Watching Our Own (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 26 Aug 2012 @ 4:08pm by Lieutenant Kiri Cho & Lieutenant Theron Rhodes

1,697 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 5 - Astrophysics Lab
Timeline: MD9 1450

[ON]

It was an unusual assignment, but not really. For a security officer to be instructed to report to a science lab to monitor staff movement. It was a practiced of observation and description of movement and any possible situtation that might be considered out of the ordinary. Theron thought he was done with all this testing of his abilities of observation and security protocal, but apparently not.

Ens. Rhodes followed instructions and entered the Astrophysics Lab and took up station a well inside the department, standing by the wall.

No one seemed to pay him any attention, as he casually looked over information on his PADD.

Kiri still didn't spend very much time in labs, when she did though she liked the work station at the back of the Astrophysics lab. It had a wide console along with several secondary ones that allowed her to review sensor readings. With the lights dimmed ever so slightly she could quite easily work for hours without looking up. Her hair was tied back into a tail that just grazed the collar of her uniform. It was normal for people to flit in and out of the lab every now and then, Ensign Taylor did so often. Kiri was tidying up just a few odds and ends so she could end her shift. Setting some aside for further work on another time, not working seemed alien but slightly welcome.

It was just as she was turning to check another console that the fact that there was someone else in the room caught her attention.

It wasn't someone she had seen before. They also weren't from her department. Were they an engineer or security, was something broken? That she was aware of everything was fine. Saving her work and locking down the console she watched the man for a few seconds before quietly speaking up, "Can I help you?" The man studying the pad was the only other one in the room, maybe he was lost?

Theron looked up from his PADD, feeling slightly uncomfortable by this question. He knew it was going to come up, but still was not sure exactly how to explain himself and him being here in their lab. "I ah." He began hesitantly. Then putting the data pad down to his side and smiling cheerfully, even though it was just a faade, he said, "I am Ensign Rhodes from Security." He stopped and looked both ways to see who else might be paying attention, but no one even looked up from their work. "I ah . . . was asked to come here and monitor a section for my training. I am to make observations and make notes on this PADD." He lifted it non-chilantly, flipping it back and forth.

Kiri paused looking slightly confused, well it seemed that he didn't need any help at least. Now starting to feel slightly uncomfortable she checked her console one last time and stood up. She could work further in her quarters after a quick break to rest her eyes and drink something. Rounding the edge of the panel she shyly returned the smile and bowed her head, "I am Ensign Cho," Sucking on her lower lip for a second she added, "Have a nice, evening." It was extremely odd for someone from security to be observing anyone. They were all Starfleet, it wasn't like civilians were given free reign of the ship, so why? To get out she had to walk right past him, Kiri trying not to make eye contact.

Theron watched as she passed. This was not going the way he expected and then realized what he had to do. He stepped quickly up to the side of her before she left the Lab. "Pardon me. My task is done here." Not letting her speak, he continued. "I was heading over to the lounge for a bite to eat." He smiled and asked, "Would you like to join me?"

Completely rocked off of her mental balance by the approach, Kiri reeled, side stepping away without thinking. Placing her hands together in her lap she gave him a confused look, blurting out, "Why?" It was rude and improper but she was yet to be approached like this by anyone. Making friends with people was exactly what she wanted, but with her current track record any sort of success was unexpected.

Theron saw that she tensed up and reacted like a very anti-socialized person. Really, he just wanted to have a normal conversation. This, watching your own, was really not his idea. "Well . . I just thought, . . I guess I would like to get to know you. I am very new on the ship." He looked into the beautiful green eyes of the Trill that stood before him. He had an overwhelming feeling of holding her like a lost teReel. On Tandar, a teReel was a young domesticated animal used as a house pet.

Then reaching out slowly with his hand palm up, he asked softly, "Please, would you sit with me for a while?"

This was by a long shot one of the least likely things Kiri thought to happen. For someone out of the blue to walk up to her and want to spend time with her was exactly what she wanted, so why did it feel so weird? The way he looked at her, made her feel uncomfortable, though she didn't know why. Even with all that from this strange man, she couldn't say no. Still holding her distance she bowed her head, "Okay," Holding on to the end of the word, trying to see if there was anything to add. In the end all that came was an awkward silence.

It was an awkward silence. Theron was very pleased that she accepted. Taking his hand back and with both hand behind his back and smiling pleasantly, "Okay then. Shall we go then." He stepped through the door leading them into the corridor.

Trying to put this all together Kiri followed to his left and slightly behind him. How did this situation come about, how could she make it repeatable? All she had done was work like normal, was there anything, even tiny that had helped this to happen? This couldn't be completely random could it, she didn't want to accept that. No there had to be something, but what? Her gaze was downward as she thought letting him lead her on autopilot, her pace slower than her normal march.

Theron glanced again over his shoulder to see if she was still following. She was very quiet and closed off to the world it seemed. He wanted to start a conversation, but asking her questions, he feared, would just make her more like an interrogation. He was not here for that. A different tact was needed. He glanced back one more time saying, "You are Trill. Are you not?"

Her identity regarding her species was always troubling for Kiri. She knew she acted like a human, had the culture of a human, she knew nothing at all about being a Trill, due to her own fear. The fact that she wouldn't fit in as a Trill either, running away and hiding from her problems had always been her way of dealing with it before. She'd even thought about hiding her spots with make up, but that would just make it clear to her parents that it was a problem. Kiri wanted to be human, that was impossible though, she had accepted that but never really moved on. Retaining a voice that she felt proper, one soft and quiet she answered, nodding her head slightly, "Yes, I am." It was a pure statement of fact, not showing the turmoil inside her head. Letting him lead the conversations she fell quiet. She didn't have a clue about his race, other than it wasn't quite human. Even though he had asked her, it felt rude to do so in turn.

"I am Tandaran. There are just a few of us in Starfleet now." He waited a moment to let that sink in as they turned the corner and approached the lounge. "My people are a very cautious people, almost to the point of fearing contact with others, but they got over that."

That explained why she didn't know his race, though she thought she had heard of the name. They didn't share the fears relating to people that she did though. Kiri wasn't scared of people, or even what they could do, that was something of fact and biology. What she was scared of was rejection, people having bad impressions of her and making other people unhappy. It was these three that pulled down on her at every turn and interaction as she fought against them. That running away would avoid rejection, that staying closed would limit bad impressions and being meek and quiet would stop her making anyone unhappy. Still she knew she had to say something, but she knew nothing about him, what he would like. Was all she could guess at something? "I, most people are scared of what they don't understand aren't they?" She'd read that somewhere, it sounded so stupid to her to say, leaving her rather sheepish.

"That is a very good premise." Theron replied as he continued down the corridor. Then added, "For many civilizations, not knowing that another great civilization exists outside their realm of knowledge typically gives them an aura of superiority. That is until them meet and typically war follows." Theron realized that he sounded like a history book. This was not what he wanted.

The logic behind it was extremely old, it wasn't something she was really all that interested in. Still she pretended, it would be rude not to consider it but the half metaphor had taken a dark turn. If he was trying to talk about the two of them, was he saying that they would be forced to fight because of it. Considering that, he was wrong, there were a great many peaceful first contacts. The girl said nothing though.

[TBC]

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Ens. Theron Rhodes
Security/Tactical
USS Galileo

Ens. Kiri Cho
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

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