Cooling the jets

Posted on Thu Oct 26th, 2023 @ 10:48am by Cadet Sophomore Grade Aenardha Sh'vastarth & Cadet Sophomore Grade Dane Pines

2,395 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: 1 - Cruising through the galaxy
Location: Deck 3, USS Stardancer
Timeline: MD 00 - 1300 Hrs

Dane had been rushing around for hours at this point. Certain Cadets that had work to do pre-habitation or with security clearance stepped in before the majority loaded up in San Francisco's port. While just a sophomore, he was one of them for both reasons. Checking cadet bunk arrangements and making suggestions to changes in the bunking arrangements for better synergy and co-habitation.

All the while using his new (gently used) work PADD to track certain cadets that needed special touches. So far he'd gone through three of them, and one of the more difficult ones was next. Without a clue as to how their brand of telepathy would latch onto his self-created nervous system, it was always a crapshoot. Betazoids had zero access, as did quite a few other species. Others had less issues. Dane wouldn't pretend to understand.

But giving a shining handsome smile to other cadets as he passed, he arrived at the bunkroom doors Aenardha Sh'vastarth was assigned to. Pressing the request of access button to alert the occupants and taking a long slow breath. Feeling his insides liquify and relax, shift and flow under his shell of skin. Body temperature plummeting to an Aenar comfortable -5 degrees.

Aenardha was in her quarters arranging the area the best she could with her severely limited vision. A dim blurry blob almost intermingling with the rest proved to be the bed as she stepped closer. It became a larger blurry blob upon which she laid out her uniforms and other clothes. It was then that the chime sounded. Aenardha reached out, not to read any minds, but to at least sense who was calling at her door. Strangely enough, the result was absolutely no one. Based on her telepathic senses, there was not anyone outside her door. But she had come across a few here and there whom she could not read at all. With that, "do come in," she said.

Of course, and per Starfleet regulations, that was not the air temperature Dane was met with as the door opened. It was still cold but no where nearly as cold as originally imagined. Her room was at the lowest temperature Starfleet regulations allowed.

Aenardha turned to face the caller. There came no vision for her to tap into, near sense of hearing, not even a hint of a consciousness. It was as though no one was there, but a pair of feet brought someone in any.

Hearing the call beckoning him in, the Cadet Morale Officer quickly tapped to let the doors hiss open. Those very feet carrying him inside as he announced himself, not feeling any prodding at himself so...maybe she couldn't link into him after all. It was a shame.

But as he stepped in, anyone inside could no doubt feel the room getting a bit chillier as the blur's endothermic body sucked the heat out of the air.

"Afternoon, Sophomore Cadet Sh'Vastarth! I'm Sophomore Cadet Pines, you can call me Dane. I'm the morale officer for our deployment of cadets!" he started. His tone was bright and cheerful, his voice a good low baritone of a larger human male.

"Cadet Sh'vastarth, or Aenardha will do," she said in a voice that sounded as though neither sounded appealing to her."

"Sorry for the inconvenience, I'm kind of incompatible with Aenar visual connection telepathy. Do you shake hands?"

"I do," Aenardha started. She first stood her ground shyly then took a step forward. More as she had guessed at the man's location and proximity in addition to the large blob before her. "No inconvenience at all. It is rather refreshing, at times, to meet someone I am telepathically locked against."

Though the voice and potential blur of uniform black didn't have connection, there were passing cadets through the open door behind him. Though in the clearer visual word, Dane hadn't offered a hand just yet, waiting for her to take the first move.

As Aenardha felt she was close enough, she extended her hand. "You will typically find me in Operations. What can I do for you?"

Dane cheerily met her half way, gripping her hand to give a firm respectful handshake. Skin freezing cold to the touch, though he doesn't overstay his welcome in her touch.

"I'm glad to hear it's not off-putting, Aenardha! But yes, to morale business. I saw you on the manifest and pulled some strings," he offered. The sound of his PADD beeping as he checked details. "I got you off-duty access to the engineering deck's coolant systems observation area. It's a below zero environment."

Gently, the Morale officer pressed a laminated access card against her hand. Prompting her to take it.

"Would you like to come with me to give it a once over, or would you just like directions?"

"Thank you," she said. "I would like to see it." She felt and fingered the laminated access card a moment, commiting to more its size and feel. "This is not going to violate any regulation or command directive is it?"

Rather quickly, the strange cadet shakes his head and chuckles. "No no, I put in for clearance. It's specifically for you. Ever since the Enterprise-D, they're happy to put extra ears on the coolant."

"Very well," she smiled, "do lead the way. May I," Aenardha added quickly, "hold on to your arm?"

At the offer of holding his arm, the morale office was quick to slide up to her side. Gently putting his arm under hers and letting her feel the chill coming off of his body. Like he was made of ice. But his skin was soft, and he gave the feeling of human enough muscle and skin.

Tall, as well, for their species average.

"Of course! I can't provide you with sight, but I can at least do this much."

With that, he was careful to lead her out and through the ship. Taking his time, if she wished to chat.

"Thank you," Aenardha stepped along with him. "You are quite cold to the touch...well...as others would say." With that on top of her inability to read anything from him, "I have to know, what species are you?"

Ah, the question he'd been dreading. Dane very specifically not allowed to lie if people asked earnestly like this.

"Well...- You read your intake papers, right? There was an unskippable memo that this voyage would have a Federation aligned Changeling? Well, he's your morale officer. Hi."

Aenardha could sense a sudden explosion of tense feelings about the corridor from the few who passed by or they were passing. Eyes went from the pair of them, or just her...certain parts of her, to just the Changeling. Through public vision, Aenardha was seeing him from almost all sides.

