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USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

[ CPO Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Jefferies Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift ] @Gadget

Chief Petty Officer Ekon Okotie-Eboh was not a small man, which made his current position less than comfortable. Presently he was lying on his side in a jefferies tube on deck 8 as he tried to assess the state of the EPS conduits. A team consisting of the few remnants of the Engineering department, bolstered by some of the Operations crew, were working on the impulse drive. If they, by some miracle, managed to get the impulse drive back up and running, Ekon wanted to be sure the electro-plasma distribution network was intact and ready. The last thing they needed was to get impulse going only to try and distribute power throughout the ship and blow out the EPS grid. With the state the Cayuga was in, Ekon wasn’t sure the ship would survive the damage. Ekon had started in Engineering and had worked his way along the Jefferies tubes and up three decks, making note of the damaged EPS conduits on his PADD. If and/or when the impulse drive was brought back online, he needed to be ready. They needed to be able to get power restored throughout the ship as soon as possible. So far the grid was in better shape than he had feared, though it still needed a number of repairs.

Ekon heard movement approaching from further down the cramped passage of the Jefferies tube, and looked down past his feet to see Crewman Halliday coming through the Jefferies tube towards him, crawling awkwardly because of the container he was carrying. Ekon tilted his head up and looked along the Jefferies tube in the other direction, seeing that he had finished with the last stretch of EPS conduit in this section, and that just a few feet ahead was a junction. Ekon looked back at Halliday and nodded towards the package he was carrying.

“What’s that you’ve got with you, Halliday?” Ekon asked, slipping his tools into his kit. “Are you trying to squirrel away food for later?” The last was said with a grin to show he meant it as a joke.

“Nah, Chief. Brought you some lunch! Chef asked me to bring ‘em to ya! It’s the special of the day! Rations, served cold, with no sauce, no side and hardly any flavor!” Halliday announced, face beaming with a shit-eating grin. “There’s coffee in there too. Figured you could do with some. He said there were two of you, though…” Halliday trailed off as he handed Eboh the container, trying to peer past the Chief to see who was with him.

“Ensign Dumral is in the next jefferies tube.” Said Chief Eboh, “Thank you, Halliday.” Halliday mouthed the word "Cardassian" at Ekon, and the Chief nodded. With a cringe, Halliday awkwardly turned himself around and started crawling back the way he had come, Ekon crawled towards the junction just ahead. Once in the junction he poked his head into the Jefferies tube that ran off the junction perpendicular to the one he had just been in, seeing a Cardassian woman working just a few feet down the tube.

“Ensign,” Ekon spoke softly, knowing his deep voice travelled through the Jefferies tubes easily. “Let’s take a break. Lunch has been delivered.”

Ekon withdrew his head from the Jefferies tube and sat back against the bulkhead so that Ensign Dumral would have room to emerge from the Jefferies tube. In the larger space of the junction Ekon sat upright and rolled his neck back and forth, trying to work out the tension left over from working in such an awkward position.

Re: USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

Reply #1 –
[CONN Officer Dumral|Jeffries Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift]
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There was only so much one could do sitting on the bridge. After the eventual escape that left them drifting, there had been some time to settle and coordinate, to figure out who was going where to try and get the ship back to some form of operational. She had decided when she reluctantly accepted the role of chief conn officer that she would spend most of her time on the bridge. She didn’t know all of her staff’s capabilities, but she did know her own. She was a great pilot but a horrible engineer. But seeing as her department had been working around the clock with the engineering team, it was only fair that she give one of them a break on the bridge and let the others rest as she took a shift in engineering.

Luckily it wasn’t anything too complicated. She joined Chief Okotie-Eboh on the repair of the EPS conduits, something that even she could manage, albeit slowly. She couldn’t remember the last time she had even held an engineering tool kit. It took some time familiarizing herself with the conduit and the tools to fix it before she was able to patch her first one, but with a little practice was was steadily working her way down the Jeffries tube. Lying on her side, she shifted along to tackle each different complication the conduits presented, but all in all they were in far more decent shape than some of the read outs she had seen on other systems on the ship.

