You did what?

Posted on Fri Jan 12th, 2024 @ 12:55am by Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant Commander S'hib

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Naxeas' and S'hibs temporary quarters.
Timeline: S06E03 MD 9
3456 words - 6.9 OF Standard Post Measure

"Someone's legs are getting strong already..." S'hib muttered to himself as he moved his daughters' hooves in his hands, oscillating Sle'anna's legs back and forth to mimic the motion of walking while she lay on the bed in front of him.

"You'll be running around the place in no time," He added with a broad smile as he leaned over, moving his long neck and snout down to kiss her tiny ridged forehead.

"But..." he continued. Standing up tall he relaxed his grip, letting her legs kick more of her own free will.

"Your mother's not gonna like that, because someone hasn't told her how quickly little stals and fillies learn to walk... and then to run."

He leaned down again, moving his snout about atop her forehead as she reached up at his cheeks, hitting him gently with uncoordinated cloven fingers.

"And you know what? I'm not gonna tell her..." He whispered with a devilish grin as the door chimed.

He glanced towards the lounge and called out. "Just a minute!" before quickly moving around the bed and grabbing a long skirt from the dresser.

He looked back at Slee, keeping an eye on her as he wrapped the pale blue patterned material around his waist, tucking it into itself before folding it over below his hips to create a thick rectangular belt out of itself.

"Let's go see who it is..." S'hib said softly as he picked up Slee and placed her head over his shoulder, cupping it gently in his hand.

When the door slid back, he found Miraj standing there, in her uniform. Looming behind her was one of the biggest humans they had in security, an unpertable, utterly unflappable CPO called Zakharov. She gave him a little wave, "Hi."

He stood there for a moment in silence, his bottom lip struggling to decide if it wanted to curl into a smile or quiver as his eyes glazed over with tears.

But it didn't take long for him to settle for a compromise between the two.

"Hi." S'hib said back with a light snort as he stepped forward, his left hand reaching out and dragging her in for a very awkward side on hug.

She hugged back, trying to figure out where to put her arms that wouldn't be awkward or encroach on the baby.

"I vill be here when you are done," Zakharov told her, reaching to shut the door. "No sneaking off."

The door whispered closed. Miraj wiggled out of the hug. "She's almost as big as you are." she reached out and let the baby grab her fingers. I only saw her a few days ago, and I swear she's grown."

"She probably has... and she ain't gonna stop any time soon either." He said with a soft chuckle, watching as Slee reached out for Miraj.

"You look well."

That was when it hit him, this was the first time he had seen her since that day.

"No bags under your eyes, though I guess that's what happens when you're in a coma instead of staying up late on the holodeck before a shift..." He teased, more so to shake the image of blood that had crept its way back into his mind.

Miraj smiled for a moment, then her face straightened into a frown. "No, wait. I'm mad at you."

"One, you didn't come and see me when I woke up." She poked him in the chest. "Two: You shoved bravo so hard his nose dented! What did he ever do to you" She poked him him again. "And three." she raised her finger to poke him again, then stopped and thought better of it, holding a warning finger "Just a moment," She looked around and pulled over a dining chair. Then she climbed up it, so she was level with his face instead of two feet below it. "You assaulted one of my crew!" She gave him a firm tap on the nose. not a slap, but enough to display her displeasure. "Vex is good with traffic control. He can hold massive patterns in his head. If he transfers out, I'm going to be vexed." She put her hands on her hips. "With you."

He sniffled at the tap, wriggling his snout in response before chuckling "I take it they fixed the cockpit canopy before you woke up then... And as for coming to see you, well that's a whole other can of sand mites."

He sighed, shifting Slee in his arms to a more comfortable position. "I'm under house arrest Miraj, I can't leave... not even to see you."

"Tell me it's just for Vex? You haven't done anything else dumb whilst I was.... asleep."

His expression fell blank as he lifted his left arm up, offering his hand towards her. "Get down first and I'll... tell you everything." He said with a defeated sigh.

She frowned at him, concerned, as she clambered down, clinging to his hand for balance. Then she moved to the sofa and settled down on it, moving aside a squeaky turtle and a textured rubber ring. "Okay."

