From taking down to talking

Posted on 16 May 2017 @ 10:28am by Ensign Mimi

3,031 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: USS Chaka - Mess Hall
Timeline: Md:-45 0700hrs

ON:

As soon as Galileo crew had been allowed to roam almost freely on the Chaka Mimi headed straight for the Mess hall. During the crews time on Kreanus and the Du'ja'q she'd lost quite a lot of her already low weight from not being able to get enough food that her body could process. Only thanks to Allyndra's help had she been able to stave off malnutrition

She practically ran through the doors and up to the replicator catching a curious glance from the mess halls occupants even a vulcan sat quietly eating what looked like soup looked up and raised a single eyebrow "I would like.... a whole roasted chicken, a large peice of smoked salmon, 2 very rare steaks and a large mug of tarkelian tea."

The replicator whirred and it replicated the meals, picking up all the plates in one go Mimi walked over to a table and sat down. She took a deep breath through her nose inhaling the delicious smell of the fresh meat.

Now allowed to roam a ship by herself after the embarrassment of having to answer yet another boatload of questions she found herself wondering towards the Mess hall. Having to stop and ask for the direction a few times she soon found herself walking into the room Abbey's stomach sensed the encroaching banquet and rumbled.

The Chakra was a simple ship and there didn't seem to be any fresh food out, or that it was simply not near any meal times but she didn't care. After the fight on the ship and the trauma she was put through on the Romulan ship she had used just about every last ounce of energy, she even looked sickly. Ordering a Double Bacon Cheese Burger, extra sweet potato fries, onion rings, mushy peas, beans, corn on the cob and a cherry sundae she picked up her tray before having a small after thought and ordered one rare steak.

Looking around the room she could see several Galileo crew and she avoided their awkward gazes and soon found herself starring at the back of a furry, cat-like earned humanoid. mimi She thought in her head already walking over to her. She could see the uneasiness of nearby officers as they started muttering how they should call security. But not everyone had heard what had happened on the bridge.

Setting down her tray opposite the woman, she pulled out the chair and sat down. "Hi," She said simply trying to look as relaxed as possible but she knew her eyes were giving away her thoughts and feelings. She hoped that this race (one she hadn't encountered in her universe) were not telepathic. But then again, her blush gave away most of them.

"Hello Abbey." Mimi replied, recognising the human that had joined her as the one who had burst onto the bridge and shot Miraj.

Abbey took in the woman's face and bit her lip cursing herself for the idea she'd be able to reconcile with the Mimi. None the less she was here now and she was going to make friends... or die trying."How are doing? My that's a lot of meat" She said staring at the woman's plate "And fish".

"I have to eat meat to live." Mimi replied. "And I have not eaten properly since before the Galileo was destroyed."

Looking at the woman it was hard to ignore that she appeared slightly frail and she instantly felt bad but Mimi did impress her, the way she took Abbey down especially in the state she was in. "Don't we all?" She joked trying to lighten the mood as she poked a chip suddenly not feeling hungry. "I wanted to apologize," She said opening her mouth to say something more but stopped.

"About what happened on the Du'ja'q?" Mimi asked though she was pretty sure that is what Abbey was referring to. "I am not happy about what you did, I would call Miraj a friend and I hope she gets better quick. But my species do not... hold grudges."

Abbey nodded trying not to chew too loudly as she ate a chip, swallowing she continued. "I'd thought she was my friend too you know," She said before continuing, "we met and shared a few nights on Kreanus together." She shrugged, "I'm not the heartless killer everyone thinks I am. Believe it or not, I do harbor emotions but I'm glad you don't hold grudges." Abbbey watched the woman for a moment and added, "But I can sense you're uncomfortable around me. I don't see why though, you managed to kick my butt pretty easily."

"I felt it in the way you fell to the floor. You let me take you down." Mimi said after using her claws rather than the cutlery to tear the chicken apart.

Abbey watched more intrigued at the woman than disgusted and the way she demolished a whole chicken before answering her statement. "I... May have helped you but you would have got there eventually" She admitted. "Regardless you still had the courage to come barreling at me like a freight ship. I hear you're usually rather passive" She said cutting into her steak wondering if she should just adopt Mimi' style of eating and destroy it with her hands. Like you did that Klingon a voice reminded her harshly and Abbey shook the thought from her mind. Ever since the incident of Killing the Klingon and stunning Miraj she couldnt shake the images from her mind, she was more of an animal than Mimi.

"I was the only person on the bridge not injured or fighting Chorag." Mimi paused and took a sip of her tea. "It.... made sense for me to try and stop you."

