More in Common than Previously Considered [Back Post]
Posted on Wed May 10th, 2023 @ 5:07pm by Fleet Captain Maxwell Culver & Lieutenant Lihran N'Vek
2,722 words; about a 14 minute read
Mission:
Good Will Tour: Mountain Home [Part Two]
Location: Triton Seabase: Transporter Room 1
Timeline: MD15: 1100 hours
Max entered the transporter room and adjusted his tunic. Looking to the empty pad and then to his chief, he ordered, “Energize.” Max watched as the massive whorls of dancing light and humming turned into a massively, muscular Romulan deposited on Triton Seabase
Max moved from the console to the base of the transport pad. “Welcome aboard, Lieutenant N’Vek,” he said, extending his hand. “Captain Maxwell Culver, Commanding Officer.”
Lihran materialized onto the transporter pad, a small bag of his personal belongings slung over his shoulder. He smiled warmly in greeting at the man who greeted him and the transporter chief. He stepped down off the pad and smiled, grasping Max's hand in a firm handshake, smiling, "Glad to be here," taking a moment to study him and notice his rank pips, "Sir."
Max had already received N’vek’s orders and security protocols. “Normally, our Chief of Security, Lieutenant Commander Vianola Paxidor, would be here as well. Seems she came down with some stomach virus.” Max smiled. “I kept telling her to stop eating from half the food vendors in Golden Towers…” Max chuckled to himself.
“Either way, I’ve reviewed your files and security clearances. I, for one, am glad to have an Engineer. Our last one got pulled away from duty and sent to serve on the Klingon lines. Being a Klingon herself, I imagine that’s not going to be a friendly assignment.”
Lihran looked concerned, "I hope she is alright." He dipped his head at his statement about being happy to have an engineer, "Happy to serve. This is a far different posting than any I've worked on before, so it will be a bit of a learning curve for me." He glanced over at the Captain, "I hope that is forgivable, sir? I genuinely don't remember the last time I was stationed on planet side."
“Lieutenant, I expect this is going to be a learning curve for all of us. Based on all of our recent events, I expect it’ll be a year before we get comfortable working on the base and then they’ll pull her for a refit.” Max chuckled, but he already had notes on improving the base. Science wanted bigger facilities, the crew complained about the small quarters - something he wanted to take up with the Corps personally. And all this talk about a candy store, a place that had been reported on almost every deck and yet Max had yet to wander past it.
“Best case scenario, Lieutenant Callan Armidale at Operations can give you and hand with any problems. Worst case, we’ll be hanging off the side of the seabase together, you and me, Lieutenant.”
Lihran let out a soft snort, "Usually how it goes; just get comfortable with everything and... refit." He nodded his head along with the Captain's words, "I'll be sure to wear my best swim suit for that." He chuckled softly. He inclined his head slightly, "Is there anything you wish for me to know? About either you, the base any of my other fellow officers?"
Max reserved his outright laugh. “Well, most of your co-workers will tell you that I’m a man-child and I’d have to agree. I like to get in trouble, or start it,” he half-joked. “Colonel s’Khev is of the old-school Romulan mindset. He’s very formal and expects respect and a reserved bridge at all times. I imagine you get used to working with Callan and myself - I just like to stick my nose in where it’s not wanted.
And you? Do you have any specific questions for me about myself, the base or the crew?” Max asked in return.
Lihran lifted a brow, "We will see I suppose, if he and I get along. I may be old, but I don't think I am old school per se.” Time will tell." He smiled warmly and nodded once. He paused and tilted his head, shaking it a few times, "No, I have no questions for you at the moment, sir. If anything comes up, I will certainly reach out to you."
“The Terrans have a saying ‘My door is always open’,” Max quoted the old human phrase. “More often, I’m either on the bridge or wandering about, annoying the science department.” Max chuckled at the number of times his mere presence had screwed up their studies.
“Considering the fact we’ve been without a Chief Engineer, I’m guessing I’ll probably be spending a few days seeing about Engineering with you, if that’s not a problem,” Max suggested.
Lihran dipped his head with a wide smile, "I appreciate it, sir. Thank you." He shrugged slightly, "I'm not opposed to it. I wouldn't mind, in fact, to make sure that I'm doing things correctly. I have a feeling then, if you've been without a Chief Engineer for so long, that I've got my work cut out for me for a while till things are stabilized."
