Monkey Business

 Episode Name:  Monkey Business

   Written By:  Spider

         Cast:  Casya, Edwards, Harris, Jiasha, Nua, Savarna, 
                Spider, Takamura, Torin, Zephram and Zero.

  Produced By:  Starfleet

  Directed By:  Spider

     Aired On:  Fri Aug 13 02:27:05 2004

     Stardate:  54309.4

Time: Fri Aug 13 00:00:14 2004

Stardate: 54309.1

It's a quiet night in the Observation Garden: no red alerts. No asteroids hurtling at the station. People quietly go about their business. A Trill and a Betazoid talk in one corner of the Garden, then get up and leave, walking together. Three young Petty Officers sit together, eating their lunch and gossiping about the new duty roster. A bug hops up onto a Cardassian Grasping Lotus and promptly /is/ lunch.

Jiasha is hole'd up in the OG with Nua, they are both grawing pictures of flowers with bits of coloured wax in nobules that are big enough for a five year old to use without too much trouble. It's a simple, quiet night between Mum and tot. Nua points out the lotus, and tells Jiasha promptly, "The bug ate a bug like Lux and Mauno eat bugs in the morning."

Harris tugs open his collar as he passes through the hedge, tilting his head back and forth in an effort to pop his neck. His destination, for whatever reason, is the Romulan Lotus, and he settles next to it before turning his attention to his PADD.

. o O Harris isn't seeing the words on the screen before him. He's lost in the memory of planting this particular flower with Meg.

Torin makes his way in absently undoing the top button of his collar. No doubt much to everyone's relief he is sans simian this evening. A slight stretching then cracking his neck. He lets out a not so quiet yawn, then blushes sheepishly as he surveys the area making a way towards one of the benches.

Edwards just strolls through the garden quietly, not paying much mind to anything or anyone, looking kinda lost in thought. At least he doesn't trod over any plants or people.

T'Lyra stands off in a corner by herself, near an odd Ferengi plant. She is calmly focused on the Anomaly outside, as if she has sensors in her eyes or something. She makes no sighing noises or anything, just quiet observation.

Casya has managed to drag herself away from her child psychology studies long enough to take an evening stroll, it appears. She walks along quietly, one hand resting lightly atop her pregnant tummy as she ambles along the garden paths, stretching her legs.

Savarna walks into the gardens, PADD in hand; she pauses next to a Bolian lily, looking at it thoughtfully, expression bland as always. Really, 'bland' seems to be her default these days.

The Petty Officers raise their voices, and one, a stocky Bolian in her thirties, raises a hand. "I swear on the Great Bird... " is all that's audible before their voices fade down to normal conversation again.

Oddly, that's enough to get Savarna's brief attention; she glances towards the Petty Officers, eyebrows raised.

Harris keeps his gaze pointed at his PADD... or, more accurately, someplace beyond it. After a moment, whatever he's lost himself in comes to an end and he presses a control on his PADD. "Iso-metric impulse matrix... where are you?" he asks softly, allowing his small grin to turn into a thoughtful frown.

Two blonde-haired Human children, a boy and a girl, squeal loudly as they break loose from their parents and begin horseplaying in the garden. Their mother looks up from the plant she is viewing with her husband and calls their names, but the girl is intent on getting away from the boy. Not looking, she bumps smack into Edwards. The boy stops before there is another collision.

Torin makes a glance over for a moment to the conversers, and chuckles a bit noting the various kidlets around. He settles down to 'his' bench with a light, "oooh." Smiling as he leans back and sprawls a bit on the bench and settles into watching the viewport.

Jiasha sets the big sketch pad down off her lap and stretches out her knees and legs slowly. She notes to Nua, ""Mommy's getting old. All stiff and sore. Soon I'll be hunched over, you'll have to feed me with a spoon like Mauno." To this, Nua giggles. She takes an imaginary spoon and 'airplanes' it around and towards Jiasha, with chomps a bite off the end of said imaginary spoon, then joins the giggle.

Casya spots Edwards doing the strolling thing nearby and smiles warmly, altering her course to intercept his and offering him a cheerful--if somewhat tired--smile and wave. "Hello, Michael... how are y--?" her voice trails off abruptly when that little girl comes barrelling along. Casya hastily steps back out of the way before she gets run down, frowning sternly with her best teacher-face. "Slow down, there, young lady, before you hurt someone."

That brings Edwards right on out of fantasyland. "Whoa!" He teeters, though manages to keep his balance, and reaches down to steady the kid. "In a hurry to get somewhere?" he asks. He glances at Casya. "Kids just love me."

Harris tilts his head to the side as he looks toward the squealing. An eyebrow perks, and then it's work again.

Savarna turns to blink at the viewport, now, rather than the Petty Officers with the avian tastes in religion. Blandness is slowly replaced by bemused interest, and then a slower, but definitely _not_ so bland frown. "There isn't supposed to be a _star_ there," she says, stepping closer. Move towards the strange and unusual, little science officer. That's how you get things named after you. Like diseases and flesh-eating parasites.

