Star Trek: Eventide 777 - lt-jgs-richards﹢rik’mut

Oh man, he was finally here. He couldn't wait to go to work and meet people! That made him excited... And terrified at the same time. Wheatley took a deep breath and walked into his shared quarters, placing his bags down on his bed and sitting down on it. "Well would you look at that, bed's soft! Softer than i thought, too..." He mumbled to himself, flopping down on it like a bean bag before taking a deep breath and sighing. This feeling was nice.

[D] Ring, Ring.

Hello Ensign Pendleton, I don’t believe we have met before but, I recently received a distress call and I was looking through the list of currently on duty officers and your name popped up and I was wondering if you would like to help me check it out. Please meet me in the hanger bay as soon as you can for a further briefing.

Lt. Cdr Zeza

Wheatley was organizing his things on his desk and bed when he heard his PADD ring. So they did that after all! How surprising! He went over to it and picked it up, viewing the message and almost choking when he saw it was from a Lieutenant Commander. Immediately stuffing it into his pocket, he put on his glasses and adjusted the tape holding them together before getting out of his room.

He burst into his quarters and sighed heavily in relief, going over to his bed and sitting down on it. It was his first 'mission' on the Eventide, great! He just hoped he would get used to that soon.

1

02:34

Whipping out his PADD, he noticed something he didn't see before. A.... Chatroom? What would that be all about? Shrugging, he logged in.

It was happening. Oh boy he was going to die, wasn't he? He thought to himself as he quietly made his way out of the dark quarters and into the equally darkened hallways.

Wheatley was in his quarters, getting ready for his break at the mess hall. He had already gone to two shifts and he was quite a bit tired, but okay to go anyway.

[D] The door chime went off!

As soon as he was going to leave, he heard the door chime go off and turned to open the door, looking down almost out of instinct.

2

She waved up at Wheatley with a big grin and declared: “I’ve come to rescue you!”

2

Wheatley blushed a little and chuckled loudly, "You came to rescue me?? I'm flattered!" He bowed his head in respect to her, grinning.

“Shall we dine?” She waved her hand theatrically in the direction of the of the lift. “I have a huge hankering for some clam chowder!”

"And I'm up for some chicken nuggets, remember?" He laughed, exiting the quarters with her.

[D]....and in the end he was violently sick. Oh, he shouldn't have eaten THAT much! He was laying down on his bed, groaning and cursing at himself while staring at the ceiling.

4

A small box was beamed in at the end of Wheatley's bed along with a note.

It didn't take long for him to notice it, and he mustered all his willpower to get up and roll around like a fat cat to take it. Sitting up, he leaned against the wall to open the tiny box and nearly burst into tears.

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2

"Oh.... Oh I-i can't believe it...?! It must've been a prank, right-?!" Even he was having trouble to believe, since he didn't fully realize how much his efforts mattered. After all, he helped stop the bomb! But that was expected of him, right?? Being one of the only engineers available without significant wounds, it was his duty! He shakily took his glasses off and wiped the tears away from his eyes, soon descending into full on sobs of happiness. Thank God he was in his quarters or else he'd burst into tears in front of everyone.

4

And soon enough, the guilt popped up- "....wait. Wait the ceremony was TODAY?! Oh, way to go Wheatley! I just missed my own promotion!" He groaned and facepalmed loudly after taking off his glasses, sniffling loudly. "I hope Hop got her own promotion, too.. If there's anyone deserving of a promotion among others, it's her."

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6

4

To: Lt. Jg. Wheatley From: Lt. So Congrats on the award! I wish you could have made it!

3

He saw the message and was happy for a brief moment before hiding his face, embarrassed for missing the ceremony. God, he hoped no one would mention it or else he'd die inside. "Way to go, Wheat..."

4

Soon enough, Wheatley took a deep breath and got up from the bed, going to stand in front of a mirror and take a deep look at himself. Looking down at the box in his hand, he took the pip from it and put on his uniform, looking at himself with a certain amount of pride. "Would you look at that...! Lieutenant Junior Grade.... I still don't know how I did it, but wow...!" He mumbled to himself, smiling before he put his glasses back on.

