How to Eat an Omelette

Posted on Sat Sep 17th, 2022 @ 5:26pm by Lieutenant Myra Sh'rillil & Lieutenant Alexis Ryan

Mission: Scylla and Charybdis
Location: Mess Hall
1984 words - 4 OF Standard Post Measure

With a nod and a wave at the current bartender, Myra started towards a more secluded set of seats, near the back of the room. She didn’t look back to make sure she was being followed, her mind on other details. There were aspects of this mission she found annoying. Like the complete lack of disclosure on the tech they’d be working on. This expectation to just come up with answers while tumbling about in the dark. Reading them, into whatever this was, would make things so much simpler.

“Any fun ideas on what we’re actually working with?” She slipped into a seat and looked out towards the large window offering a view of the stars. “I know what we’ve been seeing looks… kind of… like a sensor suite. And I know what we’ve been told, but…” With a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk, she turned back towards the entrance, hoping she hadn’t been talking alone.

Having spent the trip to the mess hall alternating her attention between her PADD and the ceiling, Alexis would eventually reflect that she hadn't been the most welcoming company to her fellow newcomer but such evaluation would be derived in retrospect and did nothing to inform a change in her disposition currently. She'd made a bee-line for the replicators first, and only arrived at the table Myra had chosen once her coffee was hot and she'd thought to look up to see where the Andorian had gone.

It was, frankly, a minor miracle that she'd remembered she had company to begin with.

Easing into the seat opposite, Ryan regarded the Operations Officer over her first sip of black coffee and then quirked an eyebrow. "I take it you mean the tactical priorities of these prototypes? Starfleet Command hasn't messaged me personally to explain why they need anything this advanced, no." Despite the inherent sarcasm, Alex's tone didn't lack warmth nor amusement. "We certainly seem to be dealing with some theoretical advancements that wouldn't qualify as upgrades so much as outright replacements. From what I can extrapolate of Avalon's operating system, her memory storage alone is at least triple what the Athena can handle, which tends to suggest this sensor suite is capable of detail and resolution well beyond our current limitations."

Myra nodded and stared into nothingness. It made sense really. They’d been doing things the same was for decades, only bringing minor improvements here and there. Most of modern Starfleet tech was nearly the same as it had been a century ago. It just looked different and was somewhat better at what it did. But no one had really changed the playing field since the advent of teleportation. It would make sense that if someone really had managed to build better sensors, they’d have completely reinvented them. Probably along with everything they interacted with to some degree.

“I was taught to be content with what I have, and not to covet what others have. But I have to admit I’m feeling a little anxious at the idea of putting hands on tech like this. I know we’re under orders not to push further than we have to, but that is going to be difficult.”

Alex studied the other woman for a moment, the first time since they'd started working together where it felt as if the Andorian finally had the bulk of the Lieutenant's attention, and for a moment there was nothing more to Ryan's expression than the calm neutrality of consideration. Then, her features broke into a sympathetic smile. "After two years at the shipyards, I'm not disappointed to get a peek under the Fleet's covers, though slightly miffed it's not under better circumstances." The Avalon represented the absolute pinnacle of what Alex would accept as her career's trajectory if she had a choice. "Disassembling these systems is hardly as satisfying as witnessing their capabilities first-hand."

The Andorian slowly turned to observe her human colleague, a smile creeping onto her face. The possibilities were intriguing to say the least, and more like very exciting. If they could only have that chance…

“That is … not false. It would be loads better if we could actually play with them and see what they are capable of.” She sighed softly. “In the meantime, I guess we’ll have to satisfy ourselves with digging through code and wires.” Part of her didn’t mind the work. It was satisfying to sort through the mess and make it something usable. The secrecy was the only thing bothering her. A small part of her pointed back to her own past, but she waved it off.

“How is it working in a yard? I hear it can get a little tedious at times, but that the parties are rather impactful.”

Alex blew across the surface of her coffee and considered the question, which had been asked of her in many alternate rephrasing plenty of times over the past two years. "Tedium is a component of every job eventually," she reasoned. "Construction and quality control are a series of processes and protocols that don't appeal to everyone's sense of adventure but my internship involved the troubleshooting aspect of software integration." The Lieutenant offered a wry smile. "Also not for everyone but somewhat more challenging than simply cataloguing issues and passing them along."

Myra nodded enthusiastically. “I can understand the joy of doing any job well. There will always be something satisfying about completing a task, especially if it's one that is considered joyless or repetitive.” She leaned back and pondered for a moment before getting up. “Be right back, I know what I want now.”