“Fortunately, I think, for you, the engine room is quite small compared to a warp core. I’m sure you’ve read the specifications on your way in, but most of Engineering is ensuring the base has not only primary, but plenty of secondary power. Power on the base is provided by our solar panels and vertical wind turbine. All of those passive power devices fills secondary and tertiary battery backups in the event we have more than thirty days without consecutive sun and no back up from a nearby starship,” Max said, feeling far more serious than he did in any other department.
He stopped and shook his head. “I think my dad just spoke through me for the first time,” Max joked. “It was a little scary,” he added with an outright laugh.
Lihran nodded, not noticing Max stopped till a few steps later. He paused and flushed a bit green in the face, turning around to face him, "I won't deny, Solar is a bit new to me; I'm more used to warp cores and singularity cores." He nodded, "I have read the specifications, but nothing is quite like hands on experience." He offered a warm smile, "I have no doubts I'll adapt quickly, like I adapted to Federation technology." He paused before quipping rather playfully, "I'll be very worried the day I start sounding like my father."
“It’s not wise to be unwelcome to wisdom,” Max reminded his new engineer. “That’s an ancient El-Aurian idiom. Take it or leave it. My dad is great, he should be after nineteen kids before me, but not all dads are eleven hundred years old.” Max chuckled as he caught pace with Lihran.
Family appeared to be a bit of a sore spot for Lihran. He let the silence awkwardly linger for a long moment as he formulated an answer, "I... am glad that good fathers exist in this universe."
Max hadn’t lost the sense from Lihran, but he continued as if he had. He wasn’t even sure if the Romulan knew of the El-Aurian capacity for empathy. “When my parents come to visit, I’ll make sure to introduce you to them.” He smiled broadly.
Lihran offered a soft smile, dipping his head, "If you would think that appropriate." He paused, chuckling, "As long as they don't think I'm a potential son-in-law..." He made a light hearted joke.
“Yeah,” Max responded pensively. “I’m not really sure how they’re going to feel about me introducing a boyfriend, let alone a son-in-law. “I’m already betrothed to marry a woman back home in fifty years.” Max explained his current romantic position. “And start having children thirty four years after that.”
Lihran grimaced at that, nodding slowly. He heaves a sigh, glancing sympathetically at Max, "I went through an arranged marriage. If you ever wish to discuss that at another time and how I handled it and such, I'd be more than willing to. Granted, I know our species are not the same, but..."
“Species may not be the same, but situations are similar. It might be worth talking to someone who has come out the other side of the situation,” Max admitted. “I’m going to guess that it didn’t go well, by the sigh you’ve just heaved.” Max glanced at his new CEO, another person entering his life with just the wisdom he needed.
Lihran nodded slowly, in a rather sage-like manner. He offered a small, genuine smile, "Precisely." He grimaced then snorted, shaking his head, his tone a bit terse, "No, it was the worst thing I had ever done. I married an absolute lunatic. At least my parents graciously found a match that lined up with my preferences in gender."
Max considered the other man’s words. “While I’m sure my mother won’t like it, my sexual preference, I do think she would would get over it eventually. My dad wouldn’t care at all, as long as I’m happy. The problem is that despite the fact that they are paid a large dowry, it’s not them who made the arrangements. It’s the El-Aurian Genetic Department; they make the arrangements based on best genetic match.” Max and Lihran reached the Main Engineering door.
“If I knew why they were genetically matching our people, it would make more sense to me.” Max shrugged again. “It’s an answer I’ll never have. Most of our history was lost to the Borg Invasion. The bastard Q never attacked us directly, but they knew how to hit us, how to knock us back. They damn near committed genocide.
All I know is that we were at a standstill. We couldn’t directly attack them. We signed that treaty…that fucking treaty, just so the Q wouldn’t snap their fingers and kill us all in one shot. Then they attacked you, and despite Q’s beneficent gift of a few years to prepare, Starfleet still stood little chance against them.
Thank the Gods for Captain Picard, Captain Riker and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D or the Federation would have fallen at the Battle of Wolf 359 and then Sector 001 right after.
Lihran nodded slowly as he listened to Max, "I can somewhat get genetic pairing for species survival as opposed to what Romulans do. Mine was a pairing of political gain on either side. That's it. Nothing more than that. At least my parents respected my sexuality."