1

[D]The boi himself is back at the station, and has been for a while.

Wheatley had spent the last two breaks only in his quarters, still deathly embarrassed after losing his own promotion. But either way, he knew he had to move on. Taking a deep breath, he tidied himself and went to replicate some swimming trunks, goggles and a bag to carry them around. It could be fun, so why not?

14:57

And so he skittered.

[D] Wheatley had returned to his quarters a long while ago, but now he was organizing himself for his next shift. Brushing his hair, making sure his glasses were okay, the works. He soon enough took the headphones he brought everywhere with him and made his way into the hallways.

It was getting close to the ball.... He needed something pretty to wear! Going with his uniform or a random outfit to the Winter Ball would be almost shameful. So he took a deep breath and picked up his headphones before going out into the hallway.

[D] Wheatley was in his quarters, reading a physical book about classical paintings and music.

After a while, he had to go to his shift so he dressed up and brushed his hair before making his way into the hallways.

[D] Hearing the comms, Wheatley (who was in his his quarters) immediately got up from his bed and into the hallways.

Wheatley was in his quarters, a little shaken up by the whole thing that happened to the promenade and how everything went down. Yet... He still wanted to go out, to do things and help whoever needed his help, but since everything was done he might as well just go to the mess hall to calm down. Taking his glasses from the bedside table, he lightly ran his head over his hair to tidy it up before walking out into the hallways.

Ken walked in and looked around for a moment before going over to a nearby cabinet he had in the corner. He opened it and looked through quite a lot of PADDs that we're laying there, in search of that paper. "The replicator is on the right if you want to have a drink."

Ellanor nodded and made her way inside. She looked around before making her way to the replicator. She didn't want anything, but she went there anyway. "Would you like anything, Lieutenant?"

"A glass of rooibos tea." He said as he looked through the contents of a few PADDs. It seemed that paper was pretty well hidden.

Ellanor made his tea and walked over to him. She made sure she didn't get in the way, and kept his tea in her hands.

He picked up a PADD, read over it quickly and gave a nod. Seems like he found it. He got back up and handed the PADD over to Ellanor. "Here you go."

Ellanor gently took the PADD from him and offered his tea to him. "Thank you very much, Lieutenant. I'm excited to read it."

He took the tea and sipped from it for a moment before putting it down on the nearby table. "No worries. If you want any more of my papers to read, I have quite a lot of them with me." He said with a nod.

"That's actually a really nice offer, Lieutenant. Thank you so much. I appreciate it, I really do." She smiled warmly at him.

"Again, no worries." He said as he picked up his tea again and sat down in a chair, taking a sip from it. He then looked at Ellanor, not really knowing what to do or say.

"Yes, well. If you'd like, I could take this to my quarters and read it there? Unless you would want some company, Lieutenant."

"I will leave that up to you, Ensign." Truth be told, he preferred the first option, but he didn't want to seem any more rude than he already was claimed to be. He just sat there and simply drank some of his tea.

She thought for a moment, before quietly taking a seat in a vacant chair. She smiled at him before turning her attention to the PADD and began to silently read.

He sighed internally. He was hoping that the Ensign would leave, yet here she remained. He thought for a moment, letting the silence fill the room before he picked up a book that was on the table and started to read it. Looks like he wasn't going to start any conversation.

She glanced up and noticed the book. As much as she loved books, she had to ask. "Sir? May I ask what you're reading?"

"A brief summary of time, by Professor Hawking." He stated before flipping a page. "One of earth's most respected scientists during our pre-warp era."

"Oh yes, I read about him. Did you know they also made a movie about him? I can't remember the name, but I do know there is one."

"The Theory of Everything." He added to her comment. "Yes, I have seen it."

"What did you think of it? I haven't seen it myself, but if you like it I'm sure it has to be great."

"It gave a good insight on how the Professor spent the earlier stages of his life and career. Sadly the film ended before his latest breakthroughs." He looked at the Ensign for a moment before taking a sip of his tea again.

"They should make another of his works. I would give that one a watch. Wouldn't you agree?" She smiled at the man, watching for a smile on his face.

