LT JG Herrick: Let's Explore!
Mark P
((Main Engineering, USS 'Oumuamua))
The more they chatted, Josh realized that there were some similarities in their upbringing and almost hereditary push into space travel. When he asked the warrant officer about how she spent time on the freighter, it seemed to catch her off guard.
S. Sherlock: Ummm ::beat:: other than fixing things, I used to learn traditional Orion dance.
Her facial expression changed, and Josh wasn’t sure he was picking up correctly on the non-verbal cues. Was it embarrassment, trepidation, him overstepping boundaries? He hadn’t much luck in creating stable friendships on board. With all the crew changing hands, Sasha was probably the closest thing he had to a friend.
He probably wouldn’t have much luck in the seductive dance department but suspected that wasn’t the only type of dance. Most species were usually well known for their few notable traits but often over-stereotyped. For example, Vulcans with their rigid logic and Klingons for their brutal aggressiveness. But the Commodore and Toz didn’t fit those cookie cutter molds.
Maybe there was a bonding opportunity here, he was genuinely interested and put an open ended offer out.
Herrick: Really?! Well, you’ll have to teach me some time.
He decided to shift directions to another topic that was scratching his brain.
Herrick: So… Shevon Sherlock… oO Sherlock…
wait a minute Oo Are you related to our Sherlock?
S. Sherlock: ::nervously:: Yes, well, kinda. I mean, we are,
sorta...
She trailed off slightly, so Josh gently nudged her on.
Herrick: Sorta…?
S. Sherlock: ::taking a deep breath before continuing:: We're half sisters. Same father. But, I've never met him.
Herrick: So, how did you find each other?
S. Sherlock: Well, that's a long story, kinda. Her boy ::beat:: her friend's ship picked up our distress call. We'd been attacked and the ship was dying and they rescued us. Apparently she thought I was a creation of someone called Cloq?
Herrick: The universe can be so big, and so small at the same time.
He didn’t want to push too much into her history, he’d seen how that went with Nelson. He had no idea what the frack a clog was, but that could come later. For now, he’d keep it a bit more on the surface.
Herrick: So, you weren’t aware of her either?
Federation standard wasn’t precise, or was it Josh's use of it? Either way, there was probably a cleaner way to ask.
S. Sherlock: No, I wasn't. She later told me that she asked our dad about me. He didn't even know I was born, but he did admit that he hadn't told her that he was in the Merchant Marines before he and her mother got together.
Herrick: I’ll be honest, I can’t imagine how much of a shock that would have been for you, and for her. (beat) Does she know you’re onboard?
S. Sherlock: Response
An alarm interrupted their conversation, and Josh tapped the panel that had been beside them to pull up the report.
Herrick: That’s strange…
S. Sherlock: Response
Herrick: Yeah, I don’t see what would be causing a total power failure up there. Perhaps we can take this as our first trial run?
S. Sherlock: Response
Even with the intensive repair crews going at it, Josh felt like pieces of the ship were being held together with a hope and a prayer. The Oumuamua may be sea-worthy, but he wondered if the smaller repair teams would be enough to get her through the final mile.
In the last report he sent to Etan, he had mentioned that a shipyard might be more efficient. Otherwise, repairs could spill considerably into their next mission.
As the alarm beeped a bit more insistently, he walked over to a station just a few feet away and opened a hidden compartment beneath one of the LCARS displays, grabbing 2 engineering kits and palm beacons.
Herrick: ::flashing it on and off, and then flashing a smile:: Hope you’re not afraid of the dark.
S. Sherlock
Tags and TBC!
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