The girl backs up from Edwards and looks up at Casya, then at Edwards. She says nervously, "I'm sorry!" The boy shakes his head at the girl's run-in and the girl takes the opportunity to take off again in the direction of their parents. Their father shouts for the children to come back immediately, looking very stern-faced indeed. The boy soon continues chasing after the girl, and they soon arrive near their parents.

Casya's stern expression melts away into an amused smile just as soon as those children's backs are turned, which she turns toward the childrens' parents as the children scamper toward them. Then she looks back toward Edwards, chuckling softly. "'Course they do. What's not to love?" she teases. "Are you okay?"

Torin continues to watch the window and then blinks he sits up as well at his bench, "Huh." He furrows his brow, "That's not right. No...not right at all." He reaches up to scrub at his chin and starts to stand moving towards the viewport as well, oblivious to other things now and blinks in surprise letting out a strange noise as he comes near to bumping into Savarna, "Ack...erhmmm sorry sir...I just thought I saw something."

Edwards watches the kids rush off with much less sternness than anyone else. "Exactly." he replies, turning his full attention to Casya. "Oh, I'm fine. I've just lost all feeling below my knees." He shrugs. "How are you doing, Casya?"

"There isn't meant to be a _star_ there," Savarna says, crossly now, as she glances towards Torin. "Do you see it?" She points. Because pointing at a sky full of stars is so instructive.

T'Lyra decides she has had enough of observing the anomaly and seems to decide to turn her inspection to that of the various exotic plants in the room. She slowly makes her way in the general direction of the Romulan Lotus, carefully observing the few plants on the way. She makes an effort to ignore the noise caused by the children, as if she's got some kind of chaos-filter on.

Nua gets up and off the bench she was on with ablomb and no need to stretch. She plods along to follow after Savarna, who -clearly- knows what she's talking about. Hands and nose press on the transparent alluminum, she looks for the renegade star with the seriousness of someone who could actually tell a star out of place. Oficially underfoot.

Bleep bloop blip. Harris frowns at his PADD, fixing it with a glare before dropping it to the ground. "I guess word gets around," he mutters to himself.

Casya laughs softly. "Better below the knee than above?" she suggests with a sly smile. "I'm doing well, thanks. And so are the twins." She pats her round tummy fondly. "I think they're going to grow up to be professional kickboxers, though. And their aim is incredible. I think they've learned to distinguish between my internal organs and aim their kicks accordingly."

Maybe Nua's got a future in astronometrics. After a while of study, she tells Savarna, with her face still pressed on the viewport, "It makes sparkles." Jiasha meanwhile stands, paying little mind of it at this point, instead throws Edwards a silly, challenging glare which is really not much of a glare at all.

Torin hrmms and blinks, "Mmm that I don't know, could it be a ship?" He asks and mms, "I see...something. Flashing...towards us." He furrows his brow, "It could be a ship?" He offers then mms, "But why would it have lights...." He grins down at Nua and laughs, "You see it too?"

Savarna pauses for a moment, then bends to reach for Nua's hand. "Let's move away from the window, shall we, threshara?" She looks to Torin. "That's moving too quickly. Could you step back from the viewport for _just_ a moment?" Either she'll look stupid, or hard vacuum will be illustrating her point. "It could easily be a ship. I would rather not find out by being right here when it hits us."

"Uh huh." Nua confirms. "It's getting big." She says, allowing herself to be lead a bit away from the viewpoert, because Savarna is one of thos e people with a unique air of authority that children will tend to believe.

. o O Savarna thinks, "If that hits us, I will be _most_ vexed. Who will feed my fish?"

'Before it hits us' is a bad phrase in Harris' vocabulary. He pushes himself to his feet, peering at the viewport.

"Never above." Edwards remarks. "They have, have they? Good. Because that means they'll make good fighters. And anyone with any relation to me needs to be able to handle themselves in a fight. Hopefully Cross' science-y genes won't kick in and dilute that." He flashes a bright smile at Casya after saying that. Then he notices Jiasha's look. "Hey, watch it now." he warns, pointing at her.

"That's certainly unique," Rob mutters darkly before he hits his compin. "Harris to Operations."

T'Lyra seems to break her chaos-filter long enough to turn around as she overhears talk of a ship. She looks through the viewport, expecting to see one of the grand Federation starships passing en route to dock with the station. She furrows her brow at the light, unsure of what it is as she observes people moving away. She pauses a beat as she seems to calculate what her next move should be, and decides to move away as the others are. The visual intensity she used to observe the Anomaly doesn't seem to apply for this light.

It's now visible to all in the room -- a pulsing white light, speeding toward the station. Blink and it's bigger. Blink again and it's huge, closer than the Anomaly, closer still, moving impossibly fast...

"Operations, Go ahead, Lieutenant."