Abbey had eaten half her burger and let it disappear from her mouth which allowed the silence to linger for a moment. "You're not a person of many words are you?" She questioned now over her little mental breakdown.

"No." Mimi replied then decided to explain one of the reasons why. "The less words I use the less mistakes I can make. My english is not perfect."

Abbey nodded understanding what Mimi was saying and smiled "Then teach me some of your language." she suggested far too excitedly, she didn't know if mimi would know but from abbeys background English or any other human language was the only language to be spoken and all else was blasphemy, the thought still sent shivers down her spine.

"I could teach you a few words if you wanted." Mimi said looking back at Abbey as she cut chunks off her salmon this time using the cutlery. "I am teaching Allyndra how to speak it."

Abbey nodded, she had heard of Allyndra the chief medical officer and more interestingly that she was an Akkadian. In her universe, they relented in giving the Terrans the technology they possessed and so for that, she resented the woman but now as Abbey began to adapt to her new environment she could see just how wrongly the Terrans were doing things. "I think I'd really appreciate that, It will be a bit different to what I'm used to, only our spies and slaves would speak anything other than Terran. And I think it's about time I broke down the wall of discrimination I was brought up on."

"Discrimination?" Mimi repeated the word taking her time with each part of the word, she'd not heard it before.

Abbey frowned and then realized why the question was asked damn long words she though. "Boy this is gonna be a hard one," She said sitting back trying to think the best way to explain it. "So it's like singling a person or a group of people out because of their religion, background, colour, home... Hell, anything but the main thing is you're actively doing something for example not letting them sit with you unlike just thinking it because then that's just prejudice, which I guess is still wrong." She finished.

"Why would you pick on someone because their skin is a different colour. The fur on Nekomi can be all different colours but we did not treat the.." She paused thinking of the right colour in english. "...Ginger furred Nekomi different to ones with black fur."

Abbey stifled a giggle the light catching her eyes. "I'm sorry to laugh but that is exactly the kind of thing I mean. It's horrible really, but many years before the federation and before the Terran Empire it was a massive thing, At one point in history White humans would capture and enslave Black human just because of their colour they even had laws which stopped them from catching the same Bus, eating in the same restaurant and even living in the same neighbourhood! Though the Terrans are rather barbaric and most of their hatred is towards non-human nowadays! But that's what I meant I was raised to Loathe everyone but Humans." She admitted shyly blushing, she didn't know what exactly made it easy to speak to Mimi but she could feel like she could tell her everything, and she didn't need to be drunk. Perhaps it was the glossy black ears or even those green eyes. She kicked herself... Mimi wasn't human... Abbey kicked herself again You're literally giving a lecture of discrimination stop being so callous She thought.

"That is horrible." Mimi stopped eating as she processed what Abbey had told her.

"It is" She agreed, "But I knew nothing else, I was... I am a very messed up person. I was raised to hate everyone who threatened the purity of the Empire and I killed a lot of people in the name of it" She said looking away from Mimi's beautiful eyes, she didnt deserve to look at them "I'm changing though, I just need help" She said remorse in her voice.

"I will help you if I can." Mimi said smiling at Abbey "Show you that not all aliens are sneaky like Romulans or angry like Nausicaans, some of us just want to get along with others and live out our lives peacefully."

She giggled holding a napkin to her face as she brushed away the crumbs of the food she had just eaten and looked at the cherry sundae greedily. "I'd really like that, and in return I can help you with some english? I'm no teacher but maybe I can at least help you understand them even if not speak them." She picked up her spoon and scooped up a cherry with some cream and furiously shoved it into her mouth.

Mimi nodded. "That sounds good to me." she picked up her cutlery and started to cut up her steak.

"So now you use your cutlery!" Abbey said teasingly, "I thought you was going to eat me once you was done with what was on your plate." She laughed, and she realised how amazingly different Mimi was to her world.

Mimi laughed and smiled wide which had the effect of showing her large canine teeth a little. "I may be alien and look like a pet but I am fully 'house trained'."

Abbey chuckled and flushed a pale pink, she couldn't put a finger on just what about Mimi made her stomach twist into a knot, perhaps it was just how pure and innocent she was or even naive she was. She caught a glimpse of her teeth and Abbey realized that if Mimi was anything but naive, sweet and innocent she would have been deadly. "Are you also afraid of water?" She teased with a smile.

"I would not say afraid." Mimi replied. "I do not like water, like in a shower or a bath. My foster mother tried to get me into a water shower when I was younger, it did not go well." She paused to take a bite of her steak taking her time to enjoy the very rare meat. "And I can not swim."