Max nodded silently, his thoughts swirling around The Great Borg attack on El-Aur and The Battle of Sector 001, the waiting for an arrival of copies of books from the Great El-Aur Council’s library and expecting it to be incomplete. A fear he might never get control of his mind and body back from these new adaptations.
Once his mind came clear, he had a response. “I suppose after the loss of El-Aur, it makes sense to build the strongest, most genetically pure children. To take us back to the beginning of the El-Aurian gifts, but those gifts may have been lost forever to the Borg. Ancient men chasing ancient dreams and lost genetics. We are all we can be. The future of El-Auria is what lay before us. There are no fancy cocks to present amongst the hens, no hens to chase an average cock. Because that was all that was left, generic cocks, generic hens. Nothing more.”
“Well, your people move on as they have for ages, Lihran. Mine are united by a council of old men, and women, who cling to a wish of the dying or soon to be dead. In the end, the result will be the same. The resurgence of the El-Aurians and the Romulans. Our people will go on,” Max concluded.
Lihran sighed and rolled his shoulders back, "As best as we can do, really. There's only so much a shattered, small fraction of a population can do. We do our best given that though." He gave a small smile and looked over at Max, nodding, then cast a glance to the door leading to Engineering.
“At least there’s enough to keep moving your people along. If you want to help with genetic diversity, you could become a gene donor,” Max suggested.
Lihran furrowed a brow at that tilting his head a little as he ran over that idea in his mind, "I genuinely never thought of that. I will take that into consideration." It was a way to still stay true to himself and help the Romulan population...
“I’m hoping my own fiancée, Larissa, will take that as an option. It wouldn’t be too hard to explain, really. Our people like to use the whole of both families to raise the children together. It fosters friendships between the families and the whole community. As an absent father, Starfleet would be an easy explanation for why daddy isn’t home,” Max responded, sounding hopeful.
Climbing the last of a few stairs, Max presented the Engineer with his work place. “A bit of the longer way around, but you’ll find your engine room right here every day. The large tubes on port and starboard store and run the power through the ship from top to bottom.
“The upper, thinner metallic tube is attached to the wind turbine and helps restore the power when winds are fair.”
Lihran nodded slightly as he moved to follow Max, climbing up the stairs, "I really genuinely do hope it works out that way for you. The strongest bonds are ones of a person's own choosing. Er, not that I am an expert..." He let out a soft sigh at that. He started to look around the engine room, nodding slightly. Bright, keen eyes took it all in, "I look forward to working with it. I'll adapt quickly." Not like he had much of a choice.
“Alright, Engineer Glum, what’s your type? I’ve seen some hot guys of different species and ages. It can’t be that hard to get you hooked up. I mean, I’m not going to lie - the first guy tried to kill me - but I’m with a sweet young human right now.
“I’ll find you a guy after this next mission to frozen hell or my name isn’t Maxwell Culver.” Max was quite sure of himself.
Lihran had no idea what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't THAT! He sputtered and turned a lovely, deep shade of Romulan green as his face got flushed, down to the very tips of his ears even. He cleared his throat and looked away, "Not exactly picky, honestly. I ah..." He shrugged helplessly, "The sweet kinda guy I suppose. If you can manage that..." he trailed off, struggling for words, "Hmm, I owe you a drink or...something."
“Oh?! I might be a bit more than you can handle and I’ve got an adorable Spaniard I’m working on in Golden Towers. Scrub up nice and once this frozen shit show in the mountains is done, we’ll have to go man gazing. You, me and a shy but not shy Spaniard,” Max yelled, twirling like a madman and using the tools to bang out some strange, but familiar tune.
Lihran's green blush darkened even more, "I meant... I meant, I doubt you can manage to find one, I meant..." He couldn't help but chuckle at Max's madman like behaviour, smiling a bit, "That sounds like fun.. Man gazing..."
“You’ll never know what you’ll find out here. I’ve never been with a blue guy before…” Max admitted with a bit of a smile. “Anyway, Chief Engineer, I leave you to your staff! You’ll find more walking around the base, so feel free to introduce yourself.” Max paused. “We have a bar, it’s small and self-serve and, though I haven’t seen it yet, there’s a candy shop on board. It just isn’t in the same place twice!”
Max threw up his hands. “The place is utter chaos, but if you stick around long enough, I’m sure you’ll find there are stranger things around than your CO!”
RSS Feed