STF

Side Sim: Mean cat, mean ship

Posted Feb. 10, 2020, 1:06 p.m. by Lieutenant Tija Aizala (Chief Medical Officer) (Silke Fahl)

Posted by Cadet Anders Taurean (Scientist) in Side Sim: Mean cat, mean ship

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Garth (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim: Mean cat, mean ship

Posted by Lieutenant Tija Aizala (Chief Medical Officer) in Side Sim: Mean cat, mean ship
Posted by… suppressed (9) by the Post Ghost! 👻
(snip)

After a few more steps, Tija stopped somewhat abruptly and turned around, wondering if she had heard correctly, “Did you say you’re looking for a cat?” She knew of course that it wasn’t uncommon for officers to bring their pets on board, but till she left Bajor the concepts of pets had been foreign to her. Of course some people had life stock, but that was something completely different.

~Lt. Tija, CMO

“Eh, uhm, yes.” He spat out, twiddling with his fingers in an attempt to preoccupy parts of his nervous energy. His eyes and mind wandered along the corridors of the ship and the odd situations one could find a wild cat in. For a moment, Anders was confused at her own confusion.

Duh, she’s Bajoran, not human. Having lived with pets was as natural to him and his culture as her and her culture having not.

Twisting his body in the direction he had been walking, Anders looked for a brief moment, as if the cat would trot itself right back down the corridor and back into the cadet’s quarters as if nothing had happened. Oh, the terror this cat could cause.

“Gangling, skulking. Black on top and white on bottom. Looks friendly, will bite.” In truth, Anders knew very little of this cat but that it had survived for a couple years in the dark corners of Buenos Aires, in spite of being easily goaded into a carrier by promises of a tasty treat on the inside. Then, the man who had studied theoretical astrophysics most of his life wondered why he’d been so dumb so as to not leave a treat for Major to coax the cat back to his quarters…

(Cadet Anders Taurean, Science Division)

“I see,” Tija replied with a slightly raised eyebrow and if Taurean looked close enough he might detect the hint of an amused smile on her freckled face. “Have you tried using the internal sensors or a tricorder to locate your cat? Either might be helpful and would hopefully direct you in the right direction. Otherwise this might turn into a … what is the saying? … wild goose hunt?” While she spoke, she tugged her PaDD under her left arm and reached for the tricorder in the holster on her hip. “This is a medical tricorder, but that shouldn’t make a difference, if you want to give it a try. And I can help you search for a little bit,” she offered. While she didn’t find it easy to socialize with people, this search for the cat intrigued her for some reason. And while she was on call in case of an emergency, her next duty shift wasn’t going to start for a few more hours.

~Lt. Tija, CMO

“N-no, the thought hadn’t occurred to me,” he was caught off guard by her question, and her adorably alien grasping for human idioms. “I just, didn’t expect-I didn’t think the cat could activate my door. It was in the room when I left for my shift, eh- well, anyway. Thank you for offering to help, Lt.”

“You’re welcome, Cadet,” Tija replied and almost as if in an afterthought she added, “What is your name? You must be one of the new science cadets.”

Noticing the medical tricorder held in her outstretched hand, Anders reached out with swiftness but without ceremony and snatched the tricorder from the Bajoran’s hands. Re-adjusting its internal logic pathways to scan for smaller feline lifesigns, Anders went too small to start but continued to make tiny tweaks for some moments until he gave a half-pleased harrumph indicating success.

The CMO was a bit surprised as Taurean snatched the tricorder from her hand. That wasn’t what she had intended. Or maybe she subconsciously had. Either way, it made more sense for him to input the search parameters as he knew exactly what they were looking for. So she stopped herself just in time from saying something; especially something harsh.

“The cat’s yet to be examined physically so I don’t have access to specific organic readings,” Anders explained, “however this should be in the general vicinity of feline anatomy. Should do the trick.”

“Once we find it, it should be examined then. To make sure it doesn’t carry diseases or parasites. Especially those that might be a danger to the crew or any other lifeforms on the ship,” Tija replied matter-of-factly, yet with a stern expression.

With a slight bit of hope and much impatient expectation, the cadet held out the beeping tricorder, waiting for the right ping to point them where to go.

(Cadet Anders Taurean, Science Division)

The tricorder picked up the cat’s trail fairly easily and so far it seemed to lead towards Science Lab 2.

OOC: I leave the snipping for you :)

~Lt. Tija, CMO

“I meant to get the cat checked out but the CMO wasn’t in the med bay when I got my physical done so I didn’t ask about it just yet, and didn’t have time to check back in before my first shift,” he blurted out, unconscious, “I’m Anders Taurean. I’m a scientist. I promise I’m less ignorant when working”

“I see,” was Tija’s simple remark. “I’m Tija Aizala, medical,” she added nonchalantly. She wasn’t entirely sure why she didn’t say that she was the CMO, other than not wanting to make this young officer more uncomfortable than he clearly already was. And at the time of his boarding evaluation she’d officially still been the Assistent CMO.

