Consequences & Curses
Posted on Tue Sep 15th, 2026 @ 10:38pm by Captain Erik Norsgaard & Lieutenant JG Caitlyn MacRae
1,588 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
The Invisible Hand
Location: Private Quarters | USS Thunderbird
Timeline: MD004 - 2030
"Wait!"
Cradling a storage box containing the last of her belongings, Petty Officer Celeste Hatton had one foot literally out of the door when the familiar voice of her former roommate made her pause in midstride. Inwardly counting to five, she took the time to project an air of indifference as she turned back. In just under three hours, all trace of her had been erased - packed into storage boxes which now waited to unpacked on the opposite side of the ship.
Which was probably for the best.
Since the incident there was little hope of mending fences. Yes, she had accidently set free an endangered critter yet it should never have been on the ship to begin with. And it was camouflaged for goodness sake! Needless to say, their indifference to one another had shifted from a potential friendship to animosity. Each one accusing the other of failing to accept responsibility for what had happened.
Eventually it had been Anna, a quiet as a mouse engineer, who had broke first. In the heat of yet another argument she announced she had heard enough, couldn't deal with them another minute and left. And the next thing, new room assignments were distributed amongst the enlisted crew. Honestly, Celeste suspected Anna had bunked down near her precious warp core.
And since Anna's outburst, barely a word had been spoken. Until now.
"You forgot one," Elynya Teikil said as she set aside her journal and crossed the room, making a slight detour to the shelves. With surprising care she added one more candle to the pile before turning away and returning back to her perch on the edge of the sofa where she had been pretending not to watch Celeste pack. She didn't so much as offer another glance in the other woman's direction, returning to her writing until she heard the doors closing and felt the first moment of peaceful silence in what felt like forever.
Leaning back, she wondered how long it would take to get completely rid of the scent of a million awful scented candles? Certainly not fast enough because -
A wide smile spread across her face, her first genuine smile in days, as the doors to her shared quarters opened once again and her two new roommates arrived. "Talyn!" Elynya cried, journal again cast aside as she hurried over to greet her friend, "perfect timing!"
"It's a gift," Talyn answered with an impish smile as she hurried forward to hug her friend. Talyn, short for Talyndra, with her shoulder-length, strawberry blonde curls and golden-triangle features had the kind of looks you’d imagine a storybook princess having though the similarity ended when she spoke for Talyn possessed a brain better suited to the villain of the piece. Sharply analytical, she viewed the world with a jaundiced perspective she blamed on having six, prank-loving brothers, and her upbringing where, dressed in boots and a jumpsuit, she’d mucked and planted her way through childhood on a colony world where a solid work ethic, with callouses to match, was all that mattered. "How are you doing," she said, gentling her tone, as she cast a concerned, somewhat protective glance over her friend.
“Better now you are here,” Elynya replied truthfully. “I mean obviously I know I’m lucky I wasn’t sent packing off the ship but… what is it that weird instructor used to say? Something about spilt milk? It’s just a huge mess. Although every cloud and all that, right? I still can’t believe you got reassigned here!”
"And candle girl," Talyn asked, dramatically, some would say theatrically, looking around the nondescript common area, "is she still lurking about?"
“Gone,” Elynya declared with clear relief. “Every last candle and crystal of hers too. Which means, three of us and two rooms. I’m good with however you guys wanna work it. If you wanna keep sharing a room that’s cool or I thought maybe we -“ she gestured between herself and Talyn, “could be roommates again? Just like old times?”
She glanced towards the third member of their little group. She had kept a discreet yet noticeable distance from the two friends, appearing entirely disinterested in the whole situation. And as ever, she appeared immaculate right down what looked like recently manicured nails. “Unless you don’t want your own space?”
