Monster Mash Mischief (Part III)

Posted on Thu Jan 26th, 2023 @ 6:48pm by Cadet Senior Grade Meghan Stefani & Cadet Junior Grade Renae Villanova & Cadet Senior Grade Daniel Weaver & Cadet Senior Grade K’tarra Smythe & Cadet Senior Grade Thalainian Th’Thane

1,842 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: The Cadet Cruise
Location: Holodeck

[PREVIOUSLY]

Thal noticed Daniel looking at Meghan, and couldn’t help but be curious. He hadn’t heard anything about the two of them, but to be fair, he wasn’t exactly current on the ship’s gossip. “Regardless of what it’s called, I’m sure you’ll do an excellent job at it”.

[CONTINUED]

Daniel smile before nodding his head. "I'm going to try." he replied before asking. "What area are you in?"

“Medical”, Thal replied. “I’m shadowing the CMO, which will be interesting. Commander Janiver is very…enthusiastic”.

He let out a slight chuckle, tempted to reveal his own situation, before replying softly. "I know the type, but I am sure you'll manage."

“Hopefully. Some hands-on medical experience would be good”. He took a sip of his drink. “My father says I’m good at the theory part, but not at the practical part. Says that unless I can master both, I can expect a rather short-lived career in Starfleet. He’s a Senior Chief, so I guess he’s dealt with enough officers to know. What about you? Any Starfleet members in the family?”

Daniel looked away slightly, a smile on his face, before turning back to Thal. He opened his mouth to reply, but immediately stopped, only to clear his throat again. "I... uh... my parents are both officers. My mom is Intel. She's a Commander. Before that she was in the Bajoran militia. My dad..." He paused again, looking down a bit before locking against again. "My dad is a Commodore. He's mainly been a busy body. Not much time for family, which is probably why my parents are divorced. Right now..." He chuckled softly. "He's Captain of a Starship. After that... I don't know."

Thal nodded in understanding. “I get it. My father is always away. He cares for me, I know, and my mother, but service in Starfleet has a toll on family life”. Thal was about to sip his drink again, when he noticed it was empty, and so placed it down on a nearby table. “I’m afraid that despite our conversation here, I don’t actually know your name. I’m Thalainian, but everyone calls me Thal”. He held out his hand.

"I'm Daniel. Daniel Weaver," he replied.

K'tarra nodded "Ah, I should have known. Earth literature... Yes, the sentient dragon, err... Wyrm. Fascinating." She turned to look out at Thal and Daniel for a moment. "You know... My father is hyooman", replied the half Klingon still heavily accented. "There is still much I must learn about my Earth culture." She had only heard tales of dragons when she was very young and was curious about Meghan's choice.

"Have you ever encountered a dragon on say... The holodeck?" K'tarra began to get excited. Such a quest would prove to be most exhilarating.

"Not yet. There's a series of books from the 20th century about men and women who fly on dragons. I've always wanted to do that on a holodeck." Meghan smiled. "Earth has a lot of books about dragons."

"Wha...? And they each have their own dragon?" K'tarra's feminine yet scratchy voice spoke quickly as her thoughts raced. "If we end up with free time, we must explore this scenario." The excitement was clearly written across her fair crimson eyes.

Daniel smiled, holding back a laugh so as not to offend the half Klingon woman. Last thing he wanted was to get into a brawl. "I've had a few encounters with dragons on a program I like." He turned to Meghan for a moment, hoping she would catch on as to what program he was referring to. "But... it wasn't a battle. It was more like a rescue. Of course, dragons in my program might be a little different then in Meghan's program. I would like to join you two in that program if it's okay. I would love to ride a dragon. See the differences between the two programs are."

Meghan smiled. "I would love for you to join us." He was welcome to join her on pretty much any program.

She turned to K'tarra. "Not everyone gets a dragon, but there are six weyrs with Dragonriders. Each weyr can have up to 300 dragons and their riders. The rest of the world has crafters, and lord holders. It's based on a series of books by a 20th century author. It's amazing to ride dragonback."

K'tarra's eyes were still wide with curiosity. "It sounds most exciting. It is good to liven the pulse with such adventures. I await the day." She paused for a moment to savor her drink. It was quite refreshing... Sweet even. "Do you know what program convinced one Klingon I know to install a holobay on his ship?"

The half-Klingon woman paused dramatically. "A targ raising and training program... They say it can truly help a Klingon raise a stronger targ. Teaches one how! And sure enough, one House of Moklor B'rel now runs that program... Only that!" K'tarra had thought the difference in programs which appeal to the two cultures was fascinating to visualize.

"Really?" Meghan said. "That's fascinating. I had no idea that Klingons would create and use such a program."

