Ensign Tho’Bi / PNPC CM 3rdC Tony Leone - The Undeniable Cold of Revulsion

[Tobi]

((CARGO BAYS, LEVELS 279 - DEEP SPACE 224))

The Andorian lent against the railings of the walkway, his arms resting on the cold metal. He looked out, beyond the empty cargo bay, to the darkness and the Danube class shuttle skimming towards them. 

Tho'Bi: ::nodding at the approaching shuttle:: Are you waiting for the shuttle?  

The Mizarian formally known as Lieutenant Gila Sadar had been standing alone on the narrow walkway when he'd recognised her. He had assumed she was waiting for the shuttle.

Sadar: What? ::processes:: U-Uhh, n-n-no... I, I just... Watching.

Odd. The sharp stink of coolant vapor, the clatter and clang of cargo containers, the shudder of decking cratered by blunt force landing skids. All these things reminded him of home. What, he wondered, did the shy, solitary Mizarian Doctor find in the noise and stink of them?

Tho’Bi: I grew up in a place like this. ::smiles:: Me and a lot of other kids ::smile fades::.

Sadar: I-I... I see...

A gaggle of deckhands hustled past them, stinking of grease and sweat. One by one, they slid down the access ladder to the bay below. Gloved hands gripped, and heavy booted feet locked onto the rails, retarding their descent.

Out there in the darkness, the Danube Class Shuttle began decelerating in preparation for landing. With the amount of energies being marshalled, the noise should have been thunderous, but instead there was only silence. 

Sadar: D-Did you... H-Have you ever been to, uhh ::searches brain:: Andoria?

Cold. Not the dry cold of a Space Station, the damp cold of ice, the biting cold of wind, the undeniable cold of revulsion. 

Tho’Bi: ::quiet stilted:: Once… when I was very young.   

Blue blood. Pooled on the white ice. Frozen at the edges. Still pumping warm at its source. Until it wasn’t. 

Tho'Bi: ::almost absent minded:: …but not since.

Sadar: I... I didn’t know...

Deckhand shouts and equipment clouts were drowned out by the roar of retro-thrust. The squat grey bulk of the Danube Class Shuttle broke through the shimmering electric blue of the angular forcefield, and with it, the causality of vibration and noise returned. As it shunted into place upon the deck, the Andorian turned to the disgraced Mizarian.

Tho’Bi: No reason why you should have.

Sadar: Response 

A loud, heavyset, but friendly shout echoed out from the cargo bay below.

Leone: ::shouting:: O! It's Ensign Romeo! 

Dressed in the gold and black of Ops/Engineering with a pair of oversized headphones around his neck, a burly, squat figure with thinning slick-back dark hair and dark eyes was looking up at the Andorian.  

Leone: ::shouting with bravado:: Let down your Andorian hair!

The young Ensign smiled and shouted back.

Tho’Bi: That's two different stories, Tony.

Leone: ::shouting sarcastic:: Like you'd know!

It was at this point the manner of the Crewman Third Class changed. His face fell to stone. The bravado gave way to belligerence. Even the light reflected in his eyes died. It was at this point his gaze fell upon the dishonorably discharged, former Lieutenant, Gila Sadar. 

His dark eyes fixed on the Gila Sadar, the Enlisted Crewman brought his lips together, drew in a heavy breath through the thick of his nose, pushed his tongue between his lips, and spat onto the deck.

Sadar: Response 

The Crewman returned his attention to the young Andorian Ensign. 

Leone: Watch yourself, kid ::nods in Sadar's direction:: People talk.

The Andorian nodded in return, but his expression remained unmoved, his tone even.

Tho’Bi: I hear you, Tony.

The Crewman shrugged, lifted the oversized headphones to his ears, tapped the outside of one, and idled off, footfall and shoulder bump in time to the tinny buzzy music.

The young Andorian Ensign could hardly look at Gila Sadar. He turned one way and back, and then repeated the action.

Tho’Bi: ::quietly:: Don’t worry about it. It's just one…

The Andorians voice trailed off as he noticed the dead-eye stares and muttered profanities spread out across the deckhands working the cargo bay below.

Sadar: Response 

TAG/TBC 

((OOC: I hope this is not too much.  I feel it adds to the great sadness of Gila Sadar's predicament.  While a few will try to understand, many will treat her with distain.

Danube class shuttle listed as one of Artemis support vessels on SB118Wiki

“During active shuttlebay operations, atmospheric integrity is maintained by means of an angular forcefield…” Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual, P. 158))

———————————

PNPC

Crewman Third Class Tony Leone

SB224

As Simmed By Tho’Bi 

And

Ensign Tho’Bi

Engineering

USS Artemis-A

A240203T11