Graffiti and Grandeur | Part I

Posted on Sun Jun 20th, 2021 @ 7:40am by Lieutenant Percival Bálor Ph.D & Lieutenant JG Elizabeth Stone & Warrant Officer Arin Merkara
Edited on on Sun Jun 20th, 2021 @ 7:40am

1,386 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Out of Time

Percy had a message to deliver, and the artistic side of him was pent up and needed to be unleashed. He had a piece of arm in mind as well as the medium to use, but the tools to do so were not as readily available. Replicating them would have left too much of a trail, and trails were too traceable as his little run in with Yiv showed. So when he swung by engineering with a mischievous look on his face, those in the their right mind avoided him.

"Do you have an engineering kit that I may borrow, one with a plasma torch, please" he said leaning against a bulkhead watching Arin Merkara working at a section of a corridor outside engineering. "Don't ask," he added. "The less that you know, the better fir everyone." He flashed a small smile in her direction.

"Shite." Arin swore. "You keep turning up like a bad penny. I haven't had the chance to thank you properly for offering my services to Siren to hang things in her quarters. If that wasn't clear, thanking you involves a Klingon pain stick and some lube." Reaching into her belt, she retrieved a small tool and tweaked something in the opened section. "Word of advice. If you are planning something nefarious, ask for what you want. Don't say something daft like, "you don't want to know."

"Who needs lube?" scoffed Percy. He found the bad penny comment rather funny. "I'm a good luck charm and you damn well know it. So long as I am aboard everyone else can go unnoticed for their missteps." It was true he was like a hot mess of honey and the First Officer could not get enough of him. "Who said nefarious? I'm feeling inspired. I want to unleash my creative energy with a plasma torch and create a little urban art."

"Unleashi...you're talking about defacing property. " She whispered tensely. "Ya know what. Piss off. If I am going to be involved and I already am since you told me you are up to no good, tell me or go away. Not with my tools. Go rob a shuttle."

Percy smiled, beaming with delight. "Sharp words. They are considered flattery and pleasantries to Tellarites," he noted. He wasn't exactly sure if she meant them to be, but it did not matter. "Yes yes defacing property. If you want to consider it that way, sure. I'm going to deface the doorway to the Captain's quarters, but it is for his own good."

Arin started to seethe, her skin getting a touch darker. She really wanted to choke him. "Listen up swine-flu. We may be the same age, but I was in Starfleet YEARS before you so you don't get to make the rules. Some of didn't get handed a rank because we parroted things from a book to some self important instructor. I've worked damned hard to get where I am now. You want to go sacrifice your career over a stunt? Been nice knowing you. Go steal someone else's tools. You touch mine, you'll wake up in sickbay. That's not a threat, that's reality." She turned back on her work, watching his reaction out of her peripheral vision.

"Calm the down," Percy said shaking his head. "Don't get yourself worked up over nothing. I am not going to steal your damn tools nor touch them without permission. If you want nothing to do with this, then you'll have nothing to do with it" he added firmly. I still need to get my hands on a plasma torch though...I wonder if Siren would have one he thought to himself.

Arin rolled her eyes. Reaching into her nearby box, she pulled out something. Turning to Percy, she said, :"Fine. Don't ask, don't tell. If anyone asks. You stole the torch."

"Yeah, well, if anyone asks you have the hots for the Captain," he fired back with a shrug. "I will leave you to your brooding and repair work," he added. "You've been a real delight as always," said Percy with a chuckle.

"If you'd bring me something other than hatred and annihilation, I'd probably be more pleasant, which you'd hate anyway you future football." Arin countered.

"I bring you peace and goodwill," Percy replied. "You are a friend and a drinking buddy" Percy stated though he was not one to usually use such 'warm and fuzzy' terms.

"Don't get caught." Arin said. "I'd rather not lie to security."

"If I get caught I get caught, I'll leave you out of it." Percy shrugged. "I'm just trying to help the guy out."

"I have my doubts about that, but I guess I'll have to wait and see." Arin replied.

Percy huffed in response. Then he left Arin to continue doing whatever it was she had been doing. He still needed the kit though, and Arin had given him a decent idea where to get one, and potentially someone that would be more in synch with his way of seeing things.

"Self important pompous ass." She muttered to herself. She actually didn't mind him most of the time. Thought occasionally he was over the top and under the table at the same time somehow.
_______________________________________________

Several minutes later the half Tellarite, full pain in the ass Chief Science Officer of the starship Ontario was making his way into the shuttlebay after consulting the ship's computer. Siren was in fact in the shuttlebay tinkering around. perfect thought Percy. He approached the woman fairly directly. "I need a plasma torch to go graffiti the entrance to the Captain's quarters" he said nonchalantly. "I know...reckless and stupid."

Siren leaned againt the shuttle she'd been getting familiar with. It was dull, and ugly, and boring, and had she mentioned dull." She sighed, missing her bird. "Reckless and stupid sounds amazing." She looked at Percy. "What did he do? Or not do?"

"Not getting laid," replied Percy. "Same problem you were having," teased the Chief Science Officer. He chuckled and sighed. "Between us? I think he has a thing for the First Officer, but you did not hear that from me. I thought I would help him out, paint a Horga'hn on his door."

"A what?" Siren asked. "And how is a whatever it is supposed to help him get laid? And why do we care if the Captain gets laid or not? If I'm going to risk getting arrested, I'd like to know these things." She smiled.

"Gurl," replied Percy throwing his hands up. "Have you not been to Risa, or do you just go and enjoy it?" inquired Percy. "You know those little statues that are all around the place? They are a fertility symbol. Displaying one means you are seeking intimate relations." He gave her a quick Anthropology lesson. "It's very important to their culture."

"Oh." Siren just shrugged. "I may or may not have been staring at the professor's ass during that class. So, we need a plasma torch." Siren walked over with all the confidence in the world, and simply grabbed the necessary tool out of a flight technician's took kit. She returned and handed it over. "I'm lookout though."

Percy smirked. "See, I knew you'd be perfect for this. I should have gone to you first. You can act as lookout. I'm planning on doing it at some odd hour when the crew on duty is skeletal and ideally when the Captain is asleep or not in his quarters."

"Does he ever go to the lounge? We could spike his drink. Wait, forget I said that. Tomorrow 02:30?" Siren asked.

The Chief Science Officer looked at Siren. Okay....watching my drinks around you, good to know he thought to himself. "Let's not roofie the Captain, or anyone for that matter. Even I have my limits," he added with a chuckle. "Besides, if you want the Captain that badly, I think he would very willingly. Half past zero two hundred hours, sure. Meet me there with a plasma torch."

She snorted. "He wishes. Fine, I'll take the plasma torch." She took the tool back. "See you tonight."

"See you tonight," replied Percy with a smirk. He then headed off thinking about how he was going to pull of his artwork.

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