"Most certainly", K'tarra said in a somewhat formal tone. "A worthy targ can even be seen as a member of a crew on some Klingon vessels." She spoke as if she didn't realize how silly she might have looked in her costume. She felt more comfortable embracing the festive spirit. "Sometimes an officer must even gain the trust of such a targ to serve on the bridge." Laughing, she added, "Klingon life... Has anybody else raised exotic pets?" K'tarra looked from eye to eye of the others nearby.

"I haven't," Meg replied. "I really haven't raised an animal at all."

"I haven't..." Daniel replied, with a bit of hesitation before saying aloud. "My aunt, on Bajor, has trained Sinoraptors. She said they came for her and her resistance friends during the Occupation."

"That's pretty cool," Megan said, smiling at Daniel.

With a nod K'tarra said, "Perhaps we can transfer the targ program here... Then maybe you could try your hand at raising a creature." A short burst of giggles escaped.

Meghan couldn't help grinning at the thought of trying to raise a targ. She was pretty sure she'd fail badly. "Until I can raise something more docile, like a cat, I'll leave the targs to you. Although I'd love to see what you can do with one once it's raised."

K'tarra snorted through an open, toothy smile in response. "Fair enough", she said as she looked around the room. "It appears we will have a great manner of programs to explore." Her mind thought back to ideas of the dragon riding program.

"So, what brought everybody into the Academy?" K'tarra sipped a quick swig before continuing. "Why pursue a career in Starfleet?" Her voice was raspy and somewhat deep.

"Exploration. There's so much for a scientist to learn in Starfleet," Meghan said.

“I like medicine. Starfleet offers good training, and opportunities for advancement,” stated Thal.

"Understandable", K'tarra replied happily. Her eyes glanced around the room for a moment, feeling more comfortable in the lower illumination than normal. "I too wished to see the galaxy. To train. Oh... And to work on ships. Better here than in the KDF." Engineers on some Klingon vessels faced a substandard way of life compared to other warriors.

K'tarra stepped closer to Meghan and Thal. "How are you both fairing with classes? I am taking 'Intro to Thermodynamics.' It has been most challenging." She huffed, expression souring as she thought of the difficult class. It was one of the science courses required for Engineering personnel.

"I love my classes," Meghan grinned. "Then again, I love learning, so I'm not a good person to ask." In fact, she was more often found in the library studying than at parties like this.

"The sciences can be so complex", K'tarra couldn't help but think of her struggles with Thermodynamics. A science focused curriculum sounded excruciating to the Klingon. "My classes have been enjoyable as well. Mostly." Her head excitedly darted from side to side. "Finally getting to work on propulsion systems has been most satisfying. The chance to crew a starship is even more exhilarating."

Meghan chuckled. "And I have no idea where to start working on propulsion systems." She shook her head. "And that is why I'm glad there are different positions to suit all of us." She was still most comfortable with text books and field experiments, but she was eager to get some practical training on the Cavalier.

"If I should ever find myself in a quandary", K'tarra started in her raspy voice. "I shall ask for your assistance. Any problems with a system or terminal? Just let me know." A wide grin never seemed to leave the Klingon's features. "You all will likely get to experience the bridge." Feigning a look of dissatisfaction she added, "I will be lucky to see it." She knew her role was in the Cavalier's engineering section.

"True, but you'll keep the ship moving and that's important," Meghan replied.

"I'm sure, should the need ever arise, you can convert a bridge station into an Engineering terminal." Daniel said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Indeed”, K’tarra replied in truth to both officers. She looked forward to the responsibilities of the engine room. “There is just so much to gauge about the Warp Core from Engineering itself. For example… The audible hum and visible pulse of the Core.” Her expressive features widened happily. “But I must not bury myself in the engine room.”

“I will be completing Operations level repairs as well”, she said through a grin. “Surely I will service science sensors and terminals as well.”

“And hopefully keep them in working order yeah? I’m certain you will do good work, and if not, hey, it’s a training cruise. That’s the point of it. Gives us all a chance to practice our skills in a practical environment”, Thal said.

K'tarra laughed a little more loudly than she wanted to, snorting as she tried to reign herself in. "'Practice' is the key word", she said. "Hope will also be involved." She had more confidence working here than in her thermodynamics class. Being confronted with the reality of working on a starship still intimidated her.

"Is everybody ready to travel the stars?" K'tarra looked around the group, trying to picture the diverse places each person represented. "Stars and quasars. Atmospheric storms and rapidly changing climates. iridescent nebulae..."

"Yes," Meghan said. "I'm looking forward to the cruise, and now that I've met all of you, I look forward to working with you as well." She squeezed Daniel's hand to let him know that she was especially glad to have met him.

OFF

Cadet Senior Grade Thalainian Th'thane
Medical

Cadet Senior Grade Daniel Weaver
Command

Cadet Junior Grade K'tarra
Engineering

Cadet Senior Grade Meghan Stefani
Science

 

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