Savarna straightens, slowly, going faintly pale. "That," she says, needlessly, "is not a ship." She maintains her hold on Nua's hand.

Casya snorts softly. "Michael... you above all others should know how useless I am in a fight. Or have you managed to block out the memory of the day we first met?" She grins ruefully at him, shaking her head. "If Kisa has her way, though, that may change once the twins're born. She offered to teach me how to wield a chak--" And that's when that strange white pulsing light manages to catch her attention from the corner of her eye. Brow furrowing, she looks toward the viewport. "What is -that-?"

. o O Savarna thinks, "Well. If we die, I will not need to explain to Tresh and Korvin why I have stopped writing. Small mercies. Great Bird of the Galaxy, in whose wings all things are held and cherished... "

Torin hrmms and steps back from the window as well watching the blinking and hrmms, "Ack!" He says in surprise as it jumps forward ant takes several more steps back, "What in the bloody...devil." He backpedals glancing around not quite sure what he should be doing.

"We've got a bogey inbound directly for the viewport here in the observation garden. At least, that's where it looks like it's heading." Harris stands his ground, glaring his defiance at the glowing... whatever it is. "It's moving really, really fast."

Savarna pulls out her tricorder with the hand not holding Nua, and aims it -- probably on autopilot -- towards the viewscreen. Scan the nice glowy thing. Before it eats you.

Hmm. Pulsing white light. Edwards blinks and looks around, filled with the dread of a man that feels like he's just found himself in a disco. "What the?" He looks off toward the viewport and people there. "Oh, what did you people do now?"

In all her wisdom pertaining to the situation, Nua proceeds to hide behind Savarna. This is too much to process all at once. Jiasha stops playing around with Edwards once the light becomes more, well, apparent to those who aren't playing along with the Bolians. She looks a little preturbed. to say the least. "Nua." she says, in to the air. For now, she's maintaining position, fortified by Bolian.

Savarna's frown deepens, slowly. "There is something...alive in there. It _is_ alive. We are about to have a visit from someone...ones? Who does not understand doors, I fear." She keeps her hand in Nua's, being reassuring. Well, as reassuring as a bald blue woman can be, under the circumstances.

"We see it, Lieutenant," the voice from Operations reports. "We're attempting to get a weapons lock now, sir."

A pair of Bynars were walking past in the mall just then, and noticed the strangely bright glow coming from the garden. Then enter, pausing just past the entrance and cocking their heads in curiosity at the sight they beheld.

Suddenly assured, Nua peeks her little gold head from out beside Savarna's hip, It's okay. It's only scary when the white light is all around for a little bit and then it gets better right away and then Grshella tells you what to do."

Apparently that doesn't bother Robert too much. "Acknowledged. Try and beam as many people as you can out of here before it decompresses this compartment." Twenty-third century cowboy Starfleet vengence meets twenty-fourth century first contact protocols, and the cowboy wins hands down.

Savarna looks around. "Don't _fire_! It's _alive_!" And then science gets involved.

Casya edges toward the hedge at the rear of the garden, worry creasing the emerald woman's face. "I have a bad feeling about this." she states softly. Hey, someone had to say it.

Chatting excitedly in their native, binary language, Zero and One actually approach the viewport to see the approaching object better. No one ever told them what got the cat killed.

Torin simply looks on with the horrid morbidism of someone expecting to feel an incoming. His eyes locked on the window trying to to miss a thing as his head cocks to the side watching.

"We... we can't lock weapons on it, sir," reports the voice from Operations, and then Harris's combadge fuzzes out, and the lights flicker, then shut off. The only light in the room comes from the approaching "bogey." It's an ephemeral ovoid, smoky tendrils trailing behind it, a sort of pale grey smoke roiling over its forward curve. These are seconds passing, here, but they seem to pass like years.

Oh. So this is what dying is like. Now that incoming weapons fire is no longer an issue, Savarna crouches down, getting herself on a level with Nua, and watches the incoming light, head tilted slightly to one side, still scanning.

. o O Savarna thinks, "Tresh, I'm sorry. I truly am. Great Bird of the Galaxy, in whose wings all things are held and cherished, in whose eggs we are nurtured until such time we find ourselves ready to face the glories of creation, gather me in, carry me with you to the nesting grounds... "

Nua speaks again, quite assured. She tells Savarna, laying a hand on her shoulder, "You can't hit the light because it isn't solid. There are three things. Solid liquid gas. They're made of light."

Savarna looks towards Nua, and blinks. "Is that so? That must be very pleasant for them."

"Nobody's dying." Edwards raises his voice. "I hope." he adds, under his breath. "People, start moving." He motions toward away, and tries to herd Casya and anyone else nearby in that direction. Not that they'll likely be able to get anywhere in time.

All right, plan B. T'Lyra happens to be the closest civilian to Harris, and he turns to her. "We've got to clear this compartment. Please come with me." Never mind that death is already knocking at the window.

