My Island of Misfit Toys
Posted on Fri Oct 11th, 2024 @ 10:01pm by Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren & Lieutenant Narin Valen
Edited on on Sat Oct 12th, 2024 @ 9:19pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Chief Science Officer’s Office - Deck 8 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD001 0800 hrs
So much had happened in the short time Narin had been aboard the Pioneer. Commander Maren’s sudden disappearance, force him to step into the role of Chief Science Officer. Now that she was back, Narin felt it was important to speak with her – not only to discuss professional matters but also to check in on her. Though they hardly knew each other, and weren’t close, he knew that for their professional relationship to grow, they would need to build rapport.
Narin arrived at the CSO’s office, which he had been using in her absence. Now that she was back, he wanted to make sure everything was in order. He remembered leaving a couple of PADDs scattered around. Pressing the door chime, and hoped she was inside so they could have a much-needed check-in.
"Come in," Alyssa called. She was sitting at her desk, trying to catch up on everything she'd missed. She hadn't been gone long, but the number of messages she needed to reply to and reports she needed to read seemed to multiply.
As the door opened, Narin stepped inside. "Hello, Commander. I hope I'm not intruding," he said, approaching the desk and stopping about a meter away, standing on the opposite side.
"Not at all." She smiled at him. "Please, have a seat. Would you like something from the replicator? I have some herb tea, but it's gone cold." She glanced at the teapot she replicated earlier. She let herself get distracted again.
“I’ll make us a fresh pot,” Narin said with a smile, reaching for the teapot. “Jestral tea, or would you prefer something else?”
"No, that's fine. Thank you. Tell me, how did it go with the senior staff missing?" She knew they did well, but she wanted to hear what he had to say.
“Disorienting at first,” Narin said honestly. He’d only been aboard the ship for a few days when the senior staff began to disappear, and he was still trying to find his footing and get acquainted with the ship’s workings. “I wasn’t expecting to have to step into your role,” Narin said as he finished preparing a fresh pot of tea. “But I guess it’s all about expecting the unexpected,” he added, pouring a cup for her before himself.
“The team really pulled together,” Narin said as he took a seat. “They worked incredibly hard and well. I am impressed with every single one of them. They made my job a lot easier.” He paused for a moment, then added, “I’m glad you’re back, and I’m sure the whole team feels the same way. I was a poor substitute for you,” Narin said smiling.
She picked up the cup and took a sip, nodding her appreciation. "No. You did well. I've heard nothing but praise about how you stepped up. It's not easy being thrown into a situation like that, but you handled it well. Thank you."
Narin gave an appreciative smile. “Thank you, that really means a lot,” he said, taking a sip of his tea. He looked at her a moment before asking, “How are you doing?”
"Overall? Good. But this will take a little time to fully process. It's not every day you're sent to a pocket universe by a non-corporeal being so it can play with you and then kill you." She shook her head and smiled. "But we were fortunate in that everyone survived. We weren't Malificus' first victims, but we are its last."
“Yes, we were very fortunate that everyone made it through,” Narin said with a nod. “If you need a few days to process everything that happened, I’m more than willing to hold down the fort in the meantime.”
"Thank you for your offer, but since we're on shore leave, I don't think it's necessary. You have a sister on Empok Nor, don't you? Have you spent any time with her?"
“Not yet, but I’m planning to see her tomorrow morning for coffee,” Narin replied. “We’ll probably grab dinner once or twice while we’re here. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the same place at the same time.”
"Good. I have a...friend...on the station and will be spending some time with him as well. I have no idea how long we'll be out next time, so you need to make the most of this opportunity."
She took another sip of her tea and sat back. "I'd like to hear your impressions of the scientists. I like having other points of view and being thrust into the position of department head has likely given you some unique perspectives."
“Especially in our line of work,” Narin said, his thoughts drifting briefly to the friendships he’d built and the ones he’d left behind when his last assignment ended. He took another sip of tea, grateful for the subject change. “My first impression of the team is that they’re all incredibly intelligent, skilled, and dedicated to their craft. It’s clear they’re good at what they do. And they each bring their own unique touch to the table.” He said with a smile.
She laughed and set her tea on her desk. "That's a very diplomatic answer.
They are all intelligent and excellent at their jobs. But we scientists can sometimes be a little quirky." She paused for a moment. "And then there's Sheldon. He's brilliant, but he prefers to work alone with his holographic superheroes." To explain her comment, she added, "I was up late one night and stopped by his lab to see how he was doing and accidentally activated his security program. It consisted of holographic X-Men."
Narin laughed. “A safe answer, I suppose,” he admitted. “Perhaps, if this whole science career doesn’t pan out, maybe I’ll have a future in the Diplomatic Corps.”
Narin knew who the X-Men were, not because he was into comics, but because the concept intrigued him. The idea of humans being born with the x-gene that gave them superpowers had led him to do a bit of research on it, though he’d never openly admit that to her. “I can see that with Sheldon," he said. "I’ll have to be on my guard when approaching him now. Though, I’m not sure if sneaking up on Sheldon and triggering his X-Men is scarier than trying to surprise our biologist. I met Sha'Zen, and she told me about her homeworld and the intense training they go through.”
