Going Spelunking
Posted on Mon May 20th, 2024 @ 3:48pm by Lieutenant Andromeda Nash & Lieutenant Siadra Molaur
Edited on on Mon May 20th, 2024 @ 9:36pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Sins of History
Location: Jefferies tubes - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD008 - 0830 hrs
"...... and as she was being pursued, our heroine dashed into a smallish cave opening, only to barely keep herself from going over the edge of what seemed to be a sudden drop. Her heart hammered in her chest at the close call she had. She could hear the sound of those in pursuit trying to find her tracks. Her heart stopped when she heard the baying of hounds. The only way she could even think to avoid capture was to make her way downward." Siadra paused in her writing. "Molaur, have you gone spelunking before? Have any of you done so?"
The voices of the previous hosts murmured in her mind. No none of us have, well the closest thing could be, Aardru maybe? Keema replied.
And that is only my stepping inside a cave to help recover an artifact, however I've not truly gone exploring caves and what not.
"Well then why are you writing something that you've not experienced Molaur?" Siadra asked.
Well erm, by observation and what I've read from others experience. That is the true power of the written word and the creative imagination. Molaur responded.
"I would like to experience that myself. Siadra giving a bit of a huff. "I wonder if I can find something like that, or even get the feeling of crawling in small spaces." having a musing tone to her voice. "Well that does it, I'm going to go get some actual experience." a determined lift of her chin.
Just where are we going? asked Keema.
"Well just wait and find out." Siadra exclaimed, then left her quarters. Her goal, access to the Jefferies tubes. Arriving at an access point she stepped inside, "okay now.. um...exit stage left or, upwards." Looking upwards, she began to make her way up the ladder.
Minor maintenance routines were part of every engineer's day. Sparrow differed from some Chiefs she'd known in that, along with administering the department, she often took on a portion of the workload herself. There was a sort of peace to be had in simple routines, especially when one was avoiding the whole idea of living aboard a prison ship, especially when the routines took her into the Jeffries tubes where some of the harder to reach access panels were. For reasons passing understanding, ship designers didn't generally keep the engineers' needs in mind when they came up with their beautiful new ships.
That made Sparrow unusual. Small spaces didn't bother her. Freecloud, at least the part she knew, was neither spacious nor open and she'd grown up sleeping in a pod that was barely bigger than her single bed. So, she sat with her legs tucked beneath her, bent over her PADD that held both a detailed display, and more importantly, the numbers she'd need to check the power coming into and out of the damaged sensor.
She went up two levels, as far as Siadra could tell, looking from one side to the next, "Well now, which way should I go, any idea?"
I vote go right. Keema responded.
Why not go left? Jomod suggested.
Aadru protested, isn't that when you leave a scene? You should know better than having her leave before she continues her exploration?
Jomod gave out a sigh, True, true, so right it is then.
"Are you all done making a vote? Right is the way I intend on going." Siadra mumbled, moving in that direction. "Perhaps I should have gone and seen if there was a holoprogram with cave exploration in it. Still though that wouldn't have made it to where I can actually say I have had the experience of crawling around in the jeffries tubes. Having some experience would prove to be useful at a later time." her words drifting away from her as Siadra continued down the path she had chosen. She came to a junction where she could choose either right or left. This time she chose left and continued down that direction, it was a bit of a crawl.
As she went further on, Siadra noticed there was someone in the Jeffries tube, just ahead, "Hello there." she greeted the woman that was there seated upon the floor.
Sparrow looked up in surprise. The Jeffries tubes weren't supposed to be a throughway for crew members which was why her expression turned quizzical as she regarded the newcomer. "Hello," she said in return, her rough alto rising slightly on the last syllable, as she shifted position so that she could watch her approach. "Were you looking for me?"
" Not exactly?? You are a happy meeting though." Siadra stated with a twinkle in her eyes. "I was working on a book and felt I needed some real life experience in crawling through tunnels. Granted I could do spelunking in a holo program but, this actually sort of kills two birds one stone. Just in case of emergency perhaps a person who's not an engineer needs a way to get out of a situation? And I can actually enter the feelings and experience of being in a tunnel to convey that emotion." she maneuvered herself to a seated position crosslegged. "My name is Siadra, what's yours?"
"Tunnel crawling," Sparrow repeated. Memories came flooding back as they did. All the places she'd gotten to that she probably shouldn't have. Street kid with dreams that took her beyond survival. "Like that. Officially, I'm Lieutenant Andromeda Nash, unofficially, people call me Sparrow. Where was I? Right. I like tunnel crawling but not in the Jeffries tubes. Better is on Freecloud. There's an abandoned tunnel system that it leads to some fun places. Spent a lot of time down there as a kid. I can take you sometime, if you like. More atmosphere, less tools and PADDs."
"That sounds delightful I would love to see that. As for the jefferies tubes. I've not truly gone through them until now. Also can I call you Sparrow, when it is just us and no one around? I do like that nickname, and you can call me Siadra when no one is around as well." giving a light laugh.
