[sb118-artemis] Ensign Tho'Bi - Cat-o-Tho-Bic

[Tobi]

((XO & Sam’s quarters, deck 2, USS Artemis))

The young Ensign had been tasked with ensuring all the environmental and crew support systems were correct for the new arrivals on the ship.  Sam Richards was a little different, first, because she was the XO’s girlfriend, and second because, of the small, distinguished looking crew member who happened to be visiting when the Ensign arrived.  This small, distinguished looking crew member was, in fact, a cat, but the young Ensign was a little too wound up to notice.

The preset was loaded up.  The Ensign just need to press confirm but he needed to ask Richards to leave the quarter for a moment while he did it.  The tricoder explicitly warned against gravity adjustments with pregnant women present.  As he started explaining, it suddenly occurred to the Andorian, that he never met a pregnant human before.

Tho’BI:  Okay.  Erm.  I’ve cr-created a Pre-Preset for you (beat) Erm.. So it’s set for erm.. (beat) You are (beat) You are p-pr-pregnant, right?  Erm… there’s little babies inside you?

Richards:  ::Her eyes widening as she looks down at her belly:: Is that why I look like this?! 

Sam Richards took the young Andorian’s incredible awkwardness with good humor and grace, unfortunately, our young Andorian was too wound up to notice.

Tho’Bi:  Sorry.  (beat)  I’ve errm never met a pregnant human before.  (beat) Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.

Richards: ::Holding up her hands and shaking her head:: No! It was a joke. I was kidding. Yes I am pregnant. 

The Ensign felt it best to try to move things along as best he could, but first he needed Richards to step outside into the corridor.

Tho’Bi:  Okay, so Starfleet Me-Medical recommend gravity, sl-slightly less than Earth standard.  (beat)  At the mo-moment, it’s s-set to sightly more.  (beat)  I can’t perform the ad-adjustment with you in the room, so ermm… I need you to st-stand in the corridor f-for a moment.  ::smiles haplessly::

Richards: Yeah, yeah. Sure thing. 

The young human scooted off the sofa, tossing the blanket down and leaving the bowl of cheezy poofs on the table.  If the Ensign had been more perceptive at that moment, he might of registered a slight hesitation in Sam Richards walk, as she left the room,

With just the two of them left in the room, the young Ensign turned to the cat.

Tho’Bi:  Ready? (beat)  Okay.

The Ensign tapped confirm.  There was a deep, loud, metallic shunt sound.  The cat looked up.  A long protracted buzzing sound as the Ensign felt his feet get lighter.  The cat’s fur stood on end, across it’s whole body.  As its body lifted up and it scrambled with its paws to stay grounded.  The buzzing stopped.  A second deep, loud metallic shunt sound shuddered through the room.  Just as the Ensign’s feet were returning to being planted firmly on the ground, the cat stood bold upright, legs stretched out, back arched, hair up.

Tho’Bi:  ::to the cat::  Are you okay?

Evidently, the cat was not okay.  He bolted across and then around the room, scaling shelves, sideboards, and desks at speed.  Commander Dakora’s belongings were sent tumbling to the deck. 

Richards (outside in the corridor): ::Loudly to the door:: Is everything okay in there? Tho’Bi what was that?!

On some level the Ensign registered what the human had said, but it remained peripheral for him.  The cat had leapt onto the highest bookshelf, sending its contains cannoning to the deck.  It’s back arched, the cat’s eyes focused on the young Ensign.  It let out a long, rasping hiss.

Tho’Bi:  Oh uh.

The cat launched itself at the Ensign’s face.  His Andorian reactions allowed him to duck his head underneath the incoming photon-torpedo-cat, but the cat’s front paws locked onto his antennae.  The cat’s full momentum came to a sudden halt against the Andorian’s antennae, as the cat swung round, twisting the antennae in a crisscross, and landed on the Ensign’s head.  It pushed in with its hind paws and pulled back on the antennae with all its strength; digging the claws of its front paws into the antennae.

Tho’Bi: GYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!

Richards: (outside in the corridor): ::Using her open hand to hit the door a couple times:: Tho’Bi! Are you okay?! 

The Ensign did not hear anything Sam had said.  The searing pain driving through his antennae, like giant needles jammed the length of all of a human’s finger tips.