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink first?" He said as he gently dragged the dining chair back under the small table. "It's a bit of a long story..."

"Always room for garlic bacon sprouts." She tried to look cheerful. If she needed to eat for this, it was probably bad.

He smiled back, seeing the unease in her eyes. "I'll see what I can do, replicators have been a bit iffy since that power surge the other day... but in the meantime-" He added, leaning down to settle Slee down in her lap. "You can keep an eye on this one."

Miraj wrapped her arms around the little wriggler. "Don't move!" she warned the baby as she jiggled her knee, making the baby bounce a little. "Naughty baby! You moved! Now sit still!"

S'hib listened as he clicked away, using the time to roll his shoulders and stretch his aching back. "I still gotta give you your birthday present you know..." He called out as he rummaged around for a plate, intent on not having food simply materialise on its own and spill onto the floor like earlier.

"That's okay. I'll have another one next year."

"I'm not waiting another year to give you your gift Miraj, I had to pull a lot of favours to get it off Sequella, let alone cleared with StarFleet to bring it anywhere near the Ely..." S'hib exclaimed, pointing a small plate at her as he spoke.

"That and the fire... the box I got for it burned with everything else, which is why we're here." He continued, rambling as he placed the plate inside the replicator. "Garlic and bacon sprouts-"

No sooner had he requested the order he was turning, glancing back at Miraj with a puzzled look on his face.

"Oh right, I was explaining what happened..." He exclaimed before once again turning back to the replicator to grab the plate.

"No, you were doing everything but explain. stop dodging it and just tell me."

He stood there for a moment, awkwardly holding the tiny plate of sprouts in his giant cloven hand. "A part of me died in that cave that day Miraj, it died when you did... and it left a hole, in here." He said as he slowly walked over, pointing at his chest as he leaned down and placed the plate in front of her.

"And that hole, it quickly filled with anger... at everyone, including myself." He continued as he gently moved around the coffee table and sat beside her.

"And I took that anger out on everyone else, and especially on Bravo... though she did break two of my fingers in return." He added with a coy grin, trying his best to add some humour back into the conversation.

"Serve you right." She said archly, moving Slee over slightly so she could get at her food. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"No, don't... you had no part in this." S'hib said matter of factly, his tone leaving no room for debate.

"...Unfortunately, that wasn't the only time I lost my cool." He continued, shifting uncomfortably on the sofa that was clearly too small for him.

"But you know the worst part about it all is that every time I did, the people that should have been there for me, that should have removed me from duty... they just, watched."

He fell silent for a moment, frowning intently as other thoughts, thoughts he wasn't about to say bubbled to the surface.

Then his eyes flicked back up, forcing the briefest of smiles to appear as he looked at his daughter on her lap. "I mean, I wasn't thinking straight at all at the time," he said before clearing his throat.

"None of us were I don't think but, what I did to Bravo and Eric, then to Vex... and everyone else, I just... I'm not blaming them for what I did, I just..." He trailed off, not really wanting to finish what he was saying.

"You're an idiot." She said fondly. "You know that right?."

"Yeah, I know-" He smiled as he got back up, glancing about the place for something.

"That's why I'm being made to take courses with the academy again."

He huffed quietly to himself as he clicked towards the bedroom, finding the whole thing ridiculous.

"If you're expecting sympathy, you're not getting any. I saw pictures of the damage. To Bravo and Jandor. You can go put on your short trousers and go back to school. Be grateful they don't make you sit in the corner and write lines."

S'hib slowly blinked and looked down, his stride almost briefly coming to a stop. He wasn't looking for anyone's sympathy, but it still hurt to get scolded by his closest friend.

"There isn't a corner big enough for me!" He mocked loudly as he thumped into the bedroom, marching straight over to a small chest of draws.

There was a cackle of a laugh from the living room. "That doesn't mean you don't have the short trousers?"

"Miraj... have you ever seen me wearing trousers?" S'hib remarked, not entirely understanding her comment as he rummaged through draws, opening and closing them in quick succession before finally finding what he was looking for.

"Maybe I should replicate you a pair to wear to your policeman school."

