JDL-ACO & Civ. |Cmdr. Dhej & Sh'eik|"Castaway Kitty" pt.2

Posted on 241412.07 @ 6:42am by Cadet Sh'eik

Mission: Holy Cow
Location: U.S.S. Enterprise-F

=/\= Outside Sickbay =/\=

Sh'eik had spent the mandatory 72 hours under surveillance, until such time as he was deemed not to be a danger to himself. He'd given Dr. Quoicho his word he would remember to eat and call her right away if his mind wandered in the direction of ending his life.

He'd been assigned a commbadge which monitored his vitals and reported them back to sickbay if anything was amiss, and discharged temporarily from sickbay.
But discharged to where?
It hadn't really occurred to him until now, but the moon he'd been marooned on, though not by choice, had been home for the last 5 years.

He'd been born and raised on the Persephone, a child of the stars. But the thrum of a warp drive under his paw pads felt somehow alien. It HAD been a long time.

Sh'eik's left ear flicked a few times as he thought. Then a figurative light bulb came on over his head.
"Uhm, computer?" He asked unsure if he'd get a response.
The computer chimed it was listening.
"The ship I arrived on... Who else was aboard?"
"Invalid request. You do not have authorization to review ships records."

Sh'eik's left ear flicked a few more times. "Ok fine. The pilot, is he aboard this ship?"
"Affirmative."
"Who was it?" Sh'eik asked.
"Invalid request. You do not have-"
"Authorization, yes yes. Can you guide me to that person's location?"
The computer seemed to hesitate a moment, before replying, "Affirmative, follow the wall panel lights to your destination."

With a nod of approval, to no one in particular, Sh'eik did as he was told and followed the panels to the turbo lift, which whisked him off without telling him where it was going. It stopped at the observation lounge and the doors whisked open. He didn't know what to expect, as he held his breath and stepped over the threshold into the lounge.

Karim looked up from the padd he was entering some notes into, and stood slowly. Nodding his head towards the young man he said "Mr. Sh'eik, I'm happy to see you are doing well. How can I help you?'

"Sir, I..." The big cat blinked and his left ear flicked a few times, where should he start? He looked back over his shoulder at the still open door of the turbolift, before stepping cautiously further, into the lounge, letting it close.

"I don't mean to be a bother... I have a lot of questions..." He felt like a lost... er... kitten. He hugged his arms to himself almost looking cold, his eyes low looking left, back towards the turbolift door.
"The inner stuff... is my own to deal with. I mostly, just need to figure out, what to do next." His eyes came up to meet Dhej's.

"My parents weren't fleeters or anything, but I'll try not to get in the way. I was hoping to get a bunk somehwere, and access, to public level data-nets."
He was looking back to the left again, his ears plastered flat to his head, "The sooner I can find my family, the sooner I can get out from underfoot."

Sitting, he gestured for Sh'eik to sit in the nearby chair. Taking a moment, he said "If it is truly your wish to find members of your extended family, I can arrange for a passing ship to ferry you back to a nearby starbase where Starfleet will work to locate them." Pausing, he said "But if I'm reading your body language correctly, that may not be what you really want."

"Family and clan members are very important to the Cait, sir. I have no aunts or uncles, and our clan was small to begin with. I'm not sure anyone is alive, or willing to take me in." Sh'eik gingerly padded over to a chair and sat.

"I'm sorry, by the way." The Caitian looked away, embarrassed.

Looking at him with a sad smile, he said "What are you sorry for Mr. Sh'eik? You were alone in the ruins of a starship. I heard your distress call and brought you back here to recover. If anything I should be sorry for taking you aboard without your permission."

"I pulled a weapon on you." Sh'eik said, "I was born and grew up on that ship, I'd never even set foot on a planet before the crash... I'm not sure I want to go home. Home is kind of a mangled mess on a moon with hostile animals... I think it's time for a new home." His ears lifted slightly and he looked up to Karim.

Looking at him calmly he said "If that is your wish, I can see to it that the Enterprise can be your home. I'm not going to lie to you, it is possibly going to be hard for you to adjust. I will be here to help you with the transition if you want me to." Pausing, he said "You seem to need a friend, and even though I'm the acting commanding officer, I'm happy to work towards being that for you."

