A Warm Dalacari Welcome

Posted on Sat Mar 27th, 2021 @ 3:12pm by Commander Ichiko Gail & Captain Abigail Laurens

Their entry into Dalacar space had gone exactly as Ichiko had predicted. Moments after they had arrived, they were greeted by a Dalacari Scout Fighter, a craft too small to house any crew. The design was beautiful in its simplicity. It was built around a basic ring design, with maneuvering thrusters and small weapon systems built around a central ring structure, which presumably housed the impulse thrusters along with the warp systems an a simple reactor system.

Minutes later the Astraea was joined by two escort vessels: One of them was sleek and colorful. A tapered hull design with nacelles built within the primary hull rather than left outside to chance. Dashing and bold, the design spoke of an understanding of aerodynamics and astrodynamics. The other was more intimidating in design, and favored darker colors in blue or purple or grey. The nacelles for this design were external, like most, though they were on extended pylons that withdrew closer to the ship to make for a smaller profile. The first ship was an explorer, a curious ship that wanted to see the next horizon... this second ship was the guardian. A military design designed to make sure that wherever the explorer went, it returned alive.

The journey to the planet proper was a little more than Eighty minutes, then, finally, the escorts peeled away and the Astraea had arrived at a lovely little world, full of blues and greens with a moon high in its orbital and a second further out. Also in orbit was a space station, which looked like something of a crescent moon with a ring set about it just off middle. Various unmanned craft zipped about to and fro. Some stayed in orbit, while others made the trek into the atmosphere towards destinations on the surface. Structures and cityscapes could be seen on the surface.

(Sensor Readings: Standard M-Class world. Gravity at 1.33g with pockets of 1.0g. Planetary population of 4.8 billion with about half that many autonomous drones detected as well. Incoming Hail from the station)

Rather than the immediate visual of the station administrator, the first thing to greet the travelers to the sector was a pleasant three-tone musical cue. Followed by the appearance of the station administrator, a white-and-blue furred Dalacari female and an attendant drone, who had a decidedly military edge to its design.

"I'm Administrator Neema Goto, and I welcome you travelers to Ibrix station, jewel of the Dalacari Republic. We've done everything we can to ensure comfort for your..."

"... stay, and on behalf of all I hope you enjoy your stay. Those of your crew who are not attenting the negotiations will be welcomed at the Shoreline Talia villa, sitting on the coast. It should have most if not all of the ammenities for relaxation, and we've adjusted the local..."

"... gravity in a thirty mile radius of the villa to a more comfortable Earth standard for your stay. Areas outside this radius will, of course, be clearly marked for your..."

"... safety. As for the Astraea itself, you're cleared to dock at port thirty seven. There will be a drone sent to escort you presently."

"Thank you Administrator," Abigail replied calmly. "We appreciate your hospitality."

"I look forward to meeting you. Station out." and the screen returned to the breathtaking view of Dalacar, and Ibrix station. Pound for pound, Ibrix station was slightly larger than most Starfleet starbases, but then again, it was full of Dalacari. Each one needing twice the space of any Starfleet officer. Sleek Dalacari craft docked around the ring, while some of the smaller ones were docked within the structure. Zipping about were hundreds of drone craft, either checking security or aiding in external maintenance and repairs. Everything was clockwork.

"Begin docking procedure." Abigail ordered calmly. "Proceed carefully."

"Aye, ma'am."

The entire docking process ran smoothly, much smoother than Shaille would have anticipated. Once the ship was securely docked, there was little else left to do except wait until they were able to depart to the station.

The docking access for the Dalacari station told the story of the difference in design aesthetic the moment the crew made the walk over. Rounded corners, wide open internal design, and a soft light green in hue along the walls. Somewhere between sea green and mint, really. Roaming around performing various tasks were a cadre of drones. Upright and bipedal in design, some where hauling cargo on repulsor sleds, while others were moping the floor. Some were in transit to other locations, while others were scanning the interior of the station for, well, who knows what their tasks were...

Meeting Abigail and Ichiko at the docking access was a lone drone. Bipedal, with a white-and-gold chassis and a broad head with a singular optic that lit up and flickered as it spoke. "Greetings travelers. This platform is designate Ess Cee Thirty Eight Ninty Four Delta. Assigned the temporary designation of Delta Four. You are greeting in welcoming and friendship, and this platform is tasked to escort you to Administrator Neema presently. This platform can answer questions about the station and the world below to a limited degree on our way over. Are you prepared to be escorted now?" it asked. The voice was a rather advanced synthetic modulation of a voice, but was obviously artificial."

