SeaQuest and her crew are the brainchild, IIRC, of Steven Spielberg and the property of Amblin Entertainment. I've tried to remain true to the characters as portrayed by the actors who played them. If I have failed then you have my deepest apologies. There is no intent to insult, defame or gain monetary benefit from this work, it is written with the deepest of admiration to the goals and realities of the show and actors.
This story is rated G (to the great dismay of several people I know)
Petite Vriens - Chapter 1
by katirene (XMP)
Ensign Irene, or Ari, Adler, late of County Kerry, Ireland and Paris, France, currently assigned to general duty onboard the deep submergence vehicle Seaquest, hurried down the corridors toward Lonnie Henderson's quarters, another ensign assigned to the experimental boat. The pretty, popular ensign had invited her that morning, before first shift, to come by after second shift, Ari's own, had been relieved. The invitation had surprised and pleased the junior officer.
The past couple of weeks had been difficult ones. Not only was she trying to catch up with the other ensigns in terms of duty watches and familiarity with the technology, but there was the problem that everyone already knew everyone else, and the cliques were firmly established. So far, Ari had made only one real friend onboard. At that thought, she snorted with amusement, he wasn't exactly someone that she could talk to and enjoy a private heart to heart talk with all that often.
Feeling a little shy and tentative, Ari had gotten into the old, coping habit of carrying a book everywhere. If she was reading something then, of course, it didn't matter that no one was with her. Except that it did. Somehow, it was harder to be alone among a few people, than alone in the middle of a city. So when Lonnie had started talking to her about her book this morning, Ari had been more than ready to respond.
Approaching the door, she noticed that it had been left invitingly ajar as she put her hand up to knock. But hearing her name mentioned, she froze, and listened.
"Ensign Adler? Why'd you invite her?" she heard the normally pleasant voice of the handsome Sensor Chief, Miguel Ortiz, asking.
Lonnie answered lightly, her voice tinged with a soupcon of pleasure,
"She's new and she looks lonely. I remember what it's like to be the new kid on board."
A third voice, a man's voice, spoke up, "That's the new ensign we picked up a few weeks back, right? The one's who's been working with you on the WSKRS, MIguel? I've seen her in the galley some mornings, and thought about going up to talk to her, but she's always so intent on a book and I don't want to disturb her concentration. Good books, too. I wonder if she'd feel like sharing." Ensign Adler tried to recognize the voice of the third member of the party, but it was the clue of breakfast that identified him as the communications officer, Lt. Tim O'Neill, j.g.. There weren't many members of the first shift in the galley when she had her last cup of tea before turning in.
"I met her in the showers this morning and she seemed nice enough. Actually, she reminded me of you, Tim. So, since we'd already planned to get together this evening, I thought it would be a good idea to ask her to join us." She paused, "But you don't seem to like the idea, Miguel. What do you have against her?"
After a short silence, he answered. "Oh, she makes me nervous, that's all. Always watching me. Everyday, she comes onto the bridge about half an hour before her shift and she watches me. Every move I make, she's there." He gave a little, nervous laugh. "I swear, I think that she's got a crush on me, or something."
"Miguel!" Lonnie's voice, loud with amused chiding, covered the sound of Ari's gasp.
There was another pause, then he continued, "I'll tell you what, Tim. Why don't I introduce you to her and you can distract her while I make my escape. Who knows? Maybe she'll forget about me and get a crush on you, instead."
Lonnie laughed, but whatever she was going to say was lost to Ari as she quietly backed away. Nothing could induce her to enter that room, not now. Blindly, she turned and fled.
Behind her, Lonnie teasingly berated the hapless MIguel, "You think that she has a crush on you? Really! That is the most conceited thing I've ever heard you say! I don't believe you."
"It's also untrue," Tim surprisingly added. Miguel turned on him.
"What do you know about it? She's not always there at your shoulder watching every move you make."
"No," O'Neill answered slowly. "But she's not watching you either, except to see what you're doing to the WSKRS and sensor equipment."
Miguel shook his head in denial.
