IKC FHew 7C6110
New Blood – The Fallen - Part 4- Caged Bird
by Soghla' Terri (Tell) Hope & HoD Ro' Matlh
Post Details
The caged bird sings with a tearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and her tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.
Tells gaze fell upon the ring for the umteenth time. Her emotions conflicted with her feelings each time she looked at it. No engineer worth their weight in salt would wear jewellery on their fingers for fear of it being caught in machinery. Tell had replicated a fine Frellian gold chain, a metal known for its strength and quality. She would wear it round her neck when she got back to the FHew and therein lay another problem.
She turned to see Chris leaning on the door frame. She hadn't heard him come in and wondered how long he had been standing there.
He had to admit that Tell looked so different in the feminine outfit she had chosen. If only he could persuade her to stay on the USS Fallen and not go back to that grotesque ship she seemed to call home. Surely she could see the benefits of staying here with him and with James.
"You look great." he told her "The colours suit you."
She gave a small sigh which didn't go unnoticed by Chris. This isn't me she. thought TellI am so far removed from this "I prefer my own uniform. This is to tight" she replied
He gave her a small smile of understanding but given time she would adjust. If she stayed thought Chris. "Your brother is in engineering shall we go?"
She nodded and wanted nothing more than to see Jamie and to know he was there and not just a dream.
She walked in silence to the turbo lift though Chris tried to talk to her Tell just wanted to be with her own thoughts. What would she say first to Jamie? What would she do?
The turbo lift doors stopped at engineering and the doors opened silently. Lt Commander James Hope was reading figures from a panel and didn't hear the pair enter.
Tell quickened her pace and was almost four paces ahead of Chris and before they could stop her she hit James squarely in the jaw and punched him in the ribs. There wasn't enough power behind the attack to do any real damage but Tell knew he would be sore for a while. He stumbled backwards and Chris only just managed to grab her arm to stop her from going in again. He wasn't sure whether to hold Tell back or grab the first aid kit.
"Ok I deserved that" James said whilst massaging his jaw. "You still have that fiery temper then Tell?" Then he held his arms open wide.
She snatched her arm away from Chris and ran to her brother who held her tight and let her tears fall. "I thought you were dead" she told him. "I thought you were dead"
Chris turned and walked out of engineering giving brother and sister time to get to know one and other again.
Tell pulled away form Jamie just enough to see him fully and take it all in. She had searched so long for him and it was hard to believe he was actually here in front of her.
"So a Lt Commander on this." She said waving her arm to indicate the ship.
"And you" he answered "A Soghla' on a Klingon vessel. Tell, of all the ships you could have chosen, you had to pick the FHew."
"I would never get through the Starfleet entrance exam and besides I am a nuts and duct tape kind of engineer. Besides its not a bad ship to be on once you get used to it... that is. Kinda fun in its own way. "You married Jamie? Any kids?"
"No and you?"
Tell snorted back laughter. "Kids? Good Fod no and I thought being married once was enough and even then I had to kill him in the end. But I seem to have got married again and I can't remember a bloody thing about it. Still I suppose I can always kill him too." One look from Jamie seemed to say it all. "Joking Jamie joking."
"I knew that"
"No you didn't" She took another long hard look at her brother. "What am I doing here Jamie?"
Jamie waved his hand. "Look around," he said. "This is the USS Fallen NX 97012; so state of the art that the Avant Guarde are Passe. Test bed for a drive so sophisticated it required a new breed of intuitive interface. Redesigned every system from the bottom up. Meet the Trilithium Warp Core... though I call here Terri."
"I could have thought of better names to call it." she replied as she ran a hand over the panels smooth surface and yet part of her felt a little flattered."What about the sounds to good to be true drive? Or the more you mess round with engines the easier they are to break drive? Stick to nuts and bolts Jamie they are easier to repair. So what's she capable of?"
