A Home Away From Home - Part 1

Posted on Fri Mar 14th, 2025 @ 6:48pm by Lieutenant Rune Thul & Mana'i
Edited on on Sat Mar 15th, 2025 @ 10:24am

1,561 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Serpent's Tooth [3]
Location: Senior Staff Briefing Room
Timeline: MD01 (After 'Meeting Mana'i')

Definitely VIP quarters, Rune mused, leaning casually against the corridor wall just outside the briefing room. His posture was relaxed, but his mind remained sharp, quietly processing the details from the meeting. The corridor hummed with the faint background sounds of Starfleet’s ever-efficient operations—muffled voices, the soft hiss of doors opening and closing, the steady pulse of distant consoles.

When Mana’i finally emerged, Rune straightened with ease, his expression shifting into a warm, professional smile. The sight of her—all imposing 6’8” of biomechanoid precision and unfamiliar grace—was still something he was getting used to. Her presence was like gravity, subtle yet undeniable.

He stepped forward, his tone light but carrying an undercurrent of genuine consideration. "Shall escort you to your quarters?" he offered, his voice smooth and even, as if the formalities of rank and protocol had momentarily loosened their grip.

A soft chuckle followed, effortless yet tinged with self-awareness. "All that talk and learning so much at once can be taxing. I’ll feel it later, for certain." His grin was faint but sincere, the kind that crinkled slightly at the corners of his eyes.

Rune tilted his head just enough to make eye contact with Mana’i, which required more effort than he’d admit. Her towering height didn’t intimidate him—he’d faced down worse—but it certainly commanded respect in a way few beings did. His gaze held steady, not with defiance, but with the quiet confidence of someone used to navigating unfamiliar terrain.

At that moment, Rune began to feel this easy, unspoken rhythm between them—a blend of professional courtesy layered over something more human: curiosity, respect, and perhaps the faintest thread of camaraderie forming in the vast, shifting dynamics of Deep Space 13.

"Well, of course. I'm eager to find out what your living quarters are like, if your meeting rooms are like... well, that." Mana'i waved a hand at the closed door of the lounge they'd just emerged from. "Would you mind if I did some reading up on your basic scientific theories? Possibly more if I can find the time." She requested. "Which way will it be?" She glanced in either direction of the corridor; both sides were identical, of course they were. Yet again she was reminded that as much as she thought that she had a good enough sense of direction to find her way round unfamiliar places, this was definitely on a whole other level she'd never experienced before.

Rune couldn’t help but chuckle softly at Mana’i’s visible excitement. It was a rare thing, seeing such genuine curiosity—especially from someone as tall and enigmatic as her. She stood at 6'8", Rune felt that there may be dimensions of their various rooms doors and corridors that her biomechanoid form could have problems with. On a different note that helped distract him was something disarmingly sincere about her enthusiasm that Rune found… refreshing.

"Follow me, and I’ll show you the way," he said, his tone light but carrying the steady confidence of someone used to giving directions. He’d already assigned her to one of the VIP quarters strategically placed near a turbolift hub—easy to access and secure, just in case.

He gestured toward the sleek, black wall panels lining the corridor, their faint metallic sheen reflecting the soft ambient lighting. "Of course, our computer can assist with guiding illumination on the panels, and floor." His fingers brushed lightly against one as an example. "Simply touch the panel and ask for the location of your quarters, along with guidance if you’re ever lost."

His smile lingered, warm but professional, as he added, "Alternatively, you can call Security or Operations, and someone will escort you personally." With a quick pivot, he gestured for her to follow. "This way."

As they walked, Rune adjusted his pace slightly, though he knew she’d have no trouble keeping stride. Soon Rune felt they had a silent rhythm syncing as they navigated the station’s clean, angular corridors.

Picking up the thread of an earlier conversation, Rune continued, his voice steady but laced with a subtle undercurrent of thoughtfulness.

