The Scientists

Posted on 15 Apr 2018 @ 11:58am by Petty Officer 3rd Class Raine Ni-ya & Lieutenant JG Gideon Nicols PhD

3,324 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Earth - San Fransisco
Timeline: MD 35, 14:00

[ON]

Crewman Raine Ni-ya's eyes were focused on the specimen of an Earth pre-historic creature. She had wandered, as she did now and then, to see things she had not seen before. The natural science museum was by what had once been California Academy of Sciences. And it housed a lot of different species, some extinct, from Earth's history. She reached out, not touching the barrier, but comparing the span of her hand against the skeleton. Underneath, she could see what was written.

Theropoda. Eodromaeus.

Her eyes went to the teeth and then way the libs were done. A fast runner. A hunter. She tutted and lowered her hand. She wondered if her own planet had once had such things. But that was lost under toxic clouds and burned soil. Nothing was left there but death.

She stepped back from the display, tugging her uniform jacket down with her gloved hands. Not looking at where she was before she walked backwards into someone, turning quickly and holding her hands up in the universal sign of 'I have no weapon, don't attach me', palms facing the person. "Sorry," she said, words that didn't come natural to her at all.

The one benefit of having all this time off, Gideon mused, was that he could catch up on all the things that he missed out. He loved museums, and especially loved this particular one. California had a lot of wonderful natural history and art museums. California was just naturally beautiful, especially along the coast line.

He walked about, looking around at the different exhibits. He had been to this museum so many times that he had most of it memorized. He also hadn't been shocked when someone had bumped into his large frame. Of course he didn't even budge, his size 15 feet kept him firmly planted on the floor. "It's certainly okay, no need to apologize," Gideon replied after the woman had apologized. He had noticed the uniform and gloves and thought the combination was strange, tough he was to judge. "People bump into others, it happens."

She met his eyes for a moment before she let out a breath of almost annoyance. Not with him, but at her own loss of awareness for what was around her. What...living things were around her anyway. She was more than aware of the skeletons. "Yes, it does. And I suppose it is better that I step on you than if I stepped on a small child or something," she said before she gave a weak nod. In her eyes, that was true enough. If she had stepped on a child there would have been tears, angry parents...all not good things. She glanced around for a moment, remembering that people here...were mostly talkers. "I've never been here before," she finally added. "I suppose I was distracted by the skeletons. It's fascinating, such a record of the extinct creatures that once roamed this planet."

The woman had a point, bumping into a child would have undoubtedly been worse. He was a tall, solidly built man, being bumped into was more of an annoyance than a hinderance. Gideon looked in the direction of one of the exhibits and nodded. "That has been one thing earth has done rather well, good or bad, is preserving our past," he said, he turned his attention back to the woman. "You are in for a quite a treat, this has become one of the best natural museums on the planet." He looked around in awe as if he himself was seeing the place for the first time. "It certainly is my favorite," he said, under his breath.

Raine titled her head upwards to get the full view of the taller man, her eyes narrowed slightly in a frown. She deducted he was most likely human. If anything, he knew this place well. And that was something she lacked. She lacked knowledge of this place. And it was big. "Perhaps you can show a foreigner around," she said suddenly, realising this was a perfect moment for a social interaction. There were enough physical elements around to make the awkward silences more about contemplation of a scientific specimen. "Or alternatively, perhaps you can tell me what I should not miss here," she added, realising he might very well enjoy going here alone. And with that came the realisation she had not introduced herself either. That thing that was very...normal here was redundant in her homeworld. Everyone who needed to knew each other. "I'm sorry, I haven't said who I was. I'm Raine Ni-ya. And I am still getting used to the Federation ways."

"Doctor Gideon Nicols," Gideon replied, giving his own given and surname. He wasn't in uniform, when not in uniform he tended to give his academic title over his rank. There was no need for rank in this situation. When he heard 'foreigner' and 'getting used to the Federation ways' he knew he was dealing with an alien species who wasn't part of a Federation membership world. "I'd be glad to show you around, Ms. Ny-ya."

"Raine...please," Raine said with a nod of her head. Doctor. She wondered what sort of doctor he was. "You come here a lot?" she asked, her eyes drifting over to the various dinosaur skeletons. She let out a breath at the smaller bird ones. "I wish I had come here sooner...it is so fascinating."

There was something about watching this woman experience the museum for the first time. To him, every time he came here, it was like he was seeing everything for the first time himself. He had figured it had a lot to do with his childhood, and the memories associated with this museum. "I come here whenever I am on Earth," Gideon replied, his own gaze falling onto the the same small bird skeletons.

She nodded and moved closer to the display, her hand out to compare it with her own. "Just fascinating. Genetically I know the evolution of my people. However we do not have any remains to see the physical differences. Humans have a catalogue unparalleled. As if it was one of the most important things in the universe...knowing how you evolved, how other species around you evolved."

