A Fine Shello
Posted on Sat Mar 23rd, 2024 @ 5:26pm by Lt JG Ansel Lund & Lt JG Fenora
Edited on on Mon Mar 25th, 2024 @ 6:27pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
The Sins of History
Location: Quarters of Lieutenant Fenora - Deck 4 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD005 1000 hrs
Being a new face aboard the USS Artemis was something that Ansel was all too familiar with. He had managed to have himself his own unplanned adventures in his short time aboard by assisting a fellow science officer that had been stung by an insect and hunting down one of his own escaped arachnids down through the maintenance shafts and chutes into Engineering. Needless to say, it was more than enough adventure for him as one of the newbies aboard. He had a good open and honest conversation with the starship's First Officer about feeling like the oddball, a sour thumb that just stood out because Ansel had been a traditional Starfleet officer. All this criminal investigation malarkey was fascinating but he was not cut out for chasing down criminals and apprehending them.
That sort of stuff was for the investigators, the Sherlocks and the Miss Marples aboard. He did not fancy himself even so much as a Jessica Fletcher. He was smart, book smart, but his books were full of bugs - insects to be precise and his laboratory work area decorated with magnificent taxidermized beetles, butterflies, and moths framed and mounted on display.
When he heard about a Forensic Anthropologist that had come aboard, Ansel sought to make the Vulcan feel welcomed. He had no clue how traditional she was or was not. A little time in the ship's galley which he had managed to barter for, he had made a small batch of petite madeleine cookies, perfectly shell shaped.
Ansel walked from the galley after they had cooled a bit and after placing them in a container, to Lieutenant Fenora's quarters. He patiently stood there outside her door after pressing the chime uncertain what first contact would be like.
Fenora had just finished hanging three prints over her sofa: one was of Stonehenge, one of Edinburgh Castle, and one of Tenochtitlan. They represented her first two universities and her first job after finally graduating. None were of her birthplace. They helped her feel grounded. When the door chimed she stepped down from the back of the couch. "Come in," she said, turning to the door.
She was mostly unpacked, as she didn't have much. The three prints, an easel and stool under a light, a chair with a replica of an ancient Vulcan skeleton sitting in it, holding her lyre, and a small shelf of books. It was an odd collection, but it was familiar and comfortable.
Ansel smiled as soon as he walked through the door. It was as though he crossed the threshold and entered a museum, one that he was fond of. "Stonehenge," he said looking at one of the large prints. "I've always wanted to see that up close" he said. "Shame that I put it off" he added.
He looked around some more. Introductions fell to the wayside. "Do you have anything from Vulcan in here?" asked Ansel. "I like what you've done with the place."
She chuckled. "I've been to Stonehenge and it's incredible. So is Edinburgh and Pre-Columbian Central and South America." She nodded to her prints. She pointed to the skeleton and lyre. "Besides me, those are the only things that are Vulcan here, and the skeleton is a reproduction.
"That's amazing," Ansel said and immediately went towards the skeleton and examined it. "This is a wonder emporium in the making if I do say so myself yep yep" he said turning around to face the woman, a big broad smile on his face.
He extended the cookies towards her. "A welcoming gift. I know you're an Anthropologist. So, I thought you'd appreciate the sentiment. They are madeleine cookies from Earth, shell shaped."
She took the box and smiled. "Thank you. I do like cookies." She raised an eyebrow. "Have you had one?" She was perfectly willing to share.
"Baked them myself, gotta test them out along the way. In the name of science of course" he proclaimed with a small chuckle. "That and I have too much of a sweet tooth to resist, and I'll indulge once more with company."
Fenora chuckled. "A requirement, as far as I'm concerned." She opened the box and took a cookie before offering one to the other scientist. "They look amazing."
Ansel helped himself to the offered cookie. "Thank you, I measured my ingredients precisely and did not deviate much from my family's recipe that thing is hundreds of years old. It's so old you should be studying it" he joked.
"I love old recipes. They understood how to use what they had for the best flavor and texture." She took a bite of the cookie and smiled. "Oh, yes. This is good."
In this brief bit of interaction, he had realized some crucial information had fallen to the wayside. "Forgive me. I've been a bit of a prat" he said shaking his head. "Ansel Lund, born in Horsens but raised on Caldos."
"We both got distracted by skeletons and cookies. I'm Fenora. Born and raised on Vulcan, but I've spent most of my life on earth. I'm fascinated by all things ancient. And bones."
Ansel smiled broadly. "Fenora," he said. He liked her name and even more he enjoyed the thought of another scientist unafraid of getting a little dirty. "I always wanted to check out Inti Colony, but I never have gotten around to it. I love ancient things, but insects are my specialty. I'm a lover of history too."
"I've never been there, but I've read some of the papers from the colony. It's an interesting premise, part 19th century colonization, part scientific exploration. Alas, there are far more places of interest in the universe than there is time to explore. At least there is Starfleet." She paused to eat another cookie. "I'm glad you're on board. There's nothing like an entomologist when you're trying to identify time of death. Tricorders are important, but sometimes it's the bugs that really tell the story."
"The bugs don't lie," Ansel said with a snicker. "Tricorders are a delightful tool and can make quick work of things, but it's in the forensics that the real work is done. Tricorders can suffer interference, but bugs will be bugs."
Fenora nodded. "Same with bones. There's a wealth of information stored in the bones and marrow. Sometimes you just have to take a closer look." Tricorders and molecular scanners were good, but old fashioned techniques were still used because they were reliable. "It's nice to be in a place where you're not told to run a scan and let the computer do the analysis. They can't completely replace a hands-on approach."
She cocked her head to one side as she looked at Ansel. "Do they really let you work with live bugs when doing forensic science?"
"I much prefer to work with live bugs than deceased ones," Ansel replied with a chuckle. "They have more to tell. The conversation is much better with a live bug than a dead one" he added. "You give me a body with insect larvae in it, on it, or bugs around it and I can help determine when time of death happened. There's so much more to it than I like bugs."
Fen smiled. She preferred to get down to the bare bones--literally--but she valued the information live bugs provided. And she valued someone who knew how to use them. "I'm going to enjoy working with you."
"Fenora, it will be a delightful privilege to work with you," stated Ansel with a kind smile. "We will make an unstoppable team of specialized scientists. Bugs and Bones" he added.
"Bugs and bones," she repeated. "And cookies. We mustn't forget the cookies." She thought of her idea for using a Bunsen burner to brew tea. "And tea. Tea and cookies and bugs and bones."
Ansel nodded. "Something to look forward to" he replied with a smile. "I will see you around, Fenora" he added. Ansel started to part ways and leave her with the cookies.
"Thanks for the visit...and the cookies," she replied.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Junior Grade Ansel Lund
Forensic Entomologist, USS Artmis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Junior Grade Fenora
Forensic Anthropologist, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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