Star Trek: Eventide 777 - upper-habitat-corridor

Zeza walked down the hallway at a brisk pace. She was gonna pick up some food before her shift started.

He made his way to the turbolift with a groan. The drowsiness after waking up was always unpleasant for him and he hated it intensely. Couldn't people just wake up and feel refreshed immediately?

The Ferengi exited her quarters and made her way down the corridor to the nearest turbolift, nodding to the occasional person she passed between glances at her PADD.

Styre exited the turbolift and made his way towards the upper habitat messhall, the one that he had yet to see. Yet, he had not expected anything different; perhaps it was more crowded.

Stepping out with her. “Yeah well, I’m pretty sure plenty of people have studied every deck plan and section concerning this class of base and they still get lost. It’s a new posting I’m pretty sure there’s a margin for getting turned around in the many hallways that lead exactly where you don’t want to go.”

She chuckled as they wandered out of the turbolift. "Oh, I fully understand that. I'll have to get somebody to walk me to the medical bay as well. I don't want to get lost on the way to work." She glanced left and right before looking back at the woman "Any clue which section 14 is?"

Mona examined her surroundings looking at the different hallways, perhaps they would yield a clue. “Section 14.. I have no idea were that is, I’m going to assume it’s further down this section. Maybe we should check the MSD?”

"Or you could be led there by someone who knows the way," came a voice from behind them, rather conveniently arriving when the two officers couldn't find where they were going. The Trill who approached seemed just as new as the other two considering how she had a travelling bag over one shoulder and a greatcoat on, but apparently it seemed that she knew more about the layout of the station than either of them did. She looked between the two as she approached with a brisk pace in order to catch up fully - these officers were... Caddel, she knew from the roster, the woman who was set to command the Eventide... And Dreaxa, a name and face who she knew from years before. "A tip for next time: if you specify that you need section fourteen then the turbolift will take you to the closest available stop."

1

She smiled and turned around to the voice behind her, giving her a quick glance over before recognising this was the commander of the station. "Commodore Treville! Thank you for the tip. I'll try my best and remember that for next time."

Mona was quick to turn around as well. Sending a nod of respect toward the commodore. “Commodore, we’ll take that under advisement thank you, Ma’am. Sorry I’m a little used to starships in terms of layout.” Mona bowed her head slightly showing her gratitude. “Oh! Mona Caddel, I’ll be commanding the Eventide, but you probably already knew that. I had planned to check in with you but it seems you’ve beat me to it.”

The Trill walked ahead of the two seemingly so she could lead the way before turning and proceeding to continue walking backwards, never one crashing and seeming to walk perfectly in line with the curve of the corridors. While still continuing at that steady pace she extended a hand for a handshake - first Caddel, and then Dreaxa. "It's a pleasure to have you both aboard - and please don't apologise, we're all well aware that the station can take a bit of getting used to in terms of layout. You have my apologies for not having someone to meet you once you disembarked -- things have been busy, it seems."

The woman slid in behind the Commodore as she walked ahead of the two of them, accepting the handshake with a gentle smile. "It's a pleasure to be onboard, Commodore. And a pleasure to see you again, if I do say so myself. It's certainly been a long time since we've seen eachother, you're looking far better than when we last met. I'm glad your recovery went well. As for the whole having somebody meet me, don't worry about it. Captain Caddel gave me a good enough guide to where I wanted to go."

Mona took the Commodore into a handshake, continuing to walk alongside the woman. “I hear you, I got a glance at your announcement, looks like we’ll get a chance to test out the Eventide sooner than I thought.” She spoke briefly about the ship after Dreaxa, then tilted her head to one end briefly after realizing the ACMO had mentioned it had been a while since they had seen each other, “you two know each other?”

Treville wasn't entirely certain how to feel about Dreaxa's immediate bringing up of past events - didn't those sorts of medical occurrences come with some sort of confidentiality disclosure that meant the medical officer wasn't supposed to bring it up, even if not in detail? Mentioning that they had met before could have been far more vague... But it was over and done with now, and Caddel had already caught on. "As much as I look forward to seeing yourself and your crew in action, Captain, I must say that I hope Eventide isn't deployed. If it is then it means that something has likely gone wrong along the way with the Bastion. And yes, we know one another - somewhat, that is. Briefly, and from a good few years ago. It is interesting to see how despite the number of officers in Starfleet we have a habit of ending up in one place, though."

Sensing the slight discomfort from Treville at the mention of their past made her consider she probably shouldn't have brought up their past in front of company, no matter how vague she was being about the details of it. She nodded to the captain and shot the commodore a look of apology as she did so. "We met each other a good while ago yes, our paths crossed earlier on in our careers but again, it's been a long time since we met. I'm glad you still remember me however, Commodore."

The captain had nodded at both statements. She understood where the Commodore was coming from, after all the Tide was first and foremost a warship, and was assigned here specifically to be on standby almost 26 hours a day. Turning to the other subject, Mona probably shouldn’t have asked about that, but it was all done and over with, no taking it back now. “Hey at least this will do wonders for our crew efficiency reports.” She said chuckling dryly, Mona had suspected she had been assigned the new duty of third wheel… not in a romantic sense.

