Distracted Conversations

Posted on Sat Mar 27th, 2010 @ 6:41am by Lieutenant Samuel Bishop & Vice Admiral Iluvar

Mission: Episode 1.2 - "A House Divided"
Location: Orient Express Lounge, USS Pandora
Timeline: MD14, 2032

ON: [[Orient Express Lounge, USS Pandora, MD14, 2032]]

Engineer's Mate Rodney McCabe (NPC) strolled into the lounge humming a bawdy spacer's tune. He was determined to enjoy the end of his shift, and signaled to the female server with a wink and a smile for an ale. Surveying the room, the young man spotted Ensign Bymir (NPC) sitting alone near one of the large viewports. The man seemed to be lost in thought, and McCabe figured this was as good a time as any to get to know the Assistant Chief.

"Evening sir," Rodney said pleasantly. "Mind if I join you?"

At the sound of the man's voice, Svon turned his head suddenly. Lost in thought, he hadn't even heard McCabe approach. When he saw who it was, he relaxed a little and returned the smile. "Sure," he said, glancing back out through the viewport before turning so that he was facing the table.

Rodney sat, and accepted his ale from the server who gave him a rather specific look... one the young Engineer noted for future reference. "Penny for your thoughts?" he said after a moment's silence. "If you don't mind my saying so sir, you look as if you're a a thousand light years away."

"Feels like it sometimes," Svon mumbled to himself as he lifted his own glass and took a swig of the green liquid. Wincing slightly at the sour taste, he lowered it back down to the table. He swallowed and looked down at the green beverage, wondering why he had even ordered it in the first place when he had no idea what it was.

Knowing that McCabe was still waiting for an answer, Svon turned the glass slightly and looked up again. "Just thinking about the mission," he replied with a half smile, "I know we've been busy in engineering, but we haven't had much going on as far as our assignment is concerned. A two week trip at warp isn't all that interesting..."

The Engineer nodded. "True that, though if the scuttlebutt around the ship is right, things are about to get a lot more interesting around here. Inspecting the Romulan border forces? Jeez, that's like inspecting a shark to make sure his teeth are sharp enough," McCabe said, shaking his head.

Svon's attention had drifted back to the glass that he was continuously rotating in his hands. For some reason, the contents of the glass continued to mystify him. "You don't trust Romulans," Svon asked, glancing up briefly from his glass. It seemed like a rather innocuous question to any casual listener. After all, weren't relations between the Federation and the Romulans supposed to have been improving?

For a long moment, McCabe said nothing. When he finally spoke, it was with a thoughtful tone. "I grew up on the streets, living by my wits. The people I met seemed to always have their own agendas in mind. Until I met Bish... uh, the Chief, I didn't trust anyone. Still don't really." He shrugged. "I guess some habits are hard to break." Suddenly he looked up. "No offense intended sir," he said with a small smile.

"None taken," Svon replied, tilting his head slightly. He set the glass down again and folded his hands so that he might not be tempted to pick it up again. "So you know the chief pretty well," he asked McCabe casually. Not knowing much about the chief, Svon was interested in an opportunity to speak with someone who had actually served with the man prior to the Pandora.

McCabe chuckled. "I do indeed. Bish saved my life. He got me off the streets and was the first person who actually cared about me. He sponsored me through the Starfleet enlistment camp, and then took me on as his assistant when I graduated. He's my best friend," the young man said meaningfully.

Svon nodded. He could sort of understand what McCabe was describing, although he'd never experienced the "street life" for himself. Stories like McCabe's were rare, but they did happen. At the Academy, Svon had known a few cadets who had gotten in on the sponsorship of a Starfleet Officer. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought that he remembered them graduating pretty well off by the end. It almost seemed as if people with that kind of background had even more drive to succeed than those who had Starfleet "in the blood".

Looking down at the half empty glass, Svon pondered taking another sip. It was strange that he would continue to drink something that he couldn't identify, especially when the taste did not agree with him. Yet, there was something enticing about the beverage that made Svon want to finish it regardless. Instead of reaching for the glass, Svon asked, "Do you think the chief likes it here? On the Pandora I mean. He can seem pretty...gruff...sometimes."

The young Engineer had been drinking and almost spit out his drink from laughter at Svon's words. He caught himself and chuckled. "He can be that way, but it's just his way," McCabe said. "He's not the greatest at expressing his feelings. He pushes his people hard, but there's no man I'd rather have at my back." He pondered for a moment. "Bishop never really took to being an officer," he said thoughtfully. "As for being happy here, I think Bishop loves the Pandora, but between you, me and the bulkhead... he's... not the happy type. He... lost someone real important to him a long time ago and he's never really gotten over it." The young man found himself surprised at his own words. Normally he would never have spoken about her with a stranger, and here he was, baring all. He shook his head ruefully.

Surprised, Svon didn't say anything in reply. He reached out absentmindedly and lifted his glass from the table to take another swig. Again, he winced as the sour liquid filled his mouth and trickled down his throat. Svon shook his head and set the glass down a little further away. Maybe he'd be less tempted to finish it if he kept his distance.

Rodney had watched Bymir drinking and obviously not enjoying the odd green liquid and finally gave in to his curiosity. "So, what's in the glass? It looks like lift door lubricant, smells like," he winced slightly, "the same thing, and, judging by the look on your face, it doesn't taste much better."

"To be honest, I'm not really sure," Svon replied, glancing toward the beverage again, "It's...green." He gave McCabe a helpless look that said he didn't really know how else to describe it.

"Well that's a start," McCabe said with a laugh. "I'm glad you're the one bein' the guinea pig."

Svon gave a half smile, but he wasn't really all that thrilled about the idea of being a guinea pig. He stuck up his hand to get the attention of the female server, who had just delivered a few drinks to a nearby table. When she nodded to acknowledge him, he lowered it and sighed. This time, he was going to stick with something he knew.

OFF

A JP by

Crewman Rodney McCabe (NPC)
Engineer's Mate
USS Pandora
Played by: Lt Bishop

and

Ensign Svon Bymir (NPC)
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Pandora
Played by: RAdm Iluvar