Lower Decks

Posted on Sun Dec 13th, 2020 @ 7:00am by Vice-Consul Josephine Carlyle-Cragen & Lieutenant JG Nerinath zh'Rhilror [Lalor] & Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant JG Ryan Kade III & Ensign Andrew Carey & Lieutenant M'Tuuri Sh'iss [S'hib] & Lieutenant JG Louis Bordeaux ( Barclay de Tolly ) & Lieutenant JG Joral Bin. ( Barclay de Tolly ) & Lieutenant JG Paulie O'Rourke ( Barclay de Tolly )

Mission: Season 4: Episode 3: Guided by Starlight
Location: Crew Mess - Deck 27
Timeline: Current
Tags: .
2422 words - 4.8 OF Standard Post Measure

IC

Ryan Hamilton looked at the Andorian helmswoman, the captain had sent him to assist. "Really?" he asked cooly.

Nerinath turned and looked him dead in the eye. "Yes. And Captain Lalor said you had to help. So help Hamilton or scurry back to her and tell her you couldn't cut it." The Andorian smirked at him.

He glared and sent out the invitation to the list of crew Nerinath had selected, inviting them to join her in the Crew Mess on deck 27 for dinner and conversation. He did note however that his name was among the invitee's.

Miraj was the first of the other invitees to the Crew Mess that evening. She'd been aboard a few months now, but still didn't feel like she'd made any friends beyond S'hib. It wasn't something that she seemed to get the knack of. So she was going to try again tonight. Persistance was key in any endeavor. Getting to know people was no different, with the added bonus of it being fun too.

"Hi Neri!" she called out as the doors opened. "Am I early?"

"Miraj! Right on time!" The Andorian called back

M'Tuuri slinked into the room, furred lips firmly planted against the rim of a small mug of coffee as she glanced about, she despised these team-building exercises, finding them a chore to endure. "I need something stronger than this..." She sighed to herself, realising she had arrived earlier than most.

Ryan Kade stepped inside and saw there were others in the mess. He waved or nodded to those he recognized- Andrew, Miraj, T'Kek, and Nerinath- then found somewhere to sit.

Josephine entered a few minutes later looking around as she did so. "Neri" she said to the Andorian. "Thank you for the invite."

"No worries, it is a good thing to meet different people!" The Andorian bubbled.

Engineers Lt. Joral Bin and Ensign Louis Bordeaux walked in. "My wife isn't here yet," Joral says looking around."

"I found not have one," Louis replied. "I will make sure you do not get into trouble. Seems we are the first Engineers here."

"Appears that way," Joral says as he looks around. "I have been here for five months and this is the first time I socialized."

"Marriage would do that," Louis says smiling at some of the single women. "I see Nevada over there. I have a bottle of real whiskey to give to Nevada. Talk to you later Joral."

"Later," Joral smiled when he sees his wife Ensign Adelaide Tigan walk in. "Adelaide, glad you could come."

"So am I," Adelaide replies, "Amelia is having a study session with Lara and Alec."

Louis walks up to the bar as he placed a bottle of authentic whiskey. "Everyone help yourself to some real whiskey."

Andy walked in, he thought this might get him something of a social circle that apparently was needed, so here he was. "Hello everyone... I wasn't informed of the nature of this meeting... on duty off duty, professional, casual." He asked, in case it was professional, he kept his uniform on, whereas he usually got into something easier which was usually something casual." Upon seeing the bottle of whiskey being passed to another officer. "Casual it is."

Miraj started passing dishes Neri brought from the replicator down the table. It all smelt good. "How are you all? I don't think I know everyone here?"

"I'm alright," Ryan replied, both to the whiskey and to Miraj's question, "I've started building a Defiant Class." He casually referred to his model ship-building hobby, "got nine hundred pieces to go."

"Not tempted to try carving it from scratch?" She asked, referring to the model of Elysium he had made for her.

Ryan looked a little sheepish, having slightly forgotten about the wood-carved gifts he'd made for his coworkers. "No," He admitted as a hand reached for the nape of his neck, "I'm not very good at that, it was just... you know... a side project. I'll need a lot more practice."

"Well, you're better than I'll ever be." She asured him. Even trying would be likely to end up in blood on the carpet and a trip to sickbay.

