Elleese & Weirdo

Posted on 08 Sep 2023 @ 7:19am by Commander Elleese Elloyia & Ensign Unknown 'Weirdo'

1,456 words; about a 7 minute read

Commander Elleese Elloyia was taking her time to get to know this ship that was to be her new home. Almost all of her posts had been for two or more years, and she had no reason to believe this would be any different, so she was taking her time to get settled in. It was the first Nebula-class that she had been on, though most ships of similar size and purpose tended to be rather similar. She had previously served on an Akira, and this was reminiscent.

She happened to be walking past the aeroponics bay, looking through the open doors with the intention of a passing glance, only for her silver eyes to catch on a man wearing...

A cat suit. Not just 'a very tight-fitting suit', or a furry suit, but an actual cat suit. Like he'd just walked away from a production of Cats, tail and all. He was prowling through the bay, with graceful movements which did actually make it look like he was dancing under the overhanging plants. The moment he spotted the movement through the open doors he spun around with – again – almost cat-like reflexes, and tilted his head as he regarded her curiously.

Elleese had been a telepath literally her entire life. Born with her senses all "turned on," there was not a moment of her life when she wasn't able to telepathically and empathically read others. Once she came of age, she began a career in psychology, attended Starfleet Academy, and counseled many people of many races through many situations...

This is all to say that she was not a woman easily made speechless, and yet...

All she could do was stare at him with her very pale eyes. The man. Dressed like an Earth cat. In the middle of a Starfleet vessel. In aeroponics? It did not compute, as the engineer might say.

Either the lighting in the aeroponics bay or the suit – most likely a combination of both – highlighted the green in the man's sea-coloured eyes, making him look even more cat-like. For a moment longer he regarded her solemnly, curiously, then he gave her a wide smile.

"Hello new person!" he said, jumping up to stand on just his feet, but never losing the cat-like pose. "Oh wow, you have the most interesting mind!"

"So do you," Elleese replied, practically without thinking--which was something she did very, very rarely. Her sanity was built upon her self-control, so it did not slip easily. However it had slipped, if very briefly, upon seeing this curious figure. The costume was one thing, and would have been quite enough on its own, but it had now because there was so much to interpret from what she sensed now. "Are you...a member of this crew?"

There were civilians aboard the USS Odin, she knew that, but the question wasn't exactly important to have answered... Still, she asked it because she needed to regain her focus.

He looked at her with some concern. "Are you alright? Well, obviously no, sorry about that, stupid question. Would you like a moment? Or, well, maybe I can help…" His eyes seemed to darken as he added that last bit. Not in a dangerous way, but as if a deeper layer momentarily became more visible. "If you want me to, that is."

"No," she answered immediately, almost too quickly, because she sensed the possibilities in what he meant. She paused, closed her pale eyes--so unlike that normal to her race, and took a deep breath. She recollected herself and fixed her shields. When she opened those eyes again, she was visibly more put-together. "No, thank you. I am alright. Your mind is just very unlike what I usually encounter, and it was unexpected. My name is Elleese Elloyia, and I have just arrived upon the Odin."

And when she opened her eyes again, the man was staring at her, looking noteably shocked. Almost offended, even. "Oh, no, no no! I wouldn't have touched your mind! Just… diverted the stream, as it were. Make it a bit more quiet so that you'd have the chance to regain your… stability… with more ease." He was clearly searching to put concepts for which no language existed into words. "Anyway. To answer your question, Commander Elleese Elloyia, that would be sort of more or less yes and no. They picked me up awhile ago when they found something which looked like an escape pod adrift out there, when they opened it I came out. I've been making myself sort of useful on board, here and there. At the advice of Commander Petrova I've started an application to Starfleet, but that's still very much up in the air. Or in space. Out there, at any rate."

A curious story to fit his curious appearance... It was almost enough to distract her from what his mind felt like and what he was wearing. "Do you not have anywhere to return to, since they found you adrift?"

"Maybe. I have no idea. I can't remember anything from before I was taken on board, and thus far they haven't been able to determine what I am or where I came from. 'Out there', but there's quite a lot of that," he said cheerfully. He stretched, cat-like again, then continued in one smooth movement to lower himself and sat, cross-legged, on the deck.

"I see," she said, and she did, but this young (?) man was still...confusing. "So, you have decided to join Starfleet while you are aboard the Odin?"

The man nodded. "Oh yes. Nice ship, nice people, good chance to explore a bit of the universe, and it'd give me something to do besides wandering around the ship and help out here and there."

It was hard to keep from examining him too closely on an empathic or telepathic level, given there was such a difference between him and what she was used to. Hints of depth everywhere, but she kept her mind to herself because no curiosity would ever overcome her ethics and training...but it had never been such a struggle. Aloud, she asked, "What will you be doing aboard once you have heard back from the academy?"

"Security," the man answered easily. But again there seemed to be something lurking in those depths underneath the sea-green eyes. "I'm not too fond of shooty things, and even less fond of people eager and willing to use them."

"Then why security?" Ell asked curiously, increasingly back to her normal levels of self-control as they continued to talk.

"Well, exactly for that reason," the man replied with a nod, as if it made perfect sense to him. ""You wouldn't want people in security who are overly fond of shooting others, would you? No, the best people there are the ones who don't want to use violence at all, except as a last resort. Less chance of accidents that way." He shifted position, curling up rather than sitting cross-legged, tucking the suit's tail neatly beneath his legs.

His gestures and movements were almost as distracting to Elleese as the sense of him and his words, but to that latter part, she nodded. "That does make sense," she agreed with a smile. "I hope that you will find it a fulfilling post while you are aboard this vessel."

"Thank you!" The man's grin made him resemble a certain Cheschire cat from a children's book. "And I hope the same for you in your profession… whatever that might be. Talking to people, would be my guess? And listening?" He observed her keenly for a moment, not avoiding her gaze, sea-coloured eyes meeting silver ones. "Definitely listening," he said with a nod.

"Yes," she agreed. "I am a counselor. In fact, I am the Odin's new chief counselor. So. I will be doing a lot of listening and talking while I am here. I imagine you and I will be talking again at points both on and off duty."

"Ah fun!" he said, sparkling enthusiasm again. "I like talking. And listening, too. I look forward to our future conversations! But now, if you'll excuse me…" He jumped up with cat-like grace again. "I need to be off. Places to go, things to see, PADDs to read. Ugh, all the PADDs. Your Starfleet sure loves its paperwork. My dear Commander Elleese Elloyia, it has been an absolute honour and delight to meet you. So long, adieu, auf wiedersehen, goodbye!" He said that last with an elegant bow on his way out.

As she watched him go, all Elleese could do was stare for a moment before blinking rapidly, laughing, and shaking her head. This was going to be an...interesting place to work.

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