It approaches the transparent aluminum, and passes right through it. Savarna and Nua are enveloped in the whiteness, which expands out its smoky tendrils, slipping one around Harris and past T'Lyra, brushing over Casya's belly, and then it becomes too bright for anyone to see for a second...

Jiasha seems to have a rather peculiar measure of trust for whatever 'it' is too. She has not moved or made any great motion to 'save' Nua. She has taken this all quite placidly. And then the whiteness comes.

One turns to query Savarna on the tricorder scan, but then the lights go out. Immediately, the facial expressions on the pair of Bynars change to that of panic as they speak rapidly to one another in their language while fiddling with the devices they wear at their waist. Then the panic is gone - only to be replaced by fear as the object passes right throuh the hull.

Casya's arms move to cradle her midsection protectively as she's herded in the direction of the Mall, the welfare of her unborn children foremost in her mind. Glancing back over her shoulder, she lets out a startled little shriek when the lights go out, stumbling a little in the darkness as she quickly turns her gaze ahead as she gets her feet back under her. Just in time to be brushed by the whiteness. She gasps, freezing in place. "Michael? Wh--what is this?" she asks, a tremor in her voice. Because Edwards knows everything, of course. He's her heeeeeeeero.

Torin hmms, "Lights..." He murmurs and then blinks towards Nua, "Mmm out of the mouth of babes..." He murmurs to himself starting to slide his tricorder out now, but more eyeing the approaching creature especially when it passes through the hull, "Hmmm I guess...we don't have to worry about decompression." He offers, ever one for silver lining as he raises a hand trying to protect his eyes from any harm.

Edwards is, of course, at a complete loss. He watches helplessly as whatever comes, comes, without any time to get away. "Son of a..." He pulls a hand up to shield his eyes when the light becomes too much for him to stand.

#-1 FUNCTION (t'lyra) NOT FOUND T'Lyra nods calmly her assent to go with Harris.

The smoky tendril gives Harris pause for a moment, but he presses forward to head for the door -- at least, up until the light comes.

That tension and fear Casya was feeling? Gone. She relaxes, a smile appearing on her lips. "It's okay." she murmurs softly. Glancing down toward her belly, she blinks with an expression of surprise and wonder, peering down at it almost as if she's never seen it before, her palms pressed flat against it. "It's okay." she repeats. Her headlong rush for the exit forgotten, the young mother to be steps to a nearby bench and slowly sits down.

In the light, Savarna is utterly relaxed, now hugging Nua, and smiling. Which is a perfectly rational response, really. Or not.

GAME: Nua is now set IC.

. o O Nua, fully and happily assured, does her best to emote some good tidings, a great big Hello and welcome back! with the full and childish assurance in her own omnipotence to do such things.

Torin hrmms and offers to no one in particular, "It must be a strange creature. Or I don't think the Lieutenant would be smiling." He frowns as he readies his tri-corder and tries alternatingly scanning those touched by tendrils and the tendrils of the light, object, lifeform....thing, without looking to directly at the light.

The light bleeds back enough that sight can be had, and then folds back further, and further, like someone rolling down a lightshade. It curls around Nua and Savarna, and then draws back even further, until the pair are surrounded by six figures. Tall, slender, and though they're humanoid, otherwise featureless beings of light.

Savarna looks around the beings made of light, and keeps smiling. "You're...perfect," she informs them, quite seriously.

Edwards tentatively drops his hand and blinks a few times, getting his sight back. Then he quickly surveys the scene. "Aw hell." he mutters. He gives Jiasha a look, and steps forward, glancing at the beings Savarna deems perfect. "Hi?"

Harris rubs at his eyes, turning around so he can spot his charge... and pausing as he spots the six. "Guess that explains the communicator," he finally murmurs to no one in particular.

Nua smiles from her cocoon in the Bolian's two arms. She smiles a great big meeting a playmate at the treshold sort of grin, greets them like old pals, "You came back! I knew you would. Mauno is one years old he says Nwa when he means my name he doesn't remember you but I do."

The Bynars are silent, their eyes adjusting back to normal as they watch the new development. But they briskly move backwards the whole time to put some distance between them and the six glowing people.

. o O Nua's head fills with layer upon layer of strands of thinking. On one she is telling them all about Mauno, all about what words he can say and how big he is. On another interrupting layer she is telling them about the flowers in the garden, on yet another weave of thinking she tells them about the boy who was born in a giant peach and saved everyone from demons, yet more she is telling them that they are not solids but gas or maybe liquid, telling them all about solids liquids casses, her subconcious whirls with the times tables and alabet and things she knows in school.

Torin hrmms and relaxes a bit as the light receedes, eyes flickering from the ongoings to his readouts he grunts and mutters frowning, "How can that be right." He says towards the results, then grumbles and looks at the Glowers and then studies them each of the six and frowns he glances about for a moment then towards Edwards, "I shouldn't be surprised this is apparantly not something new." He offers to no one in particular. Maybe he's doing a Harris impression. As he flickers around to study the group and then waits to see if the glowers respond.