Suave and debonair but at times still needing more life experiences Ensign Napoleon Bond, the new Communications Specialist and Software Engineer walked in. He was just transferred from the USS Izar having serving there just a few months graduating the Academy. He recognized a few from the Academy but never knowing them personally. Finally he sees Louis taking shots of whiskey. "Louis Bordeaux.'

Louis turns around. "Ah Louis Bordeaux. I have not seen you since had that fight in a San Francisco Sports Ball."

Louis pours Napoleon a couple shots of whiskey. "Let's toast to beautiful women. May we always cherish them."

Napoleon takes the first shot, "Salute."

"Salute," Napoleon replied.

“How very cute,” M’Tuuri interjected as her clawed digits snatched the shot from Napoleon. “But you’re a little young to be drinking this.” She grinned, her pearly white fangs on display as she poured the liquor into her mug of coffee.

Napoleon gave the attractive Caitain a charming smile. "I am Napoleon. Just came on the ship today. Besides get togethers, what do you do for fun?"

“What is this fun, you sssspeak of?” She remarked with a roll of her bright and colourful eyes, retreating back to the comfort of her alcohol laced coffee.

"That is why I am asking," Napoleon says, "Do you have card games or go into holodecks or do plays or what?"

"No," She purred before taking a long sip, simply staring at the man with her narrow black slits. "I'm very boring..."

Andy couldn't help but overhear about the two brunettes. "Two? I have yet to take home one." Andy admitted as he grabbed a glass a wine from the replicator. "What's the secret?"

Louis replies to Andy, "I did twice. Just keep eye contact with them. If they seem interested, their eyes will betray them."

“Ah, but can you read a cats?” She asked, silently gliding between the gathering of men, focusing her narrow black slits on Louis.

Louis felt like he had something stuck in his throat. Finally breathing Louis, "Cats yes. Caitian women. That is a mystery. Maybe one day I can explore that mystery."

Lt. Junior Grade Paulie O'Rourke walked in with his wife. He was the Engineer in charge of the Gamma Shift which would start in a few hours.

Andy noticed the pair walking in. "Well Boordeaux, you will have to teach me sometimes." he took a drink of wine.

"Well the secret is where is the lady in her life," Bordeaux says looking at the Engineer and his wife. "Those two met at the Academy. He was a Junior and she was a Freshman. After he graduated, she finds out she was in over her head in Engineering. So she needed a man who wanted adventure and who will have a steady job. So she drops out of the Academy and they get married. Tonya King is the same way, she is always looking for a man to marry. She falls in love so easy. Now some women, they want the social life and they probably are not ready to settle down and have children. So the question is, what kind of a lady do you want."

"You make it sound so complicated for the poor man," M'Tuuri remarked, her curved feline lips smirking wide to reveal the tips of her fangs. "If you really want to find a woman, no matter what kind you should talk less he does, and listen more..." She replied to Andy while growling and slinking around Bordeaux like a snake, rubbing her hip against his before silently marching off towards a girl with pink hair, her tail untwining from his ankle, flicked up and twitched as she did so.

"Wowzers," Bordeaux felt euphoric, "Now that is a lady Andy. Look how well groom she is as well."

"You do have a point there." Andy replied, "I have met Tonya. Down on the beach, and before the elysium arrived at the starbase. She seems like a great person, nice talkative, willing to be make friends with the newbie on the ship"

Napoleon sat at a table by himself as he was observing the crew smiling. On the USS Izar, the crew in the short time he was on the ship did not have a lower decks gathering specifically for this. They just gathered at the Forward Lounge. Sipping cognac he admired the views.

Andy cleared his throat. "So, any idea what the next mission entails for us. I know I will be in the armoury making sure the weapons are working."

"We are doing escort duty," Louis replied. "Just stay on alert if any body shows up who is not suppose to show up."

"Come join me in some cognac", Napoleon suggests.

Miraj passed a bowl of roasted root vegetables she didn't recognise down the table where the others were dining. "So, which was worse?" She asked Josephine, "The other universe, or 17th Century England?"

"Tough choice. But Mirror Universe wins. At least in England I could pretend to be totally devout and hide myself away." Josie said with a smile.

"The Mirror universe was bad" Nerinath added. "I think we should avoid that again."

"no arguments here," Miraj agreed. "At least escorting an religious cult shouldn't cause to many problems. Nice and dull will make a pleasant change."

