Getting ready for the ball...

Posted on 27 Jan 2015 @ 12:57am by Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D. & Ensign Jaana Voutilainen & Lieutenant Olsam Mott

880 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3, Tuula and Jaana's quarters
Timeline: MD 07 - 1845

ON:

"Are you sure you don't want me to give you some purple highlights?" asked Tuula, seated behind Jaana with a colour wand. Normally Jaana wouldn't let Tuula touch her hair. Not since the incident eleven years ago when they were still in high school. Jaana had been invited to a party by a popular classmate who would study with her from time to time. It should have been her in with the popular crowd, but instead it was a disaster thanks to Tuula.

Fortunately, they had developed follicle stimulators to regrow hair rather quickly in the 24th century, so Jaana didn't have to rock the blue mohawk for weeks while the sides grew back in. But ever since the debacle that was that evening, she had resisted any efforts by Tuula to influence her choice of style.

Of course, tonight was a special night. Usually it was Tuula wearing the dark outfit, but where's the fun in dressing up as yourself?

"You have to have a little splash of colour in there," added Tuula. "You know, to make it pop."

She took a deep sigh. "Why are you asking? I thought you said I didn't have anything to say about my hairdo?"

"Very well. Purple it is."

Olsam bumped into the wall outside Tuula and Jaana's quarters, fumbled his recovery and then properly positioned himself in front of the door sensor. With bulky, gloved hands he tried to push the door chime and finally grew frustrated enough to just smash the whole thing with the gauntlet. Something must have finally triggered the door chime because he heard one of the girls give the command to allow him to enter.

When he stepped inside, it seemed very dark but then again so had the hallway. He couldn't tell if it was the costume or the ship's environmental systems were malfunctioning; either way, it was impairing him about as much as the rest of the bulky suit. At least it did have a nifty black cape.

"Olsam, is that you?" asked Tuula, identifying the intimidating black-clad helmeted figure by its rotundity. "What the heck are you supposed to be?"

"I found it in the Terran cultural database," Olsam said, referring to his costume. His voice strangely muffled by the shiny black helmet he was wearing, which seemed to distort his voice and amplify odd parts of speech, as well as the sounds of his already heavy breathing. "It's from the late 20th century; I think it's supposed to be some kind of early Terran conceptualization of the Breen."

Tuula rolled her eyes and turned towards Jaana. The mid to late 20th century had all sorts of absurd popular science fiction. Most of it was utterly ridiculous and completely nonsensical. "Jaana, what is Dr. Mott doing here? Is he your date?"

Jaana knew that question was hypoteticly and felt it by the added strength she was holding the string of her hair. Knowing it didn't have any sense to lie she said. "No, he is yours."

Olsam was grinning like an idiot behind the helmet, never once realizing she couldn't see him. "Surprise! Oh, hold on, I brought this thing..." He looked down at his hands then lifted up the cape to inspect the inside of it for some hidden pockets he may have forgotten. "Hm. Well, I replicated some flowers for you, but I think I left them in my quarters. Sorry."

"That's all right," said Tuula as she put the finishing touches on her sister's hair. After placing the wand aside, she put on the control glove again and tried to remember the proper sequence of hand movements to sit up. Steadying herself with Jaana's chair, she got up and began awkwardly walking towards Mott. A few steps away, she fell forward, and wrapped her arms around the doctor to save herself from falling to the floor.

"Thank you so much, doctor," she said, barely able to contain her emotion. She turned back towards her sister. "And thank you, Jaana, for all that you've done to make this evening special for me."

Olsam supported Tuula with surprising ease given how horrifically out of shape he seemed, making sure she was properly upright and stable before letting go. He kept a hand outstretched just in case she took a sudden lurch to the right or something. "It's going to be especially special. I arranged for sixteen different types of shrimp: shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan-fried shrimp, deep-fried shrimp, stir-fried shrimp, pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes...."

"But Olsam," interjected Tuula, using his body to stabilize herself, "how are you going to eat anything with that mask on?"

Olsam seemed to consider it for a moment and then shrugged. "It just pops right off, don't worry about it. Or maybe there's a hidden food hole... Who'd design a suit where you couldn't eat? That's just silly. Nobody would do that, not even 20th-century humans."


OFF:

Lieutenant Olsam "Darth" Mott, M.D.
Assistant Chief Medical Officer/Sith Lord & Commander of the Imperial Fleet
USS Galileo/Galactic Empire

Lieutenant (J.G.) Tuula Voutilainen, M.D.
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Jaana Voutilainen
Stellar Cartographer
USS Galileo

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