to put one up. Once it was there, he gestured to the picture, not far from the bird aliens. "Did they look like this?"

The bird-creatures tilted their heads to the right side, observing the holo image. The Captain then tilted it to his left side and asked, "Ow did ooo do dat?"

"I didn't do it. The Computer did." Cyrus said as he walked over to the holo-image. "The Computer, on this ship, has a vast record of knowledge from planets, alien species, and anomalies Starfleet ships have encountered. You see, Starfleet, is not a group who goes out and tries to conquer other races. They are explorers. Their goal isn't to destroy but to learn. Learn about others and discover brand new worlds and species to better understand the galaxy. Understand their role in it." He paused for a moment before adding. "I, myself, came from another planet that was discovered by a Starfleet ship. I don't know what you've heard about these people, but they are not here to harm you or your people. They are here to learn. To help. To share information if needed." He gestured to the holo-image again, smiling a bit as he did so. "I can show you other species Starfleet has encountered if you are interested."

"Teach to make dis coputer picture. Want to know ow."

"It would take a bit of time to teach you," Maya said. "But we can have a team of scientists come to your planet. They would assess what you need to help you and your people."

The Captain turned to his crewmate that came with him and the two started to screech and chirp excitedly. After several quick exchanges, the Captain said, "Ay wiwl eee if ooo can come down. Dis change tings. Ooo can go now. Good tawk."

Cyrus looked to Amaya, an almost concerned look on his face, before turning back to the bird aliens. He nodded his head and looked back to her as he said. "We should go. We've made some good headway."

She nodded. Their reaction was...interesting. "We'll talk to you later," she said to the Captain. Let your people know that it may take a few weeks to get a team here to start teaching you, so there's time to talk this over."

Then she followed Cyrus out of the room.

As soon as they stepped out of the room, and the doors closed, Cyrus stopped. He still seemed concerned as he let out a sigh and looked over to Amaya. "I know I'm new. Maybe I don't know all the rules, but I thought Starfleet wasn't allowed to share advanced technology with species who haven't gotten that far yet?" He paused a bit before adding. "You just promised them a computer system. Was that wise to do, Amaya?"

"I promised them help. They've already achieved warp. The next step is generally to send in a team of scientists to helm them adjust to the galactic community. It will be up to them to decide what sort of help that will be." She shook her head. "We're also dealing with a species that had help from the Romulans. We don't know what the Romulans gave them."

Cyrus nodded slightly. "That's true. We have no way of telling what affect the Romulans had on their culture. Technological or otherwise. Until we go down there ourselves and that's not a guarantee until we properly convinced them we aren't when they were told we are." He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a bit of a sigh before adding. "It's just... part of me feels that we should let them get there on their own. Whether its us, or the Romulans, someone is still advancing their knowledge and giving them something they didn't learn to do on their own." He shrugged his shoulders a bit before replying. "I might just be overthinking it."

"I don't know," she said softly, putting a hand on his crossed arms. "You're right. We won't know until we get down there. All we know is they achieved warp, albeit briefly. That means we can contact them. Anything beyond that..." She shook her head. "Too many unanswered questions."

Cyrus replied softly. "I'm not used to all these rules. Sometimes, these Starfleet rules, seem to contradict each other. You can do something, but you can't if certain things apply." He shook his head and chuckled a bit. "I've always been of the mind that if someone needs help, and their intentions are good, you are the only one who is stopping you from doing it. Even if you don't get anything for it you still may have gained a friend who might prove useful in the future."

"Outside of Starfleet, I agree with you." It was her turn to chuckle. "Inside of Starfleet...I still agree with you. There are a lot of rules. Science in particular. Sometimes you just have to hope you're doing the right thing." She nodded to the door they'd just exited. "Like them. I want to help them, but I have to be careful about regulations."

She sighed, then looked at Cyrus. "You're a good man, Cyrus Jericho. I like you."

"Of course you do." Cyrus replied with a smile. "What's not to like?" He gave her a smile before they began to walk away from the door. Eventually, they reached a turbolift, which allowed them to walk inside. As he placed his hand on the rod to access the turbolift function he paused and said. "We'll have to work on that like feeling. Maybe, in time, might be able to upgrade it to something... bigger." He looked over to her and gave her a sly smile.

"Well, umm, yes." She was suddenly feeling a little shy and awkward. "But I may have made a bit of an understatement about just liking you." His comment made her hopeful, but she didn't want him to think, well, that she only thought of him as a friend. She hadn't known him long, but he was already very special to her.

"Understatement?" He questioned.

She nodded. She looked away, not sure how he'd react. "You're not like anyone I've ever met and...I'm falling in love with you."

Cyrus removed his hand from the turbolift control and stood there silently for a moment. After a few seconds he reached his hand over to hers and took it. With a smile, he soon looked over to her, and whispered. "Me, too."

She looked at him for a long moment, smiling. "Getting to know you is going to be the best part of this assignment. Maybe the best thing that's happened to me so far." Then she leaned up and kissed him.

 

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