Are We There Yet?
Posted on Sat Mar 1st, 2014 @ 4:11pm by Lieutenant Riley Sukotav & Cadet Senior Grade Eli Ziyad & Lieutenant Commander Gilroy & Ensign Reva Madhava & Cadet Senior Grade Chance Conradi & Ignatius Reilly
Mission:
Breaking New Ground
Location: USS Hammond
* * * Eli’s Quarters - USS Hammond * * *
Word had come in from Commander Sakkath that they would be arriving soon and so Eli pulled himself away from the computer terminal, where he’d been taking one last look at the planet surveys and hopped into the shower. He splurged and used hot water and oh, did it feel good. He stepped out onto the mat and rubbed the water from his eyes.
Here. He felt a towel brush his arm and took it.
“Thanks.” Belatedly, it occurred to him who’d spoken and he yelped, hastily wrapping the towel around him.
“Iggy!”
That is my name, chirped the arachnid. She knew Eli wasn't happy from the tone with which he'd said her name, but she wasn't sure why. Navigating the large world of emotions and social nuances still left her lost. Are we where we are going yet?
“We will be shortly, according to Commander Sakkath.” He wrapped the towel around his waist and reached for his hair brush. “He sent word a few minutes ago. He wants you to look around with your spidey sense, and I think that will work best if you’re with some of the telepaths.”
Silence met this announcement. Finally, she asked, Spidey sense? Does that mean I get to go to the planet with you and Chance?
“It does. Your input could be very valuable.” Once he was done brushing his hair, he ran his fingers through it, mussing it slightly. “You may recognize a problem we won’t. So, basically, this is your first official away mission. Congratulations.”
Iggy didn't have the words to express how she felt. Instead, all she could do was ...buzz and hum with excitement. The mental noise brought Chance in from the bedroom. "By whatever's holy, stop that!", he shouted and swatted at Iggy, intentionally missing her. He looked at Eli, smiled in appreciation and asked, "Why is she doing this?"
“Because, she’s going down to the planet with us. Commander Sakkath wants her scouting out to see if she detects any problems that she’d be more familiar with than us humanoids.” Eli reached for his toothbrush.
"Ah...," Chance looked up at Iggy. "Oralia ok'd that?"
The buzz and hum stopped. I have not spoken to her about this. Why would she care? I will be with you or Eli or ...maybe the green woman.
Eli shrugged. “All I know is what the Commander sent and I don’t question it.” He began to brush his teeth and his next words sounded more like ‘wbt ah dbnt no wuh huht iss’.
Chance coughed out a nervous laugh. He'd interpreted that as 'what Oz doesn't know....' "Sure, but if Iggs gets hurt, Oz will find out and then ...." He paused. "Well, I wouldn't want to be Sakkath."
“Hmm.” Eli rinsed his mouth, then dried his face. “Between the two? I’d rather tangle with her than him. He can be scary.”
Chance shook his head. "Eh, you just don't know him. He's easygoing, logical. You know, Vulcan. But Oz? She fights dirty," he shuddered.
“Only with you, Chance.” Eli grinned. “Now I need to get dressed. You want to give Iggy the ground rules?”
"Yeah," he agreed and reached up to take Iggy off the wall. "C'mon, Iggs," he said as she let him lift her and he walked out of the bathroom, talking to her.
* * * Shuttlebay - USS Hammond * * *
Riley stood by a table in the equipment room just off the shuttle bay, a travel container open before him. What they might need was anyone’s guess, but there were a few essentials, for his part that were a must. He checked the list on his pad and began to sort through the container’s contents one last time.
"One for each member?" Reva came up behind him and peered into the container over his shoulder. "Plus ...what? for the spider? What will an arachnid need as part of the away team?"
“Ro...er...Reva. Hi.” Riley looked up a moment, then back to the business at hand. “Just some science equipment for the initial readings.” Equipment. That was a good, safe subject.
