Chapter Three: Room and Board
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"…Okay, let's try it. Kenshin, can you understand me?"
"…Yes, I can. But it still sounds like you're speaking Japanese, that it does."
Yusuke smiled. In order to permit Kenshin to speak with the rest of the crew, he had been given a combadge with a universal translator set for Japanese.
"That's how the translator works; it's a two-way system. We'll now hear English when you speak, and you'll hear Japanese when we do."
Kenshin lifted his eyebrows. "Oro…it will take me some time to get used to this strange technology, that it will. Oh, by the way…how did your meeting with the Captain go?"
Yusuke sweatdropped. "Uh…well, uh…let's just say I got off with only a slap on the wrist…"
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Yusuke had been called into the ready room shortly after the DNA test. It was a protocol breach, albeit a minor one, to not immediately report findings after a strange event to the Captain.
"Commander, I really thought you knew better than that. What were you thinking?"
"I, uh…sir, permission to speak frankly?"
"Granted."
"Sir, this man is an important figure in my family's history. I just…had to know for sure."
Jackson sighed. "That's still no excuse to break protocol, Himura."
"…Yes, sir. I understand, sir."
"All right. Commander, since you were so eager to find out about this man, I am putting you in charge of his acclimation. Furthermore, if he does something damaging to anyone or anything on my ship, YOU will be held responsible for it. Is that clear, mister?"
Yusuke sweatdropped massively. "GAH…but, sir…!"
"Commander…?"
"Ah…crystal clear, sir."
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"I am sorry, Yusuke."
Kenshin's words snapped Yusuke out of his thoughts. "Hmm?"
"I feel that I am responsible for getting you in trouble with your superior, that I do. I am very sorry."
Yusuke raised an eyebrow, and then chuckled. "Don't be. The only one responsible for one's actions is oneself. It was my fault and mine alone. Anyway, let's continue. Are you hungry?"
Kenshin rubbed his stomach. "It HAS been a while since I have eaten, that it has. Where does one take meals aboard this ship?"
"There's a lounge where you can get some food and drinks on Deck 10, but day-to-day meals are taken in one's own quarters."
Kenshin looked around. "Oro? But…I do not see any kitchens."
Yusuke laughed. "Right over here." He led Kenshin over to a strange recess in one of the walls, with what looked like colored lights over it. "This is a food replicator. You just touch this button here," said Yusuke as he touched the button in question, "and tell the computer what you want."
Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Um…might I have some onigiri, please?"
It wasn't even a second before the replicator performed its task and formed a plate of onigiri. Kenshin immediately went wide-eyed.
"Oro…it made food appear out of thin air, that it did!"
"Not quite. It's a technology we came up with that allows us to transform raw material into almost any foodstuff we might want. There's a similar system that replicates non-food items, too."
Kenshin took the plate out of the receptacle. "Oro…"
"Relax, barring a malfunction, everything that comes out of the replicator is totally edible. Some people say that replicated food doesn't taste as good as the 'real deal', but I've never noticed a difference."
Kenshin set the plate down on the nearby table. Luckily for Kenshin, they had arranged for old Japanese-style furnishings in the room. "Well, there's no way to know expect to try it." He took a bite of the food. Immediately, his eyes widened. "Oro…this is the best onigiri I've had, that it is!"
Yusuke smiled. "Great! It's been a while since our replicators have worked perfectly!"
Kenshin fell over. "Oro!?"
"Just kidding, just kidding!"
"Huh?" Kenshin tensed suddenly. "Someone's coming."
Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" At that moment, the door chime sounded, startling both men. "Huh. Good call, Kenshin."
"Who's there?" called Kenshin.
"It's M'aran. Can I come in or what?"
Yusuke sighed. "It's okay, it's just my friend."
"Oh. Okay, come in." The door opened, and the Andorian walked in…immediately causing Kenshin to sweatdrop.
"Oro…he's got two antennae on his head…!"
M'aran scowled. "Hey, at least I don't have a giant 'X' on my cheek, shorty!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" cried Yusuke. "I don't need to break up a fight right now, okay?"
"It's not necessary, that it is not. I apologize, er…"
"M'aran."
Yusuke smiled. "That's more like it. What did you want, M'aran?"
"Is it really true, Yusuke? Is this really the same Kenshin Himura you told me about?"
"In the flesh. I can hardly believe it myself."
M'aran chuckled, then turned serious. "That's not all I wanted to talk to you about. You didn't forget the…y'know, did you?"
"Oh, don't worry. I've got it."
"Got what?" said Kenshin suddenly. Yusuke fell over.
"Ah…nothing, it's nothing! Uh…enjoy your meal; I've got to start my next duty shift."
"Oh. Well, see you until then, Yusuke." Kenshin bowed to Yusuke, which the officer returned. Yusuke and M'aran then left the room.
As they walked down the hall, M'aran turned to Yusuke.
"You'd better not lose that thing, Yusuke. Don't you even think of it!"
Yusuke laughed. "Since when have you known me to lose anything? Like I said before, quit worrying!"
"I know, I know, I just don't want you to look bad at the party." The Andorian sighed. "Well, I'm going back to Engineering. See you around, Yusuke."
"Right."
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Back in Kenshin's quarters, the rurouni stared out the window. The vast expanse of space was the only thing that he could see.
"Oro…a ship that sails the stars and not the seas…" He sighed. "It is very humbling, that it is. To think, we were merely a speck in this great expanse all this time, and merely one of who knows how many planets with forms of life not unlike ourselves. Very humbling, indeed…"
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Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. Schoolwork has this funny effect of lessening the free time one has, you see. _
USS-Kenji: Please don't take this the wrong way, but there are plenty of times where TNG characters have used…colorful language. And I'm not just talking about Data's emotion chip problems in Generations, either. ^_~
