Lieutenant Nera Ay - Monkey Business
Jonathan
((Medical Inventory Overflow Room, Main Sickbay, Deck 10, USS Thor))
From his office to the overflow room, the meeting had continued unabated. With the Hatchery protocols hammered out for the moment and a survey set to be worked on by their resident Vulcan doctor, the trio had turned their attention to checking stock. Which, in this case, meant sifting through a rather large pile of boxes.
Boxes that were stacked with seemingly no rhyme or reason, and often had their lids missing or half off. Ay was sure there’d been a little more order in here previously. Had Sama gotten in somehow and tossed things around?
Tam: Since we will be here awhile, let's get started with whatever Ay considers good music.
Still, somehow, they were set to become sidetracked by playlists, as Divya began flicking through Ay’s music library. About the only thing he kept in any semblance of order.
Tam: Nera 2 Rocx tells me nothing about the music it contains. How can I tell what this one will make me feel?
The task at hand really was more important than the naming conventions of his playlists.
Nera: I have no idea what you mean. Nera 2 Rocx is a great name for a playlist.
Feeling a faint blush creep up his neck, he continued riffling through the box of supplies, and studiously not looking at the other two people in the room.
He, admittedly, had worse ones. He’d been a lot more flamboyant in his younger years, which no one ever believed.
Taj’el: I do not understand how this playlist correlates to your emotional response. If I may ask, what emotional response is being referenced?
Ah, the joys of emotional control, to have such simple things as embarrassment tucked away behind logic and meditation. Ay was not so lucky in that sense.
Tam: Good music gets into the head and stirs the soul. It can motivate a person, help them cry to let out their sorrow, allow them to let out their frustration, or break through a bad mood. The point of music is emotion.
He couldn’t have said it better himself. That was just what he enjoyed about it; there was a type of music and a song for every mood and every occasion. It was the perfect medium to evoke a certain sensation or drive another off.
Taj’el: If it is too difficult to explain, that is acceptable. I am simply trying to understand why both of your reactions changed, first regarding the inaccuracies in the form, and now in response to a playlist.
How to explain an emotional reaction to a being ruled by pure logic? The answer to that was with great difficulty and a lot of time. Sorting the stock room was, in a strange way, the perfect time to delve into a topic as complex as this.
Tam: The form was simply a bust. Perhaps I failed to save my changes, but it doesn’t matter. It was meant to be a starting point, nothing more. I trust that you will be thorough in your documentation.
Divya, it seemed, had opted to stick to explaining the mishap with the form, perhaps a wiser choice than delving too far into emotions and music. Though if that slight hitch in her voice was anything to go by, she was far from over the embarrassment.
Turning away from the box of hyposprays that, according to the list, shouldn’t have even been in there, Ay looked at the pair of officers thoughtfully, trying to put forward an explanation that would make sense.
Nera: Playlists can be personal, as can the names we each give to them. Sometimes, if we perceive that a playlist name, or its contents, are being judged in some form, we feel embarrassment. Much like we might if a technical mistake, even one out of our control, is inadvertently highlighted in a conversation with colleagues. I hope that makes some sense.
Taj’el: I will not dwell on it further if you prefer.
That seemed like it would be for the best. Nodding appreciatively, Ay returned to the work at hand, the topic of embarrassment and whatever had happened with the survey moved into the back of their minds.
And anyway, Ay was sure it wasn’t Divya’s fault. She was far too thorough to have made that mistake.
Tam: I'll start on this rack and then move to the containers in front of it.
The anonymous stack of containers on the floor. Even Ay wasn’t exactly sure what was in those.
Nera: Good luck
oO You’ll need it Oo
They all would, for that matter. The Thor had multiple missions under its belt at this point, and a proper inventory of sickbays supplies hadn't been done since launch, as Divya had pointed out. And while Ay had made a faint effort every now and then to organise the space in a way that reflected proper Starfleet order, he’d always given up quickly.
He was better with chaos than he was order. And there was always too much else to do, which was far more interesting. At least this time there were no distractions. And even better, company!
Oh yeah, and two very organised helping hands. He shouldn’t forget that.
Soft Spanish guitar started playing, easing them into the rhythm of order and work. Divya tackled the truly abhorrent bottom shelf that Ay liked to pretend didn’t exist, while he turned towards a corner filled with unlabelled and mismatching boxes.
Really, it looked like someone had dumped things in whatever container was handy and left it at that. Maybe they had.
Hopefully, they’d get to Nera 3 Rocx later. That one was fun, plenty of guitar solos. Ideally, not Nera Spaceboi. That was just a little bit too maudlin for stockroom work.
Taj’el: I’m finding multiple discrepancies.
That didn’t bode well. He liked to think of himself as a fairly lenient sort, not hammering down about rules and protocols at all hours. Had he been too lenient?
Tam: As am I. The containers that were touched less frequently are consistently more in line with the documented inventory list. The more frequently accessed containers are a mess.
