Ensign Meris - Commander Sssilveira
Meris/Brian
(( Deck 5, Section 7, Cabin 6 ))
When it became clear the situation on the bridge would not spiral into an immediate firefight, Captain Munro gathered the senior officers and led them toward the conference room. Meris remained at the helm until their shift ended, then signaled for their relief. Lieutenant Loadia Xaff, a female Bolian, slid easily into the seat that Meris vacated and the J'naii gave her a quick but thorough briefing on the current situation.
Then, retiring to their quarters, Meris tried to ease their mind with some simple sha'rel movements, but the motions felt hollow. Frustrated, they turned instead to the unfinished painting spread across the wall. They'd started with bright bold strokes, but now something more was needed. Stripping off their clothes - and the pretense that came with them - they retrieved paints from the replicator and began to add golden spires and other shapes inspired by scans of the Boraxian city ship. They worked silently in the nude, hands and arms covered in various colors, letting each stroke of paint upon the polyduranide wall pull them deeper into stillness. At last, they felt calm beginning to return to their mind.
The chime of their combadge shattered it. Commander Silveira’s voice cut through. Meris stilled, their hands held up like a doctor, but dripping with globules of paint.
Silveira: =/\= Silveira to Storm, Meris and Tho’Bi. =/\=
oO Why Commander Silveira... Oo
Storm: =/\= Storm here. =/\=
Tho'Bi: =/\= Ensign Tho’Bi here. =/\=
Meris: =/\= Go ahead, Commander. =/\=
Meris recalled how the Commander had propositioned them during the awards ceremony. Silveira had expressed wanting to "coordinate maneuvers" and had said he liked to "work closely" and "build a good connection" with their Helmsperson. The inference was obvious - Silveira had a thing for them. It was as clear as the nose on their face, and Meris had to admit they were considering it. Silveira was, after all, a striking individual. He didn't quite have the cute tushie of Ollie Bergmen, but they wouldn't have minded using Vitor Silveira's broad shoulders like a jungle gym.
Silveira: =/\= Report to me in transporter room three, we are all going to the New Hope ship. Lieutenant Storm get us each one hand phaser, Ensign Meris bring along an extra medical tricorder, Ensign Tho’Bi bring your PADD but leave your tools. We have to find the saboteur, although we might already have a suspect since we are also looking for someone. =/\=
Away team duty - how interesting. Silveira, they thought, seemed willing to come up with nearly any excuse to have them near. Quickly they began to clean themself up. There wouldn't be enough time for a proper sonic shower to get rid of the paint all over their body, so they'd just have to make do with cleaning themself up as best they could manage.
Storm: =/\= Acknowledged. I’ll stop by the weapons locker. I’m on my way. =/\=
Tho'Bi: =/\= Who are we looking for, Sir? =/\=
Meris: =/\= On my way, Commander. =/\=
Silveira: =/\= Dariell is missing. They can’t find them. =/\=
Storm: =/\= You’ll have to catch me up on who that is when I meet you in the transporter room. I’m on my way to the locker. I’ll be at the transporter room shortly. =/\=
Meris thought this did seem serious. Perhaps it wasn't just an excuse to be near them - but then why bring a pilot on an away team? They shrugged. Like Storm, they had little idea who this Dariell was, but perhaps their experience with Luirétt on the bridge would prove useful to the situation.
Tho'Bi: ::quietly:: =/\= Aye, aye, Sir. =/\=
Having cleaned up to what they felt was an acceptable degree, the J'naii pilot pulled their uniform back on and retrieved a medical tricorder from their nightstand. They then strode out of their quarters, headed for the transporter room.
(( Transporter Room Three - Deck 7, USS Artemis ))
Meris strode through the doors of the transporter room to find the others already present. Perhaps they had spent too much time cleaning the paint off their body. Were they late?
Of course, once they spotted Commander Silveira all thoughts of paint and lateness flew right out of their head as they studied the five-foot-ten-inch human. Yes - he would make a fine partner for sexual intimacy should the opportunity present itself.
(( OOC: Leaving off Tho'Bi and Storm greetings as they would have occurred before Meris entered the room. ))
Meris sidled up to the other officers, nodding to Tho'Bi and Storm, and then greeting Silveira with an unintended purr in their voice.
Meris: Commander Sssilveira.
Silveira: Response.
The J'naii coughed and straightened to clear the purr from their voice.
Storm: So for at least Meris’s and my sake, can you fill us in on who Dariel is, and is it he that you believe to be the saboteur?
Tho’Bi: ::quietly:: Dariel is the Boraxian Chief Engineer… at least, that's what they said. Their manner was… ::head tilt and try again:: They are highly intelligent with a clear head for engineering concepts but… ::head tilt the other way:: They did not speak as an Engineer would.
Meris quirked a slight eyebrow at Tho'Bi's description.
Silveira: Response.
Tho'Bi: I do not believe they are familiar with the ship. ::beat:: Several of their answers made little engineering sense.
Meris: That may track with what Luirétt advised us on the bridge. Even the most skilled Yurum would have little knowledge of how the colony ship actually works. The Yurum are a kind of gerontocracy where position is granted based on elevated age and presumed wisdom. Dariel may simply be among the oldest Yurum and therefore granted an elevated position as their "engineer".
Silveira: Response.
Storm: I can see why you’d suspect him. Do we have any proof that it was him, or is it merely conjecture?
Tho'Bi: They had the means and they had access. But... the same is true of all Boraxians in Engineering.
Meris: ::to Tho'Bi:: Did you get the sense that Dariel intended you, or anyone else, harm?
Silveira/Storm: Response.
Tho'Bi: I do not believe Dariel wished us harm. ::beat:: But they were hiding things.
Meris: Either way, it would seem concerning that they've gone missing. Even if the reason is benign, we should still investigate to locate them if only for their own safety.
Silveira/Storm: Response.
Meris accepted a phaser from Storm and slipped its holder onto the waistband of their uniform pants, right next to the holster for the medical tricorder that the Commander had told them to bring.
(( Sub-Levels, Boraxian Vessel ‘A New Hope’ ))
The team materialized in what Meris presumed was the engineering section of the vessel. They watched as Tho'Bi snapped open his engineering tricorder and took readings.
Tho'Bi: Ship's systems are stable.
Meris: Does this chamber appear to be the same as you previously left it?
Silveira/Storm: Response.
Tho'Bi: ::to Silveira:: Aye, aye, Sir.
The J'naii pilot then watched as Tho'Bi synced his panel to an alien console. They had to admit that the Andorian Ensign might be a mess in his personal life, but as an Engineer he was quite capable.
Meris approached the engineer to look at his data PADD - they couldn't hope to look over the Andorian's shoulder but, instead, looked over their elbow. The PADD now displayed a Master System Display of the Boraxian vessel in electric blue. Across the schematic, doors and access points pulsed red. Beside each pulsing red marker, a counter displayed the number of minutes since activation.
Tho'Bi: ::pointing at the pulsing red:: These are all the doors and access points that have been activated since we beamed back to Artemis, Sir.
Meris: There's so many of them...
Silveira/Storm: Response.
Meris: Perhaps we should split up. Tho'Bi and Storm can investigate the chambers and doors on the port side of the vessel while the Commander and I can investigate the chambers and doors on the starboard side of the vessel.
oO And, if Silveira plays his cards right, maybe a little alien vessel nookie... Oo
(( TAGS/TBC ))
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Ensign Meris
Helm Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240207M14