Creepy Science

Posted on Fri Jul 8th, 2022 @ 5:41am by Crewman Anouska Black & Ensign Vincent Marlow
Edited on on Fri Jul 8th, 2022 @ 5:43am

Mission: Mission 6 - Memory
Location: Cultural Anthropology Labs, Deck B
Timeline: Day 299
1445 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

There were many places that a Xeno-Anthropology degree could have taken him, Vincent Marlow never thought it take him to the far end of the galaxy in a completely unfulfilling life. They had spent the better part of a year floundering. The two times the Atlantis had visited planets where Vince's expertise could have been used, they had to ruin it with explosions and firefights. Neither of those stops involved his department. As he began flipping through images of the terraforming equipment on the algae planet, Vince thought more and more about his life and how much of a waste it was becoming. "Note to self, subject contains no form of written language to suggest religious or spiritual meaning. Form suggests practical use only." With a heavy sigh, Vincent took a sip of his coffee stared at the image for a moment, looking past it as he considered his life up until this moment.

Crewman Anouska Black wandered in looking sleepy carrying two mugs of coffee. It was part of the routine that she brought coffee as they went through whatever he wanted to that day. She was a lab assistant who did not have much to do at the moment they then data organizing and input. “Morning.” She announced as she put the mug next to where he was working before she moved to her station to start her morning tasks.

"Morning," Vincent mumbled as he looked at the coffee. He was non-confrontational by nature and would probably be stuck drinking his less than favorite coffee for as long as they were lost. It was born from a day a couple of months ago when Anouska had wanted to try a new ratio of coffee and creme. To be polite, Marlow had stated that it was good even though it was not quiet his taste to avoid hurting any feelings. He took a sip and let the familiar and unenthusiastic taste wash over his mouth. Looking slightly over the display toward his lab assistant, he stared a little longer than intended at her back as she reached to grab some equipment off the top shelf. He really liked the way her hair was shaped and how the uniform draped itself around her. Realizing that he had gotten a little lost, he cleared his throat as he sat up. "Did the translation software make out any of those inscriptions from the Babel Tower?" he asked, hoping she did not notice.

Anouska had not noticed the staring but she did notice the weird vibe in the room and looked over at him but nothing seemed to be amiss. “It is still working on them.” The woman said leaning over the chair to being up the inscriptions software. It was taking it’s sweet time but it was not a priority really as they had left the blank. “Looks like another hour or so.” She shrugged. They had left it running overnight but the computer obviously needed more time.

Sighing a bit, Vince tapped an impatient finger on the side of the console. Unable to stop the comment from leaving his lips, the scientist started a little more than a whisper, "When will we get to look at a civilization or take a look at some ruins. I mean, they let the senior officers set a funeral pyre while we've been up here wasting our talent." Realizing that he had been growing a little louder and increasingly frustrated, Marlow caught himself. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

“I thought everyone got an allocated time down on the planet?” The crewman answered surprised at the complaint from the man. She had enjoyed her time on the planet. She had swam in a huge lake and slept under the stars did the first time in forever.

"My time was taken by some emergency or another," Marlow replied, trying not to sound bitter. Had they been closer to home, it would not have been that big of an issue. However, safe harbor would be a rarity at best in their situation. He would give just about anything to get to set foot on a world to study a real civilization with real people, taste real food that was not made from their own waste. "Have you tried Galactic Defender?" Vince asked, referring to the game that had been passed around the crew since they had left Earth. It had become something of an achievement to get the ship's high score, something he had done just before the Vrav crisis.

The woman gave him a sad smile. That was unfortunate but she was sure that someone would have swapped and covered to allow him to get off the ship at some point. Everyone had the right to get off and she was sure if he had spoken up someone would have done something to make it happen. He had always been his own worst enemy. “I have not.” She admitted relieved for the change in subject to someone that made the tension in the air something less bitter. “Have you?” She asked quickly to keep the conversation going.

"I had the top score for awhile," Vince smiled. He did not have much to hang his hat on, but it did feel good to have been acknowledged as the best at some point. However even that high would fade into whatever it was they were stuck doing now. Looking back to the other scientist, he asked, "Why did you join Starfleet?"

Anouska smiled in sympathy and nodded. “Lots of people have played with it since. I am sure that you will have it back when eventually can pay again.” She assured quickly looking at the screen. “Me? Well I wanted to see the stars and it seemed the logical choice after high school with Earth Starfleet becoming bigger and better.” She mused not having thought on it for a while. It had been the next logical step.

The next logical step, Vincent echoed in his mind a bit. He had gone to some of Earth's most prestigious universities, participated in a project with the Vulcan Science Academy, and spent years to join Starfleet. It seemed to be a bit of a slap in the face that another person would fall into a position not too far from his own because they wanted to look at the stars. Not trying to be rude, he replied with "I see." Even though he had not been asked, Marlow replied, "I have always loved archeology and cultures. While at Stanford, I got to participate in a project with the Vulcan Science Academy to dig at a site that predated Surak. From then, it was my dream to discover ancient civilizations and study pre-warp societies." He stopped himself before he let his passions overwhelm him. Now they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, his research would be lost forever.

The woman nodded and returned her attention to the consul for a moment. She really have much to say but it seemed like he wanted to talk more so she spent on a stool and looked at him. “Did you find much?” She wondered.

“Not as much as a stroll down the corridor and a talk with the Chief Engineer would have told us,” Vince answered, a bit defeated. Eyeing the young scientist, he quickly worked up the courage to ask, “If you’re free sometime, would you like dinner?”

The woman turned to look at him and frowned just a little. "Um... no thank you, Sir." She said softly. "Whilst I appreciate your offer it would not be appropriate." She explained her reason for telling him no. It was the nicest way she could put it. He gave her the creeps sometimes, he was so intense and she was the only technician who would work with him anymore without an order from Reade.

"Inappropriate?" Vincent asked as if surprised by the answer. Shaking his head a bit, the man replied, "We are 150 years from home, what happens if the fraternizing rules aren't amended? All that'll be left is an ship adrift with a few Vulcans scrounging for food."

“I believe they have been amended but I do not think it would be appropriate. I appreciate you as a friend and a colleague. I do not see you like that.” She said firmly as the console beeped again reminding them that they needed to be focusing on the work.

Burying the discussion, Vince rose from his seat make his way toward the beeping console. "Let's see what the translation software can make of things," he stated, trying to ignore his face turning a bright shade of red.