Thank you very much for the reviews. This really is getting me going as my interest in this story would fade otherwise… it's rather old and just doing the re-read and tweaking isn't that interesting, but eh, you're there aren't you:)

This chapter was mainly my personal frustration venting as a biologist to see all the impossible species' compatibilities in Sci-Fi stories. Although the incompatibilities I mention here are only a minor, minor case (Merrrshika is a feline-based species, which supposes a mammal ancestry, which is a lot closer to life on Earth than you can expect from a random life-bearing planet somewhere out there…), it served to alleviate some of my frustration nevertheless.

And so… hacking skills…

Chapter V. …and sunglasses

The next morning, very early, her door rang. She stretched, yawning, her rough tongue curling between her sharp, long teeth, and she wrapped herself in a sheet to go to open the door – she was not awake enough yet to remember that Voyager's door answered to voice commands, unlike the organic shuttles'.

The shock of the brutal light almost knocked her over. She put a hand in front of her eyes, and asked:

"Please, come in sho I can look at you. Who arre you?"

Harry repressed an urge to clear his throat or say anything. He could see the thin straps of the top she was wearing, over the edge of the sheet, and the few, blue hairs on her skin, here and there. Apparently, she had not thought it convenient for her to answer the door wearing only a top. It was worse that she had the sheet over it. It gave him the idea that it was there to be removed.

"Ensign Kim, sensor and holographic devices engineer," he said, coming in, trying to concentrate.

She closed the door behind him. She looked at him, and he wondered at what moment she would ask the minimum light, so he could see her. He stared blandly ahead of him in the blackness. She decided to ask him what he was doing there first.

"I thought we could go back to see the database to begin my shift," he answered. "Sorry I didn't think you would be sleeping after thirteen hours."

"Computerr, minimum light," she asked. "Well, on my planet the days have fourrty-thrree of yourr hourrs. Sho we shleep frrom fourrteen to shixhteen hourrs a day, in averrage. And we can shtay up forr thirrty hourrs without feeling shleepy. I have a little trrouble to adapt to yourr life rrythm."

"I can imagine. Do you prefer if I come back after my shift?", Harry asked with a thoughtfulness that made her smile. Of course she didn't knew he asked out of embarrassment.

"No thanksh. Onche I'm awake, I betterr do it now."

She smiled, and told him that she would join him in engineering in the next half-hour. Harry agreed, and left. As soon as the door closed, she let the sheet down, and stretched again, yawning. She even lay on her bed to stretch better. Then, she ran through her closet, but she had no more clean clothes. After two weeks, not having found anything looking like a washing machine, there were none of her clothes left. So she slipped into one of Voyager's combination for non-Starfleet personnel on board. She didn't like the fact that the clothes were so tight, but she didn't really have a choice, did she. And moreover, there was nothing to wear over her tail; this was embarrassing. It was not an offense, but it was inappropriate in a working environment. She sighed, mused that no one would notice, except maybe the Vulcan, with his Vulcan interest in alien customs that might have informed him of this particular Mirrresh's custom, but… she would just have to ask someone where the washing machine was. She would prefer someone discreet, and she sighed.

She brushed her teeth before she went out and strode out to engineering, making a little curve towards the mess hall. Neelix greeted her with his usual warmth, and asked how she was. She stopped, thinking that maybe Neelix was the perfect person to ask her embarrassing question to. She pulled him a little aside and asked him, a little ashamed, but she explained that nothing looked like what she was used to on organic vessels. Neelix cleared his throat, and told her what was this strange sort of drawer under her replicator; she had thought it was the recycling, but did not have had to use it yet. She had used the bathroom's recycler. The morale officer also told her that, would she need information about her quarters' furniture, there was an extensive description in the computer's database. He could swear he saw her blush then; she had to be a hacker not to think to ask the computer. She thanked him, grabbed her cup of water and her bowl of compressed and baked cereals. She left rather in a hurry. Neelix smiled quietly to himself as she left.

It was doubly embarrassing. Why hadn't she thought to ask the computer? Of course those things were in the database! She sighed and nibbled at her cereals on her way to engineering; she wasn't aware of the ship's regulations about not eating outside of the mess hall or the living quarters. She was not done with her food when she reached engineering.

B'Elanna greeted her with a smile and a nod when she came in. Merrrshika told herself that she had been right to ask her help, the day before, to restart the relays. On the other hand, the chief engineer's attitude changed when she saw the Mirrresh carrying food.

"You can't eat in engineering."

"Oh, I'm shorry. Is it ok if I let it herre?"

She let down her glass and bowl on an empty space near the door. B'Elanna agreed grudgingly, but added:

"Don't eat it afterwards. You wouldn't want to get some ion poisoning or something. Anyway you're not supposed to eat out of your quarters or the mess hall."

