JP LTJG Ras El'Heem & LTCDR Talia Ohnari ~ Two Docs, one hand (Pt 1)
Roxanna Dorion
((Robotics lab Four, Medical Pavilion, Gamma Module, Deep Space 33))
Haliian physician Talia Ohnari was hunched over a work table, back curved at a terribly unnatural angle. The several lenses of the jewelers’ goggles she’d modified, as well as the crazy ebony vines escaping the bun at the nape of her neck, gave an appearance of a multi-eyed insect chittering to itself.
It had been hours. A quick glance at the time revealed it had been twelve hours. But she did not care. In front of her was a massacre of solder, wiring, tools of various lengths and a beat up PADD with half a cracked screen holding her schematics. Every time she anticipated being finished, a new idea would slam into her and she had to finagle some calculations to see if it was viable or not.
The pain, exhaustion, and growling hunger didn’t matter. Ras El’Heem needed a hand. Both metaphorical, and literal. And it. Was. Glorious. The slight metallic sheen was a giveaway, considering it was about half a shade lighter than the Kressari’s natural skin tone, but unless she wanted to work out some sort of silicon coating that would be way more trouble than it was worth? She decided to leave it. As she stood, for the first time in…she didn’t actually know, the sound of angrily protesting joints filled the lab.
Ohnari: Ow…ow…::audible crack:: Oooh, no ow. =/\= Talia Ohnari to Ras El’Heem, meet me in Robotics lab four, in the medical pavilion. =/\=
Providing the man had his communicator and had somehow managed to leave his room on the Khitomer. She wasn’t above hunting him down. He had been…in a dark place. His quarters. With the lights off. Like a weirdo.
((Ras’s quarters, Room 143, Deck 14, USS Khitomer, Docked at DS33))
The Kressari lay sprawled on the floor of his quarters, the synthetic weave of the carpet pressed against his back and the air thick with the scent of dry soil. His room remained in disarray, potting mix still stood in the pile he half-heartedly swept into the corner. Darkness clung to the space like a second skin with the only solace of visibility humming from the grow lights. With his right hand a memory now, Ras focused intently on his left, tossing a small rubber ball into the air and catching it. Again and again. Forcing rhythm into a hand that had never known dominance. It was slow work. Frustrating. But it was necessary.
When his communicator chirped, the sudden sound cut through the stillness like a phaser blast. His concentration broke. The ball slipped his grasp, hit his brow with a dull thud, and bounced off into the shadows. He didn’t react. Didn’t even blink. He just let the sting spread across his face. For a long moment, he remained motionless with his gaze fixed on the ceiling above, as if waiting for it to collapse in on him. Finally he reluctantly slapped his combadge.
El’Heem: =/\= What for? ::joking but flat and uninterested:: You’re not my boss anymore, you know? =/\=
Ohnari: =/\= I found an old remote control hover model to play with, ::pausing:: Seriously? Why else would I be paging you? =/\=
Something caught in his throat. He sat up, his eyes searching the dark in front of him for answers.
El’Heem: =/\= Wait…Don’t play with me Talia. Is it done? ::standing using one hand to push himself up:: I can be right over. =/\=
It seemed the Haliian needed a snack. She was being just as snarky as Ras, and he had just suffered a trauma. She just needed some calories while she waited for him to join her, she was able to shove some calories and caffeine in record time.
Ohnari: =/\= When would I ever play about this? =/\= oO But now I’m totally gonna…Oo
He flipped the lights on and stripped his wrinkled uniform as he ran around frantically gathering some semblance of decency to face the station, with all its bustling crowd. The replicator hummed as he ordered a fresh jumpsuit, this time blue collared, instead of teal. He could almost feel the darkened hue on the ribbing of the collar.
oO Too on the nose? Oo
Ohnari: =/\= C’mon man, leave your emo lair ::a thought ballooned:: preferably with pants. =/\=
Her voice broke the spell and he realized he hadn’t responded. One leg slipped into its sleeve while he hopped on one foot, secretly thankful he hadn’t lost a foot, instead.
El’Heem: =/\= Yeah, yeah. I’m on my way. =/\=
NT/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Ras El’Heem
Science Officer
USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)
K240106RE3
and
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Lieutenant Commander Talia Ohnari, MD
Chief Medical Officer
USS Khitomer
C239205ME0