Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

Posted on Tue Apr 30th, 2024 @ 8:37pm by Lieutenant Commander Hamish Brott & Lieutenant Himari Kai, MD & Ensign Andrea Astor

1,544 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Spiders of Sarastus VII
Location: Cargo Hold
Timeline: Current

ON:

Bellwether Station had finally received transmission from the Antares class cargo freighter, the SS Centaurus that it was approaching the station. The ionite nebulae were particularly problematic lately and had obstructed communications until the Centaurus was well through the thick of it. Emerging from the gaseous clouds the freighter slowed it's speed and came to a stop within transporter rang.

Lieutenant Commander Hamish Brott and Ensign Andrea Astor had made their way to the largest cargo hold that the station had. Brott's hand came about to rest on Astor's right shoulder. "Man the cargo transporter console while I fetch that anti-grav lift over there" he said to the Ops officer.

The task was straight forward. The Centaurus had a dozen crates and cargo containers of various shapes and sizes that they would beam over. Astor would then have to play tetris. She would need to then transport the containers onto the anti-grav lift that Brott had fetched. Placing and stacking the crates and containers securely.

Brott brought the lift over and smiled. "Ready to start loading them up, Ensign," he said gleefully. "It's probably going to be two hefty loads. I'll take as much as I can safely and we'll have to unload it manually for storage."

The task at hand was not an especially difficult one, although it did have the young ensign curious. Brott was in a decidedly cheerful mood today, and she suspected it was in part to the cargo quite literally on their doorstep.

Part of it was undoubtedly down to the new doctor, who Brott had taken an apparently instant like to - which for the Bolian seemed to be a default setting. Astor had seen little of her but had seen the cat who could turn up in the most random places with ninja stealth.

It was how she discovered that she was allergic to cats. Or at least that particular one.

She glanced down as her console chirped, signaling all was ready and transport could proceed. With a few taps on the smooth surface (now that she had gotten what had looked like some kind of solidified tree sap off the top corner the other day), the familiar sound of an incoming transporter beam filled the air.

She was sure she saw Brott clap his hands in excitement but perhaps she imagined that as she made adjustments to ensure the containers materialized where they wanted. It would not take much to create chaos and carnage if the containers were stacked improperly.

Brott had indeed clapped his hands, giddy at the arrival of cargo. Medical supplies, food supplies, and of course Brott being Brott, a little bit of luxury was contained within the crates and containers. "Splendid!" he exclaimed.

The Bolian was also excited that his old friend would be arriving later too. He was thinking about how long it had been, and that he would have to show her the station, all the nooks and crevices that had changed over the years. He was amused with the the stacks of everything, strategically placed so that it was stable and safe to move.

Biting down on a laugh at the Bolian’s enthusiasm for a stack of crates, Astor initiated the second transport. Space would be tight but it was amazing how quickly supplies dwindled in an apparent blink of an eye.

The little compartment seemed like the perfect place to rest. It had been until the sounds familiar yet not yet fully woke the sleeping creature within the small safe haven.

She gave a hearty yawn and stretched her legs forward angling her butt back and raising it higher then her head in a downward dog position that would put a yoga master to shame. She raised her head and then sauntered to the small entrance looking down.

The nice blue bald man was there giddy but un interesting. There was the other human. The cat tilted its head as if studying it. How to get down. She stood a second longer. It seemed that a tower was being built for her right under her nose. She waited until the cart looked full. She gave a little hiss and chose the most precariously balanced container to be her ramp. She walked back some ways and then took a running start leaping from her hiding place and onto a barrel that was slightly tilted.

The barrel swung right and then left and feeling her safety was at risk the cat jumped onto a wall beam and out of sight before she could be seen not even flinching once when a loud crash sounded.

"Clean up in Cargo Hold 1" said Brott with a chuckle. "Oh dear me that little critter is a hoot" he said shaking his head. Nothing really upset the Bolian and he was mostly unphased by what had happened. "They love high places" he said to Astor.

“No….They love chaos,” the young woman sighed. Which was never the friend of anyone who worked in Operations. Crossing towards the Bolian she frowned, “but a cat shouldn’t have caused the balance to shift, unless the targetting scanners are out of alignment…”

She about turned on the spot to return to the transporter console, initiating a quick diagnostic just as she suddenly sneezed. And again. And again…

"Oh dear me," quipped Brott. "I wonder if you are allergic to something we've brought aboard from the freighter." He was trying to think of common allergens. "Plomeek? I requested plomeek powder in bulk."

He reached for a nearby PaDD "Run a diagnostic on the targeting scanners. They do have a tendency for misalignment once in a while, that's why we don't use this one to transport people."

“Already…. aaah-chooo!!! … already running,” she told him in between smothering her sneezes with a tissue as her eyes began to water. “I don’t think it’s … ah-choo!… the cargo. It’s the cat…. Is there a med kit?”

A hypo with an anti-histamine would be a perfect remedy for an intrusive feline. Only problem was she could barely see even her own hands as the sneezing continued. She had grown up in some of the most inhospitable places, surrounded by aliens and their various ‘pets’. And a cat did this to her? How embarrassing…

The cat he thought. "Oh you are allergic to our station mascot! That's awful, Ensign. I can do you one better than a med kit. We have a Doctor."

Brott tapped his commbadge "Doctor Kai to Cargo Hold numero uno, antihistamine pronto por favor. Ensign Astor is sneezing up a storm in here" explained Brott. He thought about singing to pass the time but opted to hum a tune instead.

Kai had just finished reorganizing the closet office into something a little better, a storage closet, when the call came in. "On my way." She picked up the hypo and a tricorder and headed out.

Meanwhile....in the Cargo hold the creature with the glowing eyes stared from the dark. A most fascinating scene. A cargo hold in chaos, a human making some rather fascinating squeaks and the blue man, a fast favourite, trying to aid the other. The cat sensed pray. She slowly eased out of her hiding place and into the shadows; using the chaos of fallen cargo to weave her way around. She stayed still looking out from her hiding place.

The sneezing continued and the cat slowly reached its paw out. Not using its claws, it was not meant to hurt but just to entertain the bored cat. She tapped the sneezing person on the ankle hoping perhaps to scare her? Perhaps to entertain....what runs through the cat's mind is a mystery but it sensed that this home would be fun.

Feeling something brush against her leg, Astor let out a startled yelp in surprise before she saw the outstretched paw. Now she understood why her mother hated cats…

The cat sauntered out and wound around Astor's leg before heading to the blue being. He was always there with the treats and ear skritches.

While the cat sought attention from the jovial Bolian, the sneezing continued. “This is not fun,” the ensign managed to convey between sneezes as they heard the doors opening.

"I was called and here I am." Kai looked over at the cat. "Oh boy, I'm guessing my cat has something to do with this." She smiled at the woman. "You must be Ensign Astor." She held up the hypo. "I think this will make you feel better."

"She appears to be allergic to this cutie" Brott said picking up the cat and kissing it on the head repeatedly like a grandmother to their grandchild. "Who's my handsome boy. You are. Yes, you are."

She grinned. "You are going to spoil that cat." Walking over to Astor she held the hypo. "Ready for your shot?"

“A million percent,” the young woman declared.

Kai smiled pressing the hypo to the woman's neck. As the medication hissed out of the hypo Kai said, "It should take a few moments to work."

Brott smiled. "Spendid. You take care of that, I'm going to take this little guy with me and get some grub." With that, Brott headed off.

OFF

 

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