Are You Going?

Posted on Fri Oct 7th, 2022 @ 1:52am by Lieutenant Margarar & Ensign Noah Balsam

Mission: A Camping We Will Go
Location: Junior Officers' Quarters
Timeline: Mission Day 2 at 1445

[Junior Officers' Quarters]
[Deck 4]

The problem with sharing space with another- when there was mutual dislike- was what to say when there was no buffer between. Noah felt that at the moment. His hands had been a flurry of packing his small bag. Irynya had convinced him to go planetside against his better judgment. His idea of shore-leave wasn't bugs, dirt, and unpredictable weather. Earth-like worlds were lovely but... they didn't relax Noah. He was not from such an environment. And he always felt like conveying that to people who had been born on such worlds was like trying to explain why indoor cats don't do well on farms.

Noah glanced warily back behind him. His hands, from muscle memory, folded from socks and underwear around a PADD. He nestled it into his case. "So..." he attempted. "Are you going down to the planet?" He asked, keeping his tone as even and disciplined as he could.

The Antican sniffed the air as she woke in her bed. The stale recycled air of the starship was nothing compared to the fresh air on a world. Those on Starships never fully appreciated it; however, Margarar did. There was nothing greater than being able to romp around the great outdoors.... Fishing, swimming, running free.... Even Noah could not abate Margarar's excitement.

She sprung from her bed and landed just shy of Noah in nothing more than her skivvies. "Yes," she replied, craning her head outwards and even more closely to the cadet, a fierce and mischievous grin. In a gleeful and mocking tone, Margarar continued, "I don't suppose you will be going. You would not dare to get your hands dirty, would you?"

Noah felt betrayed by his body when the Antican's antics sent a surprised ripple down his spine. He hated her proximity. He hated her smell. He hated the sound of her voice. And Noah Balsam hated very few things in life. His hands, which had clenched and frozen when she'd landed, resumed their work. He set his mouth into a tested line but refrained from fully rolling his eyes. He pondered if that level of restraint might cause his eyelids to flip the rest of his body.

He didn't like it took him a few beats longer to answer her snark back. "I-I'm sure you're eager to get down there and mark your territory." He set aside a rejected shirt. "Plenty of trees to pee on, ac-cording to the scouting." Noah shifted and selected several tools in his open engineering case. "I'm going down. Lieutenant Timmoz is giving me my shuttlecraft certification exam. And Irynya wants a tent buddy."

"You are rather base, cadet," Margarar replied with a low, warning, guttural growl. She turned her back on Noah and dressed herself hastily. "But, yes, I'm rather eager to get down there. It will be good to stretch my legs and smell some fresh air." For added emphasis, she sniffed in Noah's direction and then turned away disgusted. "Just make sure not to kill anyone on your exam and don't crash the shuttle into the water. You'll scare the fish."

Noah sharply sniffed back at her. "Yeah. I-I agree." Noah began to close the case he'd bring and put it around his torso. "If you're afraid I'll crash in the lake, then wear your life jacket." He turned around. "Since I'm flying you down with the scientist's equipment. Unless you-you're scared and want to take the transporter."

"A life jacket won't do much when you factor gravity. The force alone should kill us, which would be small comfort." She then snorted at Noah, "And you're taking us down. It would be well worth being there to see if you fail. Besides, I'm an old woman. Dying at this moment would not be such a tragedy."

Noah adjusted the strap on his shoulder. He hated the idea of anyone dying, even if they hated him. And he hated them. Life was precious. He learned that. "Try nearly dying and see if you still believe that," Noah said. He moved for the door. It whispered open. "LIfe is p-precious."

"Life is a circle," Margarar replied simply. "Didn't your species have something made by felines claiming to be royalty, of all things? Well, they got that part right."

If they had it hadn't fallen into Noah's studies yet. "I guess. See you aboard." The stick bug cadet left the Lieutenant to pack, doors closing behind him.

The Antican scoffed as Noah left. However, the moment that he was gone, Margarar grinned widely. She was going to be outside and on a planet. Nothing could be finer.

A Post By:

Lieutenant Margarar
Assistant Chief Engineer

Cadet Noah Balsam
Systems Specialist