"Control and Excess"

[Guest Sar'vek t'Jhiin]

Sar'vek had hustled back to the Lab more out of habit than particular need. The away duty tired her as well as put her on edge, making her look to her familiar hideaway rather than to the Bridge.

 

She entered her Lab, glancing at the ground as she passed through the doors, contemplating the possibilities of a later nap as...

 

The toe of her boot crunched against something on the floor, slightly startling her from her reverie. Lifting her foot, she regarded the offending item for a moment, puzzled. A small piece of p'Opcorn, on the deck plating? Likely dropped.

 

Only then did she glance around to the residual traces of the chaos that had apparently ensued. There was p'Opcorn everywhere... empty bottles of some cheap flavored ales, tattered pieces of uniform-colored fabric...

 

A moment later, her eyes narrowed, the lower portion of her face twisting into an angered frown as she noticed the dissection table... what was on the dissection table. She walked roughly to it, shaking its contents roughly. "Wake up," she demanded in a low voice, simmering with what seemed to be suppressed rage.

 

"But I don't have school today...." Issaha lay in a shirtless lump on the table where he had passed out. "Let me sleep in a bit more."

 

Sar'vek exhaled a low hiss. "Do I look like your mother, Ne'Arrain?" she asked, stressing his rank.

 

Issaha rolled over and rubbed his eyes. His vision was still a tad blurry, "No..." he remarked, "You're much better looking than my mother."

 

The compliment didn't improve her mood. "And where is your shirt? What did you do to my Lab?" the woman inquired, incredulously, shaking a bit of ticker tape off her boot.

 

Issaha sat up on the table and noticed he was still a bit dizzy. He looked around seeing the shape the lab was in. It was then he noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt, "Wow, how did that happen. Looks like there was a party here."

 

"I would have no idea how you lost your garment," t'Jhiin replied, flatly. "And I have a rather nagging hunch that you are in fact responsible for said... 'party'." In her Lab, no less!

 

"Ummmm," Issaha stumbled for the right excuse to use on her, "It was t'Ditsy's birthday and we wanted to surprise her."

 

"t'Ditsy?" she bellowed, patience wearing thinner by the moment as she spat the name. "That traitorous little..." Sar'vek stopped a moment, calming herself. "And you were compelled to host this celebration in the Lab, of all places?"

 

"Well I thought the lab would be a good place for a nice quiet get together." He grinned at her hoping she would start to relax. She was rather cute when she was angry he thought to himself.

 

"It appears to have been anything but quiet. Or should I na have noticed the bottles of ale?"

 

He knew he was busted. It was time to do what he did best and beg for forgiveness. "I admit it got a little more out of hand than I intended. I swear I never intended it to get like this. I planned on having it cleaned up before you returned. I just kind of fell asleep before that happened."

 

"Fell asleep? Why am I leaning towards a more plausible explanation -- that you passed out from high alcoholic intake, perhaps?" She lifted an eyebrow, almost Vulcan in the gesture.

 

Issaha raised his hands in his defense, "I did have a bit to drink I will not lie. But I did fall asleep as you know I had a late shift the day before."

 

If his brother were na the executive officer... if he were of any other family on ch'Rihan... she might have just smacked him right there and then. Lifting her hands instead to her face, she sighed loudly, glancing about the floor. "Au... what am I going to do with au?"

 

"Au should have some fun with me sometime," he grinned, "I don't mean that in any wrong way. Just we should spend some time together. And I know you probably want to hit me right now."

 

She gave him her best "unamused." look. "Ie, as a matter of fact, I do, though it won't help anything. H'nah..." she started, standing a meter or so back from the table, "au are going to start cleaning up."

 

"If you want to hit me then do so, " he stood up, "It's what you would to anybody else on this ship."

 

She considered it for a moment, and then shook her head. "Au might like it too much," she said, wearily.

 

"All I ask from you more than anyone is to treat me as you would anyone else. Do not let my brother scare you. Trust me it's what he would want from you as well." He walked closer to her, "If the punishment is deserved that is."

 

She eyed him for a long moment. "Deserved. Ie, it is. Three extra shifts over the next two days. And au clean up the Lab h'nah."

 

He nodded in agreement, "Now was that so hard?"

