Puzzle Me This...

Posted on Sat Aug 17th, 2013 @ 1:01pm by Lieutenant JG Darzen Kail

637 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Episode 2 - Whispers in the Clouds
Location: USS Unification
Timeline: Concurrent

Darzen Kail stepped off the shuttle into a mostly empty shuttlebay, no one really seemed to notice the young Trill had just come aboard. Lucky for them he already knew his way around a starship. Layout and schematics were something he studied at great length as part of his job.

He wanted to make his way to engineering right away, but he held himself back. He could report to duty when it was time to report to duty. Now it was time to unpack. He'd already been given his room assignment all he had to do was find it, his belongings would have made it there before him. He carried a duffel and backpack with him though.

He wove his way though the halls, it was also like being a rat in a maze. He was proud of himself though, and only got lost once and had to double back. Once he was standing in front of his door he looked up and down the hall for a moment to get his bearings and listened for the customary hum of the engines. He always requested a room as close to engineering as he could get, not because he slept late or anything like that, but because he liked the feel and sound of the engine. It was soothing somehow.

Soothing the savage beast...

Darzen snorted. "Not funny, slug. If anyone's a beast in this relationship it's you." Yes, Darzen spent a lot of time talking to himself. It usually led to his fellow crewmates thinking he was rather odd and sometimes even avoiding him altogether. He had learned how not to do it in public anymore, but privately it was a lot more difficult, especially when the slug was being a smart ass.

He punched in the code to the room and the doors slid open. Private quarters here, unlike anything he'd ever had before, there were even already hanging plants in the room. It was divided into 3 rooms actually, the bedroom, the living room/dining room, and the bathroom. He set his bags down on the sofa and went to the cases carrying his belongings.

He unlocked each one and carried it to the room he need it to go in. The Trill started in the living room and began to hang paintings and pictures all over the room, taking a few into the bedroom as well. Most of them were pictures of his family, but some were colorful pieces of abstract art.

Once that was handled he unzipped his backpack and began to lift out small wrapped objects. As he unwrapped them it became more and more clear that he collected these items. They were all sorts, sizes and shapes and they were all puzzles. Some were made of wood and some of stone or metal. He set them on the shelves around the room until he had unpacked twenty or more of them. It was quite the impressive collection.

He packed his empty bags away, checked himself in the bathroom mirror, then replicated his new uniform, slipping it on and attaching his rank. He checked himself again, brushing his hair back out of his face and took a deep breath. It was time to check in. He headed for the door of his room and out into the hallway.

Twenty minutes later, he found his way into Engineering. The double doors slid open and in the middle of the room was an older man standing at a console and talking to it like a petulant teenager talks to its mother, except with a lot more swearing. When the Trill noticed the man's pips on his collar he snapped to attention. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Darzen Kail reporting for duty, sir."

The man turned to him, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Are ya now?"

=/\=

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