She was startled from her intense focus by the familiar voice of her partner on the project. She called out, “All right, just two more minutes.”

A short while later she could be heard clamoring down the small space before she finally emerged with a relieved sigh. Hands brushed along her mussed hair as she enjoyed the chance to stand once again, stretching and smiling at the Chief as she attempted a joke, “So what are we having today? Wait, I have a guess. Halant stew? Or larish pie? No wait! I’ll get it for sure this time! Could it possibly be..rations?”

Re: USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

Reply #2 –
[ CPO Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Jefferies Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift ] @Gadget

As Chief Eboh waited for Ensign Dumral to emerge from the Jefferies tube he rolled his sleeves up to the elbows and unzipped his tunic, allowing it to hang open and expose the shirt beneath. Working in such awkward positions for extended periods, and in such cramped spaces, made for hot work. Ekon watched as the Cardassian woman crawled out of the Jefferies tube, running her hands over her black hair as she straightened up. She had been helpful with the work, if a bit slow compared to himself. He supposed he couldn't fault her for that, since she was used to piloting the Cayuga, not fixing her. He couldn’t help but crack a half-smile at the Ensign’s sarcastic guesswork.

”You must be very optimistic to make rations your third guess, ma’am.” Ekon chuckled as he opened the container and extracted the two ration packs, tossing one onto the deck next to him as he held the other out, offering it to the officer. Once she had taken the proffered ration pack, Ekon reached back into the container.

”It is still a good day, though,” Ekon murmured as he extracted the thermos, feeling the coffee within sloshing back and forth. “Halliday brought us coffee too. If you take a bite of the emergency ration, and immediately take a sip of coffee, the ration only tastes half as bad as it normally would.” Ekon smiled, filling one of the cups in the container and holding it out to the Ensign. ”You should try it, ma’am. It works well. It’s a trick we used all the time during the Dominion war.”

Too late Ekon realized that the last part of that statement might not have been the best way to finish the sentence. He was no lover of Cardassians by any means, but that didn’t mean it was a good idea to make things awkward while stuck in a small confined space with one. One that was a higher rank, no less. Ekon cleared if throat awkwardly and looked at the Cardassian woman. ”Forgive me, ma’am. That is perhaps not the best topic to have brought up over lunch.”

Re: USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

Reply #3 –
[CONN Officer Dumral|Jeffries Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift] @fife

Mektari loved the warmth and this situation was no different. She easily stayed bundled up in her uniform, but she understood the necessity for her partner to reveal his undershirt as they settled in for their break. The environmental controls certainly weren’t working at full functionality after all, so the tubes were quickly becoming reminiscent of her desert holodeck programs.

She accepted the ration with a small nod, settling in to take a seat next to him and ‘enjoy’ the food while the chief spoke. But all her movement stopped when he mentioned the war, eyes not meeting his, focused instead on the ration in her hand. But it was only for a few seconds before she looked up to him with a smile on her face, attempting a pleasant expression even if it didn’t quite reach her eyes, “Its all right Chief, no one can help it. It was a recent and very horrific part of everyone’s lives. I’m used to hearing about it at this point, it’s a popular subject when I’m around.”

She held out her hand, hoping to take the coffee as well if he didn’t mind. She screwed off the top, hoping he didn’t have a problem with drinking after her, but in a time like this cups were a small worry. She took his advice, taking a small bite of the ration and then following it with a large gulp of the dark brew. A deep grimace overtook her expression, clearing her throat and rubbing her sternum as she passed the thermos back, ”I know coffee does a great job at keeping you moving, but I never understood how anyone enjoys the taste!”

Re: USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

Reply #4 –
[ CPO Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Jefferies Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift ] @Gadget

Chief Eboh grimaced at the effect his remark had on the Cardassian woman, and after she accepted the thermos from him he cast his eyes down at his lap, trying to think of something to say. He stared at his hands for a long moment. His right hand held the ration, but to Ekon’s surprise his left was rubbing his right hand as though it was trying to wipe something off of it. He could almost see the blood as his thoughts traveled back…

Ekon shook his head, pushing away the horrible memory that had been threatening to creep up on him. He was on the Cayuga, not the Hiroshima. Looking up, he smiled at Ensign Dumral as she grimaced at the flavour of the coffee, chuckling as she cleared her throat noisily and rubbed the centre of her chest.