"We don't know what she is capable of. We do know she has none of the issues of subspace damage of conventional Dilithium drives. In fact she may even repair some of the damage. We got her to Warp 8 on the way here then blew out some VERY serious reinforced relays. Apparently the Klingons have some sophisticated redundancy modules that can contain the power flow. Trouble is, no one here really knows how they function and how to integrate them with the Federation issue, since most of us don't even understand the new Fed stuff. So we need a talented Engineer with experience in both Klingon and Fed modelling and can work without guidelines on the fly as things are falling apart. Naturally, Chris and I thought of you in a heart beat."
"I don't know Jamie, this is way out of my league and if you saw my beloved engine you'd know what I meen. She has a heart that has tore herself apart for us many a time. There is no soul here... I need to think about it. I'm not sure about things at the moment and I'm a little confused as to what is happening. Your here and this Chris Maxx person I seem to have got my self married to. I don't know who he really is. I don't suppose you would care to fill in some blanks would you?"
"Chris?" Jamie looked surprised, "I thought you knew him. No? Ah well I suppose someone ought to marry him and it may as well be you. Chris is a good guy, a little exciteable at times but thats Maxx for you. They had a rough time of it a while back but they work well together now. If its that bad Tell you don't have to stay married to him you know. Apparently you weren't actually awake for the ceremony, but on Qo'noS, that is not a requirement." Then he laughed, a laugh that Tell realised she had missed so much. "Mum would be so proud."
She punched him on the arm.
"Tell I have spoken with the Captain. We'd like your help installing the new systems, and to come with us on a test run. If you like it, Captain says you can stay on as a Civilian contractor. Top line ship, status, recognition, no pay worries, friends and family around you, adventure... what do you say?"
Part of her wanted nothing more than to say yes to the offer. The other part of her valued what she had on the FHew she had all of that which Jamie was offering. The only difference was that Jamie and now Chris are now here. Is that what she really wanted?
She sighed and then gave him her answer. "I cant Jamie, as much as I want to, this isn't me. You need some new kid on the block to handle all of this stuff."
If he was dissapointed he gave no sign and held he in his arms as only a brother could. "The Captain wants us to get underway as soon as we can for a short hop. We should be back in three days Tell. If you should change your mind we'll be here waiting ok?"
She spent the next few hours on the ship with them. Watching engineers finish off relays and panels in and around the Fallen. She could have helped if she wanted too but there was a nagging doubt in her mind about this ship of theirs and she wanted no part of it.
It didn't stop her looking and asking a million and one questions though.
Six hours later and Tell walked into the transporter room. She had already said her goodbyes to Chris in private and had spent some time with her brother. They had a lot of catching up to do and there would be time for that when they arrived back in three days time.
"I'll see you both soon" she told them "Don't be late."
With a heavy heart, wanting to go but wanting to stay, she stepped on to the transporter pad just as Chris threw some keys into her hands. "Its your prize from the Shebeen. I had it delivered to House Matlh. I included a little something else as a wedding present. I hope you like it, see you soon Tell."
She waved a final goodbye and a few seconds later she appeared back on the surface of Qo'nos. She told herself that it wouldn't do any good to look up at the darkening sky as she didn't want to see them leave. Tell couldn't resist it and her gaze followed a spark of light as it left orbit and disappeared from view. Everything seemed so ordinary now and part of her regretted not going with them. Maybe some other time.
Tell turned and made her way to House Matlh she knew she would find a room there for the rest of her stay and wondered what the keys would unlock. Cursing herself at the same time because she was still in civilian clothes. Dammit. Now she would have to break in a new uniform. They were like new shoes to her and it took time to wear it in, ah well she had a few days left and their was no time like the present.
First of all before anything else happened she needed to talk to Ro'. She knew she could confide in him, as grizzled as he was she needed someone to talk to so it may as well be the Teddy Bear as a little girl had once described him.
The door to House Matlh opened and it was Ro' who stood there looking at her and it was Ro' who stood there waiting patiently letting the battle worn, hard edged engineer decide what to say.