"No." Was the only reply she got as he left the bedroom, holding something between both hands.

"I like my uniform as it is, thank you..." He added as he placed a bundle of red silk on the coffee table before reaching over and picking up Sle'anna, her hands instantly grabbing and tugging at his mane before inevitably ending up in her mouth.

"Thats for you, sorry it doesn't have a box anymore..."

She pulled the handful of silk towards her "I love red. this is far better than a boring old box." She peeled the fine fabric aside to reveal a rectangular crystal, no bigger than her own index finger.

It was barely pink in hue, almost completely clear on the outer edges, though deep in the core it was a rich and vibrant salmon with small specs that refracted light like an opal, increasing in intensity towards the very centre.

"Boring old Bo- That box cost me a lot you know!" S'hib whined, he should have known better... he could have handed it to her in a paper bag and she wouldn't have cared.

She wasn't listening, having scooped the crystal out of its silk nest, and holding it up to the light, delighting at the sparkle. "Oh, it's beautiful! Where did you find it?"

“It’s from Sequella… and believe it or not thats actually Dilithium… or would have been had it not grown on my world.”

The pilot gave him a confused look. "Dilithium is dilithium, isn't it? Don't ask me to give you the chemical composition. I can't remember it."

“Normally… yes, you’d be right. Even synthetic, lab-grown dilithium is considered dilithium chemically speaking.” S’hib added as he sat down next to her, scooting closer and leaning Sle’anna to his other side.

“But dilithium grows weird on my world, and we aren’t entirely sure why… it's possibly it's the high metal concentration in the planet's crust but-“ He shrugged at this, not really ending the sentence beyond a mumbled murmur.

“-Regardless, what does grow is terrible for powering warp engines, might as well be any old rock…”

"It's still pretty though.

“Hold it tightly, tell me what you feel.” He hummed softly with a warm smile. “And don’t worry, it won't break.”

Miraj squeezed it in her palm. "It's throbbing." she unclaspered her hand and pressed the length between her middle and forefinger, in case she was sensing her own pulse. The crystal was smooth as glass. And, "Definitely throbbing. What's causing it?"

“A warp echo, or more specifically the Elysium's warp field… you see what you’re holding is called a warp field harmonic resonance crystal, or more simply a warp blank or a Dilithium blank." He began, his eyes lighting up as he explained his gift.

"We use them on our starships as a physical analogue to monitor the stability of our warp cores, as they're a bit different to ones Starfleet uses. But once the crystalline structure of the Dilithium has been exposed to a strong enough warp field, its internal structure aligns with that field and becomes frozen in place.”

"That's incredible!" She fiddled with the clasp, before managing to get it open and then fasten it again at the back. If she concentrated she could feel it pulsing gently at the top of her sternum. "Like a little mirror of what she was."

S'hib smiled when he saw her excitement, watching her place the chain the crystal hung on around her neck. "I figured it might help you feel less homesick, on away missions and such..." he said softly, though he also hoped it would stop her crawling into the nacelles or the Jefferies tubes around main engineering, or at least not as often now she had this.

"But do be careful with it, Miraj, as it is generating a very tiny warp field of its own... so it would be quite dangerous for other ships to go to high warp if you're on board with it."

"What? How high is high?"

“Uhh, I think it was… any higher than warp five and the warp harmonics bouncing between the two fields would get so strong that they would collapse.” He replied with a smile, woefully unaware of Mirajs expression as he turned his attention the Sle’anna

"hells bells, S'hib." She breathed. "This can't ever leave the ship, it's too risky." She tucked it under her shirt anyway.

"No, If it was too risky It would never have been cleared by Starfleet command. Trust me, It's perfectly safe... you can fly any of the shuttles, even the Queen Anne and go to warp, but keep it under warp five or you'll drop to impulse." He said turning back to Miraj, resting a reassuring and giant hand on her shoulder.

"Shuttles don't generate a strong enough warp signature to create dangerous harmonic oscillations, that and it's a tiny crystal... so at most, it'll get a bit bumpy, Ok?"

"Anne goes to warp 8." Miraj pointed out. "Not going to not use that." She could feel the crystal whispering against the skin between her collar bones, soothing and sweet, "But i suppose experimenting wouldn't hurt."

