Lt Kettick: Kids these days

[Drex0379]

@Kettick 's irony strikes again.

Quote

 

((Lakeside Meadow, Park area, Downtown, Denali Station))

 

The Remmilian nodded as he sipped his pleasantly tangy drink. Somewhere, an orchestra he had yet to spot played a few bars, but in his humble opinion it sounded more like a warm-up exercise than a real attempt to set the mood.

 

Kettick: "One thousand and one things I wish I had known about Denali Station". It doesn't actually have that many items, and some of them are simply ludicrous. I suspect attempts at humour. But maybe your own "new arrivals" :: he gestured towards the infants :: might find them interesting or amusing.

 

Kendrick: I'm afraid some of those stories aren't suited for bedtime reading, especially the ones about giant spiders.

 

Kettick acquiesced gravely. The Tungari were lovely people, but their programming language was the stuff of nightmares indeed.

 

DeVeau: Oh, I’ve met those before. 

 

 

 

It was the Captain's turn to suggest an entry.

 

 

 

Oddas: 'Do not feed the wildlife',

 

 

 

She finished her glass and looked toward the table for more, as Commander DeVeau let out a giggle.

 

 

DeVeau: ‘If it glows, don’t touch it.’

 

The Remmilian cocked his head to the side, sipping at his drink in quiet contemplation. He felt like this one should have a caveat about glowing things you are actually supposed to touch.

 

Oddas: 'Don't crash into the surface'.

 

That one was actually in the list, except it was called 'emergency lithobraking'.

 

Falt: ‘Everything happens on a Tuesday.’

 

It was probably telling that the Remmilian felt comfortable enough in the company of his betters to object.

 

Kettick: I respectfully disagree, sir. I would rephrase as 'Things always happen on a Tuesday', with a note stating that things may happen the other days too.

 

Kendrick: ‘And never, ever underestimate the replicator's ability to malfunction at the worst possible moment.’      

 

Commander DeVeau's chuckles had turned into outright laughter, that she struggled to bring to heel before her next contribution.

 

DeVeau: ‘Never trust a tribble.’ 

 

Oddas: I thought that was a given.

 

Kettick was puzzled, to say the least.

 

Kettick: What would you trust a tribble to do? Except eat and reproduce?

            

Kendrick: Response

 

Falt turned to Kettick, a grin on his face.

 

 

 

Falt: I heard you referring to our new Ensign’s as infants, Kettick? An interesting observation, and we certainly have an influx of them at the moment. I’ve decided the collective noun for them should be a “chattering.”

 

 

 

The Remmilian raised a hand, as politely as possible.

 

 

 

Kettick: As a matter of fact, I was referring to the actual infants among the present company as 'new arrivals', without assigning them a rank yet. :: He looked pensively at the recently-born :: Although I can see a few resemblances.

 

 

 

Can't let them out of your sight, and people start looking at you funny if you start musing about abandoning them to the local wildlife, for instance.

 

 

 

Kendrick: ::looks at Christopher:: And don’t be fooled by their cuteness. ::smiles:: These little ones have a way of turning your life upside down.

 

DeVeau: That’s for certain.

 

 

 

She considered her own situation, looking at the kid in front of her - the reluctant parent of two.

 

Oddas: ::swallowing her drink, softly:: Wait until they are teenagers, or more.

 

 

 

That got a slight bow from the Remmilian. As often, the jury had yet to decide whether it was genuine or completely sarcastic.

 

 

 

Kettick: This one, never having been assigned to brood care, defers to your expertise.

 

 

 

He could sympathise with the primates in the room and try to walk a mile in their regulation boots, but he was still a drone from an eusocial species; he knew of parenthood and child-rearing, but only as intellectual concepts.

 

 

Falt/Kendrick: Response

 

 

DeVeau: Perhaps when they’re sitting up, we can start having play dates.  

 

The scientist looked significantly at Kendrick. Kettick had no idea what a playdate was, and had been burned by wrong assumptions and cultural differences often enough to know not to hazard a guess.

 

 

DeVeau: I would love to get to know you and your wife better. And everyone else as well.

 

That did sound like the sort of playdate his Deltan academy mate used to have, but he willed his mind not to go in that direction, if possible ever.

 

Falt/Kendrick: Response

 

One of the hatchlings emitted a series of chirping noises, making Kettick look down. The little creature was reaching for his shirt, her tiny hands making clumsy gabbing motions.

 

 

 

DeVeau: I think she likes you, Kettick. At least, your shirt.

 

 

 

Kettick: She is welcome to keep the shirt after the ceremony. I shall see if I can make her something out of it.

 

 

 

Depending on who you asked about it, that was either an art and crafts project or an improvised weapon; in either case, it was something Kettick was entirely capable of, and considered stimulating enough to count as a hobby.

 

 

DeVeau/Falt/Kendrick/Oddas: Response

 

 

 

A few people were now moving in sync to the music. For a given value of 'in sync' - and, in Kettick's humble opinion, for a given value of 'music'. He couldn't for the life of him tell whether the band had finished tuning their instruments or not.

 

 

 

Kettick: What kind of musical style is this?

 

 

 

As far as his senses told him, one of the musicians had just managed to emulate quite faithfully the scream of a hunting feline with ruptured eardrums.

 

 

 

DeVeau/Falt/Kendrick/Oddas: Response

 

 

Tags/TBC

 

 

--

Lieutenant Kettick

Chief of Engineering

Denali Station

 

G239107LR0

 

Your Engineering department kindly reminds you that you are supposed to read the flakking manual.