"I need to talk" she told him.
by Soghla' Terri (Tell) Hope & HoD Ro' Matlh
Post Details
| Title | The Fallen - Part 4- Caged Bird | |
| Mission | New Blood | |
| Author(s) | Soghla' Terri (Tell) Hope & HoD Ro' Matlh | |
| Posted | Sat May 26, 2012 @ 4:06pm | |
| Location | The USS Fallen | |
| Tag | Ro' |
of things unknown but longed for still
and her tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.
Tells gaze fell upon the ring for the umteenth time. Her emotions conflicted with her feelings each time she looked at it. No engineer worth their weight in salt would wear jewellery on their fingers for fear of it being caught in machinery. Tell had replicated a fine Frellian gold chain, a metal known for its strength and quality. She would wear it round her neck when she got back to the FHew and therein lay another problem.
She turned to see Chris leaning on the door frame. She hadn't heard him come in and wondered how long he had been standing there.
He had to admit that Tell looked so different in the feminine outfit she had chosen. If only he could persuade her to stay on the USS Fallen and not go back to that grotesque ship she seemed to call home. Surely she could see the benefits of staying here with him and with James.
"You look great." he told her "The colours suit you."
She gave a small sigh which didn't go unnoticed by Chris. This isn't me she. thought TellI am so far removed from this "I prefer my own uniform. This is to tight" she replied
He gave her a small smile of understanding but given time she would adjust. If she stayed thought Chris. "Your brother is in engineering shall we go?"
She nodded and wanted nothing more than to see Jamie and to know he was there and not just a dream.
She walked in silence to the turbo lift though Chris tried to talk to her Tell just wanted to be with her own thoughts. What would she say first to Jamie? What would she do?
The turbo lift doors stopped at engineering and the doors opened silently. Lt Commander James Hope was reading figures from a panel and didn't hear the pair enter.
Tell quickened her pace and was almost four paces ahead of Chris and before they could stop her she hit James squarely in the jaw and punched him in the ribs. There wasn't enough power behind the attack to do any real damage but Tell knew he would be sore for a while. He stumbled backwards and Chris only just managed to grab her arm to stop her from going in again. He wasn't sure whether to hold Tell back or grab the first aid kit.
"Ok I deserved that" James said whilst massaging his jaw. "You still have that fiery temper then Tell?" Then he held his arms open wide.
She snatched her arm away from Chris and ran to her brother who held her tight and let her tears fall. "I thought you were dead" she told him. "I thought you were dead"
Chris turned and walked out of engineering giving brother and sister time to get to know one and other again.
Tell pulled away form Jamie just enough to see him fully and take it all in. She had searched so long for him and it was hard to believe he was actually here in front of her.
"So a Lt Commander on this." She said waving her arm to indicate the ship.
"And you" he answered "A Soghla' on a Klingon vessel. Tell, of all the ships you could have chosen, you had to pick the FHew."
"I would never get through the Starfleet entrance exam and besides I am a nuts and duct tape kind of engineer. Besides its not a bad ship to be on once you get used to it... that is. Kinda fun in its own way. "You married Jamie? Any kids?"
"No and you?"
Tell snorted back laughter. "Kids? Good Fod no and I thought being married once was enough and even then I had to kill him in the end. But I seem to have got married again and I can't remember a bloody thing about it. Still I suppose I can always kill him too." One look from Jamie seemed to say it all. "Joking Jamie joking."
"I knew that"
"No you didn't" She took another long hard look at her brother. "What am I doing here Jamie?"
Jamie waved his hand. "Look around," he said. "This is the USS Fallen NX 97012; so state of the art that the Avant Guarde are Passe. Test bed for a drive so sophisticated it required a new breed of intuitive interface. Redesigned every system from the bottom up. Meet the Trilithium Warp Core... though I call here Terri."
"I could have thought of better names to call it." she replied as she ran a hand over the panels smooth surface and yet part of her felt a little flattered."What about the sounds to good to be true drive? Or the more you mess round with engines the easier they are to break drive? Stick to nuts and bolts Jamie they are easier to repair. So what's she capable of?"
