Questions

Posted on Sun Jun 19th, 2011 @ 2:06am by Lieutenant Commander Aral Aix

Mission: Too Close for Comfort...
Location: Runabout Phoenix
Timeline: Following 'Flight of the Curmudgeoneers'

The Phoenix had been underway for approximately twenty minutes and the Chief Science Officer had become restless. The runabout's long range scans displayed little of interest. More precisely, they displayed a great deal of information of great interest, but Aix lacked the time and facilities to exploit it. Instead he had resorted to the art of people watching. The crotchety Commodore was in his element, the old bastard probably had at least two phasers secreted on his person; Aix himself had hidden an additional type one in his left boot. The earnest intelligence officer seated to his left had caught his interest. In his experience Starfleet Intelligence had rarely stationed operatives aboard vessels; they obviously had a considerable interest in the Delta Quadrant.

"Shrek." He announced loudly. "Why does he call you that?"

Ensign Schenk looked up from his PADD as the new Lieutenant Commander asked him a question. It took a minute for the totally off question to sink in before he chuckled. "The Commodore comes up with nicknames for people that he likes....or doesn't entirely know their names. My name is Marcus Schenk....Schenk became Shrek to him...so Shrek I am. Although most people call me Marc." He held his hand out for a shake.

The Trill accepted the handshake. "Aral Aix, Chief Science Officer." His eyes flitted to the Commodore, who was otherwise engaged micromanaging the pilot. "I suspect the affections of that man are a greater burden than the hatred of most others." Aral spoke quietly, a smile never leaving his lips. He managed to suppress the memories of his previous host Zalia, who was almost bursting out of his abdomen to pronounce her views on ancient Earth fairy tales. "Of course," Aral continued looking to each side in jesting slyness, "as the spy you have already got us all worked out."

Marc had to chuckle at the 'spy' comment before looking towards the Commodore and Lieutenant Xishaal to make sure that his attention wasn't needed at that moment. "If that were the case, I seriously doubt that any of us would be on this away mission."

Aral smirked and returned to his console, for the Ensign's sake he was glad he was not wearing a red shirt.

'What are you hoping to discover yourself on this mission, Lieutenant Commander Aix?" Marc asked as he set his PADD aside. Apart from reading every last bit of information there was on the Archadian homeworld, he hadn't come up with anything new.

"Well, I'm hoping to explore strange new worlds and to seek out new life." Aix replied, his tone did not match his words, it was self deprecating. "It's probably naive, but I would like to see something new. You get bored when you get to my age."

Marc looked at the man for a minute. "At your age?"

"I'm two hundred and eighty six." Replied Aral, "I think," he added twisting his face as if doing the mental arithmetic.

"Two hundred....is everyone on this ship hundreds of years old?" He looked at the Commodore and back to the Lieutenant, wondering if he were on the wrong vessel.

"I think it's just me and that old bastard," he nodded in the direction of the Commodore, "but I've only been aboard ship a couple of hours."

Marc laughed and nodded. "I've been onboard for about a month now. Maybe a little more, been too busy to keep track of time."

Aral smiled, he sympathised absolutely. "So, why intelligence?"

"The Commodore thinks that I'd do better in Intelligence rather than Security. I was a former Investigations Officer for Security, but it seems my knack for asking questions got me into Intel instead."

"I think, in that case Marcus, we shall get along very well." Aral had always preferred questions to their answers.