"That's not so. She's got her eyes fixed on me so tightly that I keep doing dumb things. I forget what I was going to say, I make mistakes. She makes me nervous," he repeated. "When she's around, it's
like all my nerve endings have been sandblasted. I can't concentrate on anything because I'm constantly aware of where she's standing, how she's moving." He shrugged, frustrated by his inability to describe just why she bothered him. "You know, I almost think I can feel her heading toward the bridge before she gets there."
Tim nodded consideringly. "You know, you're right, that does sound like a crush." Miguel perked up, vindicated, only to be dashed down by his friend's next words. "You're describing exactly the way I've felt with every crush that I ever had on a girl." He laughed unkindly at the look on the sensor chief's face.
"Miguel," Lonnie asked, disbelief warring with amusement in her voice, "haven't you ever liked a girl who didn't like you first?"
"Of course I have," he answered indignantly, "just before I went up and introduced myself to her." Tim and Lonnie exchanged knowing smiles and nodded. "Wait a minute you guys. You've got it all wrong." Tim nodded again with mock sadness, a small smirk of amusement on his lips at the thought of the mighty Miguel falling like an ordinary human.
"Nope, I told you, I've seen her," Tim twisted the screws. "You've never even stuck around to see what kind of job she's doing. I have. Her eyes glow and her face lights up when she's got the WSKRS controls away from you." He laughed maliciously, adding, "She doesn't have a crush on you, she's got a crush on the WSKRS. And you have a crush on her!"
"I think Tim is right, Miguel," Lonnie chimed in. "But I also think that we should find something else to talk about, she's going to be here any moment now."
"Fine! We'll talk about something else. But it's not a crush!" he growled, splitting his glare between the two of them, beginning to splutter with laughter at his vehemence. "She's not even my type!"
"Yeah," Tim added, snorting with laughter. "She has brains." Lonnie looked up with surprise at him. She and Miguel had gone out a time or two, while on leave, of course.
"I think I resent that remark!" Grabbing a pillow, she smacked the tall, thin lieutenent across the back, scattering the cards over the floor. In defense, he grabbed another and soon they had a free for all going on, only settling down when a passing crewmember poked her head in to find out what the rumpus was about.
Ari found herself at the Moon Pool without any memory of transversing
the intervening corridors. As was usual at this time of day, Lucas
Wolenczak wasn't around, but Darwin, the dolphin, was. And it was Darwin
she wanted to see.
Plopping down to her knees beside the open water, Ari reached into the
pool and rubbed the dolphin's head,
"Play 'I say'," he begged the troubled ensign, the electronic sound of
the vocoder giving his words a weird plaintiveness.
"Umm, not just yet," she responded, her throat feeling closed and
scratchy with suppressed tears. "How 'bout if I toss the ring, instead?"
With his assent, she picked up one of the rings left by the side of the
pool for that purpose and threw it out into the water, her thoughts far
away.
Her feelings of shock and embarassment over the overheard conversation
were fading, but she still couldn't believe that he could say that. She
wondered if she'd really been making that much of a fool of herself. No,
it wasn't possible. She knew that she didn't have a crush on Ortiz.
Okay, so granted, he was good looking, disturbingly so, but the real
attraction was the way he manipulated the wireless satellites.
Thinking about his wizardry in that area, Ari felt her anger fading
slightly and she shook her head in bemused admiration. She had learned
more from him in the past couple of weeks about what the satellites were
practically capable of than she had during her entire term in the wireless
satellite labs at the university.
Automatically, she accepted the ring from Darwin and threw it out
again. Frowning with concentration, Ari reviewed all her interactions
with the conceited non-com to date. Shaking her head slightly, her anger
began to grow. Ok, so she was on the bridge before her shift, but how
else was she supposed to learn her job if not through observation? She'd
never asked unnecessary questions, never tried to chat him up or interject
personal comments. She was careful not to distract him from the displays,
at any time. For that matter, she'd never even approached him off-duty
for any reason. All in all, she hadn't said or done a single thing to
make that vain coxcomb think that she had the slightest tendresse for him.
Where did he get off thinking that she did?
Maybe she should stop going up to the bridge before her shift? No.