"We are expecting a fourth roommate," the Krakken, who's name was actually Mary Margaret Beecham, said in a voice that spoke of breeding and polish somewhere in her background, "an old friend of mine. And we'll be rooming together. I trust you understand the rules concerning the common area. No personal items unless agreed upon by the four of us." She turned toward the door as another young woman walked in. To Talyn's appraising gaze, she looked like a Krakken wannabe although the squeal when she saw her friend sounded more like juvenile sycophant. "Lydia, glad you're here. Meet Talyndra Caine, you remember my room mate on the Nathan James, and her friend ..." She looked toward Elynya. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."
“Elynya,” Teikil offered, her words and tone polite as Lydia looked towards the newcomer. Her blue eyes were piecing and seemed full of judgement in a way that instilled near instant self doubt on mere mortals. “Welcome.”
“Sure, Elaine. So… Which room is ours?” Lydia queried, aiming the question at the Krakken.
“That one,” Elynya told her. “And it’s Elynya.”
“Pretty sure that’s what I said,” Lydia replied with a sickly sweet smile. “And thanks. This is going to be so much fun! Oh my! Those nails! That colour is just gorgeous with your skin tone!”
Again the last comments was aimed at the Krakken and she missed Elynya rolling her eyes. “Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour and then I can help you with your stuff if you’d like,” Elynya whispered to Talyn, nodding towards the bedroom on the opposite side.
"Two more bags outside," Talyn said, as she spared a glance at the already closed door to the Krakken and her sycophant's new den, "I brought all the goodies. Thinking we could do a blanket picnic in our room and watch a holovid while we catch up on old times."
“Sounds perfect,” Elynya grinned. “We are gonna have so much fun, I just know it!”
[Short While Later]
Unpacking took a bit of time but before long, Talyn's side of the room had turned into a cozy nest, with thick blankets and three pillows that she overlapped at night in a semi-circle, with a shelf directly above the head of the bed. The underside of the shelf had soft lighting, perfect for reading, and the shelf itself held her favorite books. The beds on either side were sandwiched between floor to ceiling closets with another smaller cabinet connecting the two. Talyn hung curtains on either side of the opening and put a soft rug down beside the bed. Altogether, she created a cozy, inviting nook done in shades of pale, spring green and cream with soft touches of taupe in the curtains, rug, and sheets. She stood back admiring her handiwork and then lifted a device off her bed.
"This," Talyn said, holding it out to Elynya to inspect, "is for both of us. Friend of mine made it. It's a privacy screen. When its on, they can't hear us and we can't hear them." She grinned cheerfully. "Drives the Krakken mad. And the best part? We can still hear ship alarms, announcements, and all that. Won't interfere with work. Just with ... them." She turned an annoyed gaze toward the door as she turned the device on. "All we need now is hot chocolate, snacks and to pick a holovid."
Elynya grinned, “sounds perfect! Okay, I’ll deal with food and drinks. Oh! Who was that actor in the last movie we watched? Cute as hell… Bram or something? But honestly I don’t mind, you always pick good ones.”
"Brom," Talyn said, nodding, "he's done another mystery. Sort of Agatha Christie but instead of a train it's a transport with Bolians and a pair of elder Tellarites thrown into the mix. Should be a laugh."
“Sounds perfect,” Elynya declared as she headed to the replicator to stock up on drinks and snacks. When she returned her arms were full and enough food to last hours. “The Krakken is barking out orders through there, good thing she is sharing with a mini me. How did you survive sharing a room with her?”
"Sabotage," Talyn said cheerfully as she settled in on the floor where a soft white, nearly decadent rug now covered the space between the beds and a few pillows had been thrown down. "She bugged me, I arranged an 'accident' that she could never prove was my fault." She laughed at the memory. "Good times ... good times."
Laughing as she joined her friend on the floor, Elynya ordered the computer to lower the lights as she organised the snacks and drinks to ensure they were in easy reach. “I’ve missed movie nights,” she admitted as she set the popcorn down between them. “Especially the popcorn!”
"Me too," Talyn said as she slid under a blanket and shoved a pillow behind her head. "Me too."
Petty Officer (3rd Class) Elynya Teikil
Science Dept.
USS Thunderbird
Petty Officer (2nd Class) Talyndra Delon
Laboratory Technician, Science Department
USS Thunderbird
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