"I try not to forget the names of promising officers, Commander," she mused to Dreaxa with a smile before neatly stepping around a young engineering crewman who had her face buried in her PADD. The crewman wasn't looking where she was going and Treville certainly wasn't either, but either way she had stepped around the woman with ease. "And you're quite right, Captain Caddel. Even if you don't get deployed at least you'll have a ship fully staffed and completely prepared. Even the preparation itself would be a good test run."

She chuckled and gave the Commodore a respectful nod. "Thank you for your kind words, Commodore. But as always, I was just doing my job. But I'm glad you approved of me and I'll be sure to show you exactly how much I've improved over all these years. I look forward to working with you and your crew."

“Speaking of working and crew, I think it would be excellent to arrange a series of drills coordinated with the station, in light of this entire situation.” The CO had pitched, the fact ships were vanishing was simply worrying alone, and with the Eventide being placed on standby Mona’s nerves had been taken to another level.

"That would be a wise idea. I'm aware that most people haven't reported in to the ship yet so it would certainly be worth even letting them become acquainted with the interior and learn how communication between the ship and station works. Please do feel free to come up to the Operational deck when you're free; I'm certain we can get something planned. As for now..." Slowly she came to a halt and gestured to the sign upon the wall. "Section fourteen."

Mona stopped at the entrance to section fourteen and smiled with a nod of gratitude. “Again thank you so much for helping us out. And I’ll take you up on that soon enough, it was very nice to meet you and I look forward to working with you in the future, Commodore and defending our little corner of space. I suspect you’ll be delving into the realm of paperwork now?”

1

"So this is my place... Thank you both for showing me where to go. I'll try my best to remember my way here for next time. " She said with a chuckle. Giving a respectful nod to both the CO's as she stopped at her door. "I guess I better go have a quick look around and drop my stuff off."

"Oh, please, the pleasure is all mine," she replied, genuinely seeming like it was no trouble at all. "The doors are labelled so you should be able to find your way alright from here. If you need any further help then please, you know how to find me-" she was cut off then by the ping of a notification upon her PADD - another Command chime - and she gave a knowing look to Caddel. "-And it certainly seems like more paperwork is calling. Good luck with the unpacking, Lieutenant Commander -- and good evening to you both." With that she offered a polite nod before heading further down the corridor in the direction of her own quarters, seemingly off to attend to whatever Command had in store for her now. (edited)

“Nice woman, should we finish our mission?” Mona said turning to Dreaxa, then she looked down the hall to their destination, only a few steps now- although she wondered why the Commodore had taken off so quickly? Maybe this had something to do with the disappearing ships and the Eventide being put on standby, no doubt it did, what else could it be?

"Yeah, thank you again for you kind assistance. I definitely owe you that coffee now." She said with a slight chuckle as she wandered over to the door to her quarters and pulled out her PADD to check what the code for it was.

“I’ll let you go for now, I’m sure you want to start packing, it was so nice meeting you Vialara.” The Captain smiled, not wanting to hold the woman up any longer than necessary. And additionally she wanted to remain close to her ship in the event that they did get deployed.

"The same to you, captain. I'll be sure to be in touch. I'm sure I can find a way to message you or something." She gave the woman a last polite smile before she slipped into her quarters.

And with that the captain continued down the corridor to the turbolift.

It had only been a matter of minutes since she had headed down this corridor with the Eventide’s CO and her new ACMO in tow. Now the Trill headed back up the corridor to the turbolift at a brisk pace – something had evidently changed.

Still stretching his shoulders he walked through the hallway in the direction of the turbolifts. (edited)

To the turbolift.

He walked down the hallway to his room.

down the hallway to the lift

To the turbolift, very slowly. Thank god the halls weren't very crowded at this time of day.

He walked down the hallway to his quarters.

He walked down the hallway keeping his massive smile and whistling a little tune to himself.

He walked to his quarters.

To the lift!

To the turbolift...

Ava chuckled to herself as she thought about the way Austin had blown her a kiss. He was so soft secretly. She smiled and felt endlessly happy. She went onto the lift, yawning, but content.

Down the corridor!

He walked to his room.

He left his quarters.

He quickly went into his quarters.

Down the corridor he went with a smile on his face a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

Ava made her way down the corridor with Austin. “I’m looking forward to meeting him,” she said and then added with a grin, “Nearly as much as I’m looking forward to those chocolate chip cookies right now.”

He chuckled a little bit. "They are some really good chocolate chip cookies. Feel free to come by and replicate them anytime.* He spoke as he reached the door.

“Why do I have a feeling that was an innuendo?” said Ava with a smirk as they entered Austin’s quarters.

Ava went to the lifts.

To the lifts!

To his quarters he went.

The courier exited the turbolift with her hovercart and headed down the corridor, looking for her next delivery spot. When she found it, she stopped, found the associated parcel, and headed over to the door.

Down the corridor!

She made her way down to her quarters with Kh'reyah in tow.

She walked to the turbolift.

To his quarters, where he deposited his shopping before departing for the turbolift. No rest for the wicked- er, senior staff? Or maybe just him...

The Lieutenant's shoes click clacked against the floor as she made her way to her newly assigned quarters, pausing every now and then to study a door she thought might be hers before moving forward until she actually arrived at her destination. She then swiftly entered her quarters.

He walked swiftly down the hallway in a march.

She stepped out of her quarters before swiftly turning around and grabbing a padd before reemerging and began to walk down the hallway towards the turbolifts.

