LTJG Josh Herrick: Wait... are you related?
Mark P
((Main Engineering, USS 'Oumuamua))
As the nervous and eager energy radiated off of Shevon, Josh couldn’t help but appreciate how much it put him at ease and fostered camaraderie. She’d come aboard just looking around, and now, with the due diligence that would probably make Winters shake her head, he’d be bringing her around some more vital areas of the ship on a ‘trial run’.
Herrick: So… what gets you jumping out of bed in the morning?
S. Sherlock: ::innocently confused:: Well, I mean, my alarm can be
shocking sometimes. But I don't really jump...
The Terran sometimes forgot that native expressions didn’t exactly translate well through the UT. He wondered why the linguistic database struggled with it, but perhaps Starfleet had thought the more literal approach was safer. You wouldn’t want to insult or proposition someone… unless you really meant it.
He cut in to clarify.
Herrick: ::smiling:: I meant… What are you passionate about when it
comes to ::sweeping his hand around the engine room:: working on a ship or in
engineering? Any areas of interest or specializations?
S. Sherlock: Oh! Well, when I first enlisted, Starfleet classed me as a Repair Technician. At The School they said I'd be doing more on the administrative side, so they say Engineering Technician. But really, I just like to fix things.
Herrick: Well ::patting the side of the console in front of them:: You definitely have no short supply of that here at the moment. She needs some love.
He paused, almost for an imperceptible moment. He realized that at some undetectable point, the ship had taken on a personified role in his life — a fellow colleague.
Herrick: It sounds like you had some good experience coming in then.
S. Sherlock: Pretty much my whole life. As soon as I could crawl, my father, well, the man who raised me, had me helping with his ship.
Another slight lull in the conversation; Josh suspected she might be reliving a memory. After a moment, she threw the ball back in his court.
S. Sherlock: What about you, Sir? What made you want to be an Engineer?
It was probably the first time Josh had been called 'sir'. It was a weird but good feeling, recognition that he was heading in the right direction.
Herrick: Family as well… actually, really my dad too. He’s a commander back at Utopia. He’d bring me along on the ‘safer’ repair missions when my mom had enough ::grinning:: and he made Starfleet a strong influence in my life. He even had me in a prep troop about 15 years ago, Future Explorers, Present Friends was our motto.
S. Sherlock: Response
Herrick: Exploration. I too have a knack — a talent — for repairs so an engineering discipline seemed like a natural fit for me to get on a vessel and see the galaxy. It’s been a wild ride in the months that I’ve been here. I’ve been on 2 missions and had 2 first contacts.
S. Sherlock: Response
Herrick: I’m just glad, I’m on some deep space science vessel, I feel I might get bored outta my mind. What speed did your freighter go?
Josh knew that it was rare for private vessels to have modern warp systems; most freighters were intergenerational.
S. Sherlock: Response
Herrick: So how'd you pass the time on runs?
S. Sherlock: Response
Herrick: Really?! Well you’ll have to teach me some time. (beat) So… Shevon Sherlock… oO Sherlock… wait a minute Oo Are you related to our Sherlock?
Josh hadn’t met the officer who recently had commanded the MooMoo; he’d only heard her through the comms with Etan during the mission on Alpha Brenkelvi II. It took all this time for him to register that they could be related, but he wasn’t sure how common Sherlock was as a last name.
S. Sherlock: Response
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Lieutenant JG Josh Herrick
Acting Chief Engineer
USS ‘Oumuamua
O240005JH3
he/him/his (player/character)