Anders rebounded, managing to sound rather authoritative as he declared, “The reading’s coming from in the science lab; this way,” even as he shot a quick wincing glance at the lieutenant and returned the tricorder to her hands. Her tone seemed to denote that of a physician, or at least someone containing the medical wherewithal to consider the feline’s condition relating to its shipmates. The fledgling cadet worried his encounter with this officer in particular was going every wrong way. And for some reason he cared not to upset this woman any further, in spite of probably having done so on several fronts.

But most of all, he remained confused by this animal.

The Science Lab? I was just working there, like, ten minutes ago how the he- For some unknown strike of luck, his initial heading had been right. But the signal was in the lab. Major hadn’t snuck past him into the lab as Anders left…right? Did a Lieutenant just ask him for his name and he’d blown her off as if she were nothing? Well, all things to be addressed in time. Right now the cadet was worried about his haphazard attempt at caring for a life gone awry. And his long-legged strides left much space for the shorter Bajoran to make up for with speed.

(Cadet Anders Taurean, Science Division)

Tija followed him with ease. She was obviously in very good shape.

It didn’t take them long till they arrived at Science Lab 2. Taking the lead, Tija walked with purposeful strides into the Lab and looked around but couldn’t see the cat or any indication that it had ever been inside the lab. Raising one eyebrow, she asked, “Are you sure that the readings show that your cat actually entered the science lab?”

~Lt. Tija, CMO

Garth had been hunched over a corner lab station, his stooped posture and black lab coat likely providing some sort of camouflage. He turned as he heard Tija’s voice, surprised. “Lieutenant Tija,” he said in way of greeting. He glanced at Taurean, eyes narrowing. “A cat? In the lab? Is that why I found this on one of the microscope lenses?” He held up a pair of tweezers dramatically. Although probably impossible to see from across the room, pinched within them was a single black cat hair.

“Lieutenant Garth,” Tija returned the greeting with a slight bow of her head. “I would assume so.”

“Imagine my surprise when I was checking on science lab two to make sure the cadets hadn’t set it ablaze…” he trailed off with a couple huffs, then after a long lead-up released a boisterous ACHOO. “When,” he continued with rising irritation and a sniffle, “I discovered a foreign contaminant had entered this otherwise purposefully sterile environment.”

(Lt. Garth, CSO)

“Yes, I’m not sure how but-” Anders was answering one Lt. when he was cut off by the tall voice of the short Tellarite Lt. The cadet froze. Of course Lt. Garth would come straight from the graduation ceremony to one of the science labs, why should he expect any less?

Garth seemed to be under siege by feline allergies, something the alien species might not be used to; Taurean couldn’t attest to the man’s exposure to terran house pets. With an anxious, sputtering cough, Anders looked from the Bajoran woman to the Tellarite man and back again. At least the hair proved as evidence that he wasn’t quite as insane and useless as this little adventure was painting him.

“A-ha!” His declaration was that of scientific discovery, though his voice betrayed more apparent confusion and nervousness, “Lt. Garth, I apologize for the contaminant but I seem to be in possession of a cat that is not stopped even by our automatic doors. The Lt. here was kind enough to offer help to my otherwise lost self. Of course, I will be available once this cat is found to decontaminate the entire lab.”

Back to the matter at hand, the cadet went about peering over Lt. Tija’s shoulder at the tricorder he had reconfigured. Anders let out a quieter noise of confusion.

“And now apparently it can walk in walls?” The lifesign readings showed the organic form to be somewhere between the science lab and the adjacent room to the lab’s western wall. Walking over, Anders once again moved in a hunched hunting stance, looking for any or every way a small animal might be able to commit to such a feat of exploration.

(Cadet Anders Taurean, Science Division)

“It must have gotten in through an open hatch or the like,” Tija mused matter-of-factly. “I’m a doctor, not a veterinarian, but from what I know about felines from Earth they can not walk through walls. Though apparently wherever their heads fit through, they will be able to get in.” That said, the Bajoran CMO looked around the science lab. So far she couldn’t see anything. So without another word, she turned on her heels and left the lab, looking for an open hatch or the like outside the lab instead.

It didn’t take long till she found a panel nearby that somebody had left open. At first glace it didn’t look like a cat could have moved further into the ship from there, but at closer inspection she discovered an opening that might be just big enough for a cat’s head. And there seemed to be some black fur stuck in a corner of the opening.

Tapping her combadge, Tija said, =/\= Lieutenant Tija to Science Lab 2. It seems I found the opening through which the cat got into the wall. =/\=

~Lt. Tija, CMO


Posts on USS Challenger

In topic

Posted since


© 1991-2024 STF. Terms of Service

Version 1.15.9