Gideon's own gaze was on the display. He felt like he was a little boy looking at the display for the first time, wide eyed, naive, but the beginnings of a love of science. "The scientists had persevered to make sure Earth's history, both evolutionary and ecologically was preserved. Scientists and people who believed in the cause had to fight hard to get museums like this. These are truly monuments to the blood, sweat, and tears of those scientists who came before us."

"Maybe yours," Raine said softly before she let out a breath. "My people let their planet burn and abandoned every living thing there to burn with it. We have no sense of history, of culture or of how other species evolved. We don't even know how we did. And that is the saddest thing in the universe."

Frowning at that, Gideon nodded his understanding. Human history was dark, it was only really in the past few hundred years that the human race started to become enlightened. Those who spoke out against the government, religious doctrine, or challenged the norm typically faced consequences--sometimes dire consequences. Yet, there was always perseverance. Always. As bad and as dark as human history could be, there was never thoughts of letting a planet burn, erasing all that was held dear. Even the worst of people wanted to preserve their own history or family line (even if it was at the expense of others).

That is probably one of the most saddest things I have ever heard, Gideon thought. He reached out and with gentleness placed his large hand on the woman's slim shoulder. "I'm really sorry to hear that."

She looked at him with surprise before she took a deeper breath. "Well, we live and learn, right? All about not making the mistakes of our ancestors," she said and gave a weak nod in acknowledgement of his sympathy. It...meant a lot, oddly enough. "Earth managed to turn around just in time. And it was worth it. There's so much life and beauty here. And yet...can't wait to go into space. I miss stars. The light pollution here is...blinding. Pun intended."

"You aren't wrong," Gideon replied, his hand now back at his side. "Even with the inventions of new power grids, large cities are still lit up rather brightly." There was also over nine billion people on the planet at this point, cities were much larger and even the smallest of towns were no longer small. "Though, I suppose I am used to it at this point in my life. I was born and lived in San Francisco, only gone when I was on assignments."

"Must be...special," she said as she held his eyes before she smiled. "To love the place you grew up in so much you always return there." To her, it seemed like a dream. And it was good to see this man had that. The warmth and love for a place.

"I tend to think it's special," Gideon said. "However, one thing I have learned over the years is home can be wherever you make it... be it in the city you grew up, or a starship that you serve on. It's wherever your heart belongs." He knew that probably sounded a bit cheesy or cliche, but there was truth and merit in the words.

"What if you have two hearts and neither of them seem to hold any emotions?" Raine asked and there was a small smile at the corner of her lips to show she was teasing. But in a good way. For her anyway.

At the question, Gideon's head jerked in surprise and he looked at the woman. He saw the small smile and his shoulders relaxed. "I feel it would be sad to have two hearts without any emotional connection, but that is a human response. Vulcans may feel differently, any species probably would feel differently."

"It's what makes our universe so interesting. Everyone is unpredictable," she said and nodded, watching him for a long moment. "I like your sentiment though. I like the emotions that your species show. And are unafraid of showing."

You haven't obviously been in a relationship with someone who wears their emotions on their sleeves, Gideon thought. It was always interesting to talk to an outsider about human emotions, humans didn't always have the best reputation with neighboring species when it came to emotions. Humans had been labeled as a species with emotional outbursts and a species who couldn't keep their emotions in check. This went back hundreds of years, so it was nice to hear someone admire humans for their display of emotions. "I think we are unafraid to show them is because emotions are part of who we are." He looked up, his eyes scanning the area and his breath hitched at the beauty and magnitude of it all. "Who wouldn't want to experience this without emotion?"

She looked around, taking it in before she tilted her head. "Do you want to know how I see it?" she asked before she chuckled, giving him the answer anyway. "I see evolution. I see the way the different skeletons present changes, even within the same species. I see a species, yours, with an interest of that which came before them. On this planet I see peace. But...I also see selfishness. I see people who do not contribute but get anyway," she looked at him, a weak smile on her faces. "All of this makes me curious. I come from a place where if you cannot contribute, you do not get. Where we do not believe in the weak. Where your future is decided for you when you are a child. This? This is freedom to me. And it terrifies me."

Gideon took in what was being said, listening carefully. He had seen all of that as well, but for himself, he could attach some type of sentimentally to it. Sentimentality that came from being a Starfleet Officer, a doctor, a scientist, a human, but most important it came from being Gideon Charles Nicols. "Why does it terrify you?" Gideon asked, his tone soft. Freedom wasn't something that terrified most people.

"I never had any before I came to the Federation," Raine said as she looked at him, holding his eyes. "I was bred in a tank. I was schooled. I was selected for one of five tasks. I was trained. And I worked on what I was told to work on. Questioning, thinking outside the box..." she moved a gloved hand to the room, gesturing. "It was frowned upon. So revolution...well. I had to leave when we discovered or I would be dead. Others in my...group...died."