He noticed the Romulan officer walking down the hall and decided to say hello. "Excuse me? I'm the station Chief of Security and I figured I would just say hello." His greeting came out as awkward because he hadn't expected her in the hallway.

She spun around towards the voice behind her, her low dark ponytail flipping around as she turned to face the stranger. "Oh, hello there...Chief" She stuck out her arm in greeting, her outstretched hand awaiting a handshake. "Laruka Torvek, Chief Science Officer as of recently. Nice to meet you, Lieutenant." She said, after noticing his pips.

He had a smile on his face. "Chief Security officer Austin Whidbey, or if you'd like simply Austin." He took her hand and shook it. "I'm glad to see we finally have a new chief science officer."

She smiled back friendly. "Glad to be here, it was a bit of a shock for sure. I mean I earned it I know, just didn't think it would happen so quickly." She self consciously straightened her uniform. "I can do it though, don't worry. I'd say your in safe hands but...your the Security Chief." She said with a smile.

He chuckled. "Well I am quite glad to have you aboard. I'm still generally new to the station aswell though I've had time to acquaint myself. Luckily though isn't my first time being a chief. To earn such a prestigious assignment you must be quite capable."

"I've done a few things." She said humbly, although she knew she had done quite a few important things she didn't want to brag. "How often have you been Chief?" She asked curiously, the man in front of her didn't seem to be too old. Perhaps her age or a little older. "Is this your second time as Chief then?"

"This is my second time being Chief of Security. Before I was here I was on the old Vancouver, she's quite the ship." He smiled thinking back on old times. "After a couple years the old chief there recommended me to take over for him and I've been a chief ever since then." He had a confident look on his face, generally proud of his service record.

"So how long have you been here?" She asked curiously. "Anything exciting happen yet? Haven't gotten to the reports to catch up with the goings around here yet." She held her padd up for a moment.

He suddenly quieted his demeanor. He didn't like to talk about what happened within his first days on the station. "... I haven't been here for too long." He took a second to go back to his standard self. "How about we head down to the bar together?"

She studied him as he quieted for a moment before answering. "Yeah sure, that sounds good to me." *She nodded and turned to walk towards the turbolifts again before pausing. "Do you know...er, which floor the bar is?"

He nodded. "It is on the Utility ring, as is most of the good stuff. I could give you a little bit of a tour after we hit the bar if you would like." He entered #base-turbolift-3

"Utility Ring, got it." She followed him shortly after he entered the third base turbolift.

She walked to the turbolift and requested being taken to the Research Ring.

To the turbolift.

To the turbolift at max speed.

The doctor helped him quickly manuever around to his quarters. "Would you like me to assist you with anything else or do you think you can handle from here."

"I can handle things from here. Thank you, ensign. Dismissed." Ughaz'udan grunted as he walked through the door and let it close behind him.

Kassell walked down the corridor from the turbolift. He knew that Ughaz'udan wouldn't react well to what he was going to say. But he'd rather him hear it from his assistant chief tactical officer than someone else.

After a long amount of time dealing with the injured following the explosion in the promenade, it had felt like ages since Vialara had been back to her quarters, guilty of overworking herself, she often found herself not venturing up here that often... Thinking about it, there was one other person who was guilty of overworking herself, and Vialara had let her continue to work herself even harder following the events. She glanced down at her PADD, checking the time before she spoke up. "Computer, is Commodore Treville in her quarters currently?"

"Affirmative," the computer chimed out in return.

"That's surprising." She said with a light chuckle before heading further down the corridor. She figured it wouldn't hurt to check on her, it had been a stressful time recently. It was her job after all to check on the health of the crew. She headed down to the commodore's quarters, lightly brushing the hair from her face as she checked her reflection in the screen of her PADD. She had appearences to keep up too, y'know. Satisfied that she looked presentable, she leaned over and chimed the door.

By the Founders, his insides still felt mushy. Urgh. What a sickening feeling. Or maybe that was just him trying to walk and feeling his vision swim. Either way he forged on and entered the turbolift.

He walked to his quarters.

She walked on down in the direction of her quarters. "Where do you think Conner is anyways?"

"I don't know, honestly. I never really talked to him about his interests so I wouldn't even know what division he's in

"Last time I checked he did his final exam in science. I bet he'll be damned proud when he finds you joined the blue army!" She said with a laugh.

"I hope so. Now that we're all grown I'm hoping we can get along." She smiled.

"How come? It isn't as if you two didn't get along in the past, right?" She looked over at Ellanor, raising her eyebrow. Did she miss something all those years back?

"It seemed like he was growing irritated with me before he left. We hardly ever talked, and when we did I had to start it and I only got one word answers. He even stopped coming to borrow a book..he even stopped looking in my direction. Right when he left, he didn't even acted like I existed." She had a confused look on her face and her gaze was on the floor. "I don't even know what I did to deserve it."

"I really don't know..." She said softly, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Maybe you could ask him? And if he doesn't want to answer you, he will answer to me." She said seriously, giving a nod of reassurance.

"Thank you, sis. I really appreciate it." She smiled at her sister sadly.

"Come on." She gently placed her hand on Ellanor's shoulder. "Let's go find ourselves robo-bro." She gave a soft smile and guided them inside of #acos-voxellus.

"Lead the way." She smiled and followed her sister.