In the panic and the pain, he flipped his head forward with all his strength.  The force of movement tore the cat loose.  It somersaulted through the air.  For one horrible moment, the Ensign thought the tiny creature might land badly and hurt itself; but, by some magic of balance and body control, the cat splayed outwards with her paws; shifting her center of gravity, and controlling her momentum, she soft landed on all four paws, on the sofa; like a furry Qowat Milat.

Tho’Bi:  Ouuuuuuuuuch (beat) :: bends over to catch his breath :: wow (beat) ::breathing a lot:: wow (beat) that hurt.  ::looks at the cat:: Are you okay?

The cat hopped off the sofa and stalked towards the Andorian, shoulders and hips up, rotating around her body, tail tall and twitching, head up and fixed on the Andorian.  The child of Andoria, of ice and war, stepped back to the wall, intimidated.  The cat sat in the middle of the room, its gaze fixed on the young Ensign.

Richards: You have thirty seconds before I open this door. It better be safe for me and my cat better be okay! ::Breathing Heavily a few times:: Don’t make me get Commander Dakora here! 

The young Ensign darted a look to the door and then around the mess of the room.

Tho’Bi:  Uh Oh.

His gaze then fell back to the cat.  Quietly, but menacingly staring at him.  It’s tail twitching.  It sat up right, like the cats of old Egypt, worshiped as a Goddess.

Swoosh!  The door opened and Sam Richards strode in, her words evaporating as she registered the scene of carnage. 

Richards: My cat better be okay or I’ll–

Books, trophies, holo-photos, and more, jettisoned about the room; furniture left wonky, off center, and odd; a liberal sprinkling of Cheesy Poofs across everything.  The Andorian’s antennae were crumpled and pointing in the opposite directions.  Blood trickled down from both and soaked into his white hair.  He gasped and staggered.  

Richards: What the hell happened.

At the sight of her mother and/or human pet, the cat leapt into Sam’s arms.  Without saying another word, Sam hurried the cat off to the safety of the bedroom.  After settling the cat, she closed the door and returned to the disarray that used to be the XO’s living room.

Tho’Bi: Is your friend okay?  ::looks at Sam::

Richards: Well… This sucks. ::Rubbing her face in frustration:: Were you able to at least set the new preset for me?

Tho’Bi: Yes.  ::nods:: The room is n-now set for Starfleet Medical recommended settings for Pregnant Women. ::smiles::  ::looks about the room::  Okay, erm… I better clean this up.

The Ensign began straightening furniture and putting thing back where they belonged on shelves.  His antennae made it easy, as they constantly sensed the room and everything in it.  He knew on a ‘sonar level’ where everything was and needed to be again.

Richards: Response

Tho’Bi:  Please, it’s all my fault.  Just sit and I’ll sort it out.  ::points at antennae:: my antennae sense the room layout all the time, I just need to match it. 

Richards:  Response

Tho’Bi:  I’m just sorry about your frie- ::points at bedroom door:: (beat) ::looks at assorted cat toys and all:: (beat) (beat)  Oh.  ::Face turns a shade of dark blue/purple::  Oh.  ::points at bedroom door:: that’s a cat.  ::shakes head:: not a member of the crew.

Richards:  Response

Tho’Bi:  We did study cats at the Academy ::smiles awkwardly:: But I’ve never actually met one, until today.  Oh, wow.  The cat must have been really scared.  (beat) I’m an idiot.  ::puts hands to head and catches antennae:: Ow!!! ::bends over in pain::  (beat) (beat) ::stands up right and take a deep shaky breath::  Okay.

The Ensign set about the task of tidying up the rest of the room, until it looked good as new.

Richards:  Response

Tho’Bi:  Better.  (beat)  And, erm.. If you ever need anything fixing or setting up, for you, or the cat ::smiles awkwardly::  just ask for me and I’ll sort it.  ::nods:: Okay, I better go.

Picks up Engineering Kit, stows the tricoder and snaps the kit shut.  Kit in one hand, funky PADD in the other, heads for the door.  Swosh!  Turns back into the room.

Tho’Bi:  Erm.. the XO.  (beat) I had some trouble on my first day.  ::smiles and nods:: my first 30 minutes.  And (beat) the XO was really decent about it.  He could busted me out for it ::shudders as he breaths:: But he gave second chance.  (beat)  He seems like a good guy.

Richards:  Response

Tho’Bi: ::nods and leaves::

END OF SCENE FOR THO’BI

TAGS/TBC

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Ensign Tho’Bi

Engineering

USS Artemis-A

A240203T11