Merrrshika assured her she would follow Starfleet regulations from now on. Her slightly ironic edge did not escape B'Elanna or Harry, who both smiled at her. She strode towards Kim, still sitting at the same console.

"Good morrning again," Merrrshika said, yawning.

It was easier to speak to her now, Harry thought, somewhat relieved. If only she could not sway her hips so when she walked…

"Good morning," he said, satisfied with his apparently casual tone. "You impressed the captain, yesterday, you know."

Merrrshika winked. "I musht shay I almosht imprresshed myshelf." Harry laughed and she added: "I was imprreshed by you, too. I didn't think it was posshible to hold on with the download shpeed for sho long."

"Well, thank you," Kim said, a little embarrassed.

Merrrshika leaned towards the console, changing the subject:

"Sho, what does the light shpectrrum shays about my planet?"

"You can see the light in a lower spectrum than us, I guess?"

"I shee in what you call ultrra-violet. Yourr visible light is infrra-violet forr me." She half-smiled then. She added: "I'm rreally happy that yourr light has lessh enerrgy than mine; otherrwise I guessh I would alrready have cancerr orr shomething like that. You, you would literrally burrn in a few hourrs, on my planet, I guessh."

"I'm glad it isn't the opposite."

"Me too. I wouldn't like to shpend the rresht of my life in a shpache shuit."

Harry nodded, and pushed a button, making a wavelength distribution appear on his console.

"You see, that is the spectrum of your light, and beside is the specter of the light on Voyager."

Voyager's peak was towards longer wavelengths than the specter from Merrrshika's planet.

"I can program a material that will filter the longer wavelengths and keep the short ones," Harry stated. "I can keep the same ratio of short/long wavelengths as on your planet. The only problem is that there isn't much short radiation on Voyager. It will be very dark for you."

"But… It is darrk on my planet. Couldn't you prrogram an emiterr in the shame materrial as the filterr?"

Harry made a pause, looking elsewhere, then his face came to life and he said, enthusiastic:

"An emitter! I could program some enhancer in the material… only it would still be dark, otherwise it would be a health hazard to us humans."

"An enhancer?", she asked, her forehead wrinkled.

"Yes, yes! We ran across some sort of metal that resonated with visible and emitted UV light a few weeks ago in an asteroid field… the energy level difference was fueled by a nuclear reaction within the asteroids. I just have to calculate the excited energy levels…"

Merrrshika laughed. It was a strange laugh; it didn't sound like a human laugh, but it was obvious it was her way of laughing, and it was not threatening as was her victory cry.

"I believe you!", she exclaimed. "Don't trry to explain, I don't want to know it! I'm impresshed, enshign Kim."

"You will have to come to check the enhancer once in a while, though," Harry warned. "This metal has a short half-life."

"No prroblem."

"And now the fun part," Kim said, rubbing his hands together. "What appearance do you want your sunglasses to have?"

She looked at Harry as though she didn't get his meaning. He explained:

"Do you want them to be round, square, triangular, dark, yellow, blue, invisible?"

"I don't know," Merrrshika hesitated. "Can't they be jusht "orrdinarry"?"

"Of course not!", B'Elanna explained, coming closer to take a look at Harry's console. "You will wear them all the time, and people will always see them on you. We will almost consider it as a part of your body, when we will look at you. It must fit you."

"I don't know what shape orr colorr of shunglasshes can fit me."

"Harry," B'Elanna asked, taking matters into her own hands, "what would you think about a triangular shape? It would fit the shape of her face and eyes."

"I agree," Harry said, smiling to Merrrshika. "And what about blue glass? That would be in her color of… of fur."

"Good choice," B'Elanna approved. "What do you think about it, Merrrshika?"

Merrrshika noticed immediately that B'Elanna was the only one on board capable of sufficiently rolling the triple "r" of her name. It made her smile contentedly, and she approved the proposed appearance of her sunglasses.

Harry set to the task of programming the engineering replicator with the material desired characteristics, while B'Elanna began to calculate the dosage of each material that would produce the good short/long wavelength ratio.

"B'Elanna?", Merrrshika asked suddenly, a little shy to keep two senior officers busy for so long. "Arren't you on yourr duty shift?"

"Yes? Why?"

"Well, thish isn't rrelated to yourr worrk, and I don't want to…"

B'Elanna smiled, and put a hand on Merrrshika's shoulder to stop her.

"Don't worry. This is related to my work. After what you did yesterday, you are definitely a part of Voyager'screw. And it is a part of my duty to help Voyager crewmembers when my engineer talents can help."

"Thank you, B'Elanna."

"No thanks needed. If those sunglasses can help to prevent from unsettling the luminosity of all consoles of the engineering, that will be a good thing!"

