Weird Science

Posted on Tue Mar 18th, 2025 @ 8:17pm by Ensign Amelix Milumad & Lieutenant JG Ava Bailey

1,739 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: 1 - Third Contact
Location: Science department
Timeline: MD01 - 1500

A new ship, and new labs to put to use. One of which was an area to grow different plants. This was something Ava was rather happy about. It was a beautiful place already. She had a spot where she could grow herbs and other plants she liked. She currently was watering the plants that had just been placed in the garden box.

A brown blur raced into the room. If she slowed down long enough, one could see that she had at least two beakers in each hand. As if on a loop setting sped up to 78 on a record player, the blur racing through the room said, "Got to get to the lab! Got to run tests! Got to get to the lab! Got to run tests!" The blur saw a woman in her way and more urgently changed her chant to "Make way! Make way! Make way!"

If someone were to ask Ava later on, about the first time she met Amelix, she'd compare her to a whirlwind spinning almost out of control much like the Tasmanian Devil from an old Earth Cartoon. In fact, Ava was unable to move out of the way. She tried; it didn't work. Slam! Ava felt herself falling backwards, the watering can sailing end over end in the air, spilling its contents, everything going slow motion.

Ava hit the floor, the watering can hitting next with a metallic clang bouncing once then it stopped. Ava found herself looking upwards at the ceiling into the light, wondering how this happened.

While Ava suffered the majority of the blow, Amelix was not completely immune. She had fully expected that Ava would have managed to have gotten out of her way. Unfortunately, she did not and the impact caused one of the beakers to spill a liquid, while yet another beaker fell and broke on the floor near Ava. A sizzling sound could be heard near Ava.

The Tygarian immediately fretted. "Oh, sorry! So sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! Ohmigod! ohmigod! Ohmigod! I have to clean this up! We can't have a contamination! I need something absorbant! Clay? Pillows? Got to find them now! Oh! The replicator!" The blur hurried over to it and ordered the items which she carried back in a split second and started placing them down on the appropriate spills. "Tell me you're OK! I can't believe the first moment of the job and this happens! Gosh, I'm so embarrassed!"

Hearing the sizzle, Ava rolled away from that sound, coming up against the grow box, where she clumsily managed to sit up with her back against it. Feeling like she still had tweety birds flying around her head, the chief of science shook her head to clear it. Amelix's voice came through her muddled mind. "Oh! Are you hurt? Are you okay? I am fine. May I ask your name, Ensign?"

"Are you sure you're fine? I could get a medical tricorder and check it out! Or I can get a nurse! I know a nurse! He's really nice, though he does keep threatening to keep me out of sickbay. I don't really understand that, but we're corridor mates! And me?! Well, I'm Amelix Milumad! I'm the first Tygarian ever in Starfleet! More importantly, I'm also the first FEMALE Tygarian ever in Starfleet! Not many of us ever leave homeworld! I could tell you that story if you want! Maybe it would make you feel better? But yes, I did! I got to explore! Isn't that great?! I can discover so many things!"

At this point, Amelix stopped and asked, "Am I rambling again? I don't mean to ramble! I have been told that I can offer way too much information when I'm only supposed to give a short answer but I think that long explantions often give framework to what the answer should be rather than something that i misleading! Besides, if you give a short answer, the recipient may not get the complete answer to what they're really asking!"

The Tygarian stopped again. "Um, I'm doing it again, aren't I? I'm Amelix Milumad, and you are?"

First female Tygarian? Amelix, being concerned about Ava's well-being, the chief scientist sorting all that Amelix had said, then a slow forming smile could be seen. "Amelix, I am truly okay, and I do not need a nurse or a doctor. I will be quite alright." Ava responded, as she moved to get up from the floor. When she was her full height, Ava stretched from one side to the next, to take out any kinks that might be there. Thank you for offering to check if I have sustained injuries. I will be okay. And my name is Lieutenant Ava Bailey."