”I know coffee does a great job at keeping you moving, but I never understood how anyone enjoys the taste!”

Ekon chuckled as he took the thermos back, relaxing a little as the Ensign made him laugh. ”To be honest, ma’am, I had the exact same reaction when I first tried kanar.” He said, grinning at her as he took a bite of his ration and a swig of coffee, not bothered that she had drunk from the same thermos. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then offered her the thermos again as he swallowed the mouthful of coffee-soaked ration and continued to speak. ”I guess it all boils down to different people having different tastes.” He gave her a teasing grin. ”The question you have to as yourself is, which do you think is worse? The taste of the coffee, or the taste of the ration?”

He studied the woman as he waited for her to answer. While he had opened his uniform, she kept hers on. Ekon remembered that Cardassians tended to be cold in anything but desert conditions. He found himself looking closer at the one that sat before him. She was young, probably too young to have been involved in the war as far as military service.

Hell Eboh, she’s probably young enough to be your granddaughter! Are you going to suspect a child of plotting to kill you? He mentally chastised himself, annoyed at the fact that his thoughts kept turning to negative ones just because the woman was Cardassian.

She's also a Starfllet officer. Your superior officer. Ekon reminded himself in a sort of mental reprimand. She has done nothing to warrant these sorts of thoughts.

Re: USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

Reply #5 –
[CONN Officer Dumral|Jeffries Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift]

Mektari felt she was losing her edge a little. She had always been a master of masking her emotions, but she could tell she had upset him by letting some of her own discomfort with the subject bleed through. Oh well, it can’t be helped. It’s bound to happen to you when you spend all of this time with humans. But something about that thought sparked an idea about the Chief, which made her start to study him a little more closely as well when he spoke of kanar.

She gave a laugh, followed closely by a whistful sigh, “I don’t blame you, few like the taste the first time they try it, including myself, but I would personally give up a lot to have a bottle of it right now.” She leaned her head back, resting it against the wall and rolling the stress out of her shoulders, focusing on the far wall as she grimaced her way through more of her rations. After a small silence she might have seemed a mind reader with her next sentence, but it was more due to the fact that she was used to having this conversation, “I wasn’t in the war, if that helps. I could have been. Central Command is happy to train soldiers of any age, but I was never cut out for things like that. I failed tactical training at the Academy not once, but twice. I’d rather fly big ships and study star charts than hold a phaser.”

Finally her eyes cut back to him, a slight smile on her face as she gave him a very long and possibly uncomfortable stare before she finally spoke, “You’re not human, are you?”

Re: USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

Reply #6 –
[ CPO Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Jefferies Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift ] @Gadget

Ekon smiled at the Cardassian woman, regarding her with a measure of curiosity. She hadn’t been in the war, which was a mark in her favour. And she was obviously quite sharp, which was obvious even before Ekon had began talking to her. She'd have to be sharp to make it as one of the few Cardassians in Starfleet. Ekon knew they would not have an easy time of it, with plenty of people reacting to them in the same sort of negative way he had. That last thought brought a sense of shame at his initial reaction.

Give her a chance Eboh. He thought to himself, You can’t hate an entire species for something that happened yeas ago.

Then Ensign Dumral was staring at him, the shorter woman’s vivid green eyes seeming to consider him for quite a long time before she finally spoke. ”You’re not human, are you?”

Ekon chuckled and smiled at her. ”I’m half human, actually.” Ekon said, ”And half El-Aurian, ma’am. He paused, considering his next words. ”I’ve been serving in Starfleet for almost 30 years, so I did fight in the Dominion War. And numerous other conflicts with a number of different races.” Ekon paused and shrugged, "Be happy you weren't in the war, ma'am. I hear some of the younger officers saying they are sad that they missed it. They don't understand what it was like." Ekon gave her a sad smile, his left hand unconsiously moving to touch his abdomen. Then he seemed to shake himself out of it, "Anyway, if we're going to be stuck in the jefferies tubes for quite some time doing repairs, we should probably start talking about happier things."

