Ensign Teagen Vennick: I am going to hit you with a brick
Grace McDermott
((The…Reef?))
Ensign Teagen Vennick was often surprised at how much of his life he’d spent being indignant about one thing or another. It wasn’t that he particularly liked complaining. He knew he could be grating, he knew it made him hard to like, and he also knew it rarely helped the situation, but still. Here he was. oO You spent the better part of your years at the academy b****ing about one thing or another, and where did it get you? First stationed aboard a ship that wanted nothing to do with you, then stationed on a ship that’s most famous for having its engine fall out during Federation day, and now you’ve been spirited away to…. I don’t even know. Whatever it is, I am going to shove Moss’s head into a god-****** toilet the second I get back to the Beryl, she said it would be three days max, and- Oo.
Vennick cut the thought off there. He didn’t need to think about what happened when his non-replicated food ran out. That was a problem for future Vennick, the poor bas****. He’d initially balked when he’d asked where he could find the captain, and the officer he’d talked to had very unhelpfully gestured to the Narhelion, as though it was a shed out back instead of a whale larger than the actual starship, but the longer he thought about it, the more frustrated he’d gotten until eventually he’d just decided he’d deal with the veruul-ing space whale and be done with it. He let himself be beamed inside, before stopping in his tracks at the sheer size of the chamber he was in.
Vennick:.......ghuy… ::remembering she’s sentient:: Sh- Sorry…… ::growing uncomfortable with the concept:: Sorry. Anyway.
Since she didn’t respond, Vennick figured it was probably fine. He walked around, looking down at the jailbreaked PADD he’d had the sense to carry with him that was currently tracking every single officer above the basic lieutenant. It looked like Niac was…… There. oO What a surprise, they actually got me fairly close. Oo . Then he stopped as he realized that he might have to touch the wall. However, before he even had to, it released a musical chime. Several times.
Niac: Uh...enter?
The door irised open once again and Vennick stepped back a little, stuck between wanting to storm in immediately, and not wanting to get close to the moving skin. But, the second it was clear, he walked in.
Vennick: Are you Captain Niac? I…… oO The floor is turning into a living room. What the bogozh……Oo
Karrod gestured to the recently formed chairs and motioned him inside. For a moment, Vennick wondered if he was actually expected to sit on the still-moving flesh, before he decided that, whether he was or not, that simply would not be happening.
Niac: My actual ready room was damaged in the battle so apparently Narhelion felt I deserved...alternate accommodations. Come in Ensign, I assume you have something on your mind?
Yes, he absolutely did, but just before he started asking the captain what exactly he’d smoked or injected himself with before starting this particular mission, and if he was interested in sharing, he managed to stop himself. Adjust. oO Federation smile. Federation posture. Stop talking with your hands. He’s a Trill so he may be more permissive than a human or Vulcan but he’s still a superior officer, so straighten up and try not to say the f*** word. Oo
Vennick: ::deep breath, in a noticeably different cadence:: I am Ensign Vennick, I was assigned here from the Beryl to assist with updating your stellar cartography library, I presume Commander Moss mentioned me in passing. oO You have to mention your captain. He’s going to think the Beryl is a mess if you don’t bring up the captain. Oo Captain Vo’tich was… attending to other departments at the time. I was brought aboard for a three day period of time, so you can imagine my surprise when- ::notices he’s talking with his hands, and firmly putting them behind his back:: I pull my head out of a console and find out we’ve made the jump to light speed in search of a whale in space. Now, of course I’m glad to have extra opportunities under my belt, I didn’t start in stellar cartography, but I do have to ask just what the h- why we are currently residing… here?? I was expected back at the Beryl quite some time ago, and- oO Do not mention you’re the only member of their stellar cartography department, he’ll think the Beryl is a mess. Oo. ::voice changing slightly:: I just want to know when I’m going back.
Karrod absorbed the torrent with mild bemusement as the room continued to pulse and shift around them.
Niac: I'm sorry Ensign I just want to make sure I'm understanding this clearly...you tracked your CO down in the middle of the most unusual environment imaginable so you could...file a complaint?
Vennick: Considering the circumstances I feel I’m entitled to do so? Sir, I was not informed about the fact that we were going on a mission, nor was I told to prepare for the alliance.
oO You’re losing him. You screwed up the posture, you got too casual. Pull it back, or you’re going to get hit. Be honest about your concerns, do not tell him about the replicator problem, that’s on you. Oo
Vennick: ::a little calmer, more smoothly:: I have a… specific relationship with the doctor aboard the Beryl, Doctor Solomon. He’s aware of some…… issues I’ve been having lately, and I don’t feel comfortable starting over with a new doctor, especially since this isn’t a long-term situation. oO Issues. Like having bugs in my brain. Oo
Or, at least, that was what his family had called it. It was always spoken with a nervous, over-cautious laugh to try and put the rest of the room at ease. oO It’s fine, it’s safe, he just has bugs in his brain! Oo Haha, isn’t it fun?
Niac: Response
Vennick: oO Did this man not hear me when I said my head was inside a console at the time?? Oo Yes. However, I would like to point out that not all places on a starship are acoustically beneficial! There are at least eight places on this ship where you can’t hear announcements, I’ve checked, you might want to get that looked at. And, even so, no one told me the alliance was involved. Had-
Niac: Response
oO Did this man just interrupt me? Oo
Vennick jerked back, so caught in his indignation that, for a second, he slipped. His smile became too wide, too sharp. His posture slid right out of ‘comfortably tall’ to downright looming, and he wasn’t able to keep his accent from slipping into his federation common as he spoke again with a weighted calm.
Vennick: I need to get into contact with Doctor Solomon. I understand that we aren’t going anywhere right now. But I need to be in contact with Solomon.
Niac: Response
[Tags/TBC!]