Ensign Yinn: Pranks For the Memories
Mike Vago
((Yinn’s Quarters, Deck 6, USS Octavia E. Butler))
Yinn had been happy enough to give up her quarters to refugees and sleep in the science lab. She hadn't been on the new ship long enough for her quarters to feel like home, but labs always felt like home. Yet it was a relief to come back to a quiet, empty room, place her water sculpture on the little table by the window, and make some calls to her family on Bolarus.
But it was also nice to have a space to hang out with friends again. The moment the door signaled Zarah's arrival, Yinn lost any interest in peace and quiet.
Johnson: Hey Yinn! Mind if I come in?
Yinn: Come! Come! I only just got my room back from the refugees!
Zarah cast a glance around the Ensign’s quarters. She hadn't actually been here; heck, Yinn had barely spent any time in the room before the refugee crisis pushed her out. Zarah flopped down on the couch, which was also Yinn's favorite move.
Johnson: I’ve been wracking my brain all night.
Yinn: Science problem? Moral quandary? [she rubbed the top of her bald head in thought] No, I know you, you're working on a prank, aren't you?
Nodding, she shifted a bit so that one leg crossed over the other and she leaned against the armrest.
Johnson: Did you have any idea on what to do?
Yinn: I have been turning a few ideas over in my head. Given how often the holodecks malfunction, it'd be pretty easy to wreak havoc there. But I almost froze to death the last time that happened to me, so it feels more cruel than fun to put someone else through that.
She rubbed the ridge on her head again.
Yinn: But then I thought of the replicators.
Johnson: response
Yinn: That was my first thought too, just have them endlessly spewing the messiest food we can think of. But that's too obvious, and after the initial mess, the replicator gets fixed, the victim cleans up, and that's the end of it. I have something more devious in mind.
Johnson: response
Yinn: Every replicator on the ship is coded to our personal preferences. If I ask for stew, I'm always going to get one with Bolian seafood, not the land animals you humans eat. So if we can hack our victim's preferences...
Johnson: response
Yinn: Exactly. Everywhere on the ship, all hours of day, anything they ask for, they get the same thing. Just a cold, raw arvaditum, every time. Or whatever the most boring Earth vegetable is. Or a hot, steaming plate of zherlac — it's a Bolian fish that even Bolians think is an acquired taste. It has a very pungent order. Very pungent.
Johnson: response
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Ensign Yinn
Science Officer
USS Octavia E. Butler NCC-82850
O240011Y12