Merrrshika laughed, and looked, totally useless, as Kim and B'Elanna went on with their various measures. She smiled, thanking life to have already put two friends on her way. Eventually, she left to meet with Tuvok, who still had a few regulations and such to brief her about.

ooooo

Harry finished before B'Elanna. He wanted to test the material's programmed characteristics before actually spending resources to replicate it. He met Merrrshika on his way to the holodeck II. They walked together, and the Mirrresh told him of her impatience to finally look people in the face without squinting her eyes to the point of migraine. Harry warned her that, although everything was running smoothly, it was possible that the conception of her sunglasses might take a few shifts. She shrugged, smiling:

"A few of your shifts mean a few of your days, which is short for me."

She winked, and they finally entered the holodeck. It was the first time Merrrshika saw this particular inorganic device. She observed the tiles on the floor and the folded pieces of material holding more tiles on the walls, wondering what their use could be. Kim walked forward, and gestured Merrrshika to follow him. She walked forward rather cautiously.

"Thish is a holodeck? What does it do?"

"You never saw a holodeck?", Kim asked, stunned.

Seeing her negative sign of the head, remembering that her species was not much into technology – with the notable exception of hacking techniques – he explained:

"This is projecting a holographic landscape. You actually feel like this is a real place, somewhere on a planet. Do you want an example before I try my sunglasses program?"

"Yesh, I would like to."

Kim identified himself to the computer, then asked for the exhaustive list of "evasion" programs in the computer's database. The computer then named a dozen of Earth's places. Kim stopped his choice with "Moon Rising on Kyaloping", and put the program on with his vocal identification. A landscape brutally materialized around them. Merrrshika startled, and looked everywhere around, looking slightly scared. Kim made a step towards her, a little bent to the front, and his hands together in an attitude she was starting to know.

"Don't be afraid. This is just an hologram."

Merrrshika lifted her head, and breathed in deeply.

"Yesh. I can shtill shmell the shynthetic odourr of the rroom."

She smiled to Kim, who laughed slightly. At this very moment, B'Elanna arrived in the holodeck II. She looked around, then observed:

"This is a really nice and romantic place to test sunglasses."

Harry recovered rather graciously from that. "Merrrshika never saw a holodeck before. I wanted to show her what it can do. I thought about this holoenvironment since it happens at night. I thought it would be easier for her eyes."

"It is. Thank you."

She smiled at him again, touched that he had this concern. B'Elanna was also smiling, but with a little jeering. She brought the discussion on a distinctly more professional ground:

"So. Did you try the so-called sunglasses?"

"Not yet," Kim answered. "Computer, open the program for modification."

He entered his authorization again. Then, he loaded all the data from the engineering replicator into the "Moon Rising" program. And he programmed the modification to be applied to the person standing on grid G10 of holodeck II. Sunglasses materialized on Merrrshika's surprised face. She lifted her hand to her face slowly, and touched the branches of the glasses.

"Even theirr touch is rreal," she said with admiration.

"How is your sight?", Harry wondered.

"A little darrk, but a lot morre comforrtable. Could you trry a morre brright shimulation?"

"Of course," Kim approved.

He entered his identification code another time, then loaded another program: "Sunny afternoon at Cancun". This time again, Merrrshika startled, but she turned everywhere around, marvelling at her new sight.

"Wow! Therre is shtill too much infrra-violet, but it'sh quite good!"

Harry augmented the filter intensity of 15.

"Perrrrrrrfect!", Merrrshika exclaimed, starting to purr.

B'Elanna and Harry burst out laughing.

"Sorrrrrrrrry," Merrrshika apologized, not stopping to purr, "I can't help it!"

They giggled a little more until Merrrshika finally repressed her overwhelming comfort at finally not being blinded anymore. Then, B'Elanna did a little more calculations about the different components' dosage, and Harry transferred the modifications to the replicator in engineering. The three of them got out of the holodeck and started back towards the turbolift that would take them to the higher decks. Merrrshika asked what were the uses of the holodecks, still repressing an urge to purr:

"Do you use it jusht forrrrrr fun? I mean, jusht to get off Voyagerrrrr forrrrrr a moment?"

"No," B'Elanna explained. "Of course, there are hololandscapes, holotreks and holonovels, but we use it also as a training place. We can program famous fights, new consol designs, etc."

"Fightsh? Isn't that dangerrrrrroush?"

"There is a security algorithm that prevents weapons from being harmful," Harry informed her.

"Oh," Merrrshika answered. "Do you think I could have accessh to the holodecksh?"

"Of course!", B'Elanna answered. "I will ask the captain to give you an access code if you wish. This way you will be able to load any program in the computer memory."

"OK. But I would like to be able to prrrogrram one myshelf, too. May I?"

Harry burst out laughing and noted:

"Even if we don't give you the access code you will do it anyway, right, Merrrshika?"