Sh'eik's eyes widened ever so slightly at hearing the Dhej was the CO. The computer hadn't told him that!
He looked down to the left again, rubbing his arm again.
"I can work. I'm sure there's something I can do to pull my weight... at least until I can figure out what to do or where to go."
His eyes returned to Dhej's "And a friend would be... really good right now."

Smiling slightly, Karim replied "It's not about pulling your weight, but I would like you to do something to keep yourself busy. Is there anything you enjoy doing? I can see if we can have you learn more about Starfleet and the way the ship works. In terms of me being your friend, I promise I will be here for you when you need me if I can. I've got a busy job being acting commanding officer, but I will work hard to make time for you."

The Cait, for the first time since coming aboard the Enterprise, actually looked like he was relaxing, as he stood in thought momentarily.

"Oh! I've been on my own for quite some time, so I've learned a lot about cooking, raising plants, and hunting. uhm... I'm not afraid to dig behind a panel or two, I had to put together that emergency beacon from an old probe that survived the crash..." Sh'eik thought for a moment, almost seeming excited, his tail swishing back and forth, "I can read star charts fairly well and know my way around a nav computer as well. I had plans and guidance on how to build the probe, but I had to learn to program it's guidance myself. So maybe, Stellar Cartography... or Navigation?"
The Cait couldn't help but gush just a little, for the first time in years, his life might suddenly have meaning again...

Nodding, Karim said "That sounds good. I'll speak to our chief helm officer and see if she can work with you to learn those systems. I'll also contact Starfleet Academy and see if I can have you do some of their coursework if you like. Who knows, you could work towards some sort of position aboard someday." Pausing for a moment he added "Also, I'll give you some access to the ships computer, it will be limited however, since you are currently a civilian. Before I forget, do you have any ideas what you would accept in terms of quarters? Would you be ok with sharing with a junior officer?"

Sh'eik blinked, his left ear flicking a few times. Accept? It had been a long time since he'd been able to decide something for himself. For a moment he hesitated, then piped up.
"I..." His muzzle closed and he looked puzzled, "I wouldn't want to be a burden to someone, but it would be good to have a sense of routine, if I am to stay."

Sh'eik looked thoughtful again for a moment before a proverbial lightbulb moment, "What if we put out..." He trailed off again, smiling and being bleary eyed for a moment. He'd been here less than a week, and was already thinking in terms of teamwork, instead of being alone.

"What if we put out a feeler notice, and see if anyone is interested? I'd rather not impose, but I don't mind sharing a room either," Sh'eik smiled sadly, "I grew up with three siblings and we always shared a room. Father always said..." His eyes widened and he clamped his mouth shut, realizing he was babbling, his tail drooped, "Sorry."

Smiling, Karim thought for a moment and replied "It's no trouble Mr. Sh'eik. I'm sure Ensign Balman would love to have a roommate. He's a very boisterous Bolian. If you'd like to have a bit more privacy, we could arrange for a privacy screen to be installed between the bunks."

Sh'eik thought for a moment, his left ear flicking a few times, "No... No I've had an entire moon to myself for the last 2 years. I... Could really use someone else to talk to, maybe someone who's that outgoing would be a good thing? I like to listen." He was babbling again, and the CO had more pressing matters to attend to, he was sure, than dealing with a lost kitten.

Nodding, Karim stood and said "I'll have Ensign Balman meet you in your new quarters. The computer will give you directions how to get there. I'll also have him introduce you to ships systems, and how to use the replicator. Also, I'll let you know what I hear from the Academy and the chief helm." Pausing, he added "Welcome aboard Mr. Sh'eik, as I said, I'm here for you if you need me. You only need to ask."

Sh'eik nodded gently, "Thank you, for everything."
He left the CO to his pile of PADDs, hopping back on the turbo lift to be whisked off... Home.

=/\=End Log=/\=

Commander Karim Dhej
Acting Commanding Officer
USS Enterprise, NCC 1701-F

Sh'eik
Civillian
USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-F