(Untitled)

[notabricklayer]

((OOM: Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence. Except when there is some really horrible singing))

The door slides open with a muted whoosh, and one man in blue scrubs stumbles through, scrubbing at his face, hypospray hanging loosely from his other hand

Comments

[pattersongs]

"Surprised?" asks the ruddy-skinned fellow with the large dark eyes and the forehead marking. Head formation included, he's of a respectable height for a human. Even though he's obviously not. "Look as if this place caught you unawares. Suggest deep breaths, counting to five."

Even if he left all the words in his sentences he'd sound like a hyperactive hamster. Without them, the hamster is on coffee.

[notabricklayer]

McCoy blinks, and thinks about it. Is he very likely to hallucinate an alien species he's never met before?

...

No, not really, it's not much in his line (nor is xenophobia in his psychiatric profile, despite what some may think based on his long-standing squabbles with Spock).

"Just caught a bit flat-footed." He explains, sort-of. He's fairly sure this whole mess back on board ship will be classified as soon as the higher-ups hear about it.

[pattersongs]

Mordin nods. "Happens to the best of us," he says. "Apologies for intruding. Still awfully new to the place. Hate to see unnecessary distress in action if something can be done about it."

[notabricklayer]

"Well, it's appreciated, anyway. It's been that sort of day." Their world almost just ended to the tune of 'Take Me Home Again Kathleen' sung very badly - after that, he's willing to be happy about quite a lot.

[pattersongs]

"Understandable. Some days you bring down the rachni, and some days the rachni get you."

They don't have bears where Mordin comes from.

"For your sake, hope worst is over."

[notabricklayer]

"For the ship's sanity, so do I." Frankly, he never, ever wants to hear about Sulu chasing crewmembers through the halls with a sword ever again.

Ever.

[pattersongs]

"Medical officer? Wondered about dispenser system." Mordin nods in the direction of the hypospray. "At least, assumed dispenser system. Not design with which I can claim any familiarity. Outbreak well behind you by now, from sound of things. Biotic, chemical, fungal, something else?"

[notabricklayer]

"Viral, for all intents and purposes, though it was more like the ancient Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease disease than anything else. Molecules of water transforming into their uglier, meaner cousins, destroying reasoning ability where-ever they went." McCoy explains, with a faint shudder. They were almost killed by molecules.

[pattersongs]

"Hm. Last outbreak of induced madness I heard of was due to spores," Mordin muses. "Imprinted molecules theoretically possible, of course, but nothing about them listed in salarian archives. Possibly something found on other species' worlds. May have to investigate for future reference, can't hurt to know- doubt it'll be happening on Omega any time soon but forewarned, forearmed."

[notabricklayer]

"I'll see what the powers that be say about the mission - I have no doubt they'll have fun deciding if it should be classified or not." He grouses, rolling his eyes. Upper management, forever being a pain in his behind. "Though I can say, the planet we believe it originated from has been destroyed, and the infection on-board ship is controlled."

He hopes. He really, really hopes.

[pattersongs]

"Systems Alliance, or other ship-fielding organization?" says Mordin, cocking his head curiously. "Have yet to encounter human here from same reality as myself. Seldom hurts to check."

[notabricklayer]

"StarFleet." McCoy replies, tucking his hypospray into his scrubs pocket. "I'm afraid I haven't heard of your Systems Alliance."

[pattersongs]

"Altogether unsurprised," says Mordin. "Human government. Capital is at Arcturus Station. If not from my galaxy, no reason ever to have heard of it. Galactic government in general based out of Citadel station in Widow Nebula. Not many humans in Citadel Council service except as part of C-Sec, which, useful, but not anything on order of entire fleet."

[notabricklayer]

McCoy is amazed - not by a human government that is not based around Earth, but by a government that sounds more convoluted than the one he serves.

"Sounds like quite the set-up. How many other species serve in your... Citadel Council?"

[pattersongs]

"Three besides humans- asari, salarians, turians," says Mordin. "Hardly only species in Citadel space, however. Seats on the Council reserved only for races of significant political, economic, military standing. Humanity only admitted to Citadel Council recently. Debate still raging over volus and elcor receiving seats. Doubtful whether volus will get theirs any time soon. Seem to have real talent for choosing most ridiculously annoying ambassadors imaginable. Suspect using the position to shift unpopular volus politicians off-world where no one has to see them any more."

[notabricklayer]

"... Well, at least politics doesn't change." McCoy laughs, after deciphering all of that.