Lambda Station Docking Interview
Transcribe audio recording with added context.
[RECORDING STARTS]
Officer: Thank you for waiting. Steele Industries requires me to notify you that this conversation will be recorded for quality and training purposes. My name is Officer [Redacted], aboard Lambda Station. The stardate is [Redacted], and your docking here was flagged for suspicious activity. We value your time, and I just have a couple of questions for you before we can get you on your way. Do you understand?
Rinne: Yes.
Officer: Great, then let's begin. Can you state your name and species?
Rinne: My name is Rinne. I am an Avali.
Officer: Avali, huh? We don't get many of those around here.
Rinne: This far away from the Avali-controlled worlds? Yeah, I would imagine not.
Officer: What is your affiliation or position with the crew you were with?
Rinne: I do freelance work. I was hired by this crew to handle the computer and communications systems aboard the vessel.
Officer: That doesn't really sound like a temporary position.
Rinne: It is. Apparently, the last guy quit on short notice, and they found me at Kestrel Station, so I took the position until further notice.
Officer: And how long ago were you at Kestrel Station?
Rinne: Six of your Terran months.
Officer: You've been with them for six months and still consider yourself temporary?
Rinne: They haven't stopped paying me.
Officer: What business do you have here at Lambda Station?
Rinne: Refueling, courier drop-off and pickup, and probably some other odd jobs. Look, you'd have to ask the captain. We do odd jobs; I was hired to run the computers. That's all I really know.
Officer: You'd have access to the manifest if you're the computer guy, right?
Rinne: Yes, but that would require me to care enough to peek at it. I really don't, and I like the plausible deniability that gives me. One thing I've learned in this line of work is not to ask too many questions.
[The officer raises an eyebrow at this response]
Officer: And how long do you plan to remain?
Rinne: Again, that's a question for the captain. My understanding is that we wouldn't be here longer than it takes us to complete our jobs and get any new ones. That could be hours, or it could be days.
Officer: Your vessel has been flagged several times. Do you know why?
Rinne: We move around a lot and pretty erratically? That's my guess. Again, we go where the customer says to.
Officer: We found a few suspicious items on your ship's manifest. Can you attest that all your cargo is properly registered?
Rinne: I cannot make that attestation. You'd have to talk to our cargo supervisor.
Officer: The consequences for unregistered restricted cargo, such as weapons or export-restricted instruments, are substantial.
Rinne: I'm well aware.
Officer: Have you been involved in any incidents at previous ports?
Rinne: Define incidents.
Officer: If I ran your name, would I find records?
[Rinne hesitates.]
Rinne: Yes.
Officer: What would I find?
Rinne: Public intoxication, public indecency.
Officer: Oh...
Rinne: Yeah...
Officer: Moving on, is there anything aboard that station safety needs to know about?
Rinne: Well, clearly, I'm a party animal that needs to be watched.
Officer: We'll keep that in mind. All right, I don't see any red flags... Well, okay, there are numerous red flags, but nothing that makes me think you are an immediate danger to the station, so you're free to go. I do have a few additional questions if you have a moment.
Rinne: You want to know more about Avali, I assume?
Officer: Well, for starters, you don't see many Avali out this way, as we established. Why are you here? You're the only Avali on that crew.
Rinne: That's a... loaded question. Let's just say I'm a bit disillusioned with how the Illuminate are running things, and the independent colonies tend to be run by savages, religious cults, or Luddites. I don't jibe with any of those, so I made my own way in open space and found my way to the Terran colonies—which, given the history Avali have with enslavement, some might find ironic.
Officer: Oh, that's right. I remember reading about that. You don't seem particularly concerned about being here.
Rinne: Should I be?
Officer: Given the history you just mentioned?
Rinne: History doesn't define the future. Besides, humans aren't a hive mind. Avali aren't either, despite what the Nexus makes people think.
Officer: I thought Avali generally stayed with their packs.
Rinne: We generally do.
Officer: And yours is...?
Rinne: Complicated.
Officer: Do Avali normally travel with crews like this? I’ve heard Avali are very social. Is that actually true, or just something people repeat?
Rinne: Usually, yeah. Avali tend to stick with their own, and we're pretty social. I'm just not a great example of the species.
Officer: Are you comfortable in this temperature?
Rinne: I'm fine.
Officer: You sure?
Rinne: My temperature and pressure augments will keep me comfortable enough. The station's not exactly a hospitable environment, but I'll manage. If it becomes an issue, I have a portable life support regulator I can wear.
Officer: Is that equipment standard for your species?
Rinne: Biomods are pretty common for Avali. If anything, I'm lightly modded compared to others. Some people are practically rebuilt. If you're traveling in space regularly, you have biomods. It's not even a question. It's much more split on the homeworld of Avalon.
Officer: What's Avalon like?
Rinne: A frozen wasteland dotted with colonies.
Officer: ...That's it?
Rinne: It's not a place I grew up, so all I know is what's on the Nexus, and it really doesn't look like a vacation destination. I was more concerned with not dying on the independent colony I grew up on.
Officer: So what do you actually do when you're not maintaining the ship?
Rinne: Drink, apparently.
Officer: I walked into that one.
Rinne: You really did.
Officer: All right, serious answer. What do you actually enjoy doing?
Rinne: Tinkering. Acquiring new tech. Finding somewhere quiet where nobody needs anything from me for five minutes.
[END OF RECORDING]