Getting Settled

Posted on Thu Jan 18th, 2018 @ 11:14am by Commander K'Niras Sh'howul & Ensign Charles Bartowski

Mission: S01E02 D-8 With the Devil

ON:

Chuck slid into the lift as the doors opened, narrowly avoiding two officers who gave him pointed looks. Leaning against the bulkhead, he released the lungful of air he had been holding in and felt his entire body relax. This new Captain- Figueroa, was intimidating, to say the least, and he wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her wrath. He made a mental note to steer clear of her for the near future.

Hearing a growl from his stomach, he realized that he probably hadn't eaten in the last 24 hours- he had been tasked with data network conduit maintenance aboard the Perry and had been sidetracked in the heat of the moment to get everything done before he was reassigned. Taking a few more deep breaths, he tried to get a hold of himself and plan but his mind was a blank slate.

K'Niras stood just behind the cadet and waited for him to get his bearings. The small Caitian chuckled softly, his long tail once again swinging lazily behind him. He put one multi-colored paw on Chuck's shoulder, gently. "Are you going to be alright, Cadet?" He was making a low purring noise, it was a sound that Caitian's used to comfort frightened children. "She's not as bad as she seems," he said softly. "You'll get used to it. I think the best thing for us to do is feed that growling stomach. Don't you agree?" He smiled a little, just barely showing his front teeth.

Chuck smiled slightly, his muscles still tensed as he glanced at the Caitian in front of him. "I think you might be right, sir. How is the grub aboard this boat?" he asked playfully.

K'Niras chuckled. "It's alright. It's replicated food." He shrugged. "Most of it is edible and at least you know that you're getting the nutrients you need. I honestly gave up on taste a long time ago. Come with me and we'll go to the mess hall." He headed off down a hallway then turned to see if Chuck was following him. "Caitian's are supposed to only eat raw meat... but a lot of us ignore that. I've heard that some Caitian's have even become accustomed to cooked food." He shrugged. "Too much cooked food upsets my stomach..."

Chuck cocked his head as he ran his fingers along the bulkheads and some of the consoles. He could feel the seams where the welds had been applied and that there were hatches where there weren't before. "I can imagine, sir. I don't like my meat well done either- it ruins the flavor." Continuing his tactile exploration, he brought himself back and caught up with the Lieutenant. "Sir, how long has the Musashi been in service?" he asked.

"Several years. Eleven, I believe." K'Niras laid his ears back and tipped his chin up, thinking. "I'm not sure that I know its exact launch date. I can find out for you, if it is that important. Is it that important? I know she was one of the first Ares class starships. I started my career aboard the Enterprise."

Chuck ran his hand along a bulkhead absentmindedly again, then snapped it back to his side. “Call it an Engineer’s curiosity, sir. It just seems like there’s a lot of pieces that have been forced into spots they shouldn’t have been,” he said, staring at another welding seam in the bulkhead.

K'Niras chuckled. "She has seen action, Cadet, but she's a good ship. Everyone has to make adjustments and refits. This class of ship had a lot of problems when it was first put into use. I'm sure they've had to make adjustments along the way. I don't see how any starship could avoid that." He stopped in front of a set of doors. "You wished to start with the mess... we have arrived." He grinned and stepped close enough for the doors to slide open. The mess hall was not crowded this time of day.

The cadet looked in and was pleasantly surprised. The mess had the new food synthesizers in place. Reaching into his pocket, he removed the green micro tape that contained his food preferences and inserted it into the slot. The four lights on the synthesizers panel flashed and blinked until they all turned green and spat the tape back into his hand with a loud click. Thinking for a moment over his desired meal, something clicked in his head. He clicked through the menu screens and found what he wanted. Pressing another button, he locked in his selection and listened as the synthesizer whirred and hummed with it’s carefully calculated rhythm. At the Academy, they had learned but the workings of the replicators as a part of any molecular physics course but even still, Chuck was amazed at how the sheer power of science had propelled them.

Finally, the synthesizer’s doors opened to reveal a bowl of catfish stew, which was steaming in a thick broth and a small plate that contained some crispy, golden brown discs. Taking a small sniff, Chuck was satisfied and walked over to an unoccupied table near a viewport, taking a seat.

K'Niras watched quietly, ordered himself a drink and followed the cadet to the table, sitting down with him. "You're very observant, aren't you?" he asked softly. "You'll have to forgive the Captain. We'll get you in proper uniform and it shouldn't be a problem anymore. So I was thinking that maybe you would take quarters on deck 8? It's actually this deck and you'd also have deck level access to the rec room. The crew quarters on deck five are already full and deck nine has openings too, but the only other thing besides crew quarters on that deck is another rec room, but it's up to you. What do you think?"

Chuck swallowed the last spoonful of his stew and smiled slightly at the small taste of home. “You could give me a cot near the warp core and I’d take it, sir.” Setting down his spoon, Chuck looked towards the viewport. “So tell me, sir, where are we headed?” he asked.

"Well... to be honest, we're sort of waiting at the moment. We received some intel on a possible new ship that the Klingons are building. We are waiting for the Captain to tell us where we're headed next. It was a good time to pick up new crew and prepare ourselves for what might be ahead. If we can find the supposed shipyards, perhaps we can stop them." K'Niras went ahead and assigned Cadet Bartowski to quarters on deck 8. "I'll take you to your quarters when you're done here. They are actually just down the hallway."

Chuck popped the last fried tomato into his mouth and chewed quickly and swallowed. "Let's head out," he said before making a beeline for the waste disposal unit and dropping it in with a clatter.

K'Niras followed behind him, taking his cup with him. "Do you wish to go to Engineering as well?" he asked. "Or would you rather me let you find that on your own?"

“I think I’ll be fine, sir. I should probably shower and change into a fresh uniform before I report in to the Chief Engineer,” Chuck said, starting to tap the leg of his coveralls again.

K'Niras nodded and stopped in front of a door. He tapped in the access code. "Here you are Cadet. Call me if you have any problems. I will do my best to help." The Caitian second officer said with a grin, just showing his front teeth. "You're going to do fine." The Cadet seemed friendly enough, he shouldn't have any problems fitting in. "I transferred your access codes to your PaDD and you should be able to replicate a new uniform."

Chuck nodded. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate the help- if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, let me know,” he said before walking into his quarters and letting out a long and slow breath. Walking over to the unoccupied bed on the starboard side, he collapsed and before he knew it, he was sound asleep.

:END