"Agreed." He said plainly, continuing to read his book, occasionally taking a sip from his tea.

"Are there any other books you like to read? Any other genres?"

"I read whatever I find interesting." He explained to her, looking up at her for a moment before going back to his book.

"Have you read Frankenstein? That's an old earth classic."

"I have not." He said as he rubbed his forehead a little with his thumb and index finger. This girl really wanted to know a lot, didn't she.

"I would recommend it fully. I enjoyed it, as well as the Phantom of the Opera."

"I went to the opera of the latter. It was enjoyable. I still have the LP somewhere at home." He said with a slight nod.

"So you like Operas, Lieutenant?" Ellanor made it her personal mission to befriend him. Without being too annoying, of course.

"When I feel like it." He said calmly, yet steadily. He was still reading his book through all this, not the most social thing to do.

She smiled at him and leaned back into the chair. She let the silence hang for a moment before speaking again. "What do you love about astrophysics, Lieutenant?"

"I doubt you wish to hear that story, Ensign. It is a long and tedious tale that will only make you fall asleep." He said before flipping a page and continuing to read.

"No sir. I'm extremely interested. I promise you I will not fall asleep."

"Very well then." He put his thumb on the page he was at before closing the book and looking at Ellanor. "I read books about it when I was 12." He said in a very unimpressive tone of voice. He then, as if it was nothing, opened the book again and continued reading.

Ellanor listened to him closely. Very brief but she still listened. "I've been reading books ever since I could read. Then I got into my grandparents Farmers almanacs and my love for plants sparked from there."

"Interesting." He said as he continued to read. It was unclear whether or not he was referring to the book or Ellanor's story, so that was up for imagination.

She assumed it was directed to her, so she adjusted her glasses and kept her hazel and blue eyes on him and continued. "Do you like plants, sir?"

"I grew up surrounded by them, and they keep us alive. It would be odd to not like them." He threw a quick look the Ensign's way before going back to his book.

She noticed his tea was empty and quietly got up and got him another and replaced the empty cup. "I grew up on a farm so I was always around plants and animals. I actually got knocked down by a goat once as a kid." A small laugh escaped her. "I never went back into the pen again."

"Peculiar." He said about her last comment. "Nothing like that has happened to me, fortunately." He said as he picked up the cup and took a long sip from it.

She watched him closely and spoke again. "If I may ask, sir. Do you have any siblings?"

"A little sister." He stated before looking up at her. "Why do you ask?" He took another sip from his tea, looking at the Ensign. It seemed that caught his attention, why is yet to be seen.

"Just curious, sir. I don't have any myself. What is she like?"

"She's not like me." Is all he had to say about it. It seemed he wasn't going to give any information about that subject yet.

"I'm sure she's lovely, sir. How close are the two of you?" She watched him. His answers seemed to be getting a little more words out of him.

"Close." He stated. It really seemed he didn't want to give any information about his sister or his relationship with her. That was a subject that hit quite close to home, and he never liked those kind of subjects.

She simply nodded and crossed her legs. "Where did you grow up at?"

"Denmark-" He paused for a moment before closing his book and looking at her. "Why do you want to know these things, Ensign? I do not think this information is of any use to you, now is it?"

"It's more of just getting to know you, sir. With the intention of becoming friends, nothing more."

He scoffed. Once. "Friends? At the moment you only seem like a nosey fangirl who's a little too excited about meeting me." He shook his head slightly and picked up his book again, continuing to read where he left off.

"Oh no sir. It's not like that. I truly wish to be friends with you." Her smiled faded. Has she overstayed a welcome or struck a cord with the man?

"A friendship takes time to form, it cannot come out of nowhere. At this moment you are just a colleague to me." He explained to her.

"Yes sir, but at the same time, leading into a friendship also starts with getting to know each other."

"And we'll get to know one another when I trust you enough to share that information." He said calmly.

She nodded and spoke softly. "Yes, sir. I apologize for overstepping a boundary."

"Don't do it again and you'll be fine." He said sharply before returning to his book.

"Yes sir. I understand." She sat quietly after that, and returned to the PADD he had given her.

