Nobody's Home

Posted on 04 May 2013 @ 4:32am by Lieutenant Lilou Zaren & Naskisem
Edited on on 04 May 2013 @ 5:17am

1,951 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 7, Main Engineering
Timeline: MD08 - 0900 hours

[ON]

Once more, Lilou was running on caffeine and not much else. She'd remembered belatedly when she'd woken up that she'd failed to eat the entire day before, and an empty stomach plus zero grav did not make for a happy body. But there was no getting her out of Main Engineering that morning. She'd told the others to rest up before the upgrade install today, and she wanted them too. Hell, she herself would have liked to sleep in, have a leisurely sonic shower and a giant bowl of oatmeal. As it was, her mind was spinning on all cylinders and sleep was hopeless. There were the pills Pola had prescribed her, but those would make her groggy for the day of work she had coming and she couldn't risk anything going wrong out in the inky black. So. A bowl of saltine crackers and blueberries and a giant cup of green tea were rapidly being inhaled as she ran and reran and reran again the figures for the upgrade. She didn't even know how many times she'd gone over the math - though she knew she didn't need to. If there was one thing she could count on Willis to get right, it was his math; that, and a whole host of other things she couldn't even begin to count.

Naskisem drifted into the engineering section of the Galileo with her hands held behind her back. She wore a long robe that was a deep maroon that hung to about halfway down her shins, meeting a pair of black polished boots. A slightly longer, more form-fitting, white robe hung beneath the top one, which extended out of her sleeves and hugged her neck. Her dress was plain, but dignified, her black hair pointed at the corners of her jaw. She had not a clue as to how any of what she saw worked, and she recognised nothing except for the pulsating blue of what she knew was the warp core. Liyar had shown her how work the ship's computer, and she had familiarised herself with the appearance of the Lilou Peers, Trill, that she had wanted to meet. She wanted Liyar to introduce her and she was, admittedly, a little nervous. She had never been alone with so many aliens before, nor had she never met a Trill. Naskisem had suggestions to make that she thought would improve the ship's performance and make Lilou Peers's life a little easier.

When the impossible-to-miss Vulcan found the engineer's office, she saw through the window the woman she was looking for. She was eating... Naskisem didn't know what she was eating. She pursed her lips for a second, blinked several times as she wondered how people generally greeted the engineer, and decided to go with what she knew best. "You are Lilou Peers," she said from the doorway, butchering the Trill's name in horribly accented Golic. "I am Naskisem. Greetings." She stood straight and help up her hand in the ta'al.

Lilou spun in her chair and stared. Slowly, her left eyebrow began to raise by notches as she continued to stare. Vulcan. Civilian. Science. Stranger. Her brain took these notes and tried to make them fit with why the person was standing in Main Engineering. Tried, and failed. "Yep," she set her bowl of crackers and berries aside, still quizzically studying the stranger. "Ah... why are you here?"

Naskisem looked at the floor, then around the office unreservedly. If her face weren't so stoic, she might have been smiling with bewilderment. She did not fail to realise she had startled her. "I wanted to meet you. I apologise if I have disturbed you." She looked at her, her eyes meeting the engineer's, then found her spots. She thought they were incredible; she had only seen Trills in pictures, and she distinctly remembered seeing a different pattern on the one she had seen before. Did this mean that all Trill were unique? Probably. "Shall I go?" she asked. That was the polite thing to do, right?

Lilou blinked a couple times unreservedly. Meet her? Why would she want to meet her? She didn't- what? "Yeah." She gave her another bewildered look, "Yeah. I think you probably should."

The Vulcan's back straightened more than it already had. Oh. She parted her lips to speak, but she did not know what to say. She looked away from Lilou Peers, then gave a shallow nod. Naskisem had not expected that. "Very well," she replied levelly. She raised her hand to give the ta'al, but stopped herself. These people preferred niceties. "Goodbye."

"Yeah," Lilou tugged the end of her braid. Maybe she was having some kind of epileptic fit and this was her brain dealing with it. That would make more sense than a stranger showing up on a restricted access level to say hello to her. "Sorry, why did you want to meet me? I don't know you - at all - I don't think."

Naskisem was hooked back as she turned to leave. The engineer reeled her back in closer, and she spun around fast enough that the hem of her robe caught some air. She found herself standing halfway from Lilou Peers' desk. Her eyes seemed to shine. "You do not; we have never met. I have come to discuss the work of Maenad Panne and as a guest of Liyar." She blinked and absorbed the braids of the Trill's hair. Did all Trill do that? Very few Vulcans did. She thought the look was becoming and wondered why more Vulcans did not wear their hair as she did. "I have some suggestions that, if implemented, will benefit the ship."

