Post 331: Observations Part One

Stardate: 70729.0108
Title: Observations - Part I
Author: Ensign Marin Bergman & Ensign Rada Dengar
Time: During USS Independence's repairs at Trill
Scene: Various
======= Shuttle Depot A-427B - 1400 hours ===========

Marin tossed her duffel onto the floor in the waiting area of the shuttledepot.

Several hours had passed between the communiqué from Starfleet andthe arrival of the runabout 'Ganymede'.

Several passengers for the vesselhad gathered in the small lounge, their belongings as varied as they. Three men, Engineers from Trill by the looks of things, stood talking toeach other amidst tool bags.

One, who was older, was patiently listening to his rather animated partner relay a story while the third, a tall blond, seemed preoccupied with a package of Starlight Crackers from a nearby vending machine.

Across the room another man sat, Starfleet uniform impeccably clean, with a duffel similar to Marin's. He sat quietly, eyeing the man with the crackers carefully in hopes that he'd rip the package in half, sending its contents around the room with a flare.

Smiling Marin walked up the man and introduced herself.

"Hi... Ensign Marin Bergman. I'm a nurse headed to the Independence. Just got my orders thismorning."

Rada was as usual unsure of what to say and as usual determined to make thewords seem natural. This was however not the usual situation, he found theyoung nurse quite attractive and was suspicious of attractive women whospoke to him believing that the probable explanation was a trick of some sort. Still, trick or not he was determined to seem unfazed by her so hecasually replied, "Hi, Ensign Rada Dengar. It's nice to meet you. I'm headingto the Independence too as an Engineer."

Rada immediately started to worry about his words thinking to himself;

*She thinks I'm condescending. Telling her I'm heading to the Independence too, it's obvious that I am! . I'm we aring a Starfleet uniform whist carrying a duffel bag and waiting for a runabout to take me to the Independence. She must think I think she's an idiot who can't work that out.

What if she thinks I assumed that because she's a nurse? She might tell the other nursesI think they're all idiots. My life could lie in their hands one day!*

Rada was much mistaken of course. Marin sat down next to him.

"So... whaddyamake of the guy with the crackers?" Marin jerked her head in the man's general direction, eliciting a small smile from Rada.

Rada did find the man amusing but didn't realize that his watching of theman had been so obvious as to lead to questions but... Never-the-less he had been caught and had to respond.

"I must admit it does intrigue me that we have been able to travel the galaxy faster than light itself for centuries but still haven't found a better way to package crackers.

Just consider it, that man is an engineer; he has had years of higher education in some of themost complex technological systems around. He could probably diagnose a faulty warp coil in a matter of seconds and yet it is taking him several minutes to figure out a way to open that packet in a way which will allow him to avoid the contents going everywhere."

Marin laughed... and now Rada is really worried.

*Could I have thought of a more clichéd response? If she didn't think I was condescending before she will certainly now I have started speaking about the "higher education of engineers"!*

"It just goes to show you that we're not as high and mighty as we think weare... the Federation, I mean. Simple things can still be complex for aspecies. It's what makes us... human, I guess." She turned away from Rada, glancing at the struggling Engineer.

It was then the man got the package open and just as Rada had expected; the crackerswent flying although it DID lack the flare he'd been hoping for.

Marin gave Rada a subtle smile about this. Rada wished he knew what to do now; should he smile back and risk the man seeing him and thinking he's a bastard for mocking him? Or should he not and risk the nurse thinking he iseither ignoring her or disapproves of her smile about it?

Rada decides tosmile back and after looking back at the man and decides that by some fluke,he wasn't seen.

Ensign Marin Bergman
Nurse
USS Independence

&

Ensign Rada Dengar
Engineering Officer
USS Independence