"Sure," Sparrow answered. "As I said, it's what everyone calls me. The problem with Jefferies tubes is that they lack atmosphere. They're too uniform. Not much to stumble over. Not dark corners." She nodded. "Yeah, the tunnels would be so much better. Let me know when you want to go and I'll escort you. Show you something of the art of going unnoticed on Freecloud."
Siadra's eyes lit up, then she remembered her own experience on Freecloud. "I think next time I go to Freecloud, I do want you to be with me. It was quite the experience being there the last time. Didn't have someone to show me the hidden gems there." giving a nod. "Was just, trying to find someone that was needing to be found and some got injured. However, the sound of the art there intrigues me greatly."
"A few collectors created spaces down there before they ... well, you know. Got greedy? Got too much attention?" A thoughtful look crossed Sparrow's face. "Easy to get hurt when you get noticed. Freecloud has … layers. If you know what you're doing, it's safe enough. Probably easier for me since I grew up there." She paused, her expression turned serious. "Don't judge the world by the actions of the ones that hurt your team. There are still good people. Just hidden, the way all sensible people should be."
"Oh I won't be, there normally are layers that a place, a world , a person has can't judge anything, anywhere, anyone by the first glance." Siadra said quietly. "However, I will be quite happy to see the world from a different perspective, through another's eyes." giving nod. Siadra shifted to where she was more comfortable, she was enjoying this discussion.
Sparrow nodded, shifting position so that she could rest her arm on her knee, "I think that was the biggest surprise I had coming to Earth, to the Academy. How open everyone was. All these vast spaces to walk around in. Clothes that were meant to stand in rather than go unnoticed." She mock-shuddered delicately. "Took weeks to adjust."
"And you seem to have made good on your adjustments. Culture shock is a tangible thing to have and I am glad you were able to overcome that." Siadra responded. "it was something of culture shock when I first became joined with Molaur. Even though the candidates are chosen there is still the adjustments to be made."
Sparrow considered that and, not having had such an experience, drew a parallel with the shock many cadets faced when they arrived at the Academy. "Reminds me of that first night at the Academy. Sleeping in close proximity to strangers. Like that? But infinitely more intense and personal?"
"Yes like that. I can actually talk to the other hosts, hear their points of view. Granted, there is a process where the voice can be silenced but I didn't want that. Once I got used to them, they have been most helpful. I am the first host that is in Star Fleet that Molaur has chosen. His other hosts have been civiilan." Siadra having a half smile. "It has been quite the experience and also a humbling one."
"It's hard to imagine," Sparrow said with a slight shake of her head. Her eyes slid to the side and back as she thought about what it would be like to share her mind with another being. "I've always been alone," she said. "Well, friends but you know, you only trust them so far. Smarter that way. Make room for their self-centered side to show now and again. I can't ... to experience that sort of intimacy ... to never be able to walk away from it. Close a door. That's ... quite an adjustment."
"It is quite an adjustment, however if you think of it in a manner of speaking. I only have the voices in my mind, and they are a mere small amount, if you think about what Betazed people as well as others who have their innate telepathic ability. I am glad I don't have to worry about putting up shields so to speak to block out the minds that they come into contact with."
"Sort of the opposite," Sparrow said. "Back at the Academy, I roomed with a Betazed. She had trouble sleeping ... a lot of trouble ... and it wasn't the noise because we were all science and engineering. There were a lot of Vulcans that semester and they can be freakishly quiet. I asked her if I was somehow making too much noise. I wasn't and as it turned out, that was the problem. She found comfort in the hum of minds and thoughts around her. She said that, if anything, I wasn't noisy enough." Sparrow grinned at the memory. "We requested a change of room, moved down among the security students. Never a quiet night after that."
What Sparrow had said, gave Siadra a pause as she considered what the woman presented to her. "You know...thinking about that, I would probably be feeling the same way as your bunk mate had stated, if I were to lose the voices I have in my mind. It is a comfort even though I complain off and on about it, having them as roommates. Thank you for that different perspective."
"Asking questions. Looking at things from different angles," Sparrow said. "At the Academy, they said it was important in a Starfleet officer." She shrugged lightly, her lips forming a slightly mischievous grin. "I let them think that but really, it's just how you survive and thrive."
"You are absolutely right" giving Sparrow an answering smile. "I feel that it always is a good idea to look at the different angles, thinking outside of the box." one more look around at where the two ladies were seated. Siadra gave a small sigh. "I probably should leave the jefferies tubes now, as much as I've been enjoying talking with you, my stomach is giving me a signal that I need to go fill it. Maybe we can talk sometime later, besides here, though it is nice and cozy."
"Your stomach and this work list," Sparrow said, laughing lightly. "Yours might be talking; mine's all but shouting. Been a pleasure. There are lots of cozy places out there to talk. See you in the next one." She tipped an imaginary hat and turned back to the work.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Siadra Molaur
Chief Forensic Science Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Andromeda Nash
Chief Engineering Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
RSS Feed