Distraction

Posted on Mon Apr 29th, 2024 @ 9:11pm by Lieutenant Irynya

Mission: Mean Green Queen
Location: Main Shuttle Bay Control Room
Timeline: Mission Day 3 at 1500

[Day 3 - 1500]
[Deck 4, Main Shuttlebay Control Room]

“Shuttle diagnostics for the month are complete,” Irynya reported, ticking down a list on the PADD she held tucked against her forearm. “The anomaly in The Odyssey’s replicator was the only anomaly and was reported to Lieutenant Timmoz for any further evaluations. In the meantime Ensign Balsam has made the necessary repairs to the replicator and everything is back to full functionality.”

She looked up, surveying the 4 crewmen arrayed about the small control room. Most were sitting, but Crewman Tolbert had, as usual, chosen to stand. It was common to find the Crewman leaning against the wall in meetings, but today Irynya felt that she was leaning in a way that looked both casual and deliberate. The corners of the Risian’s lips quirked briefly downward and she pulled her eyes back to the PADD before she could mentally remark on anything else about the Crewman’s stature.

“Anything else we should all be thinking about?” she asked the assembled team members, meeting each crewman’s eyes in turn. Tolbert’s green eyes met hers last and the eye contact sent a wave of not entirely unpleasant dissonance through her. She mentally scolded herself for being so easily distracted and once again her lips twitched into an ever so brief frown.

Murmurs of “No ma’am,” and “Everything optimal” could be heard and, judging there wasn’t anything else worthy of keeping them all there, Irynya dismissed the group to whatever duties still remained for their shifts.

Using her toes she swiveled her seat toward the window overlooking the clean open gray lines of the main shuttlebay, its usual shuttle complement increased to accommodate the transport shuttle that had brought them new crewmembers a few days prior. An exhalation of relief followed the whooshing shut of the door that signaled her team's departure. Within the Sojourner this was one of the largest spaces and though she loved her seat on the Bridge best, the control room looking out over the two shuttles usually made her smile.

Usually.

A few quick flicks of her fingers sent the report from their meeting to Timmoz or whomever else was reading the tick list of things she had just confirmed.

They aren’t she thought idly. Not that she minded. These things were important if sometimes tedious and this particular week Timmoz had set her a full diagnostics list to manage while they created space between themselves and Hukatuse.

The clearing of a throat behind her brought her back to the moment and to the crewman who had clearly not left with the other three.

“Was there something you needed, Crewman?” she asked without turning around.

Tolbert dropped into the seat next to her, turning those brilliant green eyes on the pilot again as Irynya shifted to make her general posture more welcoming.

Crewman Tolbert, an auburn haired woman from one of the Earth colonies. was tall compared to Irynya’s short stature, with long legs that didn’t ever quite seem to fit the height of the chair she was sitting in. Iry idly wondered if that’s why the woman preferred to stand during their meetings. Now, though, knees popped up slightly high so that her elbows could rest comfortably on them, she leaned forward , mouth opening slightly as if she was hesitant to speak.

“May I speak freely?” the woman finally asked.

Concern flitted through Iry’s mind though she managed to somehow keep it off of her face. “Of course,” she said, cocking her head slightly.

“Have I done something wrong?” Tolbert asked. Her voice held a tight worried edge and Irynya noted, without really thinking about it directly, that her voice was low and warm and made her uncomfortably aware of their proximity.

The question, though, surprised her and her attention pulled free of the woman’s tone of voice to focus on the question she had posed. Tolbert was, by her judgment, always on time and effective in her duties. She rarely complained and got on well with the rest of the beta shift team. She wracked her brain quickly for any reason that the question might have come up. Had there been an incident report she missed? Or a quarrel between crewmen she should have noticed and didn’t?

“Not that I’m aware of,” she responded, letting the surprise she felt creep in a bit. “Why do you ask?”

