[USS Athena] "Cabin Fever"
- From: T'Shana Tubed <antediluvian2370@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: USS Athena <ussathena@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:44:22 -0700 (PDT)
Cabin Fever
T'Shana was pacing restlessly in her guest quarters. She had done about all
she could think of to entertain herself; looked through the ship specs,
familiarized herself with the command staff and department heads, read through
information concerning Rihannsu history and customs, studied data on the Beta
Quadrant, and checked on the mess hall menu for today. All in an effort to pass
time until Ronov would let her know if she was accepted as part of the crew.
Boredom had taken over after that.
Where the heck is that man anyways? Why is it taking him so long to get
back with me? She stopped, considering the pace of the stars moving past the
window for a moment, and suddenly realized they had been out of warp for a
while.
The wheels in her head began to turn. There were only so many reason why a
ship would stay out of warp, when they were supposedly on their way back to a
distant destination. First, they had to make repairs that could not be done at
warp speed, but her Engineering senses could not pick up anything wrong with
the general feel or hum of the ship. Second, they were traveling through
dangerous space, likely with obstacles like maybe asteroids, but she had not
seen anything outside that would indicate such precautions would be necessary.
And finally, there was something of particular interest for Starfleet around
and they were either taking in-depth scans or possibly had people off the ship
on a mission.
The last seemed the most plausible to her, considering the lack of contact
from the XO. And with her deduction came curiosity. What exactly was going on?
She doubted that her guard would reveal anything about it to her. But there
were other officers on the ship that might not be so tight-lipped, and the best
time to catch someone talking was when they were relaxed... perhaps... during a
meal.
She moved to the door and pushed the button to open it. Her eyes met the
Romulan Security officer's, when he snapped around. "I'm bored."
He looked at her, slightly confused, as if to say, 'And I'm suppose to help
you... how?'
"What am I saying?" T'Shana regarded him, her eyes moving up and down
briefly. "You're standing out here in the same place for hours. I suppose
that's REALLY interesting," she remarked cynically, but with a tad of humor to
it.
"It's my job, lhhei," he stated matter of factly.
"Yeah, yeah... always on duty, always just doing your job," she inclined
her head. "What do you do for fun... Rihannsu?"
"It's Erein Hanaj," he informed.
"Hanaj, hmmm...," she grinned. "So, what DO you do for fun?"
His brow raised. He returned the grin, but with a look that conveyed, 'You
don't want to know.' "You want me to take you on a tour of the ship?" He
motioned for her to step out of the room, "That might be more entertaining for
you than sitting around idly."
"Oh, I wasn't sitting idly," she smirked, taking his invitation. "But there
is only so much one can cram into one's mind in any given time period. Besides,
I'm getting a bit hungry." She walked alongside him to the nearest Turbolift.
"Aren't you hungry?"
"I suppose," Hanaj nodded, ushering her into the lift, "It's just about
time to take midday meal. - Deck 5."
"Good," she smiled at him sideways, as they began moving down. "Taking a
meal with company is always better than alone."
"I wouldn't bet on that."
A few moments later, he let her step out of the Turbolift before him.
"Why do you say that?" T'Shana probed his facial expression, but it was as
if of stone.
Hanaj took his time to reply, remaining quiet for the brief trip to the
mess hall doors. He stopped just short of the entrance. "You might find the
arrangements a bit... unusual," he remarked, almost like a warning.
One of her brows arched. Her eyes traveled from his face to the parting
doors and beyond, while she stepped into the large room. It only took her a
second to evaluate the situation. "Well I be..."
That was the second time this day, she was surprised. Never had she seen
anything like this. It was like a scene from an old early 20th century diner,
during the time when segregation of blacks and whites was still practiced in
the old Americas. Rihannsu on one side... the rest of the crew on the other...
"Knowledge becomes wisdom only after it has been put to practical use."
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