They stepped out of their quarters, their tail twitching anxiously. They pulled out their PADD and began compiling a list of tasks.

Hop whistled the tune now as she approached the junction and removed the panel from the wall. Nothing looked wrong, but looks could be deceptive. She put on a thick, rubber shock glove and reached inside...

They kept walking, not noticing the ensign in front of them until the two collided. “Ohmygosh,” they yelped. “I’m so sorry!”

She started with a little yelp, wedging her wrist between two pipes. "Whoa there, cowboy!" She laughed. "A bit jumpy today, huh?" She asked, scrunching up her face as she tried to dislodge her hand. She only succeeded in getting it more stuck. The Lt. had only run into the fender of her wheelchair, and hadn't actually touched her.

“Okay, okay, hold on…” They mentally switched into ‘Doctor Mode’, examining her wrist before easing it out.

"Thanks!" She laughed, pulling off the rubber glove to examine the wrist. After a few rubs it was fine. "You better watch where you're goin', though, before you fall down a manhole, or something!"

“There are manholes on the station?” They asked, baffled. “Really?”

"Nah, but I coulda been working under a floor panel." She chuckled. "My name's Hop! What's yours?" She asked, holding her hand out to him.

They took her hand in their paw. “I’m Lieutenant M’ow. Err, my first name is Hsarr,” they shook her hand.

"Well it's nice t'meetcha, Lt. M'ow! How's your day goin'?" She asked, giving his paw a firm shake. She'd never held a Caitan's paw before. It was so soft!

“Um…I’m not sure. I just got here. I’m trying to creat a list of things I need to do…” They trailed off. “It’s not going well,”

"Uh oh. Well that's no good! Do you need some help?" She asked, putting the rubber glove back in her toolkit and turning her full attention to the Lt.

“Well, I don’t know if it would be very…impressive, if the assistant CMO needed help from an ensign in engineering,” They chuckled. “Thanks, though. “That didn’t sound mean, right?” They added.

"Everybody needs some help sometime or other." Hop shrugged. She didn't see the problem with getting help from someone of lower rang and in a different department, but that was just her own opinion. "So you're a bigwig, huh? I've always kinda wondered how it feels to be in charge. Do you like it?"

“It’s…actually my first day as assistant department head,” They admitted, rubbing the back of their neck. “Not bad so far,”

"Well welcome aboard, then!" Hop smiled. "WHere'd you come from?"

“I was posted on the USS Trailblazer,” They told her. “Got transferred a couple days ago, but my shuttle was delayed,”

"Yeah, we had some trouble this last week." Hop said a little reflectively.

“Well, I’m excited to be here,” They smiled. “I should…probably get to work.”

"Well, good luck!" She said with a small wave, then she turned back to her work, pulling the glove back on and sticking her arm into the wall again.

They nodded and walked off, heading to the turbolift.

He walked to his quarters in silence.

They stepped out of their quarters, focused on the PADD in their paws. "Got Wynters's physical...and Weber's..."

He was so occupied with walking back to his quarters that he barely noticed when he brushed past the much shorter Caitian... oops.

Hsarr jumped, hissing, then looking up and immediately freezing. Standing beside them was the tallest, most intimidating being they'd ever seen. "I'm so sorry!" They squeaked, frozen in place.

Ughaz'udan blinked, glanced downwards at the source of the voice that'd just addressed him... oh. A Caitian. With a rather unusual coat color. Nothing unusual. Just another crew member. "I am unharmed." He stated flatly. "You need not be worried. I will not kill you."

They nearly choked. "I-" Nothing in their life had trained them for something like this. They could die here, despite what the officer said. They tried to take some steadying breaths.

"Yes...?" Ughaz'udan stared down at them with a hint of something akin to disappointment - or maybe it was that mixed with amusement.

"I don't- I'm sorry- I-" Hsarr's entire brain was breaking. This man was giant and strong and a murder dino, and Hsarr was a tiny cat. They wanted to curl up and cry. What do you say to 'I will not kill you'??

"Oh, for-" Ughaz'udan bent down, grabbed their collar and pulled them up so that they could look straight up at him. Clearly this Caitian lived here and clearly they held a position of some kind on this station - so why were they so lily-livered? By the Founders... "I mean you no harm, lieutenant. What's wrong?"

4

2

"Eep-" They squeaked as they were lifted off the ground. "I- I don't know if you've noticed but...you are very intimidating," They mumbled, their tail twitching nervously. "Please don't hurt me..." They added.

"Most don't curl into a ball and cry their eyes out when they first meet me." He stated nonchalantly before subsequently putting them back down on their feet. "No, I will not hurt you unless you give me sufficient reason to."

"Well- you- you're like...2 feet taller than me," They exaggerated. "And 'I will not kill you' isn't exactly reassuring!"

What was with this Caitian and taking what he said so literally, he thought to himself with a hint of irritation. "Let me reiterate. I will not hurt you unless you give me sufficient reason to. Understood?"

"Y-yes. Sorry. I didn't...I mean...I'm sorry. I'm sure you're a lovely person," They stuttered, their ears almost flat on their head, clearly threatened.

2

Again Ughaz'udan blinked. Hard. Was this Caitian really panicking to such an extent? They seemed almost cowardly, the way they presented themself. "Stop apologizing. You've done nothing wrong." He sighed.