Savarna glances down at Nua, and smiles a bit more, looking up. "I suppose no one really is. But still...my whole world wants to _be_ you. You are...thank you. Welcome to you, too. I'm Melena."

The figures turn out slowly, and begin moving through the garden, though two stay by Savarna and Nua. One moves to stand before Edwards, tilting its faceless head to the side and peering at him.

Jiasha tilts her head, she smiles, slowly, gradually. Lets Nua chatterbox away, she is just as happy to see the lights as Nua is. But Nua's shoulders fall a little . She takes a deep breath, her blue eyes sharpen, clarify. "You're different ones. You didn't come to visit Mauno." She sure tells them! So there.

Savarna has arrived.

Edwards has arrived.

Casya has arrived.

Torin has arrived.

Zero has arrived.

Jiasha has arrived.

Harris has arrived.

"I wish it wasn't new to me." Edwards asides to Torin, just a wee bit irritably. Oh hey, and there's one of those figures in front of him now. He plasters on his friendliest smile. "Uh, I'm Commander Michael Edwards of the Federation space station Four-One-Nine-Upsilon." he introduces himself. "So, is this just a social visit, or...?"

They might still turn out to be hostile. Just look at tribbles. Harris moves to the nearest group of civilians, namely the family with the small children. "I need you to clear this compartment immediately," he murmurs in a low tone. "Please, come with me."

Ensigns Zero and One just stand quietly near the entrance, too afraid to approach the beings, too curious to run away.

Takamura has arrived.

. o O Harris trusts the energy beings as far as he can throw them, and he's got no way to grab onto non-corporeal beings handy.

Savarna looks to Nua at her proclaimation, then back up to the light. "There are...more of you? How many?"

Casya just sits quietly on her bench, her gaze flicking between the light figure over by Edwards, and her own belly. She's really not sure what just happened, but whatever it was, she's not worried about it.

Torin arches a brow at Edwards, and hrmms at that he settles into watching, warily flickering between Edwards, Savarna....and of course Nua and her 'friends'.

The being tilts its head slowly to the side and watches Edwards for a few moments. It shifts in form: Wendy Tyler, Akeen Ghorev, Havaris Kusto, Dylan Golden, Takamura... all these forms and faces play out over its surface before it settles on one form: a very familiar green-skinned female in an Engineering uniform. Well, she's wearing an Engineering uniform /after/ the split-second when she's wearing a nightgown. "She" looks at Edwards for a long moment, tilting her head slowly to the side.

Jiasha stands, she squints and carefully looks over the beings, each one rather indicudually, for now. Rather as if they had used the door, and assuming them quite busy enough, Jiasha wanders off to take a look outside the viewport, quietly.

Edwards blinks as it cycles through the various familiar forms. "Whoa!" That's after the nightgown one. He calms, some, when that changes into a uniform. "You're... what?" He squints and glances around, before returning his attention to faux-Bela. "You're... not from around here, eh?"

The being near Savarna folds over her, and it, too, shifts in form, becoming a stout, middle-aged Bolian, a professorial academian-type human, and finally a tall lanky Centauran who, for some reason, seems to have tentacles growing out of his shoulders. A second later, that confusion passes, and the figure who leans to take Savarna's hand wears Tresh's face.

Nua's companion transforms once, and simply: it looks like Tull. Period. End of story. No complicated dances, no elaborate changes. It becomes Tull, and offers her an experimental sort of smile, as if trying out a new face.

Savarna blinks, letting her hand be taken, although she doesn't rise immediately from her position beside Nua. "That's very charming of you, but don't you have faces of your own that you'd prefer to wear? I can't change to suit what you want to see..."

Nua grins, widely, everything clear as a bell. "You look like Tull, he's in his bed because he's a bit littler than I am." She tells the being about himself, she is not, apparently, insulted about this appropriation of her best friend's body image, it's just as fun as silly putty.

As the aliens start to change forms, Harris forgets his evacuation efforts and just watches, both of his eyebrows lifting from their resting position.

. o O Harris thinks "And I used to think that chameloids were mythical."

Takamura rushes through the hedges into the garden. His eyes quickly dart around the room as he tries to assess the situation. At the sight of the beings of light and their shapeshifting, he stops cold. Narrowing his eyes, he watches each one carefully, especially the ones near Nua.

Casya may not be worried, but she can certainly be surprised, and her gasp of shock shows it as she watches the figure by Edwards transform. "Bela?" she questions incredulously when the figure finally settles on that form. She rises slowly and takes a half-step toward the Commander and his companion.

. o O Takamura thinks "What the heck is going on here? Who or what are these being?"

Another figure approaches Edwards, though it was originally approaching Casya. It shifts form, too. Ghorev's antennae sprout out of Lanie's forehead briefly, and then Lanie's face gains Gwen Poole's hair before it all settles on the form of Janice Edwards.

