"Random Encounters"

[Kansas_Jones 0]

10.12.07

USS Agincourt NCC-81762

“Random Encounters”

 

Kansas had exited the lounge area and was now walking down the corridor, lost in her thoughts and being trailed by Doctor Socom, who was maintaining a respectful distance a few feet behind her.

 

Odile saw her, didn't really acknowledge her, and kept moving towards the lift.

 

"Whoa...hey Sin!" The Caitian feline felt rather then saw Odile pass by her and whirled around in the direction the Xenexian was heading.

 

"What?" it was almost a low growl, and O'd'yl caught herself. "You wanted something, Commander?"

 

"You're in a hurry, is all." Kansas cocked her head in a very cat like manner to one side.

 

"Yes, I am." Odile started walking again.

 

"Hey, Sin, it's me..."

 

Odile stopped, turned, and faced her head-on. "I must be missing something." She made herself think. "Oh, yes. You're out of Sickbay. Well, that's very good. Congratulations?"

 

Not really knowing how to react to the attitude, but sensing that all was not well and not liking it one bit, JoNs dropped to all fours with her ears flattened, and her eyes fixated stubbornly on Odile.

 

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Kitty, but now's really, really, really not a good time. I should let you go rest."

 

Doctor Socom had by now backed off more then a few feet; JoNs had begun to circle Odile, sniffing at the air slightly. Something wasn’t right....

 

O'd'yl was glaring, arms crossed. "Kitty..."

 

With a huffed purr, JoNs stood upright again. "Sorry Sin...but your scent is really...off. What’s up? I'm just concerned."

 

"I'm just tired. Please, Kansas..."

 

"...are you sure..." The gold felines gaze then dropped to the sheath the Xenexian wore, and she flipped an ear back in confusion. "Where's your knife....."

 

"With all due respect, Commander," O'd'yl snapped, putting a hand to the empty sheath... protectively, was it? "... mind your own business."

 

Kansas's concerned countenance immediately changed to one of anger- the Xenexian had never been that blunt with her. Ever. Jaw tightening, her gaze going to a far off point down the corridor, the feline merely backed away while not looking at Sin. "Sorry for the intrusion Lieutenant."

 

"My knife -- what's left of my knife, is in Science, if you need to know for security reasons. Is that all, Commander?" Condacin's voice was chilly.

 

"Yes, that is all Lieutenant." The feline still would not look at her. "Again, I apologize for trying to help a friend out." Her tail was very still.

 

Odile stalked off, into the lift, and then stopped, leaning against the door. "Kitty..." Her voice was strained. "Knife shattered."

 

A small amount of the strain in the voice broke through the barrier that JoNs had erected after Condacins standoff-ish attitude. The felines head turned, and her eyes locked onto the lieutenant again. The knife had been broken? Oh gods...to lose such an item…the tribal significance…"

 

Kansas, the tough security officer, suddenly acted on impulse – she moved quickly and grabbed the taller sciences chief in a warm hug. Her purring was very loud in the corridor.

 

... the universe was going to implode. Hell had frozen over. And swine had taken to soaring through the skies.

 

"Ack!" Cat-hug might have been even more frightening than bear-hug. But O'd'yl returned it anyway. "I don't know what to do, Kitty..."

 

The lieutenant commander spoke softly into the sciences officers shoulder. "I come from a tribal culture, as do you Odile. The Knife can be melted down and reforged... you know this …"

 

"I don't want it melted. I just want it fixed." She pulled back, stifled a sniffle. "It's not... badly... damaged... it just snapped because I was, uhm..."

 

"....uh, you didn’t stab the Horta from mineral studies, did you? His hide is about the only thing that could break the metal..."

 

“I stabbed the wall. I didn't damage the wall, either."

 

Kansas as well had pulled away from the embrace and was now looking at Odile with renewed worry. "What happened? No, I’m sorry. You're obviously not ready to tell me. Regardless, your weapon can be fixed."

 

"It's been a long, long day. And I don't know. But I don't know what I'll do without it."

 

The senior officer in the Caitian took over, just a little bit. "Here's what we are going to do." The gold feline nodded once, with conviction as she placed a firm paw on Odiles’ arm. "I'll go to your offices, and gather up the knife. It will be kept safe while you get some rest. Then, when you're ready, we both put our collective tribe-think together and get it repaired, ceremonies of honor and all."

 

Odile nodded, slowly. "My office is a mess..."

 

A brief flash of mischievousness flashed across the cats features. "Puh-leeeze. Security Feline. I'm used to skulking around the scene of a messy crime." Her expression then went serious again.

 

"And it’s the least I can do; you've helped me more then you know Odile. You were there when I was torn up over Burne, so let me repay the favor."

 

Condacin sighed again, more of a begrudged huff. "I was just checking in. Nothing fancy. But if you insist..."

 

"Good. Now, go and try to get some rest. I'll take care of the knife gathering mission as quickly as I can, before Doc Socom decides to drag me back to the sickbay..." She indicated her unobtrusive escort a ways down the corridor.

 

"... thank you, Kitty. I think I owe you one."

 

With a simple nod, the recovering female Caitian took her leave of the distraught Xenexian woman. She moved silently down the corridor to where Socom patiently waited, telling the doctor, in a low, "yes we are doing this" tone of her plans to go to the sciences offices.

 

Finally getting in the lift, Odile slumped, though not as much as she might have a few minutes earlier. At least Kitty didn't want to kill her.