That New Spectrometer Smell.

Posted on Wed Apr 18th, 2018 @ 1:22am by Captain Remas McDonald & Lieutenant JG Fal'twip Ru'fiz

951 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: S1:2: Rubicon
Location: Deck 5, Mina Science Lab Repair Area
Timeline: MD 14, 12.15PM

Fal'twip shook out his leg one more time, and again found quiet displeasure in the monitoring cuff attached to his second ankle. Yes, it was meant to keep track of him during his curfew, but so could his combadge! Though in fairness a combadge could be removed.

But if he hadn't been in the brig having that funny talking Expedition Security officer attaching the cuff to his leg this morning...he'd have been on shift in the main science bay. Along with the five other researchers who had been inside when the rail gun had found its target.

Just...bang and then no more. Hopefully.

Fal'twip didn't jump too high when the turbolift opened beside him, bringing a familiar smelling human who he recognised from mission training.

"Dr Kuan! I didn't know you'd been awakened! I assumed..." the small fuzzy alien said haltingly.

There had been just enough time to put on a fresh uniform and dump the bag from medical in her quarters atop, she was relieved to see, the rest of her gear. Just enough time to do that and get to the Science Lab but not enough time for the essentials. So it was that, sorely in need of a cup of tea, Alice exited the turbolift and stopped at the sight of someone familiar. "Assumed," she asked, her accented Federation Standard betrayed the time she'd spent in England growing up, "...what?"

"That...erm...that Lieutenant Tolkath's second wouldn't be thawed until after the current crisis has been averted," Fal'twip said slowly as though stating the obvious to a dim-witted child. "I mean we don't even have...I mean just, er, if you'll follow me?"

With the odd hopping gait of the fast taking it slow for the human, Fal'twip led Kuan the short distance to the door to the Main Science Lab. Engineering work crews still worked outside, patching the hole in the wall where the railgun round had continued on its way from the science lab through the corridor and into an interior compartment.

The Main Science Lab looked eerily familiar. It had looked this way during its outfitting, stripped to the bulkheads and deck plating with only bare power runs marking where things should go. Except here and there were signs of blast damage, where the metal had simply shattered under the tremendous kinetic energy. The far bulkhead, the one that lay flush against the pressure hull, was being worked on by a pair of engineers and a robotic service rig. They directed the robot with slow careful gestures, like dancers in a rehearsal studio.

"Not quite the Kepler Institue," Fal'twip said from Kuan's hip. "Tolkath, Rogers, Smanden, Jip and Holiday were on duty when..."

She closed her eyes against the sudden wave of pain that swept through her. There had been such excitement back at the beginning, such potential for discovery, for pushing the boundaries of what was known. Her fingers trailed across a long scorch mark as she thought of them, each one in turn. "I see what you mean about waking me up so soon, Dr. Ru'fiz," she said. "Any idea how long before repairs are complete?"

"Given this," he waved a hand out towards the engineering team and the replicator fresh hull plates, "was a hole this morning open to space...we should be ready to outfit the lab by this afternoon. We have a temporary set up in lab 2, though the planetary geophysics team weren't happy to be sharing their space with the generalists."

There had been a time, back at the Academy, when her study mates had pointed out a particular tone of voice she used, quietly lethal was how they described it to her. As she turned toward Dr. Ru'fiz, dark eyes glittering, that tone crept in her voice though she wasn't aware. "Five people lost their lives here. If they have a problem with sharing space, you send them to me. And you? How are you holding up?"

"I...I am alright. A little grateful I had a little outburst over a simple misunderstanding and missed the morning rundown meeting," the Leporidite's ears drooped a little. "I mean I have an appointment with the sickbay counselor, so....yeah I'm doing alright. At least I wasn't chosen for the away team like Ensign Lutko. Not much call for a microbiologist on an abandoned ark ship."

A slight smile curved one corner of her mouth as she said, "Small victories. How about we find a good cup of tea and you can tell me about that you recent adventures." She turned a pointed look toward the monitoring cuff. "Grief counseling? Or something else?"

"I...might-" Fal'twip said slowly, stressing the word. "-Have an anger management issue related to a sense of supposed disrespect among my peers. But given that's never been an issue when working on the ship, the only affect it has had is on my choice of eatery on the RecDeck."

"You've got a good mind, Dr. Ru'fiz. Here are the parameters. We have a long trip ahead of us and only each other to rely upon. You're an important part of the team. I'm sure you can do the math. Figure out a better way of handling your ... differences ... going forward." She turned away from the lab because it belonged to the engineers for the moment. "As I said, I need tea. Care to join me?"

"Ah....yes?" Fal'twip said slowly, not entirely trusting the sound in Alice's voice. "I mean sure, why not. Have you been to the RecDeck yet? I mean, of course, you have, during orientation on the Alpha Quadrant. But there's a place there that does serve very good tea."

 

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