Savarna smiles, a little sadly, and nods to 'Tresh', still holding 'his' hand. "I'm sorry you have to limit yourself like this, but your concern is wonderful. You are...truly lovely, whatever you look like. Thank you for coming here." A pause. "_Why_ are you here?"

Nua looks over her shoulder, she notices Takamura, smiles. She looks back at Tull, her eyes are expectant. Some sort of strange communication between them.

Edwards makes note of the other shapeshifter, or transformer, or whatnot. Slooowly, he glances toward Casya, then back toward the two beings. "You have good taste in forms, I guess." he comments. "How can we help you?"

Harris finally gets his wits back about him. "Please, follow me," he murmurs to the parents before he starts slowly moving toward the break in the hedge. It wouldn't do to make the nice shapeshifting aliens mad, now would it?

Torin just blinks at the various forms forming themselves around, "He covers his mouth with a fist at Edwards' words. He makes another careful surveying, his tricorder coming up to scan the forms again once more checking if taking forms changes the readings. He does blink though as they take on amiliar ones.

Casya's confusion is palpable as the approach of the second figure captures her attention. When it, too, settles on an oh-so-familiar figure, she steps closer still, one hand extending slowly toward it. "Madame?" she breathes softly, hopefully. "Is that-- are you--?" Hopelessly unable to complete a coherent sentence, she looks to Edwards questioningly, a silent plea to make this all make sense, somehow.

. o O Torin thinks "I wish I could change forms at will....and turn into energy...that'd be fun. I wonder how they eat....ermmm what they eat. Oh dear."

One of the figures approaches Torin. It shifts through a series of forms -- Donavon, Shamash, Foster... and then it stops, and slowly tilts its head to the side. Its body shifts down into the form of Zephram, and then back up into its own white shape. Then back into the monkey, and then back up into its own vauge non-shape.

Takamura slowly walks towards Nua, smiling back at her. However, when he looks elsewhere, his expression is all business. The Timefleet officer watches the changing forms with a critical eye, making note of the forms they assume.

Edwards moves to put a hand on Casya's shoulder. "They aren't them." he tells her. "I think they're just trying to... relate to us." He gives them both questioning looks. "Can you communicate like this? Like we do?"

Savarna frowns, looking around, and finally focusing on the being that seems to be having trouble holding to a form. "They're unhappy. Something is making them unhappy. Step back?" She seems to be addressing Torin.

The family escapes into the mall proper, and Harris turns back to the garden at large to contemplate his next move, eyes darting from alien to alien.

Torin blinks as he gets approached and stares down a series of forms blinking down as it turns monkey then back then monkey he hrmms, "Uhmmmm are you hungry maybe...do you like Bananas?" He offers then reaches up and rubs at his head doing as he's told and stepping back, "Ow...hey put those back in order." He half-complains brow furrowing trying to make sense of the various sunsations.

. o O Torin thinks the image and sensation of the banana while saying the word to see if it helps.

. o O Harris thinks "Nua's engaged by one. Jiasha probably won't go without Nua. Casya is too close to usher out without causing too much ruckus."

Whatever it was that the figures might have been about to communicate to Edwards and Casya, they're distracted; their forms begin to shift and swirl as they turn toward Torin. His 'banana' suggestion isn't taken well. All six of the forms begin to crackle and expand; their 'skins' crack and are absorbed back into bodies once more comprised of light.

. o O Jiasha has a surge of overwhelming love, faint confusion, sure this is not the same beings as she had bet before.

"Just great," Harris mutters to himself before taking a knee and pulling out his tricorder.

Jiasha looks over her shoulder, she comes to squat down beside Nua, bow a few paces away. She does not crowd her or Tull. Frowning thoughtfully and pondering the child.

The pair of Bynars move back even more, now just outside of the entrance, but with their heads peeking in.

. o O Harris' nervousness ramps up a notch. This does not bode well.

Savarna takes her arm away from Nua to let Jiasha get closer, finally standing now, looking anxiously to the being closest to her. "It isn't inequality, if done with love. It's...affection. Care. You give them everything they need, you love them, and they grow and flourish. Seeing them grow is what you do it for. Please, don't be angry. Not everyone sees things so clearly."

Edwards tenses at the unusual behavior from the aliens. He shoots a look in Torin's direction and hisses through clenched teeth. "Cut it out and apologize, Cadet."

Casya ohs softly, nodding slowly as she looks from 'Bela' to 'Janice' and back again. "How do they /know/?" she asks Edwards in an undertone. She gasps and takes a hasty step back when they turn toward Torin, becoming figures of light once more. "Cadet Torin, what did you /do/?" she asks, since she wasn't exactly paying attention to him when he made his banana comment.

When the aliens return to their bodies of light, Takamura halts his advance and takes a step back.