She imagined a young Mimi anchoring herself to the door of a shower as her mother tried to push her into the stream of water and she couldn't help but giggle. "That's a shame, swimming is like floating and with it I feel my problems wash away."

"When I need to clear my mind I like to go climbing and sit really high on the edge, something about how quiet and it is up there makes me feel better and like being back home on Kemi." Mimi sighed slightly, she missed Kemi and wanted to go back there just as much as the homeworld "The view is very nice."

Abbey nodded in understanding. She wished so desperately she had a place like that to remember but just like her entire life the Terran Empire wouldn't allow such happy memories. "Kemi? Is that where you grew up?" She asked curiously, the Nekomi in her world were a warrior race and are all but extinct after a chemical attack on their planets. Those that remained were kept as pets.

"Kemi was the first colony we ever did." Mimi replied. "I was born on the ship coming to it. Everything was ok until 8 years ago."

Abbey already knew what was coming before she asked the question. She had heard this story over and over again when she was torturing her victims back in the Mirror Universe, she asked anyway. "What happened?"

"The Klingons came, they wanted the dilithium we had found and they wanted it for free." Mimi's large ears folded down slightly, she did not like telling this story.

Abbey could sense her discomfort. Though it wasn't her that was personally involved in this universe's history, she had been involved in the destruction of the Nekomi in hers. "I'm sorry Mimi, you don't have to tell me anymore. I know where these stories finish" She was surprised at the softness of her voice. Abbey felt her heart sink even further as she thought about the countless worlds she had witnessed either destroyed or invaded by the Empire, the blood debt she owed was infinite but if she could make amends with one person then it was better than none at all.

"I would like to hope that some of us got away from Kemi." Even after 8 years she entertained the thought. "We had a few small ships but the Klingons had ships in orbit too."

She nodded "First take out communications sending everyone in a blind panic, then a devastating aerial bombardment and finally ground troops to finish off the survivors," Abbey said it with such hate and anger she had to look away from Mimi. "At least you survived," She said thankful for that one bit of happiness and once again Abbey felt that overwhelming knot in her stomach which somehow had spread to her heart and made her cheeks blush. She was loosing herself and for the first time, she liked it.

"I do not know how, I got trapped in a damaged room and somehow the Klingons did not find me. Fate must have been on my side." Mimi said, she could see the emotion in Abbey's face. what they had been discussing must have been just as hard for her to hear as it was for Mimi to tell it.

"It does certainly sound like the fates were smiling down on you" And then emphasised it by smiling at Mimi herself. "I'm glad you did survive Mimi" She added sheepishly and she kicked herself mentally, Abbey never grew such an attachment so suddenly but everything about Mimi screamed out at her and she couldn't ignore it. And for someone who didn't like emotional attachments Abbey knew she was already crushing uncharacteristically hard for the woman.

"So am I." Mimi thought about her life before the Klingons came and how different it could have been if they never did. "It took me a long time to adjust to the new world I was in."

Abbey could agree with that, "I can understand how hard this world is hard to get used to, im finding it hard myself" She admitted shyly sitting back as she finished her sundae, her stomach full for the first time in weeks.

"At least when you came to our universe you could speak with people normally." Mimi remarked. "It took me almost a year to learn english enough to have a really long conversation with someone."

"It's one thing being able to talk the same language and being able to understand what people mean behind the words, I lived in a world where betrayl and backstabbing was normal and words meant very little. Here they can sometimes bind people together for life and I'm still trying to learn that myself." Abbey countered.

Mimi polished off the last of her steak as Abbey spoke, sitting back slightly she licked her lips. "I am still learning but I had a good teacher to start me off."

Realising that it was a good time to depart she smiled and said, "It's been nice speaking to you Mimi, I hope we can do it again sometime. I can't tell you how nice it is to speak to someone and besides I need to learn your language so we can do it in your native tongue!"

"I hope we can too Abbey." Standing up Mimi took her plates back over to the replicator for recycling before returning to the table. "Now I have to say goodbye, I have one last session with Allyndra to fix my jaw."

Abbey nodded as she slid herself out from the table "I hope it goes well" She hadn't and still couldn't notice Mimi's jaw and wondered what had happened, she hadn't had the full pleasure of tumbling across the floor with her and instead opted to surrender. "See you later Mimi," She said before leaving herself after placing her things in the recycler. Abbey couldn't help but watch Mimi leave and had to keep her head from flicking left to right like her tail.

OFF:

Ensign Mimi
Operations Officer

Abbey St James
Security Officer

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