Repairing The Damage

Posted on 24 Feb 2014 @ 8:28am by Senior Chief Petty Officer Keval zh'Erinov & Lieutenant Elijah Williams IV, M.Sc.

2,244 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: USS Galileo - E. William's Cabin
Timeline: MD 33 0800

ON:

Keval had been relaxing in his cabin, technically off duty. But like his roommate, the Captain's yeoman, he was pretty much on call 24/7. He had been painting, a picture of Asahi, done strictly from memory as his friend? boyfriend? other? had not posed for him. Their roles, their relationship had not been clearly defined quite yet and the Andorian was fine with that for now.

Nonetheless, it seemed to be coming along well enough. He was just deciding on right shade of blue for the eyes, when he heard his PAdD beep indicating an incoming message.

He sat down the brush and picked up the device. A repair job in 224E a replicator gone amok. Replicators weren't really his specialty but it seemed simple enough.

Hie figured there wouldn't be anyone there so he was safe enough going in his civies. He was dressed in black jeans and a tee shirt that had at one time been white, but now looked almost tie-dye with a variety of paint smears. he grabbed a repair kit and tricorder and headed to officer country.

Once he got to the room, he pressed the chime just to make sure there was no one on the other side.

Doubt had began to creep up slowly into Elijah's mind as he looked around the quarters he would be sharing. His apartment in San Francisco was not big by any means, but it was certainly more spacious then this. He knew he would be sharing, but it hadn't really dawned on him until he actually got into the quarters. He had just hoped that he and the new roomie would be compatible. He took in a deep breath and blew it out, steadying his nerves. This wasn't going to be horrible, at least that was what he kept telling himself.

He set down one of his crates just as the door chime went off. A look of confusion crossed his features at the sound of the chime. "Uh come in," he called out as he faced the door.


~Damn~ Keval thought to himself~There is someone here, I should have changed. He's probably going to write me up or something.~ Still there was no turning back now.

He ran a hand through his hair trying to smooth it down and at least look a little presentable. He stepped the door. As he saw the rather attractive and vaguely familiar looking man there he said, "I just came to fix your replicator." Then he quickly added, "Sir."

"Oh." Elijah kept his gaze on the Andorian. He looked familiar and he spent a few moment rummaging his memory. "I didn't think the requisition would be answered so promptly," he finally said after a few seconds of silence hung in the air. "Come in, come in," he waved in the other man. "I am sorry for the mess, I just got here and trying to sort everything out." He had noticed the Andorian said sir, which meant he was a lower rank. "I'm Elijah Williams, the new geologist."


The name was definitely familiar to him name, though he still couldn't place it. "You're probably going to think this is some lame pick up line, but do I know you from somewhere. I think we've met before. Did you go to grad school at Cal Tech?

Lame pick up line? Elijah wasn't sure how asking a question would be a pick up line, but he didn't question it either. He shook his head, "No, well... I mean I did my graduate studies at the Academy. I did, however, have to take a class at Cal Tech though. It was one night a week, Thursdays actually." There were about a half-dozen Andorian males that he had seen coming and going on Thursday nights. But, he wasn't sure if he could place the man that now stood in front of him.

"That must be where I saw you then," the Andorian responded, "I did a lot of swimming, did you go to any of the meets, or hang out at the pool?"

Again Elijah rummaged his memory of that time period, he wasn't really a great swimmer despite the Academy teaching him how to swim. He shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I really didn't hang out by the pool much. I did go to a couple of meets, more like dragged to them..." The few friends he hand - which weren't exactly close friends - would drag him out every so often to 'have fun'. It turned out, drinking, carousing, hanging out till all hours wasn't that fun at all. In fact it was a big waste of time. "You were on the team, the only Andorian correct?" because he didn't remember any other Andorians there were apart of the swim team. At least he didn't think so anyway.


"Yeah that was me. I have a pretty good memory for faces, but can't always put a name to them. Anyway you called someone to fix your replicator, not take a trip down memory lane. And I'd like to get back to my painting. What is it doing or not doing?"

"Oh yeah... replicator... right," Elijah shook his head in slight frustration. The moment had gotten too awkward for him. "When I give it a command it beeps it's acceptance but then nothing happens," he shrugged and for the first time since the Andorian since he walked in. "That explains the t-shirt," he lifted his chin slightly indicating the multi-colored tee.


Keval gave what might have been a snort and pointed at his own shirt, "Well at least you won't be putting me on report for being out of uniform. And you know it does bring out the color in your eyes."

He went over to the replicator and started to run a scan with his tricorder,"It is probably a defective omnitransference solenoid. I take it you're some kind of science guy?

Elijah nodded as he folded his arms over his chest. "I am," he said simply. He had told the Andorian he was a geologist, he didn't see any point in pointing that out. The 'brings out the color in your eyes' comment was not lost on him, he just didn't know how to respond to it. Was he being hit on? He couldn't recall anyone ever commenting on the pigment of his irises. His mother had been the only one to ever comment and that was only to point out the difference between his eye color and the rest of the family's.