"All our scientific documentation is accessible through the computer," he explained. "Though if something’s classified or actively being worked on, it may be restricted. However, you could reach out to Lieutenant Atna or anyone in the Science Department—they’d be happy to assist you with research materials."

His gaze flicked ahead, briefly tracing the sharp lines of the corridor’s design before returning to her. "I have a feeling you may find yourself with more time than you know what to do with," he added, his words carrying an unintended weight. The implication hung between them—a quiet acknowledgment of her displacement, the uncertainty of her return to her own universe. Rune didn’t press it, but the sentiment was there, unspoken yet understood.

After a brief pause, he cleared his throat softly, shifting the tone back to something more practical. "When we get to your quarters, I’ll help get you started—show you the essentials, and if you need anything beyond that, well we'll have to see."

There was sincerity in his voice, not just duty. Beneath the polished exterior of the Security officer was someone who genuinely cared, even if he wasn’t always the best at showing it.

"I'd be grateful for all the help. Thul, was it? Yes." Mana'i paid no attention to the various crewmen that turned to stare at her as they progressed down the hallway together. She would've been quite surprised if any of them had seen something like her before in their lives, honestly. "Some places where I come from certainly don't take kindly to the presence of Toa. Sometimes they try to kill us." This she said as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Strange.

"At any rate! I'll be sure to use what time I suddenly find myself with well. Back home my daily life consists of any number of high-octane things - wrestling rampaging Rahi, rescuing pets... well. And fighting the occasional servant of evil. Things of the sort." Once again, Mana'i spoke about these things as if they were everyday occurrences.

As Mana’i asked for confirmation of his identity, Rune gave a simple nod, his expression calm but engaged. What struck him most wasn’t her question—it was the fascinating glimpse into her daily life that followed. Listening to her describe routines and experiences from her universe felt oddly familiar, almost like hearing a fellow officer recount back-to-back away missions during the Dominion War or other high-stakes assignments from Starfleet Command.

The similarities were subtle but undeniable—the constant state of readiness, the unpredictability, the thin line between routine and chaos. It reminded him just how much the galaxy could still surprise even the most seasoned explorers. No matter how many charts they filled or how many reports were filed, there was always something waiting in the “how-is-this-possible” category, tucked away in some unexplored corner of the galaxy.

Rune wasn’t shaken by her story—it would take more than that to rattle him. Instead, he chuckled softly, the sound carrying a warmth that contrasted with his usual stoic demeanor.

"Who knows," he said, a glint of dry humor in his voice, "you may find similar situations here in our universe—or in one you visit via the rift. I say our universe but we haven't left our galaxy in any way, on the regular."

He paused just long enough to add, his face slipping into a mock-serious expression, "But please… ask us before you bring back any pets."

The words were delivered with the gravity of an official directive, but the subtle twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed him—a muscle fighting the upward pull of a restrained smile. It wasn’t visible, not really, but he could feel it. That faint tug of amusement, a small crack in the armor of professionalism.

They continued walking, their footsteps syncing naturally as the conversation shifted. "While we don’t exactly have an ‘evil versus good’ dynamic," Rune began, his tone thoughtful, "okay—I lie. The Bajoran Prophets and Pah-wraiths could literally be framed in those terms." He shrugged slightly, acknowledging the contradiction with a self-aware smirk.

"But we don’t really see that kind of never-ending war across our part of our universe," he added, his voice settling back into its usual rhythm. "It’s more… individual-based. People aren’t inherently good or evil—it comes down to choices. The balance between good and bad behavior, how we interact with others, the decisions we make when no one’s watching."

Rune’s gaze drifted ahead for a moment, as if the corridor itself held the echoes of past decisions—some his own, some belonging to the countless others who’d walked these halls before. Then he glanced back at Mana’i, his expression softening slightly. "Though I suppose the universe has a way of reminding us that even in the absence of great wars, the small battles—the personal ones—can be just as defining." It wasn’t a lecture, just an observation, offered with the quiet weight of someone who’d fought a few of those battles himself.

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