Goodbye, Margarar

Posted on Sat Apr 20th, 2024 @ 4:46pm by Ensign Noah Balsam
Edited on on Mon Apr 29th, 2024 @ 6:18pm

Mission: Mean Green Queen
Location: Junior Officers' Quarters
Timeline: Mission Day 3 at 1800

[Junior Officer's Quarters]
[1800 Hours]
[Day 3]

Noah breathed out. He hadn't been meaning to hold it. But the visage before him warranted it. If he hadn't seen his own growing collection of oddities on his half of the room, he would have thought he was in the wrong room. And he had, in fact, frozen in the door and issued a confused, "Uh," a moment before.

She was... gone. Or at least all of her personal accoutrements were. Noah's eyes transfixed on the Dot: it was a hovering sphere, one of dozens used by the Sojourner to enact basic maintenance and repairs in areas that were unsuitable or too small for a mortal body. And they were the unnoticed bodies that went about cleaning the ship. But to have one suddenly in her space, and her space much changed? Noah wondered if there had been some sort of a mistake.

"H-hello, Dot Sigma?" Noah smiled.

The bot-sphere's upper hemisphere rotated to face and boy and a small digitized smile appeared on its smooth satin metal surface. "Good Evening, Ensign, Balsam, N.H. How may I serve you today?" It said in a voice similar to that of the computer.

Noah splayed out a hand, fingers parted in a wave, "Oh uh. N-no, I don't need anything," His eyes swerved to a stack of cargo crates, all closed with Margarar's name on them. "What's.. uh... going on?"

Dots were not known for their conversation skills and the slow chirping lag of the Dot, with its unblinking digital emoji, stretched well into the uncomfortable pause. Dot-Sigma answered to the best of its ability. "This berth is vacated pending reassignment and will be cleaned. This process will take an estimated eight minutes, twenty-four seconds..." And even as Dot Sigma spoke, its arms and other tools had been busily scanned, sterilizing and altering the space that had once held on Antican engineer.

Noah's nose unintentionally flared: it wasn't that Margarar was odious or particularly aromatic. But Anticans had their own unique scents and hers had nestled in to her bedding and such like any other mammal's might.

It was absent. or almost completely absent. Had that been what'd frozen him? He was used to her? Something that immediately set him on the defensive, yes. But it had nonetheless become something of a marker of "home." She'd been derisive, unpleasant, judgmental and cruel at every turn, preferring to view him as prey or servant. But he was shocked at this strange turn. She hadn't even said anything. No goodbyes or anything.

"Is she moving into new quarters?" Noah asked. Dot-Sigma whirred and began a steady sterilizing scan in a very set linear pattern.

"The previous occupant has been reassigned," is all Dot-Sigma could attest in its pleasant computer-like voice, tuned for human interface and service. It sounded... chipper.

Noah frowned and went over to his small desk. His fingers flicked and an orange and amber holographic display flicked into view. His brown eyes narrowed and he studied it. His mouth moved silently. The word, "Transfer," was next to his former roommate's name. She was no longer a crew-member of the Sojourner. Not even a goodbye. Noah blinked and with a swipe of his hand he reduced the hologram.

Noah stood and blinked. "Computer, o-open a new subspace message to Lieutenant Margarar's next assignment. deliver u-upon her arrival. Message reads, "Good luck to you Lieutenant. Best wishes. Sign Noah Balsam, Ensign, starship Sojourner... smiley-face emote." The computer chirped. "Send." His brows rose even while his eyes dropped to his desk, full of clutter and- perhaps auspiciously- a strange part from the Hukatuse Tagumik's chop yards.

Who knew if she'd even read it. But Noah needed the closure. He needed to try to end something on a positive note. Noah's stomach felt hungry and hollow, like the chapter had ended ignominiously. He had never been able to prove to her that he was a good and worthwhile person. And, perhaps equally of note, she had never secured his respect. They had entrenched along the battle lines of having to work together, and nothing else.

He breathed in and out, the out more of a release of relief but uncertainty. Then Noah did a quick smell check under his arms. His nose wrinkled. He ponged a bit after a long day on the job. So with a skirting glance of modesty toward the Dot, he pulled his shirt over his head and then rummaged through his clothes. With a quick spray of deodorant, he found a comfortable flannel, he threaded his arms through and then buttoned it up to the top button. His stomach rumbled. He'd pick up something on his way to the holo-lab. Sheldon had told him about something called an, "armadillo egg" and Noah figured he'd try one or two with a sandwich.

Or pizza. Yeah, maybe some pizza. Wait. Was he in the mood for that? His cheek tensed and he squinted an eye at the surprisingly unappetizing idea.

Noah swayed some, his ears still tuned to the almost whisper-like hum of Dot Sigma continuing its work.

Or maybe just some soup. Pho or some Tom Yum Gai. Noah's hunger tried to shake that off but his stomach won. Noah took himself out of his room. The doors swished closed behind him.

He stepped back inside a few seconds later, went straight for his desk and picked up the strange piece of technology he'd eyed before. And again the doors swished closed behind him along with a muttered apology at the Dot, "Sorry, forgot something."

Dot Sigma's upper hemisphere turned back toward its work, ever-hovering as its cleansing energy beams closed the chapter on the last vestiges of Engineer and Junior Officer Margarar, the only Antican in Starfleet. A few minutes later, two stewards interrupted the Dot again, with a grav sled in tow. They, muttering to themselves about a future game of Velocity with their friends at 1900 hours, placed the trunks and cargo totes on the surface of their machines and moved Margarar's things to their next intended destination.

The Dom hummed away ceaselessly completing its task.

A Post By:

Ensign Noah Balsam
Systems Specialist

&

Dot Sigma