The Stars at Night

Posted on Tue Jul 5th, 2011 @ 10:29pm by Lieutenant JG Jane Porter

1,063 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Winds of Change
Location: Arboretum
Timeline: Current

ON

Jane's tree house took three days and her entire team to construct. But, finally, it was done and it was even better than she'd hoped. A "drawbridge" led to the first floor. Rope and plank gangways led from room to room and floor to floor. Giant bamboo reeds carried water to the top floor for a "shower." It looked just like something out of the old vid. Jane was pleased.

Now, all she needed was someone from Engineering to set up the additional holoemitters. She'd sent in her request before beginning her construction. So, hopefully someone would show up soon.

With the work done, she went into her workroom to have a spot of tea.

Sirgei entered, with Lyra. She looked about, and smiled. "The air is so fresh and it's so pretty in here!"

Sirgei chuckled, as he carefully navigated the anti-grav full of various tools, emitters, power relays, and the like. He looked about. "Would either a Lieutenant Junior Grade Jane Porter, or Tarzan please come and sign for this stuff, so we can begin work?" He asked, with a chuckle.

Jane shook her head. "Tarzan stayed behind to run Graystoke. I'm Jane."

"Oh. My. God. YOU ACTUALLY KNOW TARZAN?" Lyra asked, excitedly. She started jumping up and down, like a little school girl who got an A on a math test for the first time.

Sirgei simply shook his head. He wasn't even going to comment.

Jane raised an eyebrow and looked at Sirgei. "Is she serious? Does she believe Schroedinger's cat is still in the box as well?"

"I didn't like that story." Lyra said, with a frown. "They didn't even leave any food in the kitty's box! Of course it died!"

"But, according to the theory, you can't know that without opening the box -- which, of course, kills the cat. But, as it's been over 250 years, the cat is most assuredly dead. Just like Tarzan."

"What happened to Tarzan? Are you going to be okay, now that your husband is dead?" Lyra asked.

Sirgei put his hand on Lyra's shoulder. "Take it easy, Lyra. That's a taboo subject. Let's get this PADD-" He said, as he handed Jane the PADD, "-signed, and get to work."

Jane quickly signed the PADD and handed it back to Sirgei. "Cheetah's dead, too."

"Well, that's good." Lyra said, looking about, nervously. "I'd hate to hear about man-eating cheetahs roaming about the arboretum."

"Right. So, roughly, what were you looking for, here?" Sirgei asked, ignoring Lyra.

Jane led Sirgei back to the main arboretum. "See where the tree house is? I'd like holoemitters on the wall to make it look like there's a jungle out there." She looked up at the ceiling. "And on the ceiling I'd like more holoemitters to make it look like a sky. I have a program to simulate day and night, but I need the emitters first." And, maybe, she'd program a Tarzan to swing through the trees from time to time. Or King Louie. "I want to avoid obfuscation and ennui."

"Should be easily doable." Sirgei said, with a nod. "Give me about an hour to wire up all the emitters. I'll get them linked in to the main computer banks later on, when I get back in to main engineering."

"That'd be so pretty. You could... like... see stars out side." Lyra said, happily.

"That would be delightful," Jane said to Sirgei. Then she turned to Lyra. "Exactly. And the stars will reflect the celestial position of Typhon so it will appear as if you are outside."

"Come along, Lyra. Leave Jane to swing in her trees. We have work to be done." Sirgei said, as he pulled the anti-grav along.

"She swings from trees, too? It must be such a fun life she lives." Lyra muttered.

Sirgei shook his head, chuckling, as he picked up the first holo-emitter, and began consulting his tricorder for an appropriate place.

Jane did swing through the trees at times. It was the fastest way to get from one side of her jungle to the other, but she wasn't sure she wanted Lyra to know that. She could just imagine Lyra coming into the arboretum late one night to swing through the trees -- and end up crashing into one. That wouldn't look good on an incident report. "Is there anything more you need from me?"

"A refrain from further Tarzan references." Sirgei whispered, as he walked past her, to grab something off the antigrav. "She's a bit... vacant... some times. Alright... most of the time."

"What about Swiss Family Robinson?" Jane whispered back. "Jungle Book? Chicken Little?"

"Oh, please, dear god, no. I have to share quarters with that woman." Sirgei said. "If you bring up Chicken Little, she will cry for a week."

"You have to share quarters with her?" She looked at Lyra. "I'd move into my workroom first. Can't you just ... entertain her with shadow puppets?"

"We find... other courses... of entertainment. She's really, a sweet girl, and a brilliant engineer. She's just.... lacking in concentration." Sirgei said, defensively. "And she doesn't like shadow-puppets. She prefers shiny things."

"Then I don't want her to find my koi pond," Jane urged. She was afraid to ask how he entertained the blonde.

"Actually, she likes to watch fish swim. It's sort of a mesmerizing thing. Given that, from time to time, she gets a little dangerous, when left bored, it's peaceful, to know she's so easily distracted by such things." Sirgei said with a chuckle. "Just be glad she doesn't want to weaponize the arboretum, like she did with the shuttle bay."

"Weaponize, as in laser guns and turrets?"

"More likely, making things explode, that have no business exploding. Like butterfly nets." Sirgei said, with a shrug. "If you'll pardon me, I have to get this done on time. We've got a Starship computer system to overhaul later."

Butterfly nets? Jane made a mental note to keep an eye on Lyra any time she came into the arboretum. The last thing she needed was something exploding unexpectedly.

She nodded to Sirgei and stepped back to watch him work.

OFF

Lieutenant JG Jane Porter
Botanist
Starbase Typhon

Lieutenant JG Lyra Walsh
Propulsion Specialist
Starbase Typhon

Chief Warrant Officer Sirgei Bobgdonovich
Computer Systems Specialist
Starbase Typhon

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