The laugh escaped Lilou before she could stop it. Well, sure. Didn't everyone? "Oh, yeah?" she asked, brow still firmly notched in a disbelieving tilt.

When humans laughed, it was generally because they enjoyed what they were hearing. It was the same for all, as far as she knew, emotional beings. Lilou Peers must have been pleased with her, which gave Naskisem a boost of confidence. "Yes," she replied as pleasantly as she could. "Liyar informed me that the lights are always on. If they were to be sensor-activated, the ship would save a great deal of its extended power use. Short-term results might appear nominal, but over the long-term, it would prove worthy."

Lilou rubbed the back of her neck to keep from planting her face in her hands. "No... they're motion-activated. Everywhere but the bridge. You, uh... you have a lot of experience with power systems in ships?"

"Oh," said Naskisem, raising her chin. Was Liyar wrong? Probably. He was not all he was cracked up to be. "I have been misinformed." She looked like an idiot. "I have absolutely no knowledge or experience with power systems in ships."

"Well, I'll tell ya - next time you've got thoughts about the lighting situation; that's actually more of an Operations deal. We down here in Engineering just worry about keeping the ship moving. Although, there's a vorta running the Operations department. Smiles real big. Deceptively sharp teeth. Still. You should definitely tell him anything you notice might use a little pick me up."

The word vorta sent a tingle through her shoulders even though it shouldn't have. Naskisem did not like the Vorta. They had committed inexcusable atrocities against her people and she had held a prejudice toward them ever since the war. She knew it was illogical, but it was not something to which she devoted enough thought to care about. "I will not," she replied simply. "Thank you." Naskisem examined Lilou Peers' braids some more. "Do all Trill wear their hair as you do?" she asked.

"Hell if I know." Lilou turned back to her console. "Next time you see Liyar, you tell him I appreciate him sending you my way."

Naskisem sensed she had done something wrong. "I have never met a Trill. I am curious; I do not mean to offend you. I will extend your appreciation to Liyar. I will also extend him mine for having learned of you from him."

"Great," Lilou said cheerfully with a little wave. "Sorry - the ship is trying to overload and we might all die in a few minutes, so I kind of need to concentrate here. But - you know - nice to meet you. Remember. Talk to the vorta."

Naskisem's eyes widened, her pulse sped up. The lack of sarcasm in her life prevented her from immediately realising that the ship was not in any real danger. The lack of panic or immediacy in Peers' voice suggested she was not serious. "The ship is not in any real danger, is it?" she asked flatly.

"It could be, depending on which buttons I push."

Naskisem frowned. She could not tell if the engineer were serious. She studied her carefully, trying to discern what was going on and why. Why would the chief engineer imply that the ship was in danger, then say that it was only at risk if she chose to press the right buttons? Was she going to destroy the ship? It seemed unlikely, but why would she say that? It was not funny. Laughing meant people were pleased. The prospect of death and destruction frightened emotional beings, it didn't please them. Naskisem said nothing, but could not collect herself to leave, as though she were expecting more.

Lilou waited for the welcome sound of the doors swishing open and shut behind Nakisem. She waited. And there was no sound. Damn it. She turned around. "Yes?"

"If we are not in danger," Naskisem replied, "then you would like me to go?"

Blink. Beat. Blink. Beat. "Okay. See - you probably popped over from the Venture, or before that some other big ol' fancy cruiser, where there's vast numbers of engineers milling about with little to do. But there's only me and a few others in this department and when we're in here, we're usually working on keeping the ship running and everyone safe. See - the engine's in here and any slight fluctuations around it can get her feeling all moody and then we have not-so-great times. So. I'm sorry if I can't chat about - you know - the planet my father came from or how I do my hair, but I have work I have to do. If you're worried about something to do with the ship, I invite you to contact Amril - that's the vorta upstairs - and I'm sure he'll be happy to explain all about his perspective on Starfleet ships to you. But I kind of need to get this done now-" she pointed back at the console. "-so my team doesn't fry when we're working on the grid later today. So - seriously - any friend of Liyar's, you know, just not right this minute."

"Clearer," said Naskisem. "I shall consult the database with any further questions." She had failed her first meeting with the one person she wanted to meet most. She had failed her first meeting with a Trill. She felt ashamed, but she looked perfectly placid, perhaps deep in thought with a sudden idea. "Forgive me." Naskisem turned her back and left Lilou Peers alone, and then engineering, and returned to her quarters.

Lilou shut her eyes as the door did as she'd wished. Closed. Alone. Silent, but for the whirr and crackle of the Warp Reactor. Liyar, she thought darkly.

[OFF]

ENS Lilou Peers
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

Naskisem
Archaeologist, VSA
USS Galileo
(NPC M. Panne)

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