“If we ever… when we get back,” S’hib began, correcting himself midway. “I’ll have to take you to the science institute on Sequella… there's a crystal this big-“ He beamed, using his hands to represent its size. “-that was used in our first warp five engine.”

"I think a picture will be fine. Miraj tilted so she could lean against him without disturbing Sleanna. "I'm going to spontaneously combust if I have to set foot on your planet before you all learn to wear clothes."

He leaned in as well, content to have them both sitting with him before a smirk crept onto his face. "You don't seem to mind all those half-naked pirates, with their perfectly chiselled and glimmering muscles..."

He could feel the heat from her blush. "They weren't naked. And we were getting boarded. I was more interested in not getting taken out by a stroppy Spaniard."

"I might be a terrible detective, but you are even worse at lying..." S'hib muttered with a gentle shake of his head.

"Not lying." Miraj sighed. "I'd better got back to Igor. Or I'll get the eyebrows of disappointment again."

"Disappointed? Why? you been visiting other devilishly handsome men and making him wait outside as well then?"

"No!" She wanted to get swallowed by the couch just thinking about it, not that she'd be averse, but.... "But I said I wouldn't be long, and definitely be away before shift change. And when I'm not where I'll say I be, and when I say I'll be he just gives me this...look. Makes me feel like I'm twelve and Dad's giving me the I told you not to hide in the coolant tanks speech again. Hence eyebrows of disappointment."

S'hib looked at Miraj with a frown that slowly increased in wrinkles, and then he spun his head towards the door, giving it a deathly glare that borr into the corridor beyond.

"Come on, let's get you back to Igor..." He growled as he leaned Sle'anna down to the floor before getting up.

The young filly sat there for a moment, unsure what to do now that her entire place in the universe had changed by a few feet. Her nostrils barely flaring to let out a soft huff the only indication of her displeasure.

S'hib, meanwhile, was already thumping towards the door. his balled fists giving Miraj pause as he hit the controls.

"Chief..." S'hib huffed as he leaned his head under the doorframe. "What are your orders regarding Miraj?"

"Not take my eyes off her, unless she's in bathrrom. Or with someone who won't let her do anything stupid." Zakharov replied calmly. "Keep anyone not comprehensively eliminated from enquiries five meters away, or from getting clear line of fire on her."

S'hib nodded slowly at this. "That's what I thought..." he said before placing a hand on the top of the door frame and stepped outside, exaggerating his size by bending his legs rather than lowering his head.

"Which means if Miraj wants to sit inside a Jefferies tube and read a book for two hours..." He continued, all the while standing tall until his ears grazed the ceiling. "She can! and you will not make a fuss about it."

"I do not make fuss sir. Not as long as she stays close, even though Jefferies tube is terrible place to keep safe. Too many access points, no cover. I make fuss when she tries to use jefferies tubes to hide from escort. I make fuss when she wants 'space' in promenade where there are too many people too close. Easy to get stabbed. Easy to get shot. Then I make fuss, sir."

"If they wanted to attack her again... in public, with witnesses... do you honestly think they would care if you're two feet away from her?" S'hib asked, expressing a similar sentiment with his face, daring him to answer.

"Hm? What about twenty or thirty... no?... no, of course not. So again, Chief..." S'hib huffed, prodding a stubby cloven digit at the man's chest.

"Your job isn't to keep her on a leash, it's to make sure she isn't alone... so you sit in that damn tube with her even if it means sitting at the other end, and you don't. Make. A fuss."

"And you, stop hiding from him..." He snorted, suddenly turning to Miraj before turning back to Zakharov. "Is that fair?"

"They might not care that I am two feet away, sir. But you might," Zarkhov said. "But that is fair."

Miraj tried to put on an air of I don't know what he's talking about and completely failed. "Now you're doing it." she gestured at S'hib's face. "Do they teach you all that in Security training

"No more than your classes taught you how to fly..." S'hib countered with a pompous smirk. "Now, go on...you're gonna be late." He added as he attempted to stop Sle'anna from crawling into the corridor with a raised hoof.

 

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