Gideon chewed on his lower lip as he mulled over what was just said. It was tough to hear what the crewman was saying, yet he couldn't judge another by their ways... no matter how he felt about it. He also couldn't imagine being told what to do, how to do it and when to do it. That seemed totalitarian to him, but certainly wasn't unheard of. What could he even say to any of it? "Well..." he finally began, "you are in that uniform because you thought outside the box, right? Maybe now, you can make your own history."

"My own story anyway," Raine said before she looked back at the skeletons, considering it for a moment. "Hm. Didn't think I'd get that depressing so quickly. Nevermind. Clearly I have been cooped up too long. Or. You are easy to talk to."

No one had ever referred to him as someone who was easy to talk to, even the men he picked up in clubs or bars or coffee shops didn't say he was easy to talk to. Just easy in other respects, Gideon mused to himself. "I don't know if I'd go so far as saying it's depressing, sometimes it's helpful to talk to someone, even if they are a stranger."

"Or maybe strangers are easier to talk to at times. They do not judge. Or if they do, chances of seeing them again tend to be slim. But that's...not you," she said and frowned as she explored this in her mind. She found him easy to talk to, not because he was a stranger, but because he listened. And he was honest in return as far as she could judge. It was the familiarity that made it easy to talk to him, a relatability. Not the lack of knowledge or the slim chance of seeing him again.

Gideon felt his cheeks color and grow warm from what he assumed was a compliment. He was glad that this woman thought he was easy to talk to and that he wasn't one to judge. "I suppose it can be easier to talk to strangers, especially in environments like this that are familiar," he said as he indicated the whole of the museum. "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll surely lend an ear."

Raine nodded before she looked at him. "Same. Although my ears are not like your ears..." she tilted her head, since her ear was first of all more of a hole than the shapes of a human's ear. And far more noticeable with the lack of hair. "They still work well."

"And that is all that matters," Gideon said, offering once again a warm smile. "There are a lot of people in this universe who should open themselves up to listening more, we might not face as many problems if people did listen more." However, he also knew that was also easier said than done. He prided in himself in being a patient person, but he had his moments where he didn't listen to reason or even care what the other person had to say.

"I was told it was a human saying that people have one mouth and two ears, so they should listen twice as much as they talk," Raine said with a small smile, watching him closely before she smiled warmly. "I am not sure if it was truth that is was a saying."

"Well it's an adage, so there is always some truth in it," Gideon said. "It's a saying that more people should live by, a lot of misunderstandings could be avoided if people just listened more." Which was the truth in his book, to him there was always a time for listening and for speaking. As a career Starfleet Officer, his job was to listen and only give input when asked. As a scientist, it was also his duty to listen, but also give thoughts and opinions without prompting.

Raine nodded before she chuckled to herself. "Or we would just end up a bit damaged from always biting our tongues. There is that downside to it all as well."

Gideon laughed. "Been there, done that. In fact, when I was younger I tripped and bit into my tongue so hard I needed medical attention. All I could eat was pudding and jello for a week. Not pleasant at all," he said.

Raine looked at him with surprise before she frowned. "Stitches?" she asked and tutted. "Or a regenerator. One is worse than the other, I will let you guess which one..."

Gideon's brow furrowed at that. "I know the regenerator is far less unpleasant than the stitches." He knew a lot of people didn't know what stitches entailed, but he did and he shuddered at the thought. "I'm one of those unfortunate few who knows about sutures."

Raine looked at Gideon before she shrugged. "We have sutures where I am from. Regeneration takes too much energy to waste. Our...skin, if you like, heals well. No one really has scarring unless you get burned."

Still, the idea of sutures, of a needle and thread, made Gideon's stomach do the flips. He was glad that medical technology for humans had evolved and evolved quickly in the scheme of things. Even as far back as the late 21st and early 22nd century, needles were phased out for the hypo. "I suppose having a skin that heals well is a good thing, but still I can't imagine a suture being used. But that is human biased on my part."

Raine chuckled at that and tapped her own cheek. "I do not have the same delicate layers of ectodermal tissue..." she said lightly, but there was warmth there now. Clearly, she wanted to reassure him.

This Raine Ni-ya clearly was a perplexing individual, but Gideon didn't mind. He enjoyed meeting others and learning about their backgrounds. Even if he didn't agree with that person's position or culture, he still didn't judge. It was never his place to judge, though he would hope they would listen to his own thoughts on the matter. At Raine's words, he nodded.

Raine nodded as well before she met his eyes, holding them for a long moment. "Part of what makes people interesting is how different they are. I am glad I met you today."

Gideon smiled. It wasn't everyday he had met someone like Raine Ni-ya, and he even learned a thing or two. "I'm very glad I met you as well, it's been nice to share in this experience." And it was. A lot of times he had come to this museum on his own, so it was nice to share the experience. Especially if it was with someone who didn't experience museums like this often.

[OFF]

--

LTJG Gideon Nicols
Chief Research Officer

&

Crewman Raine Ni-ya
Scientist

RSS Feed