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A Mirror Shattered #260-261 - Tales of the anti-wookie - Ryylar Ą-261 "Tales of the anti-wookie" ON: <<USS Pegasus, Deck 7, Section Alpha>> Ryylar moved through the corridors on security patrol, keeping a sharp eye out. He was still upset that Kristiana had been injured and that he was helpless to do anything about it. Sometimes he wondered about his role on this ship. Things went wrong and he was constantly constrained by his inability to act either through ignorance of how to solve a problem, or by orders. He let out a heavy sigh as the words of his lover rung in his head from a conversation months ago and they hammered on his mind like it was an anvil. 'Half the problem is Ryylar that you're JUST a Warrant Officer.' She had said after he thrashed a few Security lieutenants in the ship's lounge. He shook his head to clear away the doubt and rounded the corner. Likewise Maggie Deacon had her mind somewhere far off on a dusty little planet who knew where by now. All the people that needed her were there. All the people that depended on her. And here she was wandering a ship for a few days without a purpose at all. Sure she eaten and bathed and slept a million times better than she could remember without going back to girlhood years. But that was just it: she was while others weren't and it was driving her nuts. Shrugging deeper into her jacket the woman crossed her arms over her chest and kept her head down. Maybe she'd head to the observation lounge again or- Stop suddenly because she was about to run into someone. Maggie back pedaled a step or two and slid to the right as a large feline.. large feline.. a huge walking cat man slunk out from around the corner. Ryylar blinked and looked up, slightly startled he shook his head. He was wearing the red collared command staff and flight control and auxiliary uniform and a lone black pip. He sighed a bit. "I am ssssssorrrrrrrrrrrry. I ssssssshould have paid morrrrrrre attention to wherrrrrrre I wassssss going." He told her, apologizing for nearly mowing her over. "No, no that's all right. You've got someplace to be goin' you've got the right of way." Deacon told him with a bit of a sigh. "Sorry 'bout that." "I'm jusssssst on ssssssssecurrrrrrity patrrrrrol ma'am." He said with a grimace and a nod. "Still somethin'. I'm just wanderin'." The little redhead adjusted her arms a little, flashed the hint of a smile his way then shifted her weight back forward into what could be called an ambling walk. He smiled in return. "May I assssssk wherrrrrrrrre you'rrrrrre going?" He asked her, part of red alert was general crew quarters and most officers asked for a security escort when moving about the ship during red alert. "Nowhere really." She wrinkled her nose slightly. "Not a good answer, right?" "Well parrrrrrrrt of rrrrrrrrrred alerrrrrrrrrt isssssss that all handsssssss arrrrrrre eitherrrrrrrr in quarrrrrrrrterrrrrrrssssss orrrrrrrr at theirrrrrrr assigned Battle Ssssstationsssss." He told her. "I don't have an assigned position. I'll head back to my room, thanks." Exactly what she needed to feel proactive: more sitting alone in her temporary quarters. "Unless you know if anybody's shorthanded. I haven't served on a ship like this before, but I can lend a hand at least." "In timessssss of need we need all the help we can get... come with me, you can help me complete my ssssssecurrrrrrrity sssssssweep." He told her with a nod. At the very least he could use the opportunity to keep an eye on her during red alert. "All right then." She fell into step next to the cat and walked along beside him. "What's your name big guy?" If he said fluffy Maggie would have to stomp on her foot not to laugh. "Rrrrrrrryylarrrrrrr." He told her and looked next to him as they walked along. "And yourrrrrrrssssss?" He asked her. Thinking about the flip-flop in rank she didn't even mention it. "Maggie Deacon. Pleasure to meet you." "Niccccccce to meet you assssss well." He told her and they turned another corner, walking along his security route. "So how is it that you're walkin' lock downs 'stead of security or marines? You aren't in gold." Then again who knew? The color schemes could be different for ship works, too. "Or is red what security wears from your side of the tracks?" "I am the Morrrrrrrrrrrale Officcccccerrrrrr and an acting sssssssssecurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrity officccccccerrrrrrrr." He told her with a nod. "As big as the ship is you have acting security officers? Seems like you've got so many people without crowdin' them all in." She rubbed at her elbows as they walked, watching the halls that they walked through. "Well I'm currrrrrrently trrrrrrrying to become a fully commissssioned officccccerrrrrrrrr and I want to be in the ssssssssecurrrrrrrrity deparrrrrrtment. Having rrrrrrrreal experrrrrriencccccce will help my