Torin gets that look of, 'OOPS' on his face and gulps, "Mmm that seals it, I'm not good with people...even light ones." He takes several more steps back, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend ya." He adds quickly voice growing in pitch, "Someone said they were unhappy I thought they might be hungry! I'm always hungry when I'm unhappy." He gulps, "I was just trying to help!" He offers sheepishly backpedaling worriedly.

The beings turn their attention to the Bolian, now, as a whole. Their attention snaps to her, it should be said, and then they simply... dissipate, pouring out toward the entrance of the Garden as a roiling, glowing smoke.

Nua looks as if she might cry. She darts closer to the crackling light, red-faced and upset, "Don't g-gooooooo." she wails.

The Bynars flee.

Savarna frowns at something; it's a look of definite look of consternation, as she turns towards Torin, and asks, "Are you keeping a _sentient_ as a _pet_?"

Both of Harris' eyebrows perk as he realizes they're headed mostly in his direction. He takes a note from the Bynars and dodges to the right... all the while tapping at his communicator in hopes that he can get a signal to someone.

"Oh hell." Edwards adds a few more choice swear words under his breath as he spins on his heel and moves to chase the light. That shouldn't be at all impossible. "Wait! Can't we all get along!?"

As the beings begin to head deeper into the station, Takamura swiftly follows after them to make sure they don't do any harm.

. o O Takamura thinks "I don't know what they are, but I'm going to do my best to make sure we find out."

Casya frowns at the dissipating light-forms, her gaze following them as they move out of the garden. "I don't think they mean any harm, Michael..." she tells Edwards as she follows, as quickly as her child-heavy form can manage.

The beings flicker out of the Garden and through the station. It takes only a second, and then they return. With Zephram, riding on a cloud of light. Before anyone can even actually /leave,/ they return, depositing the monkey next to the fleeing Bynars and remaining themselves in light-smoke-air-form.

"Banana?" This is Zephram, speaking. "Banan... I sound like an idiot. Now, then."

. o O Savarna thinks "Is it bad to wish you could hatch a second time and follow light creatures across the galaxy? Yes, probably. There would be no one to feed my fish. And Tresh would miss me."

Torin blinks at Savarna and mms, "As a pet? Well he's really more of a roomate, and I mean he's a monkey. He's kinda sentient, he can be trained but he's not like...sentient sentient." He offers biting his lip then as he notes the way the creature goes, "Oh...ohhh no....oh no. Wait! Wait don't go that way I'm so...ar..erhmmm. Hey Zephram you wa...." He blinks several times, "Did Zephram just talk?"

. o O Zephram's mind is uncurling, opening up. New things are happening. Thoughts.

Harris blinks as the beings return at impossible speeds, and with a talking monkey to boot. He takes a breath, then points the tricorder back in their general direction. Maybe this will all make sense to some science type later on.

Savarna nods. "The monkey spoke," she says, calmly. "I believe you have been misinformed." She offers Zephram a shallow bow. "Hello."

Edwards skids to a halt, unable to get anywhere, and wheels back around. "Did this just turn into a bad holonovel?" he asks, staring at the monkey. "It's not gonna try and kill us now, is it?"

Casya peeks out from behind Edwards, jaw agape as she stares at the talking monkey. "Yes. Yes it did." she answers him quietly, slowly backpedaling. Just in case.

Zephram brushes a paw down his chest. "Kill you, Commander? Highly unlikely. I haven't got the slighest desire to kill anyone." He peers up at Torin, his expression distinctly peeved. "No, it was your imagination. I'm certainly not /sentient/ sentient."

Light-smoke curls away from the monkey, now, and swirls around Nua. It returns to her, wraps around her like a stole.

"Meg is not going to believe this," Rob whispers as he watches the tricorder with one eye and the monkey with the other.

. o O Zephram is annoyed. Bananas, indeed!

Takamura's pursuit ceases as the beings quickly return with the monkey. He blinks as Zephram speaks, and then his attention is drawn to the forms curling around Nua's neck. He watches with some concern on his face.

Nua is, or was, crying. Stomping her feet with the unfairness of it all, begging that they should not leave until she seems quite suddenly assauged. Hiccuping her cries to a hault, eyes wide and bright with recent tears. She sniffles, small and button-nosed, curls her chin down in the light and the smoke. Jiasha wrinkles her eyebrows.

. o O Jiasha is taken with a heartbeat of concern. She is protective of the little one, but there is an elemental trust, or at least.. acceptance, of the beings. She saw something similar anyway, shares the same sort of memories as Nua about the light and the peace. A sort of acceptance that she is safe, coupled with a boiling pit in her belly of feirce love, a similar fear that she would be taken.

. o O Takamura thinks "They better not do anything to hurt Nua. Though, she looks comforted by their presence."

Torin continues to blink, "Mmm...well then, doesn't that trump all. I always knew you were too bright for my own good. No offense there intended Zephram. I just hardly imagined, well this is a bit of a mmm surprise. Uhmm, how did you learn to talk? I take it has to do with the new...mmm friends?" He asks the monkey curiously hopefully.