When Professeur D'Argent had learned that she was assigned to the
SeaQuest, he had told her that Ortiz was one of the best operators there
was, and he'd advised her to take every opportunity to watch him in
action. And, it was the truth. He was just as good as advertised.
Besides, if she did stop going up early, it'd be an admission that she was
at fault, had been doing something wrong. And, anyway, why should she
make his life any easier. Her eyes hard, she nodded abruptly, then
squealed as a cold spray of salt water hit her full in the face.
"Play 'I say', now!" Darwin demanded, bored with her abstracted
tossing. Ari laughed, her bad mood lifting with the combination of the
cold shower and her friend's insistance. Besides, it was his problem,
really. Not hers.
"Ok, Darwin. We'll play 'I say'. Just let me get the equipment, ok?"
'I say' was a game that had occurred to Ari the first time she had met the
talking dolphin. Although, to be accurate, it was the computer data base
that actually did the talking. But it had caused Ari to wonder. If it
was possible to isolate and identify the dolphin's language components
well enough to create a data file for the computer's use, then it should
be possible for a human to learn enough to be able to communicate with him
without the intervening program.
On examination of the actual mechanics of the vocoder, however, she
discovered that it wasn't quite that simple. Most of the sounds used by
the delphine community could not be picked up from the water by the human
ear. Furthermore, on discussing the idea with Darwin, she discovered that
much of the syntax of dolphin speech, grammar and overtones, could only be
read in the tension of the body and the expression of movement, much like
human sign languages.
So, Ari had modified a keyboard to transmit dolphin-like clicks,
whistles and sighs into the water through the speakers used by the vocoder
when the appropriate keys were depressed. Sensors along the sides of the
pool isolated the vocal component of Darwin's own speech, the same ones
used by the computer, but Ari had the signals shunted to a headset
instead, turning off the external system in order to concentrate better.
What Darwin enjoyed best about playing "I say", Ari suspected, was the
novelty of being in command, telling a human what do do, and having her do
it. It tickled him to when she did something he considered silly, just on
his say-so. He was disappointed, though, that the game couldn't be
continued in the water, but the headphones and keyboard weren't designed
to be submerged.
As Ari picked up the underwater microphone they used, she paused,
considering it thoughtfully. She hadn't paid much attention to Lt.
O'Neill before because he was communications, and she considered sensor to
be the more vital and interesting field of study. But this was
communications, wasn't it? She smiled, a small, thoughtful, and
calculating smile. Perhaps she should give Lt. O'Neill a bit more
attention. She'd be changing her field of operation soon, anyway, after
all.
As a "last man on board" vessel, it was vital that every member of the
SeaQuest crew know how to do everyone else's job. So junior personnel did
a turn at every system on board, and more senior members did occasional
turns at other stations to keep in practice. Ari had been assigned to
Sonar and Sensor on posting, because that had been one of her major fields
of study. Her off-duty time was spent all over the boat, gaining
familiarity with the operation of the other sections.
But since she knew she'd be taking a turn at communications before too
much longer, perhaps she should make an effort to get to know the comm
officer, now. It might help to prevent whatever was bugging CPO Ortiz.
And he seemed nice, as well as interested in the books she'd been reading.
With a genuine smile on her face, she turned back to Darwin, dropping the
mike into the water ready to obey her sea-bourne taskmaster.
She's not coming, Lonnie," Tim announced flatly. "And I'm tired. I'm
going to turn in. See you guys in the morning."
"I'm off, too. Sorry it didn't work out, Lonnie." Miguel gathered up
the cards into a pile before standing up. "Look, I'll give her another
chance. Ok? Maybe I have been a bit hasty about her." As the two of
them left, Lonnie heard Tim ask, "Will you still introduce her to me?" and
she smiled when MIguel replied testily, "Shut up, Tim." But the smile
faded quickly into a faint worry.
It didn't make any sense. Ari Adler had been delighted with the
invitation to drop by her quarters. What possible reason could she have
had to just not show up. It was clear that the small young officer was
lonely. Those books she carried around were just a blind. Lonnie
couldn't think of any other reason to have them.