Amelix took two startled steps backwards from the shock and knocked over some test tubes. "You're...you're.... You're my boss?! OhmiGod! OhmiGod! You're the Chief Science Officer! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you! I should turn myself in! That's what I should do! At most I'll get a small reprimand! I can overcome that on my record! I know I can! I can take myself to the brig!"

"Amelix, take a breath and you do not need to take yourself to the brig at all." Ava dropped the rank of ensign. "You are fine. And a bit on the speedy side as well. Now take another deep breath and do not panic about running into me. Perhaps you can slow things down just a small amount when you are in the labs. Okay?" giving a congenial smile.

The Tygarian felt like she stood frozen for an eternity. To the outside world, it might have been a second. However, Amelix was not known for being silent, let alone standing still, even for such a short period. Cautiously, she answered, "If you think that's alright, Chief! I can do that Chief!" Her voice started to speed up as she became more confident. "Just that there's so much to do and if I can't do it all, then I don't know what I would do! I have to figure out everything! I'm the Bridge! I don't even know why I'm that!"

Ava reached out and gently touched the ensign's shoulder. "Amelix, I do believe that you are referred as the Bridge is because you are the first Tygarian to be here in StarFleet. Which means you are a representative of your race, so you've got a lot to learn with being among those who are not Tygarians. Remember we do not have the speed to keep up wtih you. So you will need to adjust your movements accordingly."

Amelix squinted her eyes and concentrated hard. Her speech pattern became unusually slow for her, which was about the speed of a normal human talking. "I do not know why I am called the Bridge. I think it is something that my people have for themselves. I will try to go slowly, but this is really, really, really, hard, and there's so much to do."

"I think it maybe due to you being the first of your people coming out and exploring the universe. If you practice long enough, you'll be able to adjust your speed accordingly. There will be times when you will be able to utilize your natural speed once you also learn to maneuver around the slower crew members. It's going to take practice," Ava replied giving a nod.

Once again, concentrating on keeping her speech slow for Ava to understand. It was painful for Amelix, but she toughed through it. "I am not the first Tygarian to explore, just the first one in Starfleet." She privately wondered if humans did not understand things as well because they could not keep up. She was uncertain but was determined to explore that hypothesis.

Ava, noting Ameiix's comfort. "Okay, you can talk at your normal speed. Just when it comes to zipping around, please don't. Look at what happened or almost happened. It's being considerate of others. Okay?" Ava wondered to herself just how long the ship will stay together if Amelix can't be more careful and not run around at top speed like a kid that is too juiced up on sugar.

"I'll do my best! I will! I will be the best scientist that I can be! Starfleet needs me! I need it! We're completely a match for each other! I won't disappoint you! I won't!" The Tygarian raised and lowered herself several times on her tiptoes as she spoke.

"Okay, I will keep watch, I don't want anything to happen to you or any others who are working with you." Ava giving a smile. "And also keep in mind racing around with chemicals might blow the ship up and we don't want that happening do we? And don't want anything to happen to the equipment."

"Oh, goodness no! We can't have anything happen to the ship or equipment!" Her eyes enlarged, horrified. "How in the universe would I ever be able to discover the meaning of the universe?! I need equipment! I need a lab! Strictly speaking, I don't need a ship but it can get me places that I couldn't get to otherwise and that would be horrible to be without!"

"I agree, no ship, no way to see the stars and see what is out there to find knowledge. I need to get going Amelix. Glad to have met you. I'll be back in a bit. I have a meeting to go to." Before she left Ava once more reminded Amelix, "Slow your running speed, please."

"Yes! Yes! I'll try to be as slow as one of those shelled creatures on earth that supposedly beat a fast creature in a race! What were those things called again?! Darn it! I'm going to have to look it up now!"

Ava called back over her shoulder. "It was the Tortoise and the Hare"

"I'm quite sure it was a rabbit! Yes! A rabbit! That's what it was called! Hair is not even animate!" Amelix shot back. "Anyways, nice to meet you! Can't wait to work with you more! Because SCIENCE!" She raised a fist in the air excitedly.

Ava gave a little bit of a smile back towards Amelix, it was going to be a challenge but maybe she can figure out how to bottle up that energy that Amelix has to help power the ship.

 

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