"I think I'd rather surprise Sheldon. Sha'Zen is fierce in combat. She was also invaluable when we were kidnapped." She shook her head, not wanting to dwell too much on that. "The Pioneer is full of crew with interesting histories. I'm not sure if it's the area in space or the ship itself that draws them."
“Yeah, Sheldon definitely sounds like the safer option,” he agreed. “And peaking of people with remarkable stories. Lieutenant Harris, does he always carry that tanker with him everywhere he goes?”
Alyssa chuckled. "Yes. And the attitude. But his knowledge is impressive. I like to call the science department my island of misfit toys. That includes me, too. I have my own set of quirks. I traveled with a Capuchin monkey for years. He was both a companion and a child and needed constant attention. I was fortunate that he could play in the arboretum, as long as I was careful to keep him in diapers. He passed away a few years ago." She sighed. Mozart brought up more memories of Jek'Lar. "I also don't like using a phaser. I can, and when I do, I keep it on stun; but I prefer tranquilizer darts. So, I'm as odd as the rest of the department."
Narin listened, appreciating how open she was with him. He tried to think about his own quirks, but nothing came to mind. He had plenty of hobbies and interests, but nothing like setting up comic book superheroes as security system or traveling with a Capuchin monkey. Maybe being here would help him discover what his quirks were. After all, he’d need to find a way to fit in on the island of misfit toys. He smiled as she mentioned Mozart, and her use of tranquilizer darts. “He must have been quiet the companion. I’m sorry to hear that he’s gone. I would have liked to meet him.”
"He was quite a character. I loved his company, when he wasn't bored. Once I asked a friend to watch him for an evening. She was making pies for the lounge. She was a counselor and loved to bake. Unfortunately, she was also watching an old Earth movie called "The Great Race." Mozart saw the table full of pies and started throwing them at people in the lounge." She shook her head. "He was too impressionable at times. Sparta apologized for influencing him."
“I can only imagine the chaos he caused in that lounge!” Narin laughed. “Mozart sounds like he was a handful but in the best way possible.”
She smiled softly, remembering how Mozart would imitate Jek'Lar when he was exercising. "He was. He was my best friend for several years." Then she changed the subject. "Is there anything you'd like to work on while you're here? It can be a personal project, or a paper. Even in Starfleet it can be important to keep up with your academic research, if that's something you're interested in."
Narin nodded. "Absolutely, I'm very interested. Right now, I'm assisting a couple of colleagues with their research. I mentioned before that I spent five years in the Gamma Quadrant, and during that time, we encountered some fascinating planets. One of those planets had life forms thriving in a range of extreme environments. From acidic oceans to frigid deserts and geothermal hotspots. We're focused on understanding how these organisms have evolved to survive in such harsh conditions."
"I look forward to hearing more about that. And reading the paper when you and your colleagues complete your research. There's still so much we don't understand about our universe and those who live in it."
“There’s still so much out there that we’ve barely scratched the surface of. Every discovery feels like it just opens more doors to even bigger questions,” Narin said. “I’ll definitely send you a copy once it’s ready. How about you? Are you working on anything interesting at the moment?” he asked.
"I'm working on a paper with a colleague comparing ancient archaeological sites in the Daphron Sector. We're comparing building structures, pottery, art, textiles, and common crops. In some cases we have pictographs and writing that is quite interesting in and of itself. There's sufficient evidence to question whether these civilizations were established separately or if they all came from the same species and were seeded on these worlds, much like we're finding with the major species in the galaxy." Alyssa smiled. "Archaeology, anthropology and history are my foci."
“Hmm…. looking for shared origins or migration patterns,” Narin said. “Exobiology being one of my main disciplines, I’m always fascinated by the evolution of life. I’d be very interested in reading your paper once its published.”
"I'd appreciate your opinion when we get closer to publication. My background is too deeply rooted in academia not to have a project or two in the works." There was plenty of times when the ship was at warp for these projects, and she wanted the scientific community to appreciate the part Starfleet played in advancing scientific understanding.
Narin nodded. "I’d be more than happy to give you feedback. Life on a starship does make it tough to commit to long-term research projects, especially with our fields. Always on the move, and it’s rare to stay in one place long enough to really dig deep or gather all the data we need."
"Thank you." She finished her drink and smiled. "Is there anything else you need from me, or wish to discuss? I'm not trying to kick you out, but I do want you to take some time to relax on the station. Shore leave does seem to pass all too quickly."
Then she remembered what she'd cleaned off her desk and opened a drawer. "Before I forget, you left these." She pulled out a tray containing several PADDs.
“Nothing else at the moment. Thank you for the tea and the conversation. I enjoyed it very much so. And I think I’ll take your advice and try to make the most of the shore leave.” He stood up, reaching for the PADDs. “If you need anything, though, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
"Trust me, I'll keep you busy enough before long." She smiled. "Thank you again for your excellent work while I was...otherwise occupied. Now, go have some fun."
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Narin Valen
Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren
Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
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