Then, looking at her with a deadpan expression, he added. "So what about you? You are not human either, are you?” She seemed to like humour, and there was usually no better way to break tension than an incredibly stupid joke. Ekon fought to keep the smile from his face as he delivered the line, curious to see how she would react.

Re: USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

Reply #7 –
[CONN Officer Dumral|Jeffries Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift]

She nodded as her suspicions were confirmed, though she did seem a little surprised by the answer, “El-Aurian? Well it would certainly explain why you seem much older than you look.”

She watched as he carefully found his words to talk about the war, noticing the way his hand rubbed at his abdomen, her expression both solemn and sympathetic. It was obvious that he had a endured his own troubles during the war and while she was sure he had killed many of her kind, he at least wasn’t on of the ones that ran around talking about the ‘glories’ of war. Her voice took on a much more serious tone as she answered, ”I understand. I’m forever grateful I wasn’t part of the actual war, living in the aftermath was hard enough. I can’t imagine how much worse the suffering must be for those of you that were on the front lines. Those kids just don’t understand what they’re talking about when they say they wish they had been there.” She cracked a quick smile, ”Though I guess to an El-Aurian we must all seem like kids to you.”

With ease she also moved from the subject of war though, quick to respond to the ridiculous joke with a feigned look of surprise, ”Is my secret discovered already? I guess I’ll have to report back to the Obsidian Order and request an extraction.” Another small pause ensued as she gathered her thoughts before she presented a new subject, ”You know, I think this is the longest and most relaxed conversation I’ve had on this ship. I wonder if the fact that part of you come from a race of listeners has suddenly put me in a more talkative mood.”

Re: USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

Reply #8 –
[ CPO Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Jefferies Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift ] @Gadget

Ekon smiled as Ensign Dumral spoke, chuckling to himself as she suggested that they all must seem like kids to him.

She certainly has a quick sense of humour! He thought to himself.

”You do not all seem like you are children to me, ma’am.” Ekon said with a grin. ”Perhaps more like troublesome teenagers.” He continued, giving her a teasing smile and a wink as he took another bite of his ration.

He took a mouthful of the coffee and chewed slowly as she joked about his discovery of her secret and how she ought to report to the Obsidian Order, chuckling softly around the mouthful of food. Then she changed the subject and mentioned how this was the most relaxed conversation she had had on the Cayuga, and speculated as to whether or not his El-Aurian nature was having that effect on her. ”You think the fact that I am El-Aurian is the reason? And here I was thinking it was my charm and wit.” He teased, giving her a smile. ”Or perhaps it’s because you, as a mighty Ensign, outrank a lowly NCO like myself. In either case, I am glad you are feeling relaxed, ma’am. No one should feel uncomfortable on the ship simply for being who they are.”

”In all seriousness though, I know it cannot be easy for you to be serving in Starfleet. There are still many who would distrust your people, as I am sure you are aware. It can’t always be easy for you.” Ekon sighed, and his face had taken on a more serious look as he continued to speak. ”If I am being completely honest, I would generally have counted myself among them. This is the longest, and the most comfortable conversation I have ever had with a Cardassian.” He admitted, giving her a slightly guilty look. ”I know I haven’t really encountered you before you were tasked to help with repairs, ma’am. But if I’ve ever acted in a way that made you feel uncomfortable, I would like to apologize.” Ekon found the words hard to say, not because of any feelings he had towards to woman or her race, but because he knew he was guilty of harbouring hostilities towards her people since the war. It was not a fact that he was proud of, and it was something that Ensign Dumral was forcing him to analyze and reconsider at this very moment.

”You’re not the first to say I’m easy to talk to. I don’t know how much my El-Aurian blood has to do with it, but if you ever wish to talk to someone, ma’am, I’d be happy to listen. It is what my people are known for, after all.”