She walked to the closest replicator and had a few words with it, leaning in as if offering a secret. A large pancake omelet appeared, the smell of cheese and fruits quickly filling the air around her. She headed back to the table and sat back down, plate of food in front of her, a large smile on her face. “Feel free if you want some. I always let my stomach do the ordering, and they think they can eat the world.” She grabbed a fork and started poking at it, trying to decide what she wanted to start with.

A little nonplussed, Alexis took a moment to respond. At least, she told herself, she follows through with things.. "I think I'm good," she remarked, impressed by the level of carb-loading one plate could hold. With the exception of a minor weakness for desserts, the Lieutenant took a much more moderate approach, having a metabolism that veered towards finicky at the best of times. Still, the selection sparked intrigue, which was generally the best way to coax Ryan away from her preoccupations. "So," she asked, recognising a need to lead by example. "What does life before Athena look like for you?

Myra paused for a moment, fork hovering above her plate. She never knew how much to say without it either sounding like she wanted to keep her life a secret or oversharing. “Not exactly as illustrious as I had imagined it would be when I was a child.” She carefully cut into her food, carving out a piece suitable for her mouth. “Could have been worse though. Taught me to persevere even when things don’t go your way.” She forked the bite and moved her hand in a circular motion, food threatening to explore Ryan’s side of the table. “Also learned to find peace in so-called thankless and boring jobs.” She took the bite and slowly chewed on it, enjoying the flavors.

It seemed somehow cheating to admit to the Andorian that her past was perhaps not as mysterious to her lunch buddy as it might have been under slightly different circumstances. When it came to anonymity, Myra would normally have skated by scott-free by dint of not being in Ryan's department and, therefore, pardoned of any need for immediate scrutiny. But the pair of them had boarded at roughly the same time, during a shore leave that Alex had certainly not had much use for. Perusing service records was arguably part of her job but, in the case of the Operations Officer, it had been an off-hand remark overheard in the corridor that had prompted the Lieutenant to dig deeper. Alex, on the whole, had a degree of sympathy for anyone with skeletons in the closet. As someone who had been forced to contend with the presence of ex-Maquis affiliate emblazoned all over her dossier, she knew well enough what tended to happen when people refused to seek context.

She smiled faintly at the younger woman.

"Nobody ever warns you that the path to the top is often not so much a climb upwards as swinging precariously across a multitude of ravines. You don't seem to have plunged to your death yet."

With a chuckle, the Andorian took another bite, savoring it for a moment. “It would seem not.” She set her fork down gently and smiled. “Life rarely seems to fit within the expectations we have of it. Which is a good thing I guess. Keeps things interesting.” She shrugs and stares at her food, wondering if she should keep going. “Important thing is I’m here now, and we have some really weird work to do. Want any?” She gestured at her half finished plate, eyebrows and antennae raising with the question.


Alex held up a hand to decline. "I think I'll stick with coffee for now." Picking up the PADD she'd brought with her, the Science Chief mulled over the data she'd been working with and tapped the screen a few times to bring up the various iterations of 'not quite right' that threatened to eat well into her night. "Well, if ever there's an opportunity to redefine people's expectations of you, this mission is it." Ryan glanced at the other woman over the top of another sip of coffee. "Do you have a lot of experience with away team protocols?"

Myra nodded. “I did a small stint in security for half a rotation.” She could still remember her first away mission. The heat itself would have been more than enough of a reason to hate that particular assignment. But as many things back then, it had quickly turned sour. “The L.T. was very strict on procedure. I don’t blame him. A lot can go wrong when you leave the security of your own starship.” She stared at her food, heart and mind battling over her want of another bite. Her head and antennae perked back up. “You expecting us to go there ourselves? I figured they’d send others.”

"The Captain's next orders will depend on what we end up locating." Alex kept her opinions closed to her chest, never one to speculate in company that perhaps ought not be privy to. Downing the rest of her coffee, the Science Chief tapped her PADD against the table and then rose. "I wouldn't rule it out though. Either way, we're going to need all the information we can wrap our heads around before we get there." Considering the decimated mound of pancake for a moment, Alex offered a faint smile. "I'm going to pick Leiko's brains for a while. I look forward to reading your report when you're done with it."

“Alright!” Looking back down at her food, Myra grinned and peeked back up. Her stomach wasn’t sure, but her mouth said yes. “Think I’ll have a few more bites before I head back to the lab.” She picked up her fork again and waved it above her plate. “Can’t let such goodness go to waste.” As if that was an excuse on a ship that recycled everything. She wiggled her eyebrows and shoved a forkful into her mouth with a small wave of the hand.