application with Sssssstarrrrrrrfleet when we get back home." He said with a nod. Maggie raised a curious red brow at the comment. "You're waitin' on someone's signature of a padd to get you to where you wanna be? What does the security chief say about it? Round these parts you show you can aim a phaser and have a good head on your shoulders you'd get begged to sign on. Not that there's a lot to sign on to." "Well let'ssssss jussssssst ssssssssay that I haven't made a good imprrrrrrresssssssion on mossssssst of my sssssssuperrrrrrriorrrrr rrrrrranking officcccerrrrrrsssss." He told her with a grimace. "Hot head?" Maggie let her arms slide into a more relaxed position. She kept her bad arm cradled slightly to avoid the urge to stretch it while they walked. "Hot head... hot temperrrrrrrr... hot everrrrrrrrything." He said with a sigh. "So who ya workin' with on gettin' it under wraps and usin' it right? Temper and tough fight ain't a bad thing at all, it's just gotta be distilled and harnessed." Maggie told him with a little shrug of her shoulders. "You got conviction and passion you're gonna fight longer and harder if you can use it. Die faster if you don't know how to. But it's what the universe was built on: settled on the backs of the people that push onwards." "The Executive Officccccccerrrrrrrr and I arrrrrrre trrrrrrrying to ensssssurrrrrre that I'm given the opporrrrrrtunity to prrrrrrove my worrrrrrrth. Though for hand to hand combat therrrrrre arrrrrre sssssseverrrrral sssssssecurrrrrity officcccccerrrrrrrrsssss with brrrrrrruissssssed egosssss and prrrrrrobably a few bonessssss too that know I'm well qualified in a hand to hand fight." He told her with a nod. Maggie nodded her head in agreement with his words. "I imagine you are. Got a rangy body type on you. Good bit of muscle, too. You prolly get in close and work 'em over, don't you? How are you on the draw?" "That depends." He said and in a flash of fur his phaser was in hand and aimed right at her from the side. His lightning catlike reflexes made sure he was fast and agile. The redhead's arms went right back to crossing akimbo across her chest. "That wasn't an invite to draw on me. That's right poor manners." He smiled and put the phaser away with a chuckle. "Ssssssorrrrrrry. I wouldn't have firrrrrrrred on you though." He told her with a feline grin that could only be described by one adjective... mischevious. She didn't seem the least phased. "No shit if you want in to Starfleet. You're right your draw is good though. Seems foolish to not have ya in there trainin' with them 'stead of waitin' around for a pompous ass with a PHD to sign you in." "Well when you ssssssspend fourrrrrrrr dayssssss in a brrrrrrig and then arrrrrre ssssssentenccccced to arrrrrresssssst in yourrrrrrr quarrrrrrrterrrrrrrssss becaussssssse you beat up fourrrrrrrr higherrrrrrrr rrrrrranking officcccccerrrrrrrsssssss." He said with a shrug, leaving it open ended. "You get to be Robin Hood for the little guy for awhile. I know the story." Deacon itched at her wrist, paused, then switched arms to be on top. 'Well it ain't that bad I guess for you bein' an honorary or actin' security guard. Means you don't have to go on world and get shot to smithereens, huh?" "Not yet anywayssssss." He said with a smile at the idea of being blasted to smithereens. Whatever those were. "Well thank you for lettin' me walk on with you. It's a sure sight better than sittin' in my room." Almost anything was so far. "Well it'ssssss nicccccce to have company." He told her with a nod and a small smile. "That it is, that it is." She sighed. "Sssssssssso what do you do arrrrrrrround herrrrrrrre?" He asked her with a curious tone. "Absolutely nothin' at the moment. I guess I'm supposed to be your guide to the wild backwoods of space or somethin'. But I haven't been needed yet so I'm sittin' in my room 'stead of doin' my job." Whatever the hell it was summed up to be now Maggie thought. "It was acquisitions and contact, marine fighter pilot 'fore that. Shame is there ain't many functional birds left to fly in these parts. I can't fly no more. And I'm not at my station puttin' food in the mouths of my people. I'm walkin' rounds." "Do you rrrrrrrregrrrrrrrret being herrrrrrre?" He asked her with a frown. "Do stars shine? Honey I've done lost my home. My family. My friends. I've got a few hundred folks dependin' on me and my assistants to keep 'em fed, fit and able to fight without drawing heat down on us. I don't have what they have to lose so I take the bigger risks. Who takes 'em when I'm gone?" She didn't pause in her walking, just seemed to shrink inwards a bit defensively. "I'll help ya'll get home 'cause it's the right thing to do. This ain't your ill to fix. You need to go be in your world. But this is mine." "I know what it feelsssssss like to lossssssssse yourrrrrrrr home... perrrrrrrmanently. I wouldn't want to wisssssssh