“Uh- okay- uh…” This was it. This was the day they met their demise: by pissing this Lieutenant off.

"You can stand at ease, dammit." Ughaz'udan shook his head.

They did as they were told, but their ears remained flat. “Um…I’m Hsarr,” They offered, trying to ‘break the ice’.

"Ughaz'udan. Head of tactical." He proceeded to look the Caitian over with his arms folded. They weren't exactly impressive, mind, with those ears flat and shaking like a leaf. "I assume you work in a senior position at sickbay - you wouldn't be here elsewise."

“I’m Assistant CMO,” They stated. “N-nice to meet you,”

"It is... agreeable... to meet you." He replied. "I assume you've never seen one of my kind before."

“No, I haven’t…” They nodded, confirming.

"I am... sorry... your first impression went so... unusually." 'Unusually'? Nah, ha ha. More like 'pants-wettingly terrifyingly please don't kill me'. 'Unusually' was an understatement! "How long have you served aboard?"

“This is my first week,” They replied. So. This was going…a little better.

"I hope your encounters with the crew have been somewhat more positive." He remarked. Surely they had to have been if this Caitian was practically quaking in their fur. Surely. Right? Or had they literally just come on for their first week and met him for a start?

“I’ve had…a couple more positive experiences,” They confirmed.

"Good." He turned on his heel to head down the corridor. "I look forward to working with you."

“Bye…” They backed into their quarters. They needed a moment to process.

Ughaz'udan emerged a few minutes later in a black t-shirt, jeans and an ash gray trench coat; he'd read off duty that it was a popular human look - perhaps it was worth a try. He began to make his way to the turbolift in silence.

They had emerged again, and stopped dead. Hoooooly shit.

He didn't seem to notice, grabbing his PADD and reading from it as he waited at the turbolift landing.

They ducked behind a doorway, breathing heavily. Fuck.

"Lieutenant, if you meant to hide I'm afraid even a baby squirrel could do better than you. I can hear you. Clearly." He stated without looking up from his PADD.

“Oh- uh- Hello, Ughaz’udan,” They waved.

"Is something the matter. Why are you hiding?" He asked. "Did I intimidate you that much?"

“No, no, I just…saw a very interesting panel,” They lied. “I wanted to investigate. Hadn’t even noticed you were here,” They said breezily.

"Your breathing pattern gives you away, lieutenant. If you saw a particularly interesting wall panel you would not be hiding and panting as if you've just finished a marathon." Ughaz'udan turned around and glared back at the cowering Caitian. Oh god, now that he'd faced forward he probably looked better than before... "So tell me. What is it?"

Hsarr froze. Of course this giant, hot lizard man was smart as well. “You look good,” They said simply.

Blink. "Thank you." He stated, turning on his heel and fishing what looked like a black beret from his pocket. He then put it on murmuring something about the ridiculousness of human outfits.

Oh god, the hat set the outfit off… “Um, where you headed?”

"The holodeck. I intend to try a program at random. Something not combat oriented." He answered. "Why?"

“Got room for one more?” They grinned.

"Yes." He stated. Company was indeed not unwelcome.

“Great! Lead the way!” They celebrated internally. Friends were good.

The turbolift arrived at that moment - a fortuitous development perhaps, at least on his side. He stepped into #base-turbolift-1 in silence and awaited his new companion.

They stepped out, making their way to their quarters. Today had been...exhausting.

To the turbolift.

They stepped out of the lift and sprinted to their quarters. They couldn't assume anything, because they hadn't gotten a response...yet.

He looked around for Hsarr before he skittered down the hallways and placed the gift box in front of their quarters, knocking on the door and zooming away as fast as he could to hide somewhere.

They stepped out, looking around, then down. There was a hand wrapped gift on their doorstep, along with a note. Their eyes widened as they picked it up.

In the note, it was written out with Wheatley's signature messy handwriting: 'Dear Hsarr. I got your note, and words cannot do justice to what I felt and what i am still feeling. I already knew it would be an instant connection when i met you in the restaurant, but i didn't expect it to be stronger than ever before at the moment! So... I would be more than glad to strengthen that connection. - Your friend and probably more, Wheatley Pendleton.'

They grinned like an idiot, holding the note close. They then bent down to open the package.

Inside the package, there was a handmade plushie of Hsarr! From the fur colors to the maximum detail, their fluffy paws, everything.

Removing the plush, they giggled, examining the silly little gift. “Oh my gosh…” They whispered, purring softly.

Well, just like the silly little gift, its silly little maker was having a hard time with hiding- He was too tall and occasionally bonked his head on the doorframes!

Their sensitive ears picked up the sound of Wheatley’s head hitting a doorframe, and they turned, their smile widening.

He groaned a little and rubbed his forehead, soon turning to make eye contact with Hsarr and blushing deeply.

“Hi,” They said, making the little plush’s paw wave.

Wheatley smiled and waved back. "I did my best, did you like it?-"

“It’s perfect!” They nodded. “Looks just like me,” They waved him over. “C’mere so we aren’t shouting across the hall,”

He walked down the hallway and stopped in front of them, smiling. "Glad you liked it..."

“It’s cute! A little unrealistic in that manner, but it looks very cuddle-able,” They said in an analyzing tone, grinning at Wheatley.

"That's exactly what I was aiming for." He grinned back.