Ekon was quiet for a moment after he finished speaking, studying the Cardassian woman who sat with him in the confined space of the junction.

”If you don’t mind my asking, ma’am,” Ekon began, pausing to consider his words. ”I have never seen a Cardassian with that blue colouration on your forehead.” Ekon felt quietly proud of himself that he hadn’t even had to pause to stop himself from saying "spoon" instead of "forehead". In truth, the term hadn’t even popped into his head until he had realized he hadn’t said it. ”Is that a common trait? Or is it something more unique to you?”

Re: USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

Reply #9 –
[CONN Officer Dumral|Jeffries Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift]

Mektari smiled, a small laugh following his comment about teenagers. It was always nice to meet someone else that could match her sense of humor.

But then the tone of the conversation changed, her focus stayed intently on the ration in her hand as she carefully listened to his words. It was never comfortable to talk about the preconceptions that came with her species and, after much training or her overall assumptions of those around her, she was awaiting some slur or insult at any moment. But instead he gave an apology. She looked at him then, the genuine surprise seen on her face, obviously expecting anything other than that.

With a deep nod and a slight smile she responded, “Thank you Chief, really. It’s not often anyone admits such shortcomings and with that in mind I owe you an apology as well. I should stop assuming this whole crew can never change and will always view me as an enemy. It’s good to know I’m jumping to conclusions with that preconception. And if I ever need someone to talk to you’ll be the first to know.”

Then it was her turn to feel a little awkward as he stared so intently at her, though the reasoning was soon explained as he asked about her markings. Surprise was seen again, her hand moving at the mention to hover over the blue point, “Really? You’ve never seen this before? It’s actually very common, although only for women. That might explain why you haven’t actually as most women don’t join the military. Some do, but for the most part those in combat are men. We also sometimes get the marks on our necks as well.” She unzipped the collar on her uniform enough for her to tug it down, tilting her neck a little to expose the scale on her neck ridge that had that same hue, “See?”
 

Re: USS Cayuga: Bridging the Gap

Reply #10 –
[ CPO Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Jefferies Tubes | Deck 8 | USS Cayuga | Adrift ] @Gadget

Ekon had seen a dark expression cross Ensign Dumral’s face as he had began to speak, only to see it be replaced with a look of genuine shock and surprise. He listened silently as she spoke, apologizing to him for something that she need not apologize for, then affirming that she would talk to him if she needed a friendly ear. Then she moved on and explaining about the coloured marking on her skin, surprising Ekon when she unzipped the collar of her uniform a little to show him the matching blue scale on her neck ridge.

Ekon looked at the blue hued scale on Ensign Dumral’s neck ridge, fascinated at the trait that was apparently unique to Cardassian women. He found the tiny splash of colour on her grey skin added a feminine quality to her. Ekon had never thought of a Cardassian as feminine before. In fact, Ekon had rarely thought of a Cardassian in any positive terms before.

I guess you could call it progress… Ekon thought to himself.

Ekon found his gaze trailing up the scales of Ensign Dumral’s neck ridge towards her face and dropped his gaze back to his ration. He cleared his throat quietly and took a bite of the unappetizing food, grateful once again at the fact that the dark pigmentation of his skin made it extremely difficult to tell if he was blushing. Once he was chewing he raised his eyes and met her gaze, giving her a smile as he swallowed the barely edible mouthful.

”That’s interesting, ma’am. Though you are right, I have not met many Cardassian women.” Ekon said, giving her a slightly awkward smile. ”To be honest, if I had met a Cardassian woman before today, I cannot be certain I would have been able to talk to them like this. This is a significant change for me, ma’am.” Ekon gave the Ensign a sheepish grin as he downed another mouthful of the coffee in an attempt to force himself to stop talking, then offered the canister to her. ”Care to give it another try? The taste grows on you, I promise.” Ekon gave her a wink and chuckled, the deep rumble of his low voice carrying in the confined space of the junction. ”Or are you afraid that I am trying to poison a self-proclaimed Obsidian Order agent?” He teased, wiggling the thermos slightly to cause the hot liquid within to slosh around against the walls of the container.

- FIN
 
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