Heavy Water

Posted on Mon Jul 1st, 2024 @ 12:56am by Lieutenant Darru & Ensign Mercy Mourne

Mission: Remnant
Location: Astrometric Lab
Timeline: Day 401 - 02:00
2698 words - 5.4 OF Standard Post Measure

It was quiet in the the Astrometric Lab, the computers all working towards one task, the search for Deuterium. The quiet was only occasionally broken by small beeps and blips, at least until Mercy let out a loud groan. She paused where she was going through the data she had been assigned to get up from her seat and stretch. Something in her shoulder popped in a way that made her wince. She then rubbed a hand down her tired face, before blinking owlishly at the only other occupant, who seemed to be able to work for long periods of time without showing any signs of discomfort. She quirked an eyebrow at him before she shook her head slowly as she tried and failed to suppress a teasing smile.

"You know I really envy your composure sir?"

Darru glanced up at the loud groan but said nothing returning to his work. He had worked with humans enough to know that they would tell him when they needed something or wanted to talk about something. His glance did not fail to miss the wince as she sat opposite her and wondered for a moment how he could help but changed his mind returning his gaze to manually looking through data for any hints. "My composure?" He wondered looking up as if he had not heard or seen her trouble.

Mercy let out a huff then checked the time before making a startled noise. “9 hours into going through sensor scan results looking for the ideal conditions for Deuterium, and you still look just as put together and neat as when you arrived on shift.” She glanced down at her own wrinkled uniform. She was also sure that if she had a mirror her heart would be a wild mop at this point in the day from her running her hands through it multiple times. She sighed, running a hand through long wavy hair causing her bangs to stick up awkwardly.

“I have a few possible candidates that it would be good for you to look at that meet our search criteria Sir.” She was tired and had been growing more comfortable around Darru lately, so she had to be careful not to act entirely unprofessionally. She looked back at her monitor, quickly pulling up the list she had been compiling of planets that might be the likeliest candidates for him to look at.

Darru rose from his chair and quickly came round to her side of the lab and took the PADD's with the data from her. "I have always enjoyed challenges like this and data mining is one of my favourite ways to pass the time." He admitted starting to look through it. "Vulcans also have less requirements for sleep. I do not need eight hours, I can focus with less than four." He admitted. It was logical to explain properly he had found when there was comparisons.

"Oh me too." Mercy said, giving the Vulcan a pleased smile. "Data mining, not the sleep thing. I think it is safe to say I will look a mess tomorrow after pulling an all nighter, but it kind of reminds me of working at the Academy research department. Although the professor there used to bring us tea and donuts." She gave him a little nudge with her shoulder. "So consider this added to your tab." She must be more tired than she realised to be able to let some of the formality slip, she usually would never tease the Vulcan in such a manner. "It must be useful though, to require less sleep." She tilted her head and gave him a curious look. "Is that a result of physiology or the Vulcan mental conditioning?" Then her eyes went wide. "Oh sorry, that's probably quite a personal question, you don't have to answer, and sorry if I have made you uncomfortable!"

"You can go to sleep at any time Ensign I am not holding you here." He pointed out hoping that if she had assumed that before that she now did not believe that she was there under pressure. The man knew the situation was desperate but that did not change the rest hours that they were needed or anything. Humans needed sleep and he knew that operated at their best. The man was surprised at the nudge but nodded, he would remember to do something nice for her and the department when he got a change. "I believe it is physiology. I only needed extra sleep after returning from the base last month and after Smith whilst being on board." Both had been taxing for him and others so he was no different from other people in needing more rest.

"I know, you are too nice to force a kidnapping." She let out an amused huff. "But I can sleep once we have narrowed down the search a little more. Besides I would probably just be tossing and turning worrying about all this anyway, so might as well be useful. And I'm not leaving you to do all the work alone. Where's the fun in that? Unless you would rather be alone, I can always take some data to my quarters and work on it there if you wanted a little peace?" She suddenly realised her presence might be a bit of a distraction to the focused scientist. Just because she was enjoying his company didn't mean he appreciated hers.

The Vulcan looked her up and down taking in what she was saying before nodding. “One more hour. Then we both leave and rest.” He said quickly. That would take them to past zero three hundred but he felt that would at the very least allowed them a little more time to narrow down what they needed to, to give them a boost and head start in the morning.

Mercy shifted from one foot to the other under his scrutiny. “One more hour seems reasonable, although that will cost you extra.” She gave him a teasing grin, circling back to their earlier conversation. In truth, if Darru found a way to make donuts all the way out here without any of the ingredients, she would gladly work until she passed out. But instead, she would settle for gentle teasing and the comfort of working through their task together.

“Perhaps one of us should start to order our likely candidates into some sort of order based on location. It might help navigation figure out a fuel efficient path to get us closer for further scans if they are already in some sort of logical order?”

The man shook his head. “That can wait until the morning with clearer heads and other people's support.” He assured glancing as the growing list. They needed to have some type of luck like they did with the algae planet. But he knew better than anyone that, that would not be possible as that had been far too lucky of late.

Mercy yawned and then nodded. "Okay, you're probably right here, that would involve a level of maths I am not sure I could accomplish right now. How about I keep going through looking for more options? I suppose the more places we have to look, the better our chances will be."

Darru nodded. That worked for him to say the least. "One hour." He said leaning across to grab more PADDs to start organising the mess that they had made in the science lab over the last couple of hours of working away.

Mercy hummed to herself and then got back to work. Before she started going through data again she cracked her knuckles, there was a weak pop that made her wince slightly. Maybe she was getting old, her finger joints didn’t used to make that sound. She would be happy to diligently work through in companionable silence, but after ten minutes or so she glanced up at Darru. “You know, I don’t think I ever asked you if you had any particular areas of special interest in regards to research?” She blinked at him before going back to the data, able to scroll through and multi-task as she talked. “When you are not looking for sources of heavy water, what’s your favourite data to mine the depths of?” It was a particularly nerdy question, one which would only really ever be asked in the labs of the ship.