"Good." He gave one last look at her before taking a sip from his tea and continuing to read his book.

After a while, she placed the PADD down on the table and stood. "I should probably get out of your hair. I have some personal research I gotta input. Thank you again, Lieutenant." She smiled and replicated another tea for him and departed after setting it beside him.

He grabbed the cup and took another sip from it as he gave a nod towards her as she left. "Goodbye, Ensign." Is all he had to say. And when she finally left, he let out a soft sigh, leaning back in his seat. That was awful.

Wheatley was in his quarters, reading a book and listening to music while sitting on his bed. Everything seemed great until he remembered something... Oh no. He's got to do his physical examination! How did he forget for all this time?! Immediately getting up, he put his noise blocking headphones on his neck and went out into the hallways.

He got in and grinned to himself, basically bouncing around as he headed into his private quarters.

He heard the signal go off and got up from his bed, out of his private quarters and to the door.

He headed back inside and immediately went to work on doing something for Hsarr. He went to replicator and got himself some multicolored fabric, needles, buttons and sewing line.

He spent a long while making his gift to Hsarr, but at the end he got it all right and grinned as he then wrapped it up in a neat little box, then began writing a response note down on it before wrapping it up. After it was all done, he got up from his work station and went out into the hallways, taking a deep breath.

FROM: M’ow, Hsarr TO: Pendleton, Wheatley REGARDING: Dinner Again? Hey, Wheat! I was wondering….did you maybe want to get dinner again? Maybe without R’Niri? -Hsarr

His side of the quarters looked like it went through a snowstorm. Flour was everywhere, so much that it looked like it had exploded with some significant force. Hell, there was even an imprint of his lower body on the wall from the flour explosion.

"Oh. My. Stars. Love, what...what?" They asked, absolutely baffled as to what could've happened.

"Don't ask." He chuckled softly. And yes, he was absolutely covered in flour. His uniform was literally white from it!

"Do you want to change before you cash in your allotted cuddle time?" They asked, chuckling out of fond amusement.

"That'd be nice." He began cleaning his glasses.

"Go ahead, I'll wait," They smiled, taking a seat on the least flour-y part of the counter. They liked sitting on non-seat surfaces. They're Catian, so sue them.

TO: Wheatley Pendleton FROM: Hsarr M’ow

Hey Wheat! I was wondering if you wanted to do something together? Maybe we could go to the holodeck?

Thankfully he didn't have far to travel to get to the others' quarters and pressed the buzzer and waited for a reply. "Dr. Richards? It's me, Cecil."

He looked up from his PADD, it seems the Ensign was precisely on time. "Enter, please."

The doors opened and Cecil stepped into the room, hair a mess but he was there on time! "Hey, I am here," He waved, feeling a bit awkward and a little nervous too.

"Take a seat. We have much to discuss." He gestured to the chair opposite of him, leaning back slightly as he picked up his PADD again.

Cecil sat in the chair and looked at Richards. He was very confused why an astrophysicist wanted to run tests on him. "Ummm, Dr. richards, aren't you an astrophysicist? What got you so interesting in genetics?"

"I believe it would be of interest to both of us to see if you are what you say you are, or are made to believe so." He looked up at the Ensign, grabbing a nearby hypospray and handing it over to him. "Please extract a blood sample of yourself."

This was very strange but he took the hypospray and drew some blood. Everything was telling him to not trust this guy but... what if he could find out if he was part cardassian? "I am sure you can already see by my face but genetically I am Bajoran." Cecil paused for a moment. "However Cardassians are very good at genetic alterations. But genetics or not, I am Cardassian."

"Or are you made to believe that you are, is the question." He took the blood sample and ran it through a small scanning device he had laying around. "There is a distinct difference between nature and nurture. If your nature is that of a Bajoran, yet your nurture is that of a Cardassian, you may get entangled within a racial conflict, split between the two sides. A fate I would not want anyone to endure."

What was this guy saying?! "I was raised on Cardassia and was treated like every other Cardassian child. I am not entangled with any racial conflict. I am Cardassian, I have only known the Cardassian way of life," Cecil was extremely confused. He definitely questioned his origins as a Bajoran, but never as a Cardassian. He was completely Cardassian, genetics didn't matter. It was what he felt inside that made him who he was, not some strands of DNA.