that on anyone." He told her with a nod, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder to let her know that he understood. "Well it's done and over. There isn't a thing left of my old town but a crater filled with sea water. From the Gulf to the Mississippi there's not a chunk of land above sea level. Not much left of Louisianna. And not a shine speck left worth on Earth now that it's occupied." Exactly what she needed to improve her mood. Maggie grumbled something unintelligable under her breath then changed the subject. "Was pretty though long ago." "I'm ssssssssorrrrrrry to hearrrrrrr." He said consolingly as he put an arm gently around her shoulders. He thought that between the two that she was still the lucky one, for her home no longer existed, his did behind the invisible barrier of lifelong exile. He could dream about his home and he knew right where it was, but he could never go there because it could never be home again. Maggie groaned when he put real weight on her shoulder and eased out from under his arm. "Not that I'm brushin' off your hug or anything kit-kat, but I got my collarbone mended wrong and it doesn't like bein' leaned on none." "Oh I'm ssssssorrrrrrrry." He told her with a flustered look as though he should have known better. "I don't exactly got a sign over my head sayin' 'hands off'. Don't sweat it. It's no big deal." She told him with a weary grin. "You still okay?" "I'm jusssssst fine, but I'm worrrrrrrrried about you. My top job assssssss morrrrrrale officccccerrrrrr on the ship isssss to make surrrrre everrrrrrryone is rrrrrrreassssssonably happy." He said with a nod. "Does alive count? I've got alive down pat, buddy." Maggie sighed. "'Least in this universe. Accordin' to your ship computers what nearly killed me here done wiped me out on your side." "Well I'm glad that one of you sssssssurrrrrrrrrvived... the univerrrrrrrrsssssssse would be poorrrrrrr without you." He said with a nod. Maggie laughed, tickled by the comment. "Darlin' you don't know me yet. I'm a right crank bulldog and a pain in the ass. But I'm dependable." "Therrrrrrrre wasssssss a famousssssss human in yourrrrrrrr hissssstorrrrrrrry. I believe you called herrrrrrr Motherrrrrrrr Therrrrrresssssa." He started with a nod, recalling what he was going to tell her. "She ssssssaid that even though one perrrrrrrsssssson wasssss but a drrrrrrrop in the occcccean of people, that the ocean would ssssssssstill be poorrrrrerrrrrrrr without that one drrrrrrrop." He told her with a nod. "Well how can you beat Mother Teresa, kiddo?" Deacon laughed. "I like you- not just cause you're like a big walkin' rug. The anti-wookie." "Anti-Wookie? What issssss that? Sssssssssome Terrrrrrrrrran beetle?" He asked her, confused. This was just. Too. Sweet. Maggie could barely hold back the laugh enough to keep a straight face while she spoke. "One day ya' gotta look up this thing called Star Wars, sugar. A big terran epic saga 'bout light versus dark and good versus evil and shrivelled up wise men with kick butt swords. And they got wookies. I can't explain it: ya gotta find out for yourself." "I sssssssee and one of thesssssse wookiessssss they arrrrrrrrre good guysssssss?" He asked her with a furrowed brow. "Yup they're good guys. Tempermental. Sentimental. Prone to kicking ass. You'd fit right in. You just have less hair." That was it. He'd doomed himself to countless Star Wars jokes from her now. "But you ssssssssaid I wassssss the anti-wookie... sssssssso doessssss that mean you think I'm bad?" He asked her with a frown, somewhat insulted. "Not like that kiddo." Maggie tapped the tips of her fingers together, thinking. "They were more.. canine lookin' that's all. Kinda like an 8 foot tall cross between a man, a bear and a sheep dog." "Ohhhhhh well I'm morrrrre of a crrrrrrrossssssss between a human and one of yourrrrrrrr terrrrrran felinesssssss only without the fixation on catnip micccccce and sssssscrrrrrratching possssstssssss. I alssssssso don't nap asssssss much." He said with a nod. "Exactly. Thus the anti." Maggie agreed with a rolling nod. "Maybe somebody on ship has a few of the flicks. You could watch 'em. They're peppered with good old zen logic for the over zealous young beasts in all of us. Well.. The older set that is." "I'll have to look into that..." He said with a slight smile as they finished his security round. "All right you. I'd better head off 'fore I get you into trouble. It was nice meeting you." She told him, giving the afore mentioned anti-wookie a beaming grin. "I'll see you around." "It wasssssss niccccce meeting you too." He said with a smile, waving a bit as he walked back to his quarters, having finished his shift. ----------------- Lt. JG Magdalena 'Maggie' Deacon Acting Diplomatic Officer and Warrant Officer Ryylar Morale Officer Acting Security Officer USS Pegasus
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