"Really, Riley? Science equipment for the spider? How can it use it?"
“Oh! Oh no, I meant for me. I don’t suppose the spider needs anything, do you?” He closed the case and pulled another down off the shelf he’d left there earlier.
"I don't know," she shook her head, "Emergency rations for a spider isn't really something we carry. I checked out its vest; there's a commbadge tucked in there, so at least we can keep track of it."
He nodded as he opened the second case. "And it can always get to us mentally, so there’s that.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he sorted through the case. “Everything seems to be in order, at least for this first run. Since the telepaths are moving in teams, does that mean you’ll be with me?”
Her excitement for the coming mission bubbled over and she giggled, rubbing her arms. After a moment, she danced a tiny jig, bumping against Riley as she did so. "Oh, I'm excited! Yeah, we'll be together."
A red flush spread upwards from his collar. “Good. That’s...good. How strong are you over distance?”
Her face crumpled into a sneer. "Not so good. Usually, I need touch. But I can get impressions from a distance. Emotions, intent, that sort of thing. You?"
“I can keep us linked, not that we’ll be that far apart. We’ll need to stay in visual range.” He managed a nervous smile at the thought of being that connected to Reva. “I won’t pry.”
Turning him to face her, she looked him in the eye and said, "Riley, I was raised on Betazed, so privacy isn't a big thing for me. Should I be worried about prying into your head?"
He considered the question, then shrugged. “There’s no classified secrets in there right now if that’s what you mean.” He was hedging and he knew it was obvious.
Oh, Riley, she mentally chided him. You're funny.
How so? He looked down at her and now, speaking telepathically, he was far more comfortable.
You're so nervous. Are you like this with everyone? Or I am special?
This isn’t exactly new, is it? I suck at talking to women. And the closer they are the worse it gets, unless it’s work. Or telepathic.
Okay, and this is both. She smiled at him. "Unless you want more?"
“Perhaps that is why it is so hard,” he answered softly. “I just haven’t been able to say the right thing I guess.”
"Hmm. I don't know, I think you've been doing just fine."
His blush returned, along with a smile. “Really?” He was on new ground here and wasn’t exactly sure where he was headed.
"Really, Riley," she smiled then abruptly backed off and said, "So, there's a kit for each team member and we have plans for how to.... Hello, Lieutenant Gilroy."
Gruffly, Gilroy grunted a hello and looked Reva up and down. He sniffed the air before turning to Riley. "Everything is ready?"
“As it will ever be. Telepaths in two teams, Iggy will be with the two cadets, Ensign Madhava with me,” Riley answered. “Are you assigning a member of security to each?”
"Yes, just in case. I'll go with you and Madhava," Gilroy again looked Reva over. "Till then , get some rest you two." He retreated from the room.
Riley watched him go, and then turned back to Reva. “Well, we only have an hour, maybe a little less. How about lunch instead?”
"I like your thinking, Riley," Reva said, taking his arm. "Shall we go to the mess hall or ...somewhere else?"
“Like where?” The words seemed to roll fight off his tongue, making Riley wonder if he’d been possessed by the spirit of James Dean.
"Your place? You've got a replicator, right?"
“I do. Shall we?” He closed up the container and returned it to the shelf. Once done, he offered his arm.
She took it again and asked, "How do we get you over this nervousness around women?"
"That is the question, isn’t it?” He led her out through the cargo bay and then to the corridor. “I guess we’ll have to see.”
And maybe a little bit of luck?
Oh, and Orions are known for getting lucky, aren't they? Reva laughed.
****************
Cadet Second Class Eli Ziyad
A Little Company In The Shower
Cadet Second Class Chance Conradi
Has a Fear of Oz
Ignatius J. Reilly-Zeferino
Complicating Things
Ensign Reva Madhava
Also Complicating Things
Lt. Riley Sukatov
Feeling A Bit Of The Rebel
Lt. Gilroy
Interrupting
