Warrior Toes "
By: M'Ressha Mikaht, Fighter Pilot , [RNPC]
Krystal, Hologram, [RNPC]
Maxine Lucinda Tapert, Computer Specialist, [PC]

Stardate: 58205.28 1130

Blitzer watched the large blue planet spinning below them and couldn't help commenting, "that's a beautiful planet. It reminds me of Risa." He glanced at Max out of the corner of his eye, "Have you ever been there?"

"To Risa?" Max turned from the computer readout she'd been watching to look at him and smile a little as she shook her head, answering her own question and his. "No. I don't usually go in for that kind of thing much," she admitted. "I'm generally way out of place, y'know?"

Blitzer felt a bit flustered, "No..uhm, I didn't mean it like that...its uhm, just that Risa is a beautiful planet," he said gesturing toward the front view port, "like...like, this planet."

"Oh..." Maxine blinked and actually *looked* at the planet before them. "M'sorry," she offered quietly. "It's just that... usually I don't pay attention..." she admitted with a soft grunt and a half shrug of a shoulder, almost in apology or embarrassment. "Usually I just pay attention to computers and code..." She glanced sideways at him then. "It is beautiful though..." she indicated Pacifica.

Blitzer swiveled his chair to face Max a little more, he casually observed her diligently working. Her holographic companion had braided her hair up and her scared wrists...he tried to imagine the passion of a 10-year old girl trying to join with her computer. He studied the computer access port barely visible beneath the long locks of red hair.

"Have you ever met a Bynar?" interrupted Blitzer.

Max blinked and stopped what she was doing to turn and look at him. Her eyes cleared from their sightless reflection of the LCARS to focus solely on him. "Nooo...." her tone was rather hushed. "I've always wanted to though... I wanted to be like them when I was little," she admitted. "Have y'ever met one?"

"Yep," he said crossing his stretched out legs and putting his hands behind his head. "I suspect you'd like them, their whole race is dependent on their mainframe computer system. It's their god."

Now that had Krystal making a 'errk?' sound and turning all her attention to Blitz. Computer gods? How totally right was that?

"Oooohhh... You actually *met* them?" Max asked as she reached up to unplug her interface and really give him her total attention. "What were they like?" Her curiosity had her rather animated and scooting closer to him as she sat on the edge of her seat. "Although I don't think I could go with th'whole computer god thing... Too wrong.."

"Yeah, I have met Bynars. I grew up on a UFP space station, many different travelers. The Federation worked out a trade deal with the Bynars in exchange for upgrading the computer core there."

Max and Krystal listened raptly, shifting a little as Blitzer paused to recollect his memories, "They always travel in pairs, One and Zero. They communicated to each other by exchanging raw data." He chuckled, "...and they complete each other's sentence. Sort of like you and Krystal."

"Oh but..." Max tore her gaze from him to look at the hologram who had started preening her wings and looking rather smug. "Don't gloat," Max warned her and turned her attention back to Blitz. "I envy you. I'd love to meet them," she admitted. "Krystal is like.... Talkin' to myself," she told him.

"Only I don't have an accent," Krystal pointed out with a grin.

"Roight," Max glanced at her briefly but then her gaze went right back to Blitz's and the intensity of her focus was almost a tangible thing. "I've never actually talked to anyone that understood binary..."

Blitzer shook his head, "Strange crew they were...."

"Ooohhh.... Tell me everything," Max asked and propped her chin in her hands and elbows on her console as she listened with rapt attention.

"Reportedly, When Admiral Picard was Captain of the Enterprise-D, the Bynars highjacked the ship. They wanted able to transfer their consciousness into the Enterprise's computer core when their sun went nova." He smirked as if he were about to deliver a punchline, "I guess they had to reboot."

He could almost see Max's mind working as it processed that. She was looking at him, but at the moment not really seeing him. Then she blinked and nodded and her eyes focused on him. She smiled. And it was a beautiful sight in its simplicity and the depth it reached in her eyes. "Power surge," she agreed with him about the reboot, her eyes sparkling from the humor of his 'joke'. "How'd they get out?"

"As the story goes, they subverted the Picard and his XO in a very dramatic Holodeck program while they took the ship to their homeworld mainframe. I heard they even transferred their very consciousness into the computer core. When they were discovered, Data, the legendary android himself," Blitzer leaned close to Max, "whom I've also met," he bragged with a smile leaning back, "helped them transfer their homeworld mainframe back to their planet."

Max breathed and her nostrils flared as she caught his scent when he leaned in close. He'd met Data...She could only imagine what that would be like. And helped them... she was awed by the story and it showed in her face and eyes. "I want to go there some day," she confided.

"Very few people have ever set foot on the planet Bynaus," said Blitzer seductively, "It sounds like an adventure to me," he said running his paw through his mane, "I like blinky lights."

"Mmmhmm... I still want to go...." she watched his movements, almost hypnotized by them and that seductive quality to his voice. She looked like she was committing him to memory. In reality she was systematically turning him into code.

Blitzer stood up and stretched with a little bit of a yawn, "I'm going to the galley. Hmm..." he stopped to ponder, "What kind of sandwich was that you made?"

Maxine blinked and sat back as she looked up at him. It took her a moment to process his question and then she was smiling at him as she answered. "Roast beef with 'orseradish, sauerkraut and peanut butter," she told him.

"Can I bring you something? We can have a picnic," he said with a wink.

"M'starved," she admitted with a grin. "I'll eat whatever y'bring."

Blitzer smiled and headed toward the galley. As he went he sang in a deep baritone voice a badly mangled klingon opera:

"Ak'la bella doo-oo-oo-oo... Bella ak'la doo-oo-oo-oo... La suhm ... La suhm... L'kahtra ...La suhm... Ak'la bella doo-oo-oo-oo!"

His voice trailed off...

Max's gaze followed him as he left the flight deck, her brow quirking a bit at his rather proud swagger. The Cait was animated and dramatic, almost marching with his tail swishing back and fourth as he sang. When his garbled Klingon words penetrated past the visual image of him, she blinked and looked over at Krystal with a questioning rise of her brow.

The little pixie's face was scrunched up and her wings fluttered. After a moment she looked at Max and giggled. "His toes are mighty warriors, his enemies pass wind in their mother's vests... or socks... and his children all have rotten teeth..... It's a very proud song," Krystal told her.

"Uuuhhh.... I can hear that," Max finally commented. "He has a nice voice...."

"Uh-huh.... And Warrior toes..." the pixie agreed.

"I'll have to look when he gets back...."

"He might bring you the 'heart of his enemy...."

"To eat?" Max blinked and made a face.

"It's tradition..."

"You're kidding..."

"Maybe he'll bring their toes instead," Krystal suggested.