"The genetics say otherwise." He calmly stated as he put his scanner down next to him on the table. "Tell me, have you ever met your mother or father? The genetic parents, not the ones you got raised by."

Already out of the gate and Richards was asking questions Cecil did mot want to answer. He stayed silent for a moment as he thought about how to answer. "Yes, both Bajoran," He lied, he has never met his biological father and never planned to but he was sure his father was Bajoran.

"Is your schooling of Cardassian or Bajoran nature?" He asked shortly after Nalas provided an answer. It seemed like Ken wasn't backing down anytime soon.

"Cardassian, completely," Another lie but Cecil had done this many times before. His mental training mixed with his Cardassian skills of deception made this little "interview" a breeze for him. "Lakat Province if you're really interested."

He grabbed his PADD and typed on it for a moment. "Then you followed classes from professor Heklar, correct?" He said as he looked up from the PADD, raising his eyebrow slightly.

"Yes that is correct," Cecil replied without even skipping a beat.

"Curious, for she was giving lessons three provinces east of Lakat province." He layed his PADD down in his lap and looked at Nalas, frowning very faintly. "Are you going to be truthful now?"

"School children are taken on trips to hear lectures from other teachers. I am also familiar with the scholar and writer Tey'ma Antana who is from Cardassia City," He explained. This guy really thought he caught him in a lie? Nah, Cecil was a master. "I attended Starfleet from the time I was 16. Before then my whole life was on Cardassia," He said, completely omitting the 7 years of his life he spent on Bajor. "If you don't believe me you can look at my teeth, I am missing my first molar as all Cardassian children give it up once they turn 10."

"That only proves you were there at age ten, it does not prove you were on Cardassia before that. For all I know you could have removed the molar yourself to fit in better." He looked at Nalas for a while before speaking again. "Either you are denying your genetical heritage on purpose, or there is a more complex reason behind your behaviour."

"I am not denying that I am genetically Bajoran," Cecil gave Richards a serious look. "If you really are curious, my stepfather's name is Giyon Za'ari, he will also tell you that I am Cardassian and my name is Sissil Za'ari," Cecil said with confidence. Thankfully he knew for a fact his father would tell the same story, there was a reason Cecil had a Cardassian name after all.

"I have no doubt about that. Cardassians are known to make quite convincing backstories to hide the real ones. Who's to say that yours isn't one of those?" He leaned back slightly. "Were you taken by or given to the Cardassians as a child?" His defensive posture showed there was more behind his story.

"There is no story here. If you are suspecting that I was a war orphan you are mistaken." Cecil crossed his arms. "Why are you interrogating me on my origins? Seems a bit odd for someone you just met. Cardassians aren't kidnapping Bajoran children if that's what you're concerned about."

"If there is one thing I have learned, it is that Bajorans and Cardassians do not get along with one another. So how come there is one living on Cardassia without any concequences? I may be a doctor in astrophysics and chemistry, but that does not mean I let a good mystery fly by." He looked at the Bajoran man. This kid had a lot to hide, that was for certain. "You have a Bajoran earring, correct?"

"There is no mystery here. I am simply just a Cardassian boy who happens to have no DNA," Cecil said as if that solved all the mysteries which he knew totally didn't. "I do," Cecil turned his head to show Richards his earring. Handcrafted, the bottom portion featured the Obsidian Order logo with a transparent gem inside. Bajorans hated it, but of course Cecil loved any chance to flaunt his Cardassian identity. "I made it before I went to the academy. I love jewelry, that's it. No crazy origin story. This earring was the only item permitted by dress code, so why not get crazy with it."

"You are a scientist. You know genetics do not function that way. You would need two Bajoran parents to be who you are today. If you were Cardassian, your DNA would show that as an irregularity." He sighed internally. This kid needed to visit a councellor. That much was clear by now. "Do you understand its cultural significance to the Bajoran people?"

