Try another FELINE?

Posted on Thu Jun 15th, 2023 @ 2:22am by Commander Ayanja Tusalo & Chief Warrant Officer Mara O’Sullivan

1,318 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Icarus Files
Location: USS Daedalus, Science Labs
Timeline: Before Leaving Space Dock

Mara looked up from the holographic table in the starbase conference room she was currently using as the chime went off and opened,” Thank you for coming, Commander.”

"Of course Chief, always happy to see a new scheme of yours," Aya said with a wink as she sauntered up to the table. Not that there's been much time for that since arriving aboard Daedalus. They were getting ready to launch so all focus was there.

“I wanted to show you this,” Mara sent the file she had been reading over to the wall display,” This is the log of the FELINE assigned to Javi…and the log of her continuous reassignment of the said unit back to R&D here on the base.” There was a very long list of entries. "The R&D lead in charge of the FELINE program is...a tad irritated but willing to discuss a possible alternative with us if you're willing?"

Aya chuckled she didn't exactly need the log, she'd been there for most of it, especially the more... Animated frustrations. It was good to see Mara was keeping an eye on Javi too. "I'm always happy to hear another wild idea of yours Mara, but I think it's going to have to be pretty out there to convert Javi. What do you have?"

"I think she might have time for us now," Mara pulled up their destination on another display, "Bit of a walk."

"Sure, can always stretch my legs." Aya held out her hand and let Mara lead on. Even more curious that she had gone directly to the head of the FELINE program. Lieutenant M'irr was a bit eccentric, to say the least... If anything she belongs in a mad scientist holo.

The pair chatted for a bit as they walked, they'd grown quite close over the years, Mara having helped Aya navigate the many ever-twisting waters of a relationship and now marriage to Javi. She'd become one of the Commander's closest friends and confidants. Arriving at the lab, Aya suddenly stopped, the door not opening as she expected. Stepping back and glancing at Mara with a shrug. "Any ideas?"

"Apparently not a standard hatch..." Mara replied as she eyed the door in question. "Considering whose lab it is, I am not entirely surprised.

Aya tapped the chime, waiting a few moments a holo screen on the door appeared and two fuzzy ears popped up from the bottom, then a nose, and two large eyes. "Mrr?" The cat sniffed the screen its large eyes darting between the two.

"Umm Doctor M'irr? Are you there?" While there were about a dozen subspecies of Caitian, running from those that looked like lionesses to hear humans with Cat like features it wouldn't have been out of the realm of possibility that the cat on screen was the good Doctor. Thankfully Aya had at least spoken to the woman before.

"What? Move over you! Go practice being a cat or something!" A grumpy voice said from off-screen. A paw struck out pushing and shooing away the cat, and a new set of ears and large feline eyes behind half-moon glasses appeared. "Who is it? Whoa, are you? What do you want?"

"Umm Doctor M'irr, it's Commander Tusalo and Chief Sullivan, we wanted to speak to you about Commander MacArthur's FELINE."

"Ahh yes the problem one..." The doctor grumbled. Aya heard several things get knocked over as a swishing tail appeared before them. "Very well, come in, come in." The holocomm disappeared and the door slid open with what Aya could swear was an exasperated whoosh.

"The problem one, eh?" Mara murmured, amused, as they both entered the lab. Most definitely not a standard lab considering all the climbing areas for the experimental FELINEs.

"I mean are you shocked?" Aya smirked as they passed through the doors, the warm room. The various FELINES in the room poking their heads around various corners or over equipment.

"So what is the problem this time? Did it get too much in the way or did she find it's accent to troublesome? Whatwhatwhat?" The Doctor asked as she walked up a short ramp to a nearby diagnostic table, shooing a curled up FELINE away.

"Chief? This was your show." Aya offered, hiding a chuckle as the Doctor twirled her oversized stylus like a baton.

"The Commander does not wish to have one, Doctor," Mara started with the basic fact, her boss was adamant that she did not require one. She gave a curious FELINE a hand to sniff as it perched on the table near her. "Beyond that, I believe it was...too talkative and kept getting underfoot. Likely in an attempt to ingratiate itself which had the opposite effect."

"But she must!" The Doctor said excitedly turning on her fuzzy feet, her claws extending to tap anxiously at the deck. "All Senior Staff must... My research is far too important to simply be put aside for a...a whim!"

"Doctor perhaps there's something that can be done to... make the FELINE a bit more... palatable to Javi? She does like cats, but I imagine, their ability to speak is weirding her out a bit."

"I believe the talking wasn't received well," Mara contributed with a wry smile, remembering the look of disapproval her friend had worn. "Though the persistence in constantly-tripping her was worse."

"Hmmm, hmmm yes..." The Doctor hummed, more to herself than the other two. "Tripping? Tripping is essential... Creates character... No won't do..." Claws retracting she paced across the lab table. The Doctor's arc was erratic moving quicker as she stared at the deck, tapping her chin. She inadvertently bumped one of the other FELINES on a rather wild pass as she paced. It turned to her with a hiss before jumping off the table. "Shoo...YES! THATS IT!"

The Doctor whirled on the other two, hands raised in victory. She looked positively mad, hands held high, ears perked up, grin wide as her sharp teeth were exposed. "It will be my greatest creation! BRING ME HER FELINE I HAVE WORK TO DO!"

The Doctor was. off, no explanation jumping from the table toward the lab."Yes, my greatest creation yet!" The door slid shut behind her leaving Aya and Mara in the putter lab with several FELINES, a MkI turned its head to the side locking eyes with Aya, and let out a very English and robotic sounding. "Meow?"

"I really hope that the doc just gives her a new FELINE, one that doesn't talk at her," Mara sighed, giving another friendly FELINE a scratch behind the ears. "If the original shows up again, I'm not sure if she will restrain herself..."

-----

A few hours passed, Aya and Mara had chatted a bit and did some work. One of them always staying in the lab waiting for some update. Aya found herself propped up on one of the large chairs in the space, legs up over the arm rest. Petting one of the MkII FELINES that decided to curl up on her. Zoning out she was getting ready to get up again when the door burst open with a BANG. How a.set of automatic sliding door could do that she had no idea. But it happened and was loud enough to spook the FELINE on her that it launched itself across the room.

"I'VE DONE IT! BEHOLD!" The Doctor stood aside and this perfectly black cat sat there looking up at them.

"Merow."

"Well, that's definitely a different FELINE," Mara commented, looking down at the unit in front of them. It was also significantly larger than most of the other FELINEs in the room, along with the ones she'd encountered from the rest of the Senior Staff. "A true panther...."

"Doc I think this crazy plan of yours just might work."

 

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