A Monkey on Their Back

Posted on Wed Jan 19th, 2022 @ 2:50am by Lieutenant Commander S'hib

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Corridors, USS Elysium
1037 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Russel was in love with Petty Officer First Class Aspire Tew Golightly. Absolutely crazy about her. And even though he was in a committed relationship with Lieutenant Samantha Wallace and her husband Jacob, he made no secret about how excited he was when he got to spend time with Aspire.

The Wallaces didn't mind Russel's infidelity. They had arranged for Russel to spend time with Aspire after all.

A few years ago, Aspire had enter Starfleet's nursing program with a focus on neonatal care. When she had reported to the Elysium, she had ambitions of taking care of babies.

As it was, Aspire found herself taking care of fur babies.

Her initial interview with the ship's chief medical officer included assisting him in his medical menagerie. Word got out that the Petty Officer was a 'whisperer' of sorts, able to get along with almost any animal. The end result was that a number of officers and enlisted asked Aspire to look in on their animals during her free time.

Aspire didn't mind. She made a number of good friends, both bipedal and otherwise.

This included Russel. Russel was an Alfred's primate, native to Pithikos IV. Alfred's primate looked to be a cross between a ring-tailed coati and a capuchin monkey. Russel was a healthy male of his species, weighing seven and a half kilograms, with a length of one hundred and fifteen centimeters (half of that being his tail).

As has been established, Russel adored Aspire. He also adored playing games with Aspire. One of these games was "Get Aspire to Chase Me."

On this day Russel was scampering through the corridors, weaving among passersby, all the while holding a small speaker that repeatedly played the instrumental song "Yakety Sax." Occasionally Russel turned to make sure that an off duty Aspire, wearing dark sweats, was chasing him. As soon as Russel was sure that Aspire was still in pursuit, he continued running.

Until Russel accidentally ran right into a large security officer. Russel shrieked, dropped his music box (which thankfully turned off when it hit the deck) and ran straight to Aspire, scampering up her body and perching on her shoulder, his tail wrapped around her neck.

Aspire comforted the Alfred's Primate with one hand while looking up at the Sequus. "My apologies, Commander. I was taking Russel back to his quarters and he gets away from me sometimes. He knows better, but he thinks it's great sport to get me to chase him."

Wide equine eyes fixated on the primate attempting to hide its face in Aspire's hair, his hooves scratching and padding at the deck as his heart thumped away in his chest. "No harm done..." S'hib replied before expelling a strange neigh from his flared nostrils. "Just very unexpected." He added with a gentle shake of his head.

Aspire relaxed when the only emotion she read from the larger security officer was genuine surprise. "I appreciate your understanding, Commander. Normally Russel is very well behaved on his way back home, and I hate to have to put a collar and leash on him. He doesn't act it, but that does cause him an inordinate amount of disstress. Hopefully, just a reminder of this incident will spark good behavior from his behavior in the future."

Russel revealed his face from Aspire's hair and made a few soft vocalizations. Aspire reached up to scratch the primate under the chin.

"He is quite sorry, Commander," Aspire assured the Sequus Security Officer.

"I was unaware we had such creatures aboard the Ely." S'hib said in a somewhat strained voice as he squatted down to the floor. "Shows how much of this ship I still haven't explored I suppose." He added as he recovered the music box, careful not to crush it between his immense hoofed digits.

"I was unaware that there were as many animals in domestic situations on the Elysium as there are," Aspire answered. "But I suppose that makes sense. The Captain of the first Enterprise had a beagle. I never actually got to see a beagle until I got to the Elysium, and now I walk one twice a week."

Turning her head toward the primate on her shoulder, she told him, "I think it would be nice if you got down and thanked the Commander for retrieving your music box."

Russel jumped down from Aspire's shoulder to the deck and ran up to S'hib, holding its paws out, while simultaneously bobbing his head up and down.

Aspire suppressed a giggle as she observed, "He is really thankful, Commander."

"You can tell just from him bobbing his head?" S'hib enquired as he gently turned his hand over and moved the music box towards the primeape.

Russel greedily grabbed the music box, then ran up Aspire's body to resume his perch on her shoulder. Aspire nimbly plucked the box out of the primate's paws and put it in a pouch on her waist. Russel made a short screech of protest, them remained quiet, a pouting look on his face.

"Well, that, and I can feel things," Aspire admitted, reaching up to scratch the primate's head. This action seemed to mollify Russel somewhat. "I'm an empath. One who observes Starfleet's regulations when it comes to such things," Aspire hurriedly added.

"Ahh yes, those pesky regulations..." S'hib remarked as he stood back up. "They make me wear clothes too so I feel your pain." He added, adjusting his uniform with a somewhat discontentful expression.

"I suppose in a universe with infinite diversity in infinite combinations, we have to make allowances for other cultural standards," Aspire mused. Russel tugged on Aspire's hair and she laughed. "My apologies, Commander. Russel is reminding me that his humans are probably home and ready to feed him. Thanks again for your understanding," Aspire added before she hurried to the quarters of the Wallaces.

S'hib simply watched as Aspire hurried away, perplexed by the brief interaction as she disappeared from view. "This ship is so weird..." He muttered to himself as he reached into his pocket and removed an orange colour stone the size of an apple, its somewhat powdered surface flaking lightly as he brought it up to his mouth and started licking.