It's A Long Way Down

Posted on Mon Sep 23rd, 2019 @ 5:12pm by Lieutenant Thegog Grun & Lieutenant Cyrin Xanth

Mission: Onboarding & Departure
Location: Turbolift

"Hold the lift!" Cyrin sprinted from the CONN all the way to the back of the bridge the moment his shift was up and his replacement had arrived. Long legs helped him close the distance fast, just in time to insert his arm and trigger the sensors to keep the doors open. With a very satisfied looking grin - he had a suspicion all day that the Major was going to make him rewrite another report before he could escape - he slid into the turbolift that had nearly left with Thegog. "We're free!" he cried as he turned both the big grin and loud enthusiasm on the Tellarite.

Having just finished a long shift, and looking forward to getting back to his quarters to relax. Holding the turbolift was the last thing Thegog wanted to do. He was getting a little bit of pleasure watching the doors shut as Cyrin ran for the lift. However, his mood soured once Cyrin got his arm in the door and the journey was waylayed. It soured even more once that smile and exuberance were turned on him like a dagger to the throat. "Yes, it appears that we are." He said while making a point to not look at the young man. He hoped that if he put on his best grimace, it would dissuade any further conversations.

It was soon plain that Thegog was going to have no such luck, as Cyrin's mouth kept moving even as he took a lean against the turbolift wall. "Phew, was it just me or did things draaaaag on today? I swear, sitting at a CONN with nothing to do is the real test of a Starfleet pilot's mettle." There really wasn't much for helm to do at the moment with them travelling through the strange other-space from the graviton catapult, and that fact alone was responsible for just how stir crazy he had gotten. Cyrin glanced up momentarily to call out, "Deck 28," nearly at the bottom of the ship. And just like that Thegog would be the center attention again, "Would it be weird to complain about us going so fast? How you holding up?"

Once the turbolift started moving, Thegog was glad to think he would be getting off in a matter of second. It was then that he realized in the bustle of it all, he forgot to tell the computer what level he was getting off. "Computer, deck 2." The computer beeped in response, but kept going. They obviously passed the level, and he will have to go all the way down. Can this day get any worse? "I am...holding up." He said reluctantly. "I find that there is always something to do. You just have to look for it."

"Ah, the pragmatic type," Cyrin nodded. He hardly seemed to breathe as he went on. "That makes sense, I suppose, in your line of work. Lots of numbers, figures, making sure everything runs smoothly and comes out right. That's gotta get a little tedious sometimes though. Right? I mean, how many times can you re-route power from one thing to the next before it becomes rote?" As if he'd gotten an answer to his questions already, as if the Tellarite was the bored one, he lit up with a grin, "I got just the thing for it, Grun! You gotta come join me sometime on the holodeck. I have this ion surfing program, riding a Class-K star's solar winds during a triple flare event. We can keep the safeties on, if you want to, but I guarantee it'll be worth your time."

Thegog pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache coming on. However, he was impressed with the lung capacity of the Lieutenant. If only he could use that talent for good instead of squandering it away of frivolous things like talking. "I have never gone ion surfing before, and to tell you the truth..." He could not complete the sentence as Cyrin cut him off.

"Never?! Oh, you don't know what you're missing!" If he'd been animated before, Cyrin Xanth was now nearly a warp core breach worth of excitement. In an instant he was at Thegog's side, one arm around the shorter man's shoulder, the other hand gave an elaborate, flourishing gesture towards the turbolift doors. "Just imagine, ion wakes powerful enough to rip the wing from a Bird of Prey if the pilot isn't careful." This pilot jerked them both to the side at the word 'rip', and kept on at that same rapid pace. "But it's you, in a suit, with your board. No fancy bulkheads. No artificial gravity. Nothing but the endless void around you, the stars so bright and piercing, and the invisible wave heading your way. Just you against the power of the sun!" Mercifully he let go, but Cyrin hadn't finished. "Computer! Reschedule my next holodeck appointment for plus one. Thegog, my friend, you are going to thank me."

"Acknowledged, holodeck reservation updated." Did the computer sound a bit mocking today?

Thegog has never known what it was like to choke a creature to death with his bare hands, but the second Cyrin touched him, the thought became quite vivid and the task seemed suddenly doable. Through gritted teeth, "I'm sorry Lieutenant. But I am busy that day. Maybe next time." He said not realizing until it was too late that Cyrin never actually told him when this was supposed to happen. He closed his eyes and hoped the young man didn't notice.

"Aw, you sure? Computer, rescind last." Cyrin flashed him a disappointed look. His eyes were a bit narrowed though, and his lips twitched as if he tried to fight back a smile. He'd returned to his spot, and still the turbolift continued with its ceaseless, droning whisper. "Well, trust me, you haven't lived until you caught a truly radical wave. I'm sure we'll find plenty of good stars in the Delta Quadrant anyways. Simulations just can't get it quite right, you know what I mean? I was thinking about bringing it up with the Captain, 'extra zero-g training' for the whole crew."

oO This ship is not this big. Why is it taking so long. Oo Thegog thought to himself. "That sounds...thrilling. I would...look forward to trying it." He says to Cyrin, trying to be friendly, but not step in it too much.

As if he'd just been handed a whole brick of gold-pressed latinum, Cyrin beamed, "That's stellar, man, just stellar." Then, at long last, he fell quiet. It only lasted for all of five seconds, perhaps six. "So, I assume you've read the Voyager reports. Anything in particular you're hoping we'll come across once we get there?"

"I am a Tellerite. We don't 'look forward' to things. We except them and prepare for all situations. No point in getting my hopes up for something that may not even happen."

"Hmm, seems a bit...anhedonic? Expectation can be a good thing, adding to one's satisfaction. In fact, there's this really interesting Earth thing I read about. See, the humans, they came up with this tantric philosophy..." Mercifully, and at last, the turbolift slowed and whirred to a stop. Cyrin paused, glanced out into the empty corridors in the bowels of the ship, and shrugged. "Ah well, perhaps some other time. Anyways, hope you enjoy your time off!" With that, the Trill was gone, long strides taking him on quickly to the cargo bays, leaving an almost deafening silence behind.

As the doors closed and the turbolift started back up, Thegog gave a relaxed sigh. After a few moments, he started to feel like, he was actually starting to enjoy Cyrins' company. He then brushed it off as some form of Stockholm Syndrome. After what felt like no more than a moment or two, the turbolift opened on his floor. He was a bit perplexed. "Computer, was the time of arrival comparably shorter on the way up than it was on the way down just now?"

=/\= The duration of travel from deck 1 to deck 28 was 1.3 seconds shorter than the duration of travel from deck 28 to deck 2. This is within proper performance thresholds for the turbolift. =/\=

"That can't be right, the trip down felt like a good 5 minutes, however, the trip up was less than a minute."

=/\= Please restate your request. =/\=

"Nevermind. Computer, run a level 4 diagnostic on the turbolifts, and make sure all reading are accurate."

The computer beeped in acknowledgement as Thegog got off the turbolift and started to head to his destination.