"We don't know what she is capable of. We do know she has none of the issues of subspace damage of conventional Dilithium drives. In fact she may even repair some of the damage. We got her to Warp 8 on the way here then blew out some VERY serious reinforced relays. Apparently the Klingons have some sophisticated redundancy modules that can contain the power flow. Trouble is, no one here really knows how they function and how to integrate them with the Federation issue, since most of us don't even understand the new Fed stuff. So we need a talented Engineer with experience in both Klingon and Fed modelling and can work without guidelines on the fly as things are falling apart. Naturally, Chris and I thought of you in a heart beat."
"I don't know Jamie, this is way out of my league and if you saw my beloved engine you'd know what I meen. She has a heart that has tore herself apart for us many a time. There is no soul here... I need to think about it. I'm not sure about things at the moment and I'm a little confused as to what is happening. Your here and this Chris Maxx person I seem to have got my self married to. I don't know who he really is. I don't suppose you would care to fill in some blanks would you?"
"Chris?" Jamie looked surprised, "I thought you knew him. No? Ah well I suppose someone ought to marry him and it may as well be you. Chris is a good guy, a little exciteable at times but thats Maxx for you. They had a rough time of it a while back but they work well together now. If its that bad Tell you don't have to stay married to him you know. Apparently you weren't actually awake for the ceremony, but on Qo'noS, that is not a requirement." Then he laughed, a laugh that Tell realised she had missed so much. "Mum would be so proud."
She punched him on the arm.
"Tell I have spoken with the Captain. We'd like your help installing the new systems, and to come with us on a test run. If you like it, Captain says you can stay on as a Civilian contractor. Top line ship, status, recognition, no pay worries, friends and family around you, adventure... what do you say?"
Part of her wanted nothing more than to say yes to the offer. The other part of her valued what she had on the FHew she had all of that which Jamie was offering. The only difference was that Jamie and now Chris are now here. Is that what she really wanted?
She sighed and then gave him her answer. "I cant Jamie, as much as I want to, this isn't me. You need some new kid on the block to handle all of this stuff."
If he was dissapointed he gave no sign and held he in his arms as only a brother could. "The Captain wants us to get underway as soon as we can for a short hop. We should be back in three days Tell. If you should change your mind we'll be here waiting ok?"
She spent the next few hours on the ship with them. Watching engineers finish off relays and panels in and around the Fallen. She could have helped if she wanted too but there was a nagging doubt in her mind about this ship of theirs and she wanted no part of it.
It didn't stop her looking and asking a million and one questions though.
Six hours later and Tell walked into the transporter room. She had already said her goodbyes to Chris in private and had spent some time with her brother. They had a lot of catching up to do and there would be time for that when they arrived back in three days time.
"I'll see you both soon" she told them "Don't be late."
With a heavy heart, wanting to go but wanting to stay, she stepped on to the transporter pad just as Chris threw some keys into her hands. "Its your prize from the Shebeen. I had it delivered to House Matlh. I included a little something else as a wedding present. I hope you like it, see you soon Tell."
She waved a final goodbye and a few seconds later she appeared back on the surface of Qo'nos. She told herself that it wouldn't do any good to look up at the darkening sky as she didn't want to see them leave. Tell couldn't resist it and her gaze followed a spark of light as it left orbit and disappeared from view. Everything seemed so ordinary now and part of her regretted not going with them. Maybe some other time.
Tell turned and made her way to House Matlh she knew she would find a room there for the rest of her stay and wondered what the keys would unlock. Cursing herself at the same time because she was still in civilian clothes. Dammit. Now she would have to break in a new uniform. They were like new shoes to her and it took time to wear it in, ah well she had a few days left and their was no time like the present.
First of all before anything else happened she needed to talk to Ro'. She knew she could confide in him, as grizzled as he was she needed someone to talk to so it may as well be the Teddy Bear as a little girl had once described him.
The door to House Matlh opened and it was Ro' who stood there looking at her and it was Ro' who stood there waiting patiently letting the battle worn, hard edged engineer decide what to say.
"I need to talk" she told him.