Casya really isn't sure quite where to look, now. Her gaze slides from the talking monkey(!) to the smoke-shrouded Nua, and back again. "Mike isn't going to believe me when I tell him about this. He'll think I'm hallucinating and send me to the infirmary."

. o O Torin thinks "Maybe I /didn't/ doom us all."

Harris lifts his gaze fully to the exchange between the monkey and Torin, eyes darting back and forth between the two.

Edwards just throws his hands up. "I'm... at a complete loss here." He drops his hands back down. "This has to be the most bizarre thing I've witnesses here, and that's /really/ saying something."

. o O Harris thinks "It is... bizarre."

. o O Harris can't decide whether he wants to laugh or keep watching in spellbound silence. Always in the background, though, is a sense of relief that he's never been mean to lil' Zeppy.

"Yes, of course, I can be trained to follow commands, which, I may note, no one seems to have been able to successfully do to /you,/ so I can only imagine what level you exist on, my 'roommate.' No one taught me to talk. They just unlocked my brain, naturally." Zephram smacks his simian lips together and scoots across the floor toward Edwards. "Commander, as a sentient being, I would like to request asylum and access to legal counsel. Also, if I could get a scotch on the rocks, I'm given to understand that's an appropriately intellectual drink."

The still silent Takamura's brows shoot up at Zephram's explanation and requests. He then glances over to Edwards to see what his response will be.

Edwards looks around at everyone, unsure. "Uhhh, okay?" He looks back, and down, toward Zephram. "Yeah, sure, why not?" He still doesn't look certain about this. "Harris?"

Casya finds a nearby bench to sit on and drops onto it heavily. "This is just.... too much." she mutters. "Maybe I -am- hallucinating. Did anyone else just hear the monkey ask for asylum? And a drink? /I/ could sure use a drink. In fact, once the twins are born, I'm fairly sure I'm going to have an overwhelming urge to drink the Neutral Zone dry."

Zephram raises one simian eyebrow very slowly. "And they let /you/ wear /three/ pips? I see. Well, in that case, with that all out of the way, perhaps I could receive my own quarters and access to standard civilian legal data? I am certain there must be a precedent in establishing citizenship for the newly sentient. After all, you /are/ the Federation, yes?" He scratches his chest. "And I suppose you'll want me to wear pants."

Harris clears his throat, turning his eyes back to the tricorder before him.

. o O Harris thinks "When I get home, I think I'm going to laugh all night."

Torin coughs, "I...I, ehmm. Oh...well. I guess." He hrmms, "So...mmm what exactly happened to you?" He pauses, "You have some clothes, mostly stuff Meg made for you. I think there a monkey sui....erhh some dress pants your size and some holiday getup." He offers as he stands and scratches his head. "Hey....now that you can talk you aren't going to tell everyone all the things I've told you...are you?" He looks sheppishly worried.

. o O Takamura thinks "I think I'm starting to like this monkey."

Nua can't help but giggle. She finds Zephram just as charming as when he plays with Mauno as compatriots. She pipes in, helpfully (where she wears no pips at all, "I can make you pants, my Mommy taught me! Or you could wear Mauno's too small pants. He is fat. But that's because he's a baby." Monkeys are talking? Neat. This is just one more thing Nua -knows- now. It all makes sense.

Takamura clears his throat, covering his mouth as he suppresses a chuckle. At Torin's comments, Tak rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Then, he grins at Nua's words.

"Hey! Damn sarcastic..." Edwards trails off, grumbling. At least that snapped him out of his bewilderment. "Someone get him some pants!" He looks around at everyone that's assembled. "And give him a place to stay, Harris." He peers over at Casya. "This is very real. Very."

"Yes, sir." Harris pauses, then turns his attention to Zephram. "I'll... get right on that."

Zephram knuckles his way over toward Nua, raising a paw to brush some hair out of her face. "They like you as much as they do me," he muses, tilting his head to the side before turning back to Torin. "I am not some Starfleet Ensign who exists only for the daily gossip, Moroko. Your secret loathings and petty squabbles are safe with me. Even the one about... " and he trails off. "You know. /That/ one." Can monkeys smile wickedly? This one can.

The smoke shifts around Nua; it's veritably /hugging/ her.

"I still want a drink." Casya retorts flatly, staring at Zephram in disbelief. She shakes her head softly, mumbling under her breath. It sounds vaguely like, 'things like this just didn't /happen/ on the Gambit....'

Harris pushes himself to his feet and heads off through the hedge, presumably to find a functional communications grid.

Nua loves Zephram just as much as she always has. She asks him, "Can you mind Mauno and I sometimes now that you talk like a grownup? We can climb around and Mauno will try to walk like you." she converses, amicably. She talks to the monkey -anyway-, why not now? And she seems completely pleased with the sensation, the comfort of the hugging, the monkey, her mother and even Tak nearby. All is well with the world.