Menagerie
Posted on Sat May 2nd, 2020 @ 7:11pm by Petty Officer 1st Class Tonag Jov & Lieutenant Day Smith & Lieutenant JG T'Pel
Edited on on Sun Sep 6th, 2020 @ 7:06pm
1,516 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Diplomacy by any means necessary.
Location: USS Valiant Shuttle bay
Timeline: MD003 09:00
Curtis sat in Valiant’s command chair, his attention still on the main viewer which displays the comet they were pacing. The day had started out with promise and he’d been very happy that they’d found something the Captain and chief Science officer could science over.
Now he gave stray thoughts to retiring.
Sighing, he looked at Valiant’s bridge team and said, “Well, there’s nothing like adding a few degree’s of difficulty, is there?”
It was a rhetorical question and he didn’t really expect an answer, though a slight uncomfortable feeling began to settle onto the bridge, following his mood. After a few beats, he scrubbed a hand through his blonde hair and said, “Right, well we’d better get to it.”
“Lieutenant Day,” he started without preamble. “We’ll need to find someplace to house up to, what did Mishka say? Forty life forms on the smallish size, but still. That amount will put a bit more strain on life support. Not to mention we’ll need to keep them from being seriously underfoot so containment, of some sort. I’m guessing the captain was thinking of using one of the shuttle bays.”
Glancing around, he scratched his head and said, “I’m putting you, JG T’Pel and…Crewman Stone from Medical on this.”
The XO grinned then, “And no. We can’t put them in the same bay as the Ambassador. The man’s going to have an apoplectic fit as it is when he finds out…
Day looked over and gave a nod, it had been odd to divert their attention as they did. The Ambassador didn't seem like the kind of person that took kindly to unscheduled delays, "Aye sir, I think we can safely house them in the number three shuttle bay. We would need an hour or so to set up the containment protocols and the quarantine parameter." She then shifted her look around the bridge, "for their protection as well as ours." it was an unknown lifeform after all.
Curtis yawned as he made his way down he ladder and through the short corridor to Valiant’s shuttle bay.
This day kept getting longer and longer…
T'Pel was in the shuttle bay as she was running inventory to move from this bay to a secondary location. Her initial thoughts was to store the excess in torpedo control, but the amount of supplies made that haphazard. So, she began prepping unneeded supplies for replimatic breakdown. The needed materials would be stored in shuttle compartments.
T'Pel heard the sounds of boots on the ladder near her and looked up to see the First Officer entering, "Commander," she acknowledged him and returned to her PADD which was controlling the portable cargo lift near that was separating her essentials from non-essentials.
"How is it progressing Lieutenant?" Day asked her Vulcan assistant chief. She looked around the bay and could tell that they were about halfway there. Forty creatures, however small, was always going to put a strain on the Valiant's already strained energy infrastructure, "I was thinking we could use the shuttle their power core to supplement the environmental controls." She offered a PADD with the proposed schematics to the operations officer.
"We are going to loss approximately 47.5% of the bay's supplies and storage to replicator refuse. Our modifications for the Ambassador has severely limited our ability to store in other parts of the ship. However, it is an acceptable loss," she told Day.
Taking the PADD handed to her she reviewed and nodded in agreement, "This will remove any strain on internal ship power if we can chain their power sources through the ODN relays. We can have Engineering install power regulators to ensure of no power overloads," she said handing the schematics back to the Chief.
Curtis let the Operations officer talk as he looked round the bay. He moved over to one of the access hatches, knelt, and tugged at the panel. It had been secured but he peered through the vents for a moment then broke into their conversation, "Break into the intruder protocols and activate the first force fields in all of the crawl space accesses leading from the bay."
Standing, he dusted his hands off, "Depending on what the Captain decides, we may have to beam over some of the organic material and the like directly into the bay to provide them with an environment they're used to." Seeing their looks, he spread his hands "I don't science. I'm just trying to anticipate what the Captain and Commander Ral might think is necessary. If we'd had a holodeck, I'd have put them there...."
T'Pel raised an eyebrow at the First Officer, "Damaging the intruder protocols would be negligent of a Starfleet officer," she said taking his phrasing literally, "We could activate intruder protocols on the surroundings accesses, Commander," she said re-phrasing his statement.
Curtis met the vulcan's look and nodded. "Indeed. I should have phrased that better, but yes. That was the gist of what I said. We won't instal phaser turrets unless things get really out of hand with the little darlings," he said, his tone deadpan.
T'Pel was equally stone faced, "Commander, if you continue to suggest damaging systems or to terminate sentient life once on board, I will have to document your comments and actions to the Captain," she said to him. His sarcasm or attempt at humor not at all registering with the Vulcan woman.
Grinning openly, Curtis said "Oh, please do Lieutenant. I could use a couple of weeks on the beach." Glancing around, he wondered idly, "I wonder if the clotting things fly..." Scratching his head, he glanced around again then asked, "Anyway, it sounds like you two have things mostly to hand. Need anything?"
"Just some EPS fluid, sir, if you would be so kind as to get it from storage for us." Day had noticed that the XO had tried some cynical humour with her and her assistant. She was hoping she could pull one on him, since there was, of course, no such thing as EPS fluid. It had been a very awkward interacting between her and the quartermaster on her first day out of the academy. She still didn't see the appeal, but the other crew had insisted it had been a good practical joke.
"EPS fluid?" Curtis queried with a glance between the two women. "Alright, I'll go see what I can find."
T'Pel raised an eyebrow at Day, but then just looked to her PADD. She was warned that humans used certain types of humor as part of the camaraderie. It was a difficult concept to understand why one would make another foolish, but she paid it no concern as she programmed the storage lift to take supplies to reclamation.
Day gave an awkward wink to T'Pel as the XO left on a quest to find EPS fluid. Though it was meant as a joke she was slowly starting to get a sense of dread over the whole interaction. What if he wouldn't find it funny? She'd be back in San Fransisco in no time, in her advisory role, in her small white room if they hadn't reassigned it to someone else already. She almost considered running after him, but it was too late now. She gave a nervous smile towards the Vulcan assistant, "Do you think he can appreciate the joke, Lieutenant?"
"Humor, it is a difficult concept," was all T'Pel could say, "I do not understand the lack of efficiency suggested by the Commander. If your request for an imaginary substance is somehow a necessary diversion from duty. I will assume he will be...not negative." was the best way she could put it. "Vulcans do not lower themselves to such frivolity on their starships."
Petty Officer Jov, who had been sealing refueling hardware behind paneling, glanced over and cleared his throat. "Excuse me ma'am," the Tellarite said politely. "EPS fluid...won't he need a left handed spanner to open that with?" The crewman's face was straight, but his eyes had humor in them, indicating he'd heard the joke before.
Day smiled, she had been familiar with the left handed spanner one as well, "before replicators there was a significant difference between left and right handed people when it came to the prevalence of workplace incidents." she didn't really know why she commented that.
Jov took a rag from his kit and wiped at his brow, glancing around the bay as if measuring and said, "Not so surprising. Some races, even some cultural differences within some races, have or had several taboo's about the use of a hand or appendage for various uses, while some could be down right insulting to others. For instance, never hold out your pinkie while drinking tea on Tellar...it's a sign that you are in the mood for intimate company..."
"Noted" Day commented dryly before returning her attention to the matter at hand.
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