"Of course I understand and I know I have Bajoran DNA I am not denying that at all," These questions were making Cecil so frustrated, but of course he kept his poker face as always. He had been through this sort of thing before. "I know the significance to the Bajoran people, what'd your point? You are starting to sound like some of my old Bajoran classmates who used to look at me as a mystery as well."

"You know its significance, you know your heritage, yet you stay away from the culture of the Bajoran people. It is surprising." He looked at his PADD for a moment before looking back up at him. "And wether you like it or not, you are a mystery to all who know the past between the Cardassian and Bajoran people."

"Honestly, I think an air of mystery isn't a bad thing," Cecil smiled. "I do not have any aversion to the Bajoran culture, I look at it like I do any other alien culture. Humans, Betazoids, the Dominion. You would be surprised how open Cardassian society is. I had a wonderful childhood and I was treated well by my family and friends," Another lie, but Cecil had no idea he was lying about this one. Honestly he thought he had a great childhood. Except for some parts, but didn't everyone have some ups and downs? "Are there any other questions? Oh and you can write in that PADD of yours I don't speak a word of Bajoran, that can be added to my ~mystery~,"Cecil said with a hint of sarcasm, he was really getting tired of this.

"Seek councelling. Perhaps the help of a xenocultural expert. You are completely separated from your original cultural heritage, and that should not be the case with people like yourself." He put his PADD down, looking at the person in front of him. All this time, Ken hasn't even shown a single shrug of emotion.

"I don't think I need counseling. Bajoran and Cardassian culture are much more similar than they are different, in fact it isn't uncommon to see the two species marry and live to have wonderful families," Cecil stood up and headed for the door. "If you ever want to have a real conversation with me, coffee would suffice next time."

"I have yet to witness that. The wonderful part, that is." He answered plainly.

"You should visit Cardassia Prime some day. You would be surprised at the diversity," Cecil said before heading out the door and returning to his quarters.

"Cardassians and diversity. Something I again have yet to witness." He leaned back and grabbed his PADD again, reading over it.

Walking into his quarters, he stretched out and groaned before entering his room and flopping onto his bed. Man's tired.

But then.... He realized. FUCK, he was hungry. But replicator food was so bad.... So against his will, he got back up and changed into more comfortable clothes before heading to the mess hall. And yes, he was wearing just a t-shirt along with tracksuit pants.

[PADD]

From: Lieutenant Hsarr M'ow To: Lieutenant Wheatley Pendleton :) Hey, Wheatley! Just got off duty, I'll meet you in my quarters. Feel free to let yourself in if I'm not there when you get back! Love you, see you soon, Hsarr

Wheatley was just getting ready to take a nap, but he saw the message pop up on his PADD and went over to check. With a smile, he scrapped those plans and immediately went to dress up for the occasion. With a neat and pressed uniform, a lapel pin shaped like a cat, golden framed glasses and brushed hair, walked out of his room and went out into the hallways.

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From: Lieutenant Dipoto, on behalf of Starfleet JAG corps To: Lieutenant JG. Wheatley Pendleton

Dear, Lieutenant Junior Grade Pendleton, the JAG corps has set a trial date of stardate 80280.67 wherin Lieutenant Junior Grade Ferrufino will be tried for behavior unbecoming of a starfleet officer, failure to provide medical care, and impeding medical care. Your appearance at the trial is necessitated by law. During said trial you will be questioned under oath by both the prosecution team and defense.

[PADD] From: Lieutenant Hsarr M’ow To: Lieutenant JG Wheatley Pendleton

Wheat, what the hell happened while I was knocked out? I just got a message from the JAG saying they’re going to question me about Vince, but they haven’t told me anything, what is going on?????

(edited)

[D]Wheatley was in his quarters, recovering from the emotional damage he dealt to himself by letting his temper take the best of him. He was actually afraid to suffer the consequences, since he's never seen anyone to treat his temper because he rarely ever showed it. This led to him building an external shell to hide the anger of being so alone, that may come off as meek or shy. Nobody until then saw what was truly behind the shyness on Wheatley's part, and he hoped nobody else even saw what he had done.

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15:40

To part for violence so quickly... He was lucky he knew how to hold himself back from going physical.

Knock knock knock. Who was it, you ask?

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