“Well, then, good job!” They said, tucking the note into their pocket. That was going somewhere special.

He chuckled and rubbed his neck, blushing. "...So... Er, are we... Y'know, a thing now?-"

“I mean…if you want- I mean, not a big deal if you don’t, but I think it would be nice,” They blurted, their tail twitching nervously.

"I.... I do think it would be nice too." He smiled shyly.

“C-cool,” They nodded, once again very grateful that Catians couldn’t blush. “Um- do you- do you wanna come into my quarters? We…we could just sit…” They suggested.

"Sure! I- Erm, wouldn't mind that at all!" He grinned like a dork.

They opened the door and gestured for Wheatley to step inside.

@Lt. JG. Wheatley Pendleton idk if you saw this))

And he did step inside, ducking so he wouldn't hit his head.

After zooming out of the Jem'hadar's quarters, Aella decided it would be a good idea to explore the upper habitat ring a little. She slowed her pace so she could look around. She kept adjusting her headset to focus on various things that caught her eyes. Yet again she kept getting distracted and not very mindful of where she was going. @Lieutenant Dominic Styles

Dominic hadn't really been out along the station in awhile, the type of grease monkey to be hiding in jeffries' tubes for the most part, but today he had an itch to walk around. Call it claustrophobia or simply just getting irritated with seeing the same insides of a tin can day in and day out, Dom was ready to do anything else other than tinker with ship systems in small spaces. Even the corridors along the station seemed bigger than that of Eventide. It was probably designed that way, he thought to himself as he strolled through the upper habitat corridor. His mind drifted to the Latin number he'd met a few weeks back... what had her name been? Teresa? Lisa? Louisa? Absolutely dumb of him not to look him up and call her immediately after they'd met. She'd liked him, that much was apparent, but in his thickheadedness he'd just drifted back into work, quietly ignoring things. He shook his head to himself as he came across the Vorta woman. Dominic gave the slight inclination of his head like a "'sup" to the Vorta.

Aella was so engrossed in focusing on all the fine details around the corridor she did not see the man look at her before running straight into him! Oh Founders, this was embarrassing, another collision. This is why she always ordered her Jem'hadar to carry her everywhere. She was not used to do doing so much independent walking. "On the Founders, I'm so sorry!!!" Aella quickly scrambled to regain her balance, dropping her visual sensory device in the process.

Well he felt like a double dumb ass when she crashed into him. After the whole suave "'sup" nod, it hadn't gone at all like he'd expected. Dom stumbled backward, bracing himself on the side wall to keep himself upright, and then using his other hand to steady Aelia by the shoulder to make sure she wouldn't fall over and cause further damage. Judging from everyone around him, no one had noticed his little hello mixed with the whole faux pas. No harm no foul. He couldn't hep but feel a tinge of embarrassment which he tried to suppress rather quickly, brandishing a winning smile toward the Vorta, a little bit on the polished and political side of expressions, but not appearing to be insincere. "I'm sorry. I thought you saw me. Are you okay?"

"I-i--"Aella was trying to catch her breath as she looked up to see a pale blob with some blond hair in front of her. A human, maybe. Aella couldn't tell. "I'm fine, umm, my headset, where did it go?" Aella had a slight panic when she couldn't quickly locate her headset that had fallen. Maybe this man would be so kind to help this poor Vorta.

He noticed how agitated the Vorta seemed to be, and he certainly didn't want to cause any trouble, especially with a civilian population. He didn't need a report like that on his record. Besides, she seemed like a nice enough woman, though perhaps a little on the too-energetic side. It might have been a characteristic of her species though, so he wouldn't judge. "Headset," Dom repeated as he looked around beside him. He came up with nothing, disconcerting, but then looked to where the railing was which oversaw the levels down below. Oh, no. She must have dropped whatever this headset was over the side. he moved over to the railing and peeked over. It was a long way down. "Are you sure you had it?"

Aella's eyes darted around the corridor and then over the railing. She couldn't see a thing. It was all a blur. This was bad, that was her only visual device and it was specifically modified for her to see on the station. "I can't see anything without it. You see, the Vorta have very poor eyesight, won't you please help me?"Aella gave her best puppy dog eyes.

All he'd wanted to do was head down to a replimat or something and get some food, stretch the legs a little... and now he was stuck. He tried not to let his dismay show, definitely not wanting to upset this poor, innocent-looking soul further. So much for a day off, it looked like they were going for a scavenger hunt around the station. The pretty girl with puppy dog eyes made it dead near impossible for him to resist, regardless of the situation. What was he going to do, let her go about unable to see? Impossible. He sucked in his lower lip and nodded. "Of course. Can't leave you here like this. Especially if I bumped into you like that... or you bumped into me." How did that happen, anyway? "I think we're going to have to be jumping down a couple of levels. Not literally. In a lift."

"Thank you so much, I'm so sorry. I guess I got caught up in everything on the station. I just got here, actually. Oh, my name is Aella. Dominion Liaison, Vara'toran Aella Five, it's nice to meet you," Aella introduced herself to this kind man who was going to help her.

"Dominion, huh?" Dom knew a little about them from the history books, but he'd never really met a Vorta before. They seemed pretty close to humans, as other species went. "That's quite the title. What do you like to be called, Vara?" He could hardly glimmer a short name from such an introduction. All the same, he shrugged as he took a couple of steps toward the lift down the corridor so he could coax her in that direction. "I'm Dom, engineer on the Eventide if you're familiar with the ship."

