Lieutenant JG Meris: Heads and Silver
Meris/Brian
((Deck 7, Main Shuttlebay, USS Thor))
By the time the last stubborn variances in the Magni’s systems had finally been chased down, the work had settled into something that felt unexpectedly easy and familiar to Meris. The hours spent shoulder-to-shoulder with Kreshkova inside the cramped shuttle had carried a quiet sense of trust that neither of them had ever fully spoken, and for perhaps the first time since joining the Thor, Meris found themself feeling less like a visitor studying the crew and more like part of it. When the conversation turned toward a test flight, their excitement rose almost immediately, not just at the prospect of flying again, but at the sudden opportunity to share a small piece of J'naii culture with people who genuinely seemed willing to indulge it.
As they rummaged through the tool chest searching for a suitable token, Meris became dimly aware that Kreshkova and Ral were watching them with the kind of patient curiosity usually reserved for children, enthusiastic cadets, or mildly concerning scientists. Oddly enough, they found that they did not mind.
Meris: On J'naii we have special tokens for this but in these circumstances this will be an acceptable facsimile.
Kreshkova: And vhat do you do vizh zhem, Meris?
Ral: Response.
Meris held the washer delicately between two fingers, turning it slowly so both officers could observe the marked side properly. Their tone carried the careful patience of someone explaining an important scientific principle despite the increasingly questionable seriousness of the exercise.
Meris: See how I have only colored one side of the token? The colored side will represent the Magni and the uncolored side will represent the Modi. Now comes the interesting part... I will use my thumb to accelerate this token spiraling it into the air. While it is spinning, you can't hardly know which end it will land on with any degree of accuracy. In the air, you ::points to Kreshkova:: as the ranking officer will "call it". That is - you will declare which side of the token you believe will land facing upward? If your call is correct, that is the shuttle we will take out. If your call is incorrect, then we will take out the opposing shuttle. Do you understand? ::looks between them, not entirely convinced they do:: I can explain it again if that would be helpful.
Meris watched Kreshkova carefully as she opened her mouth, hesitated, and then closed it again. The subtle exchange of glances between her and Ral did not escape their notice either.
oO They appear uncertain. Perhaps I explained the acceleration portion poorly. Oo
Still, neither officer interrupted them, and Meris took that as an encouraging sign.
Kreshkova: I vould be delighted to participate in your ritual, Meris.
Ral: Response.
The J'naii pilot straightened slightly, visibly encouraged. They stepped back into a wider stance and balanced the token expertly against the edge of their thumb with all the focus and ceremonial gravity of a fencer preparing for a duel. The overhead lights gleamed softly against the darkened side of the washer as they narrowed their eyes in concentration.
Meris: Are you both prepared?
Sasch leaned in, waiting to 'call it'. With a nod of her head, she responded...
Kreshkova: I’m ready!
Ral: Response.
With a practiced flick of their thumb, Meris launched the token spinning high into the air between them. The washer flashed silver and black as it rotated rapidly beneath the shuttlebay lighting while all three officers instinctively followed its ascent with their eyes. Meris watched it with an intensity wildly disproportionate to the stakes involved, as though generations of J'naii cultural tradition hinged entirely upon the trajectory of a marked piece of hardware scavenged from a nearby toolbox.
Meris: Now Commander! Call it now!
Kreshkova: Magni
Ral: Response.
The token struck the deck with a sharp metallic clink before wobbling onto its edge and rolling across the shuttlebay floor. It ricocheted lightly against the side of the Modi before finally collapsing flat with the colored side facing up.
For a brief moment, Meris simply stared at it with quiet satisfaction.
Kreshkova: Vell, look zhere! It’s heads... I mean, I got it right! So, zhat means ve’re taking zhe Magni out, right?
Meris tilted their head slightly at the unfamiliar terminology.
oO Heads? There are no heads involved. Oo
Meris: That is correct. Because you declared that the colored side representing the Magni would land facing upward, and because the colored side did, in fact, land facing upward, the outcome of the ritual dictates that we will take the Magni. Had the uncolored side landed upward instead, we would have taken the Modi despite your selection. ::a beat:: It is an extremely sophisticated system.
Ral: Response
Kreshkova: Vell, let’s go zhen! Meris, since ve got zhe chance to repair zhe shuttle, should ve gif zhe engineer zhe chance to fly it?
Meris glanced toward Ral with an expression that hovered somewhere between skepticism and professional concern.
oO How much trouble could the Lieutenant possibly get into with two pilots aboard? Oo
After a moment's consideration, they gave a small nod.
Meris: If the Lieutenant would like to pilot the vessel, I'm happy to serve as his copilot.
Ral: Response
The three officers began making their way back toward the Magni together. Meris had just started climbing toward the hatch when Kreshkova tossed the cloth lightly toward them.
Kreshkova: You haf a little grease on your cheek. Here.
Meris caught the rag and immediately attempted to remedy the problem with the same determined seriousness they had previously devoted to the token ritual. Unfortunately, lacking any visual reference, they succeeded only in smearing the grease slightly farther across their cheek.
Kreshkova: May I?
Meris paused mid-motion. Something about the question and the small step closer caught them unexpectedly off guard.
After a brief hesitation, they handed her the cloth and then stood very still as Kreshkova wiped the remaining grease from their jawline with surprising gentleness. For a moment they forgot entirely about the shuttle bay around them, their attention narrowing instead to the closeness, the smell of coolant and machine lubricant lingering faintly between them, and the odd warmth spreading somewhere behind their ribs.
oO Humans do stand unusually close to one another sometimes. Oo
Kreshkova: Zhere. Much better.
As Kreshkova turned back toward the Magni, Meris blinked once as though reorienting themself to normal spacetime.
Meris: Thank you Commander.
Ral: Response
The interior of the Magni felt smaller now as Meris settled into the copilot's seat beside Ral. Their hands moved automatically across the controls, activating systems and beginning the shuttle's startup sequence with practiced familiarity while Kreshkova prepared herself nearby.
Meris: Auxiliary power online. Running preflight diagnostic sweep on helm controls, RCS thruster quads, and inertial dampening systems. Warp core output remains stable and plasma variance is holding within acceptable limits.
Kreshkova/Ral: Response.
Meris worked through the remainder of the checklist with steady efficiency, fingers moving across the console as displays illuminated one after another around the cockpit. The earlier warmth of the shuttlebay slowly gave way to the calm focus they always found in a cockpit moments before departure.
Meris: Structural integrity field synchronized. Navigational deflectors responding normally. Control surfaces calibrated. All primary systems at standby.
Kreshkova/Ral: Response
Meris keyed the shuttle's communications system active and requested departure clearance from shuttlebay operations. Moments later the familiar whoop-whoop alarm echoed throughout the bay as the massive doors began to part before them, revealing the stars beyond.
Meris felt their posture shift almost imperceptibly as anticipation settled into place.
Meris: We have clearance to depart, Lieutenant. You may take us out at your leisure.
Kreshkova/Ral: Response
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Lieutenant JG Meris
Helmsperson
USS Thor
A240207M14