"Oh then you missed hearing about what happened the last time Elysium had been given escort duty?" Neri asked

"Last time there was an escort Duty?" He asked as he agreed to the cognac. He thought about a mirror universe him. "Should I double time the Armoury?"

"Yes," Miraj agreed, "That sounds ominous."

“Ominoussss?” M’Tuuri hissed as she sat down next to Miraj, leaning so close that her whiskers flicked over the young ensigns fair skin. “You make it sound like the Elysium is sssome great pregnant whale... drifting slowly through the void with labour purrains, surrounded by purredators on all sssides.” She purred, grinning to herself as she watched the pink haired ensigns eyes

Miraj made a little harrumphing noise. "My ship is not a whale. She's stately." She wrinkled her nose. "Though apparently a bit prone to... interesting times." She wrinkled her nose again, and then sneezed.

"Your sssship? Ensign?" M'Tuuri grinned, flashing her fangs at Miraj. "Ssshould I tell the Capurrtain, or does ssshe already know?"

Neri grinned. "The last time the Elysium had escort Duty, the Captain was the chief of Operations and a Lieutenant to boot. They got sucked into some sort of wormhole that flung them into the Andromeda Galaxy. When they got back nearly 7 months later, the ship had lost its CO, its XO and the then Chief of Operations was a Lt Commander and in command."

"Wow," Louis said, "Seven months. That is amazing. How did the CO and XO die?"

"Well the XO tried to commit mutiny it is said and was killed by the Admiral who was the CO, and the CO stayed behind in Andromeda as part of the payment for their return." Neri replied. "He gave command to Captain Lalor and the Admiralty confirmed it. She was 25 when that happened."

"Her age is rrrather irrelevant when you look at her filesss, espurrcially the ones not on record..." M'Tuuri hummed, idly licking at her paw before rubbing it under her eye.

"How much could be off record?" Miraj wondered. "She's only - achoo!" Miraj sneeze, short and sharp, made her whole body tense. Then she had to get up to look for a handkerchief and some hand cleaner. "Sorry!"

"Is everything ok?" M'Tuuri purred, her head tracking Miraj with an intrigued fascination.

"Yes, Ma'am." Miraj slipped back in her seat, dabbing at her nose. "I'm fine."

"Some are gifted," Lt. JG. Joral Bin who had been quiet for awhile. "It is all in aptitude. Like on the Enterprise, Wesley Crusher was gifted. The Captain must be gifted as well and the Federation saw she was able to rise to the top. "Like you said M'Turri said, age is irrelevant. You have some Lieutenants who are nearing retirement age while have Admirals in their thirties. Everyone have choices to make in life. Right now my choice is to be a good Officer and a great husband and father."

"I want to make the test pilots program," Miraj offered. "I just need a few hundred more hours at con. I reckon I'll have them in 18 months, then I can try out." She looked around the table. "What plans do you all have?"

"Piloting is so cool," Joral said, "I tried at the Academy in the simulators but messed up. My instructor told me to stick to Engineering."

Andy chose to remain quiet at the moment, and focused on his eating, contemplating his next move after this. He had just got off duty, but after hearing about last escort mission, he decided to return to the armoury to continue the recalibrating.

"Well," Miraj said to joral, "That's the problem I think. Simulators are terrible for learning how to fly. You need to do it in an actual shuttle where you can feel the pull an push of the engines and the inertia. Its a totally different experience. Let me know when you've got a few hours, I'll have you flying in no time."

Adelaide Tigan, Joral's wife says to Joral, "You should take her up on her offer. Only way you can advance is to learn how to fly. Hasn't one of your past hosts of your symbiont know how to fly?"

"Afraid not," Joral sighed. "Five past hosts were a Biology Professor, an Admistrator of a Business, Bounty Hunter assistant, Executive Chef and the last one was in Starfleet but spent most of those years in a labor camp as a prisoner." Joral turn to Miraj, "Sure. When you have time."

"I always have time to help people fly." she told him. "Just ping me when you're ready."

"Ping you in two days I hope," Joral replies.

Neri yawned "Oh sorry, its getting late everyone."

Andy watched as a young waitress, had entered, he had watched her before numerous times during the different times that he had come here. Never really got the chance to introduce himself to her. Smiling he looked to the group. "If you excuse me, ladies, gents..."