 

"Na at all. Though, I'll be watching au, Issaha..." Her eyes narrowed. "Au will forgive me if I do na exactly trust au to report without coercion."

 

"I wouldn't either," He let loose a sly grin, "I am still me after all."

 

Unfortunately... "I figured as much. Start with those ale bottles," she directed, crossing her arms after pointing to the wayward booze.

 

He walked over in the direction and started picking up the bottles that were scattered. "I must admit. It was a fun party. You should have been here. You might have even enjoyed yourself by mistake."

 

"Had I been here, there would have been a definite lack of 'fun party'."

 

He moved over and placed the bottles in a recycling receptacle, and started back for more. "Have you ever had fun or do we have a new Ice Queen aboard?"

 

Sar'vek gave him a withering look. "I have fun when occasion calls for it. In moderation, and the correct company -- certainly na with junior officers in my own department."

 

"And why not with your junior officers," He said as he picked popcorn out of the particle accelerator, "Afraid we might not be quite as terrified of you after we get to know you outside of the lab?"

 

"Fraternization is frowned upon."

 

"A lot of things I do are frowned upon," he said as he went about his cleaning under Sar'vek's watchful eye, "But that does not stop me. I live my life to the fullest and the way I want to. Not the way my peers dictate."

 

"I take it then," she crossed her arms, "that au expect me to do the same? Perhaps I place more of an emphasis on my career than au." She snorted. "Besides, seeing me outside the Lab just gives my underlings more opportunity to put knives in my back."

 

"I respect the fact that your career is important to you," he bent over and picked something out of one of the plant bins. He then saw his shirt draped over one of the neutron scopes, "But not everybody is out to put knives in you back. I'll admit the majority of them might. But you need to learn to trust some people or you'll wind up like my brother. Paranoid."

 

"Hah! Au think I should trust au?"

 

"I didn't say me. I just said you should let somebody in from time to time."

 

"That," she replied, ruefully, "has a tendency to go bad. But... I'm on menkha terms with some of the other senior staff. t'Aehjae... Laehval has na tried to y'ya me yet..."

 

"But you have not truly began to trust them." he paused long enough to put his shirt back on, "I can hear it in your voice."

 

"Na, na particularly. Perhaps that's because I've na had enough time to judge them, and most of my interactions with the others have been less than perfect..."

 

"Have you had time to judge me?"

 

She considered for a moment. "Reckless, though at least na scheming like aur brother."

 

"Well I guess it's a start."

 

Sar'vek smirked sardonically. "Au strike me as the type who partied his way through Galae training and wreaked general havoc as a youth."

 

"Wreaked is such a weak word for what I did in the Galae." He smiled, "Brother would say I cut a swath of destruction and lust."

 

"Elements..."

 

He finished picking up the last pieces of garbage, "I've heard that quite a few times."

 

"That's what the Daise'Erei'Riov says... do you agree?"

 

"Oh I do agree."

 

That was reassuring. "And au are keeping up the tradition here hrrau Talon?"

 

"Well of course. It would be wrong of me not to continue the proud Issaha tradition."

 

Sar'vek was giving up. "Io request, fhaen. From h'nah on... at least alert me to aur plans before au implement them?"

 

"But where's the fun in that?"

 

"Control, N'Dak, control! Excess is what gets au into hot water."

 

"Excess is a virtue that you should explore more."

 

"A virtue?" Sar'vek was disbelieving.

 

"I will make you a deal." another smile crept across his face, "You teach me more of this 'control' you speak of, and I shall you teach you the joys of excess."

 

"Uhm..." Sar'vek struggled for an answer. "Why do I have a feeling this is na in my own best interests?"

 

"Oh but it would be. You would be teaching me 'control' something which I seem to be lacking. And you will have some fun. Which you have been missing. What do you say?"

 

"Fun. What kind, dare I ask, of fun?"

 

"Does it matter what type of fun. It will be mostly harmless."

 

"Mostly?" She was getting that 'bad' feeling.

 

"Mostly," he put his hand out to her, "Think of the acclaim you'll get if you teach Issaha N'Dak 'Control'."

 

She took the offered limb reluctantly, a skeptical expression on her face. "Great acclaim," she replied, flatly. "And aur schemes will na work, even if mine will," she stated, smugly.

 

Issaha just grinned, "A deal it is."

 

"Elements, what am I getting myself into?"