Aella followed him as best she could, but it was difficult with so many different blobs going past her. "Aella is fine. Vara'toran is how we do rank in the Dominion. I supposed it would be equal to a Commander in your Starfleet ranks," So he really didn't know about the Dominion, huh? This was going to be interesting. It seemed like all the humanoids had an opinion about their new allies in the Gamma Quadrant, but not this guy. "Hello Dom. I am aware of the Eventide, although I have never been on it. I am just a civilian here so I am restricted to civilian areas," She explained as she tried to keep up with him. "I'm surprised. You know, Starfleet officers usually have a lot of things to say when they meet someone from the Dominion."

He was just a guy who liked to tinker with engines, never much one for big political situations, and the Dominion War was so long ago, it really had no bearing on his life. He walked slowly enough to make sure she wouldn't have trouble, recalling she mentioned the trouble with her eyesight and not wanting to cause her to trip again. "Aella. Nice to meet you. Though I'm not sure why a Starfleet officer would have something to say about another species, especially an ambassador. Sounds like a reprimand at the very least if someone's behaving like you imply."

Aella was trying her best to keep up, but Dom had longer legs and Aella was short. "The Dominion War may be behind us, but there are a lot of people on this station who are not ready to move on," She was talking about that Whidbey guy. She may have let the issue slide at the time, but she would not forget him and anyone else who dared to insult her gods. “I am here for peace. I am the official speaker for the Founders on this station. I know a lot of Starfleet officers don't like it when I say that, they only see them as nosy shapeshifters. But you seem different, you don't mind me calling the Founders gods, do you?"

He slowed down to make sure she wouldn't have any problem with walking with him. And as far as who she was talking about regarding people not moving on from the dominion war, he would also would remain clueless with it. "Whatever floats your boat." Dom wasn't particularly concerned about what people believed as long as they left him alone about it. She seemed a bit of an odd one asking such a question, but this had been an odd encounter al lthe way around if he were honest. They approached #base-turbolift-1 and he stopped at the doors. "I guess we'll check the middle habitat ring first and then the lower if we can't find your visor there."

They walked down the corridor toward the lift, grinning.

Aella shuffled down the corridor and straight Ughaz'udan's quarters. No jefferies tubes today.

As part of her mission to familiarise herself with the station, Aella wondered the upper habitat corridor. She found herself constantly having to readjust her headset so she could focus on every detail. Maybe she would just get glasses, she thought. But her headset was a gift from the Founders and clearly superior Dominion technology, even if it was fussy sometimes.

The Romulan Lieutenant just exited her quarters and started walking down the hallway to the turbolift before noticing the pale Vorta. She stopped and gave her a polite nod. "Hello there, are you new to the station?" She asked curiously.

A new person! Aella had never seen this.. .Vulcan? Romulan? Honestly, Aella was still having a hard time differentiating them. "Yes, I am. Aella 5, Vara'toran and official Dominion Liaison. And you?" She introduced herself with a polite smile. She was not going to mess up this interaction, she had to make friends.

2

"Lieutenant Torvek, a pleasure to meet you." She nodded back with a smile. "The Assistant Chief Science Officer here actually, and the Dominion Liaison? How interesting. What's it like where you're from?" She asked curiously.

Oh so this lady was the ACSO on the station. Despite running around the station for the past week and a half, Aella had not had many interactions with the senior staff. "Dominion space is very nice now that the Hur'Q have been cured and we have the alliance with the Federation. The Founders treat us very well," Aella replied. "What about you? Where are you from?"

"Romulus before it's destruction, after that? Vulcan." She said thoughtfully before returning her attention to the Vorta. "Is it true that you can only taste a few things?" She asked curiously, that's what she had researched of course but it was always good to make sure.

Romulan. She briefly remembered encountering them during the Dominion War, very secretive people. They loved their undercover organisations. Not unlike the Dominion in many ways. "Oh, that is true. Kava nuts and rippleberries mostly," What an odd question, although she understood the Vorta's physiology was quite unique. Since she was a science officer it would only be natural for her to be curious. "I assume you have heard the story about how the Vorta came to be?"

"Ah, I see. And the Changelings had something to do with it right? The origin of your species that is." She said thoughtfully. "Genetic engineering on a very large scale, pretty impressive actually. Not to mention the cloning."

"Yes, the Founders," Aella said, putting the emphasis on 'Founders'. They were her gods and even if Starfleet saw them as just Changelings, she would always show her respects. "Our sense of taste is limited as is our eyesight," Aella pointed to her headset. "This one has been modified so I can see far distances. But I am sure you know all about our physiology as a Science officer, right?"

"I know enough." She nodded. "Researching of course is different than actually knowing the person and their biology. And things can always be misinterpreted of course. Actually, one of my Ensigns is doing a project on the Vorta."

"Oh? A project on the Vorta?" Aella raised and eyebrow. Why hadn't she heard of this? Surely if someone was doing a project on her people she would have been contacted, right? Maybe it was secret. "I have not heard about this, tell me more."

"I believe he's trying to see if the Vorta can work independently of the Jem'Hadar or the Hur'Q as you say. It's a very interesting study actually." She said thoughtfully. "He's very bright albeit struggling with time management sometimes." She mused.