Abigail glanced at Ichiko, eyebrow raised slightly. "You weren't wrong, the technology is definitely impressive," she said quietly before turning back to address the drone. "Of Course Ess Cee Thirty Eight Ninty Four Delta. We await your guidance."

The drone's motions were smooth and frighteningly humanoid as it led the group through the halls of the Dalacari station. There were other drones about, some the same coloration as the guide who were undoubtedly on tasks while others had a darker matte coloration with less gold trim. Those drones were visibly armed, and were obviously on patrols. There were a few Dalacari on duty, who paid the group some mind as they passed by. Some even ventured to offer the sign of a universal greeting: A wave. The hallways were well illuminated, with rounded edges to all the corners and intersections. Bright green illuminated track lights were in the extreme edges of each hallway that the drone led them down, while side hallways had blue track lighting instead.

As they moved through the station, the drone continued to speak. "Dalacari starbases are built for service and comfort, with the safety of the crew and their guests placed as an alpha priority. In preparation for your arrival, to ensure your safety and comfort, the rounds of the local security forces have been increased, and to aid in comfort, the local gravity for this portion of the station and for every portion of the station you are expected to interact with has been reduced to a setting more in line with your requirements and expectations." the drone toned out, its synthetic voice the poster child of patience.

The tour led to a set of double office doors, and the announcer chime sounded even before the tour guide drone had finished approaching. The doors irised open as the group approached, leading into a spacious office. Like most of the station, the color scheme was a soft white, with high curved ceilings and rounded edges to just about everything. The station administrator's desk, the chairs, even the table itself was rounded. The chairs were wide, designed to fit two by a race that always needed a little extra room, while the table itself was almost a piece of art itself. Round, shiny and chrome, with intricate designs and curves in the surface yet to the touch it would still feel perfectly flat.

"Welcome travelers." the administrator greeted as she rose from behind her desk. "As you no doubt have guessed, my name is Neema Goto, and I'm the administrator of this station." she greeted.

"On behalf of the Republic, and the spirit of peace, I welcome you all." she came from behind her desk, each half walking behind the other, and she stood before the group and offered a pleasant smile (no teeth), and offered one of her hands out to the group.

Abigail stepped forward, taking the offered hand and smiling in return. "Administrator Neema, we thank you for the warm welcome. It is an honour to be invited into your home."

That brought a smile to each of Neema's faces. "I'm very much delighted to hear it. So, to keep you here as short a time as possible, I've prepared a Datatab with all the usual information. Tourist traps, relaxation centers..."

"... rules and regulations, standard warnings." one continued while the other handed Ichiko the Dalacari equivalent to a PaDD. It was slightly thicker than a Federation PaDD, but the entirety of it was a touchscreen. Context sensitive motions and menus appeared with each screen. "I've loaded a map of the designated visitor region, along with popular attractions and local events."

"Just a word of caution. Dalacar has a gravity slightly higher than what Federation standard views as, well, standard." she informed. "We've adjusted the local gravity in the..."

"... region and informed the residents and shops in that area of the shift. They've had plenty of time to adjust so there should be no discomfort for any party..."

"... involved. A long stretch of shoreline has been included in the visitor area but be advised, shore diving may be difficult due to the differences in specific densities." she paused, and gave a smirk each, "In other words, you'll float. Easily."

"If there are no further questions, we can return you to your vessel and prepare to transmat your crew to the visitor's center immediately so they can begin their vacation...

"... while final preparations are made for your negotiations." she seemed very pleased that, of all the worlds in the Delta quadrant, Dalacar was chosen.

Abigail glanced at Ichiko, unable to hide the surprise on her face. Clearly, when it came to efficiency, the Federation could learn a thing or ten from the Dalacari. "Of course," she said with a soft smile. "Again, we thank you for your warm welcome, I'm sure my crew are very much looking forward to spending time exploring your world and enjoying your hospitality."

A pair of nods and another pair of smiles followed. "I'll arrange for Tee Eee Thirteen to send over an infopacket about the negotiations as soon as the information is available, I expect...

"...it to be finalized any moment now. Ess Cee Thirty Eight Ninty Four Delta will now escort you back to your vessel. And again, welcome to Dalacar Captain."