Weird Science, Part 1
Posted on Thu Mar 6th, 2025 @ 11:34pm by Crewman Mateo Gardel & Lieutenant JG Lovisa Montague & Crewman Raine Ni-ya
1,312 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
To Boldly Go
Location: Science Lab 2, Deck 6, USS Fenrir
Timeline: Day 8
[ON]
With the inspection out of the way and the training still to come, Crewman Raine Ni-ya took in the relative quiet of Science Lab 2. She liked the lab out of the rest because it had the perfect layout. The others were mirrors of each other, to fit the corridor and whatever equipment designs that whoever had set it up had decided on. Science Lab 2 had been set up in a way where you could stand by the doors and have a good view at a glance of which station was taken. No corner to hide behind. It made it easy to know if you were alone, where you had a sample set, ability to see all screens if you wanted...it made life easier.
For Raine at least. Currently, she was sitting running basic tests that would, ideally, set them up for when they left spacedock. She had come early as well, before her shift started. There was something about the silence she liked, the hum of the ship, the beep of equipment. And alone, she could sit and stare ahead for a little while she waited for results. It was a double edged sword...not much to do, yet some things that needed to be done. Her gloved hands rested on the sides of the console, to protect them from anything too sensitive. Same way that she wore an extra layer under her clothing, why the collar of her jumpsuit was a little bit higher thanks to an extra layer, to protect her sensitive skin from accidental brushes of objects or people.
She let out a breath of annoyance as she heard the doors, looked at the time and knew that a new shift had started. So no more silence. Now work started.
"Wow, you're early..." Lovisa Montague laughed softly as she moved in, her hands lifted to her head as she finished securing her long, dark hair back with a crystal topped slide. "Well, or...late, I guess..." she paused absently a few feet from the door as she tried to remember who she was on shift with, and whether Raine had just been on shift or was just clocking on. She moved closer to glance over her arm, seeing the data scrolling on the screen from tests that she'd already set running.
"I started early," Raine said, looking at her hands, the slide that held her hair up. Her eyes focused on that detail for a moment before she looked back at the screen. "I am in the process of adjusting my body to a new sleep pattern," she added, a little quietly. It showed some physical vulnerability and even if she could function on less sleep, going from being on Earth to a ship in space had its challenges.
Before Raine could respond further, the whoosh of the lab doors announced a new arrival, accompanied by the low rumble of a hover-crate trailing behind him. Mateo leaned forward slightly as he maneuvered it through the entrance, clearly trying to avoid knocking into anything delicate—or worse, anyone. His uniform looked as put-together as ever, though the slightly askew angle of his hair hinted at some frustration bubbling just under the surface.
The whoosh of the lab doors announced Mateo's arrival, accompanied by the low rumble of a hover crate trailing behind him. He leaned forward slightly as he maneuvered it through the entrance, clearly trying to avoid knocking into anything delicate—or worse, anyone. His uniform looked as put-together as ever, though the slightly askew angle of his hair hinted at some frustration bubbling just under the surface.
“Science Lab 2,” he muttered under his breath, glancing at the PADD in his hand. “Deck six. Because obviously, I love going on scavenger hunts for misplaced crates in my free time.”
He pushed the crate further into the room, the hum of its antigrav platform breaking the relative quiet of the lab. His gaze swept the space as he took in the layout, noting its efficient design and the two officers who were already present. He hesitated for a moment, a flicker of self-consciousness crossing his face before he covered it with his usual veneer of snark.
“So...good morning, I guess. I’m Mateo. Medical Sciences. Deck seven.” He gestured toward the crate. “I’m looking for a crate of supplies that was misdelivered here. Any chance either of you have seen it? Or can help me track it down?”
He stopped a few paces inside the lab's entrance, hands tucked into the pockets of his uniform jumpsuit. His dark eyes flicked between the two women, trying to gauge their reactions without assuming too much. Mateo suppressed the urge to fidget, channeling his nerves into dry humor instead.
“Not sure what’s in it, but unless someone here has been moonlighting in medical research, I’m thinking it’s mine.” His lips quirked into a slight smirk as he added, “Though if you’ve got a use for hypospray calibrators or biofilters, let me know. We could start a black-market operation and make this whole day worthwhile.”
"No, no secret supply hoarding, not on my part at least," Lovisa smiled warmly to the newcomer, and if she had detected anything less than sincerity in his greeting, it wasn't apparent. "It's nice to meet you, Mateo, I'm Lovisa," she moved towards him, close enough to offer her hand across. "To be honest, it sort of feels like every crate in the entire fleet has been delivered here at somepoint in the last few days," she glanced around the significant piles of boxes scattered around the lab. "But we can help you look."
Raine gave Lovisa a look almost to tell her that she could help him but she'd rather not before she sighed. That wasn't the Starfleet way. "It'll be in the crate labelled something mundane that does not have anything do with medical sciences," she said, because one thing she did appreciate was the ironies of life. She stepped away from her station, her eyes running over him. "Crewman Raine Ni-ya."
Mateo glanced at Lovisa’s offered hand, his lips twitching into a half-smile as he shook it briefly. “Appreciate the optimism, Lovisa,” he said dryly, glancing at the crates. “But honestly, is it too much to ask for a system that doesn’t feel like it was designed by someone actively rooting for chaos? Transparency’s starting to sound like a pipe dream.”
At Raine’s remark, he raised an eyebrow, the faintest smirk tugging at his mouth. “You’re not wrong. Probably filed under ‘critical shipboard needs,’ right next to coffee filters and bulkhead polish.” He shifted his weight slightly, tucking his hands back into the pockets of his jumpsuit. “Crewman Ni-ya, good to meet you. And thanks for the help...or at least the moral support.”
Raine looked at him, inspecting him for a moment. "Don't get used to it," she said with a slight sigh. She suspected once things got moving, they'd all be busy. Right now she had no real excuse not to help the other crewman retrieve what belonged in his lab. Her fingers tugged her gloves more in place before she motioned them both to where still several crates were stacked. It didn't look like a mountain, but still...a hill. "I suppose we best get started. But if we find biofilters I am tempted to keep them." Because they were useful. As someone whose past was heavily embedded in genetic augmentation and experimentation, she knew their uses...and could apply them to other areas too.
[To be continued in Part 2]
Crewman Raine Ni-ya
Science Officer
USS Fenrir
[PNPC - Hanlon]
&
Crewman Mateo Gardel
Medical Science Specialist
USS Fenrir
&
Lieutenant JG Lovisa Montague
Science Officer
USS Fenrir
[PNPC - Blake]
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