An noble cause, Aella thought. Someone who wants to help her gain independence? But she was already independent. Well, she needed some extra tech to get her there, but she thought she functioned well. "We are perfectly fine on our own. I admire the ensign's goals, but I believe his efforts are unnecessary."

"Well he can always try, scientific innovation only happens to those who look for it." She shrugged. "And if he does succeed I'm sure it would greatly help."

"Well... If you are so sure, you can tell him he is welcome to ask me any questions," Aella was still skeptical about the project but she would to helping this ensign if he asked. "What do you think of it? If I am not mistaken having a Vorta intermingling with Starfleet officers was not exactly welcomed with open arms."

"I will." She nodded when the Vorta mentioned the ensign before pausing thoughtfully at her last question. "Well, it's usual a rare sight for a Romulan to be in Startleet isn't it? I don't suppose I care what others say so long as you don't prove them right." She shrugged.

"That is true, I guess we both come from powers that have some bad history with the Federation," It was good this Romulan seemed open minded. Hmm, how much information could she get out of her though. "What are your duties here?"

"I'm the Assistant Chief Science Officer so I help out with the Chief Science Officer." She explained with a smile. "And just around in the different labs and the like. I'm just underneath Lieutenant Commander Lhai'vek."

"Oh interesting. I have always been fascinated with your chain of command," The Federation really allowed any race to hold positions of power. Something very unheard of in the Dominion. They had a strict order of things after all. "Well I do hope that your research goes well," Aella gave her a kind smile. "And seeing how I am a clone I have no problems with you testing treatments on me. Tell your ensign that."

"Of course, and thank you. I'm sure he will appreciate it a lot." She said thoughtfully thinking back to how excited he was about the project. "Anyways, I need to get going. It was nice meeting you Aella." She said with a smile before moving on her way.

A successful interaction, Aella waved to the romulan before continuing onwards to do more observations. She may not have had access to all of the station, but she wanted to make sure she could gather data on the areas she could go to.

The doors open and Aella scurried down the hall.

Aella stepped out into the middle corridor with Ughaz'udan, absolutely filled with excitement for this new experience with free will.

He led the way out of the lift

They stepped out after him, walking down the hall. It was unavoidable that they'd awkwardly be in each other's company for at least a couple more minutes.

"So uh... what would you like me to call you, first name, last name?" He asked awkwardly so he would know for next time

"Oh! Uh...professionally? Doctor M'ow or Lieutenant M'ow. Off duty, Hsarr works," They replied. They supposed he hadn't had much experience with non human races?

"Alright, just wanted to know." He said with a slightly self conscious tone. He paused outside the door to his quarters "It was nice to meet you. I need to go make up missing date night with my wife..." He said awkwardly

They laughed softly. "Good luck with that," They waved, continuing on to their quarters.

"Thanks... I may end up being in sickbay soon if I am unsuccessful..." He said with a small chuckle before entering his quarters

They grinned, slipping into their quarters.

She contemplated simply going to her quarters to meditate, but figured that eating something first 'would not hurt' and so she ended up heading to the mess hall.

To the turbolift.

Aella walked down the corridor!

They walked off to the lift.

*To the turbolift...,

She walked down the corridor.

She walked from her room to the turbolift.

With her questions in hand, Aella made her way down the corridor!

Down the corridor!

They trotted down the corridor on light paws.

He marched down the hallway with his back straight after wrapping his hand in a spare uniform. He couldn't allow his masquerade to break, he was tough, he was the man who protected this station from evil. That was all on his shoulder.

2

There the soft boy goes, unconsciously making sure that his hair was brushed properly and his glasses weren't crooked. He walked over to Hsarr's dorm door and knocked on it, waiting excitedly.

2

3

22:35

....but no one answered.

3

22:36

"Hsarr? Hellooooo? You in there, mate?-" He asked out, not wanting to just barge in disrespectfully. It was clear that he was seriously trying his best, because he wasn't at all fashionable nor that elegant.

2

3

22:38

"...hello?" He knocked on the door again, already beginning to sense that something was wrong.

2

22:40

After a few minutes, he soon sighed and stormed down the hallways, now knowing something was terribly wrong. Immediately going for into the Turbolift, he wanted to check the next spot he knew where they would be.

3

The two men walked to the lifts.

Kassell walked to the turbolift.

Kassell made his way to his quarters.

Lurror followed behind.

They sprinted down the hall to #acmo-m’ow﹢lt-jg-pendleton , ears flat with their skull.

He ran down the hallways and stopped right in front of the door to Hsarr's quarters. He was still crying heavily, panicked but not letting the crying take over his mind. For now he had only one objective, and that was to get to Hsarr.

3

22:48

Knock knock knock... but more hurried, of course.

The door slid open, but no sign of Hsarr.

And in he goes.

Mo made his way to his quarters, #stn-cdr-mo.

The Ferengi stepped out of her quarters and headed down the corridor to the turbolift.

There he goes, running so fast that when he got to Hsarr's quarters- BANG. There goes his score of 'days he hasn't hit his head anywhere'. He fell backwards, but not even that got him down enough to make him not apologize to the beloved kitty. Getting back up, albeit extremely woozy and feeling something wet begin to drip down his forehead, Wheatley approached the door to their quarters and knocked on the door.

2