Darru raised an eyebrow and sat down on the chair, leaning back comfortably. "Well my speciality is genetics," he admitted, a hint of pride glinting in his eyes. "So, that is my favourite data to mine for, I guess." He looked at her, noting her curious expression. They had never really delved into this topic before. Their conversations usually revolved around work-related matters or the mundane details of daily life. This was the first time he found himself discussing his passion for genetics with her, and it felt surprisingly refreshing.

“Genetics really?” Mercy seemed a little surprised and pleased to learn such a fact. “That’s… well not exactly surprising, I guess I always pegged you as a chemistry guy, so bio-chem is not so far off. What do you like about it?” She was still working as she spoke but as she finished speaking she looked up to him and gave him a small smile.

"Yes. I guess I like the fact that genetics are unique and each species we meet is different and then each person inside of those species are unique. It is fascinating." The man watched her click her fingers again and looked at her sideways."What is wrong with your hands?"

“I see, you’re right that is fascinating. I would ask you what you think of my genetics and how it makes me unique but I’m almost scared of what you might say.” She then looks down at her hands, surprised he would ask. “Huh? Oh you mean the cracking sound? Nothing really, just my joints popping. Gets like that sometimes, especially if I have used my hands a lot.” She did a quick flick of her fingers to demonstrate the repetitive gesture that she had to make over and over to scroll through the data. “Think it’s something to do with fluids and gases around the joint stretching and releasing? It happens with humans, especially as they get a little older.”

"You are 30 years old." He pointed out. Humans were not old at that age he knew that. It was hard to fathom that humans lived so much less than Vulcunoids but 30 was not an old age for humans it was just over a quarter of their standard life length. "That is not old."


Mercy chuckled. “Sure, but I’m not 20. Sometimes my joints pop now. The other day I found my first grey hair too! And if I were to indulge in some of engineering’s not so secret moonshine I am certain I would not bounce back the next day like I once did. Oh to have the metabolism of a young cadet shin. Do Vulcans drink recreationally at all?” She eyed him with a sense of mischief. “Have you got any amusing tails of a misspent youth?”

“I am neither 20 or 30 but I do not have grey hair I am afraid.” he could not offer anything to that part of the conversation but the mention of moonshine brought him back. “I have drunk recreationally. That is not unusual but we do not have mis spend youths. I was at the science academy from a young age before I volunteered for the exchange program.” He did not need to explain he had joined thanks to wanting to forget about his deceased wife and everything that had been lost.

“Ah of course. Shame I will not be able to wheedle any amusing stories from you, but I suppose it would ruin my perfect image of you so perhaps it is for the best.” Mercy then slipped back into her work for a little bit, quietly trying to decide when her fear and wariness of Darru as a Commanding Officer had morphed into respect and admiration. She suspected it hd happened slowly, over time. He was even tempered, never raising his voice or using his position to intimidate anyone. And he listened, to everyone’s ideas. He gave them weight and respect, so it was only natural she developed that in return. “Well for what it is worth sir, however you arrived at the unusual decision to join us, I am extremely glad you are here.”

Darru looked up from his deep thoughts at her words and nearly found a flicker of emotion crossing his expression before he gulped. No one had ever been thankful for him being there. For a moment he was confused in how to answer her but nodded. "I came here through loss but despite the circumstances I am glad I am here too." He answered finally.

“I am very sorry for your loss, I wish you had come under easier circumstances,” Mercy said, it was politeness to a certain extent but underneath that was genuine concern and affection. She was sad that it was a loss that brought him here, she hadn’t really even considered that his arrival might have been the result of such a thing although it didn’t change her appreciation. She felt a twinge of guilt that his presence had clearly come at a cost. Slipping back into an easy silence she continued to work a bit longer, caught between wanting the hour to be done and wanting to be able to continue working. At least data was a simple thing.

Darru stayed quiet for a long time before he decided enough was enough. "I believe our hour is up Ensign." He declared finishing up tidying the lab enough that it would be functional for night watch when they came back from meal time and checking on hydroponics.

Mercy looked up at him in surprise and then glanced down at the clock on her computer. "Ah, so it is. That last hour went by quite fast." She quickly logged the data and then closed her station down, before standing and stretching with a groan. "Definitely bed time." She stepped up to the Lieutenant and smiled, holding out her hand. "Thank you for your hard work sir, you are good company on a late shift."

Darru looked at the woman holding out her hand and held out his opposite confused. "I try to be Ensign." It was a sharp short learning curve for him at the moment with no one else Vulcan to bounce anything off and now that Sloan was gone there was no one even vulcanoid but he had not been thrown out an air lock yet so he much be doing something okay.

Mercy bit back a chuckle at the Lieutenant's slightly confused look. She didn't want him to think she was laughing at him, she truly appreciated how much he must have to compromise being among humans. Because of this she wanted to try and meet him half way and learn more about his culture. She took his hand and shook it in the standard human way, her grip soft and firm, then she moved into a gesture she had seen two Vulcans exchange as they bid each other farewell in the Earth Spacedock once. Her index and forefinger gently stroking over the back of his hand in a way that (she thought) was similar to a handshake. "You succeed sir, and I appreciate the effort. I think our quarters are on different decks so I won't offer to walk with you, but sleep well. I will see you in the morning." Then she pulled back her hand.

Darru had been so stunned by the touch on his hand that he said nothing as she disappeared out of the lab leaving him alone with his thoughts. Had she known what the gesture had been? Has she realised that it was a much more intimate that a simple touch but it brought up memories of a night that he would rather forget.