The other woman’s expression turned pensive, cheeks flushing slightly in consternation. “Everytime you looked at me in the meeting this afternoon, ma’am, you frowned. I had the impression that I had done something wrong.”

Shit.

Iry’s eyebrows shot up and an apologetic and embarrassed smile settled across her face. “Oh,” she said, understanding lighting her eyes while her brain scrambled for a good explanation.

She’d thought she’d been hiding her distraction well. A mortifying inward monologue picked up as she ticked through possible replies. It’s been way too long since I’ve spent a minute addressing… things… and the way you were standing was making it difficult to focus. was not an acceptable reply. Even if it was true. It wasn’t Tolbert’s fault Irynya’s mind was bouncing to more personal and, apparently, pressing pressures.

“No,” she added on quickly after her exclamation of understanding. “Nothing at all. Just a little distracted today.” She pulled a warm smile onto her face from somewhere deep within her Risian upbringing in hopes it would put Tolbert off her guard.

It seemed to work and Tolbert, straightening in her seat, smiled back. “Ok,” she said, pausing a beat before adding, “Good. I just wanted to make sure.”

Irynya nodded. “Absolutely. My door is always open for any concerns.”

Mollified by the conversation, Tolbert stood, smoothing her hands down the front of her thighs as if brushing off some unseen dirt. “Wonderful,” she said. “I’ll get back to my work then.” And, not waiting for more, made for the door.

With the whoosh of the door closing again, shoulders fell and spine curved. Irynya’s elbows found her knees and she dropped her head into her palms before finally verbalizing the curse she’d been thinking.

“Shit.”

You chose this, she reminded herself. A posting on a small ship with a tight knit crew who were not Risian and who didn’t simply engage in physical closeness and expression in the way she did at home. On some level she’d known that what was normal on Risa would be far from it here. And she wasn’t hard up for comforting closeness. Noah was kind enough to oblige her with snuggling on a fairly regular basis.

But not all of her desires for connection… or physical impulses… were addressed by simple snuggling and though she’d become a frequent flier to Timmoz’s Orion pleasure house holo-program it lacked one thing she craved. No matter how lifelike the attendants were, they were only simulacra. And so her visits had slackened in the last few weeks. She missed… not Kennedy exactly, but the intimacy of being looked at that way by another living breathing person.

“And now you can’t keep your eyes to yourself and your emotions off your face,” she mumbled, her annoyance at her misstep with Tolbert clear.

It really wasn’t Tolbert’s fault. She wasn’t even particularly attracted to Tolbert personally. She’d just let things go too long.

And you’re on duty… she chided herself internally, where your physical impulses will need to wait for a few more hours…

“Computer…” With an effort Iry pulled herself out of the spiral of frustration and back to her current tasks. “...pull up the manifest for the Juno shuttlecraft along with its departure time sheet.”

A soft chime confirmed the computer’s completion of the task with lines of detailed flight plaths, supplies, and crew filling up the space in front of her. The manifest had been one of the items confirmed during her meeting with the on-duty crewmen, but she hadn’t read it yet herself.
Skimming, she flicked a finger at the list until it brought the crew complement to the top of the screen.

There were a small handful of Sojourner crew members departing.

Lieutenant Commander Karim
Lieutenant Junior Grade Sava

Irynya’s eyes widened and her heart gave a quick squeeze before an idiotic grin spread across her features.

“Computer, locate Ensign Balsam…” she said before adding, “No, cancel that…”

This news, she thought, would be best delivered in person when she saw him later that evening. Maybe she’d replicate champagne.

The last name on the list stood out stark on her display as she stared at it just a moment longer.

Lieutenant Margarar

With a bit more flare than expressly necessary she flicked the display closed, stood, stretched, and then, worries about Crewman Tolbert and her other needs at least temporarily forgotten, she made her way out of the control room. She still had work to do.

-----

Lieutenant Junior Grade Irynya
Assistant Chief Flight Controller