Ay wanted to say he hadn’t come across the same thing. Alas…
Nera: ::rubbing the back of his neck in embarressment:: Unfortunately, these boxes are the same. It seems that some people in the department aren’t putting things back properly or recording things correctly.
He was definitely too lenient. Some of the boxes didn’t even belong to Medical. Ay didn’t have the faintest idea where they’d come from, or why they were stuffed full of medical supplies that didn’t tally with the list at all.
Tam: Doctors, was there some sort of an accident in here? Perhaps the ship was in a battle, and the boxes popped open during a maneuver? Was there no time, and were supplies shoved wherever there was an opening? Or space monkeys? Where space monkeys set loose in Sickbay?
Nera: Well….there was an amorphous blob loose in Sickbay once. Not quite as cute as space monkeys.
It was red, and had oozed along the floor and onto people. And Ay had tried to wrestle it with his coat. One of his finer moments, if he said so himself.
Now that someone had actually said space monkeys, Ay found himself more and more wondering if Sama had in fact found her way in, or maybe one of the other animals had broken out of pawsguard.
Like the orangutan that broke out of its enclosure just to throw things at its nemesis. Chaos.
Taj'el: Response
Tam: I'm just saying monkeys could explain this mess.
Ay chose to nod enthusiastically, if only because he was feeling a little silly.
Nera: Perhaps we should up the overflow room security, add a keypad. Space monkeys can’t get in if they don’t know the code.
Taj'el: Response
Making an “oof” sound, Ay turned back to the containers. Tough crowd, his humour wasn’t landing properly.
Taking a note from Divya’s approach, Ay started the slow process of unpacking the miscellaneous boxes and rehoming their contents in the correct areas, making detailed notes as he did so. It seemed to be going pretty well, in fact, until Divya started rummaging around behind one of the boxes.
He turned around as she cleared her throat, going bright red in the process.
She held up the clothing and cleared her throat.
Tam: And just what medical purpose do these serve?
Trousers covered in splatters of multicoloured paint, and an equally covered shirt, which DIvya held along like some sort of prize.
Nera: ::stammering:: I have absolutely no idea how that got there.
Taj'el: Response
Reaching out, Ay took hold of the festive-looking paint-covered clothes, unsure whether to bundle them up or just hold them slightly off to the side.
oO I swear I left those in my office! Oo
Nera: I’ll, um, take hold of these for now. Make an announcement to the team, let them know that this is entirely unacceptable. Of course. That’s what I’ll do.
Was he nodding too much? Was he bright red? He felt red, and that he was fiddling with the clothes too much. He needed to find something to distract himself with, that’s what he needed.
Ah, the boxes!
Taj’el / Tam: Response
His gaze started bouncing around the room, focusing on anything other than the two other people. The stacked uneven crates, the little chip in the paint.
Nera: I have no idea why someone would stuff them back there. Awful behaviour, really.
Really, who would move them from his office to the store room?
Or had that been him, and he’d just forgotten?
Taj’el / Tam: Response
Right before Ay’s embarrassment could reach any further heights, a familiar voice began echoing through sickbay, via the ship's intercom. A shipwide announcement, from Sevantha no less? Well, that didn’t bode well.
Saa: =/\= Crew of the USS Thor, this is Commander…. And currently acting Captain Sevantha Saa. We have received an SOS from our Captain onboard the Syren’s Song and have learned the USS Janaran is unresponsive. I need every Department Chief to start preparations for their teams to depart in under an hour. =/\=
All of a sudden, the clothing that had miraculously reappeared seemed entirely unimportant. An SOS from the Captain and news of an unresponsive escort vessel? That qualified as well and truly bad.
Saa: =/\= Lieutenant Tito and Commander Aislin will be temporary joint Chief Science Officers until Commander DeVeau is back with us. =/\=
Tito? Of course, the terribly serious scientist, Ay had only had the pleasure of meeting at Awards Ceremonies. No doubt he’d do well in Alora’s absence.
As for Commander Aislin? He wasn’t sure who that was. But he’d find out soon enough.
Saa: =/\= Once we’ve set out all Chiefs report to the Ready Room for debrief. =/\=
With the announcement ended, it more or less signalled the end of their meeting as well. There were now bigger things to attend to than the state of the Overflow Room.
Turning to Taj’el and Divya, he began ushering them out of the room, though no doubt Divya would be off momentarily to attend to her own business.
Nera: We can pick up the state of the Overflow Room at a later stage. Divya, always a pleasure to see you. Please do drop by again! ::to Taj’el:: You, my dear Doctor, can give me a hand in making preparations.
Taj’el / Tam: Response
With the state of the Janaran and the Captain unknown, not to mention the other attendees from the Thor, Alora, and Josh, they suddenly had quite the major problem on their hands, and a limited space of time to make the relevant preparations for it.
Time enough, however, to deposit the paint-splattered clothes in his Office.
End Scene for Nera
Lieutenant Nera Ay
Chief Medical Officer
USS Thor
G240106NA2
He/Him/His (Player/Character)