He pulled out a transponder spanner and had just started taking the replicator apart when he stopped, "Well hell," he said suddenly, "I must have had my head up and locked, I feel like an idiot. You told me you were a damned geologist. I guess my mind is on other things today.

So the Galileo your first assignment? "

"First deep space assignment," Elijah said as he looked on. He watched as the Andorian used the spanner nimbly like, well... an artist. "You uh, you never told me who you actually are. I know you paint and can swim and were at Cal Tech but that was about it." He was curious, especially when the man addressed him as 'sir'.

"Oh, sorry I must be getting absent minded. Keval Grayson. Chief Petty Officer Keval Grayson."

Grayson? That name seemed vaguely familiar, but it was a common enough name that Elijah knew he could have heard it from anywhere. There were two Graysons that worked in the geology lab that he had worked in. "Pleased to meet you Chief? Or do you prefer CPO Grayson or Keval?" He promptly shut his mouth since he was now bordering babbling. "So that is why you called me sir," the snort that followed caused his shoulders to roll. "I am not used to that." Truth was, getting used to a strict command structure was going to take some getting used to. Sure, in a lab there was one, but people did their own thing. They reported to a supervisor but there were hardly any sir's or ma'am's or ranks being flung around. But, in a lab they were all scientists, different calibers with different educational backgrounds and specialties, but still they all wore the same teal collar. They were like a family, except Elijah blended in. The one teal collar that blended in more with the dull metallic gray of the bulkhead then with the sea of teal collars that surrounded him.

"I prefer just Keval and what about you, what should I call you?" Then the replicator gave off three short tones and Keval grinned his good and his damaged antennae simultaneously curling forward slightly. "Try it now," he suggested.

"Computer, one mug of green tea, hot," he called out. The replicator beeped and in the slot materialized the clear mug with the light brown liquid. It wasn't what he had originally ordered but he wasn't going to be ordering up Starfleet standard undershirts, socks and underwear in front of a man he didn't know. Tea was the only other thing he could think of on the fly. He let the mug sit there a moment. "I go by Elijah, though there was this girl named Jessica Watson who I went to high school with who always called me Eli. It raked on my nerves, she knew it too. I suppose that is why she did it." He shrugged at the long forgotten memory. Why he thought of that, at that particular moment he really wasn't sure.

"Well, I kind of like Eli, but whatever you prefer. It is your name after all. Anyway your replicator is fixed now. If it gives you any more trouble then give me a call.

And if you'd like to a tour of the ship some time, or if you ever want to play in the holodeck, I've got a lot of different programs.

Oh and first names are fine if it is in private like this, but I think our new Captain wouldn't be happy with people not using ranks."

"Alright," Elijah said simply. It was an all encompassing word really to all of what the Andorian suggested. "Perfectly understandable," he offered a small, shy smile, "but know I am not such a stickler for these things. But, I know the protocol, I wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble."

"That's good to know. The Captain can be a real tight as... stickler for protocol. I'll see you around sometime, maybe."

Nodding, Elijah raised a hand to wave. "It's a small ship, I'm sure you will," he paused and then remembered his manners. Manners were important to him. "Oh and thank you... for your help... with the replicator."

Keval had only been half flirting with the rather attractive man and was tempted to move things up a notch. But he wasn't even sure the human was wired that way or if there was any interest if there were. IT was probably a bad career move to make those assumptions. Nor did he think Asahi would be happy. Not that they were anything more than friends at the moment. But still.

So with only a small grin on his face betraying any ulterior motives, a grin that could have meant just about anything, he nodded and headed towards the exit. "I'm usually around. You want to do something, just look me up."

There were things that totally went over Elijah's head, others did not. He was on the naive side and would fully admit to it if asked. But, he found it strange how Keval had mentioned more than once about doing something. He offered a small smile. It would be nice to get to know someone, before the Galileo left drydock. "A tour would be nice, I mean... whenever you have time of course."

"Sure," Keval returned "Sure, I'm usually free most afternoons, just pick at time."

"How about tomorrow afternoon say around fifteen hundred," Elijah said. He was never this forward typically, but the man who stood in front of him seemed to put him at ease.

"Sure that should work for me. Why don''t I just stop by your cabin and we can go form here."

Elijah nodded, "Great. I look forward to it." He paused, letting a moment hang in the air. His gaze once again was drawn to the tee the Andorian was wearing, then looked back up. "Thank you again."

"You're welcome and I can even show some of my paintings, if you want."

Elijah perked up just slightly at the sound of that. He loved art, everything about it actually. "I would like that," he nodded, "I definitely would like that." It wasn't everyday he got to see any type of art, so this would be a nice treat.

"Good then its a date. Well you know what I mean." he said as the door slid open and he walked out.

"I know what you mean," Elijah said as the doors slid shut. He stood there and stared at the door for a few moments before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. It had been an interesting conversation, something he stored away in the deep recesses of his brain. He blew out a sigh and then turned back to his unpacking.

OFF:

Lieutenant JG Elijah Williams, IV
Geologist
USS Galileo

& CPO Keval Grayson
Operations
USS Galileo

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