"I have heard about a Changeling in Starfleet," she said rather excitedly. "I never expected to be working with one. It gladdens me to know we can still work through differences." She connected eyes with a few that happened by and stared down their silent objections. "And, though a surprise, it is refreshing to encounter someone I cannot read. And, no," she continued, "I have not actually gone through the intake papers. My assignment to the Stardancer was sudden and last minute. I barely had time to pack my gear."

Looking through other's eyes, she was easily able to see the form of the man she was locked arm in arm with. When it came to humans, it was a specimen and a half. Taller than average, wide shoulders, a kind almost laughably handsome face with lightly tanned skin and prominent brows. Overly sturdy body.

Once they passed by those who'd heard the changeling talk, eyes returning to looking at the pair in all kinds of ways, for certain. Boy did this changeling have a prominent chest, you could play his pectorals like drums.

"Hah! Well, don't let the Captain hear you say that. You should have it read out to you when you have the chance. She is...cranky, but a great woman. As for what you heard, that was likely the OTHER one. Starfleet security out by the front lines. I'm the one they keep quiet about, apparently I'm trouble," he joked. Offering a big shining smile, despite being under the impression she couldn't see him.

"I'm sure you will be no trouble," she said immediately. "And I have my specialized PADD with me...in my room. It produces scrollable braille so I can read. I will get to that memo later today."

Dane gives a gentle nod, more out of habit, and a pat of her hand for her own way to hear he understands.

Helping her into a lift and pressing the controls for an engineering deck.

"But if you barely had time, you should double check if you're missing anything! You can write out a list and see it to the quartermaster for you. Lots of cadets are anxious about voicing ANY concerns, this early in."

"Oh I'm not missing anything. And I do have a...well...two requests. I will pass them to my supervising officer first. Chain of command and all." She could feel the turbolift move. "I've never been to engineering before."

"Sounds like a plan. I offer because Morale Officers get a bit of flexibility! Kinda like a Yeoman for the whole crew. But it's good your following protocol! The Captain would be proud you're starting so early. As for Engineering, me either! I'm kinda excited."

Chuckling, he braces a bit as the lift slows and then stops. Letting them out into the hall, where he takes the lead again. Directions are pretty simple. Right out of the lift. Then down. Dane counts the intersections out loud to himself. Two, before a left turn, and a small staircase down into a sublevel. Pausing at the bottom.

Aenardha followed as he guided; held onto his arm the whole way. She committed the direction to memory.

"I have a head for electronics, maybe, but not...well, anything else. The engines are incredible. But the doors right here. You still got that keycard?"

With a smile she eagerly held up the card he gave her earlier. "Right here. A key card is a little quaint I think," but when it came to something as old as an Excelsior Class ship she supposed it was needed. "How much further would you say?"

Letting them get the card out, he stepped forward and started to carefully lead them forward again.

"Literally just a door down. The stairs end, it's a four way stop, and then...first door on our left."

Following the directions he gave, he stopped at their door and tapped his nail on the wall. Letting her hear the control pad was on the right side, and leaving it up to Aenar to open the doors.

"It's a little out of the way, but the controls say it's -20c inside. Is that cold enough?"

"That is about where I like it," she said. A smile almost took over her face as she looked at him, more or less in the eye. She held the key card out where he indicated and the door opened. She stepped inside and realized the sound of her footfalls was bouncing back sooner than expected. Another door was present. "I take it both of these cannot be opened at the same time as we need to keep the cold climate contained." She turned back to Dane. "Would you like to join me? I would not want to keep you from your duties."

Aenardha could feel the relief in his frame when she said that it was enough, Dane more than happy that his work had bared fruit for the pair.

Still, the key card tapped the glass and a little trill sounded out, before the airlock opened. Already the temperature was lower, for certain, but she was right that there was a whole other and colder area just ahead. At the offer, though, the Morale Officer stepped in. Still beaming that big smile.

"You're right on the money! And of course, I'd love to see it, too! My other tasks are in the works, and don't need me this second."

After a moment, an automated system closed the doors and trapped them in the airlock. Just a small hiss of environmental controls equalizing temperature and pressure, the temps dropped FAST. Until the door opened to reveal a rather small office. It was a pair of chairs and a small table, and a wall of monitors. Just a small slit for the window into a much larger room below.

Coats of different sizes lining the wall, and a small replicator there. Like a small private listening post at -20. Dane leading the Aenar to the seats and letting her feel out the situation there.

Aenardha smiled a big open mouthed smile and took in the air of the place. She could not see it, so, "it feels like a summer evening back home. And..." she listened. As they were close to the warp core, the hum and rumble of it was particularly noisy. "And, it sounds almost like the rolling thunder we would hear at times. You know, when warm air from high in the atmosphere meets with the colder surface air. It creates static and..." well, he knew how lightning and thunder was made. "Looks like I have a place to come to and unwind."

Twenty below zero as a summer evening? Dane had really underestimated the temperatures of her planet, it seemed. But he was more than happy to hear it seemed to be a great place for her to come to clear her head and cool off a bit. Helping her to sit down and taking the other chair across from her.

"You don't have to stop, you know. I like listening to people, even if it's stuff I might already know. Which I might not, y'know! Never underestimate what I don't know," he joked. Offering a big grin back to her as he sounded as though he settled in.

"But I'm glad you like it. It's free to use for you, and I'm sure you can bring people down any time you're all off-duty. It's important we all get in little pleasures where we can, as responsible Starfleet crew."

 

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