The pretty helmsman squared her shoulders and nodded, a determined
expression on her clear features. She hated not knowing things, and these
were questions she was going to get the answers to. All she had to do was
to track down the other woman and shake them out of her. And Ari had to
be somewhere on the SeaQuest, there was no where else to go. Leaving her
quarters, she moved down the corridor toward the room that Ens. Adler
shared with another woman.
As Lonnie stepped into the room with the moon pool, Ari was listenting
closely, her head cocked to one side and one hand holding the earpiece.
She typed something on a keyboard, then leaned down, selecting something
before throwing it into the water. Darwin must have been waiting just
below the surface because he leapt from the water to catch the ring on his
snout. With a snap of his upper body, he tossed it back out of the pool,
chittering away. Lonnie was surprised that no translation was provided.
Ari turned around, a smile of triumph on her face. "Oh, hello Lonnie.
One moment." Removing the headpiece, the small ensign stood and made
some adjustments to the vocoder controls on the wall. Darwin nodded
again.
"Hello Lonnie," he said through the vocoder.
"Hey Darwin. Ari, what's going on here? And where were you? I
expected you to come by my quarters tonight when you got off your shift?"
"Oh. Weli, um. I was relieved from my shift early. And since you
said that you expected me around 0130, I decided to come down here and
play with Darwin until then." Ari shrugged, smiling. "I guess I lost
track of the time. But I can put this away and come with you, now." As
she suited actions to words, she added, casually, "What time is it,
anyway?" Lonnie shook her head in mock dismay. Just like Tim. Getting
so caught up that he didn't notice anything around him.
"Your shift ended more than an hour ago. We waited about half an hour,
then the guys left. I thought that something might have happened to you,
so I came looking."
Ari looked up, eyes innocent. "The guys? Which guys?"
Shrugged her shoulders, she answered, "I thought that you could meet
Tim and Miguel off duty, and we could play a couple of hands of poker and
have some laughs together."
Ari snorted, a self-mocking sound. "And who are Tim and Miguel when
they're on duty?"
"Miguel Ortiz and Tim O'Neill," Lonnie amplified. She regarded the
smaller woman with sudden suspicion. Could she really be that oblivious
to things around her? "After all, you've been relieving Miguel's station
since you came aboard, and I thought that you and Tim might have something
in common."
"Oh, Chief Ortiz was there," Ari tried to look thoughtful and made a
small moue. "Just as well I missed it then. I don't think that he has
much of a personality." Now that was going too far. But Lonnie couldn't
figure out what the other woman was up to. "But O'Neill? You mean the
guy in charge of communications?" Lonnie nodded and Ari laughed softly at
herself. "You'd think that after two weeks of being on board, I'd know
more first names, wouldn't you?" This actually did sound honest, and a
little sad. Lonnie felt herself responding to the hurt in the voice.
Ari finished gathering the equipment into a compact bundle. Standing
up, she placed it carefully in her gear locker before turning around.
"Night, Darwin. I'll try to be by for more tomorrow, ok?" Darwin nodded
assent and said "Bye, Ari. Bye, Lonnie." Returning, the smaller woman
gestured toward the door, asking with some curiousity, "What do you think
that O'Neill and I have in common, anyway?"
"Well, you both quote things that nobody else has ever heard of and
read books with weird alphabets. That sort of thing. Like that book you
were carrying while waiting in the showers today."
Ari looked up with interest. "The Euripides? O'Neill reads Greek?"
Lonnie paused, a huge yawn stopping her for a second, "Yeah," she
confirmed sleepily. "He reads that stuff, too." She yawned again.
"Sorry about that. This is late for me." Ari walked with her back to her
quarters, chatting quietly about the shy communications officer and from
there to other members of the crew. As she climbed into her bunk Lonnie
felt a warm glow, a feeling that she was helping out another person.
Sleepily, Lonnie examined the thought of Tim O'Neill and Ari Adler. The
two ofthem would be well suited, but there was something a little
disturbing about the idea as well. Before she had time to work it out,
the pretty, young woman was sound asleep.
Go to Chapter 2