Act I : Nuts & Bolts || Nari and Murphy
 Eyes flickered down to the glowing screen of a PADD abuzz with activity, and back up to the single figure that stood in the hotel lobby, only to drop back into the pixelated oceans of the machine. Murphy had been looking at the woman across the lobby for several minutes, and action that most would more easily define as 'stalking' than simply 'looking'. And even her own mind, sleep-deprived and running on a concentrated diet of coffee and stale confectionaries, had to agree with the idea that she truly looked as though she was in fact, stalking her. Continuously moving closer, and staring with unblinking eyes until the woman shifted, she couldn't deny the strangeness of her actions.
But she had to be sure it really was her. She would certainly have a mental breakdown if she went up to the wrong woman. And with a mind as volatile as one subjected to sleep deprivation, and uncontrollable nerves, Murph could not afford to break down, at least, not in public.
The woman in question was Nari Scott, the second helmsman upon the U.S.S Europa, and someone who would be working closely with Murphy. And she was desperate to meet the woman who would be helping her take care of her ship. It was, after all, like a child to her. And though she would struggle with expressing any sort of authority, let alone trying to speak without having her sentences clouded with pauses and 'um', she had to convey the message to her fellow crew member the dire importance of treating it as though it was something precious. Because it was. Murphy's blood, her sweat, her tears, ran through the ship, and her own soul was wired to beat in time with the whir of the machines, and for her breaths to fall in time with those of the ship.
And whilst a small part of her knew that the second helmsman would take care of the ship as well as she herself would, the rest of her was drowning in fear. Fear that she could only alleviate if they met face to face. Perhaps after she had met the woman, she would sleep, perhaps, her heart wouldn't beat as quick as the beat of a hummingbird's wings, and she could breathe without feeling as though the weight of human existence was lying upon her chest.Â
And she was hoping that the black-haired beauty her body had unconsciously moved closer to, was her.
She didn't want to go up, to look like some crazed fool in front of a stranger, with hair knotted and eyes pooling with the foam of the ten-some coffees she had ingested since her arrival. But, the deadly combination of caffeine and exhaustion, gave her a false sense of confidence, made her puff her chest out and prepare herself for the onslaught of embarrassment to come. Perhaps it was better to look like a fool, for then, if Nari in question was not who Murphy thought she was, the woman would brush aside her actions. No, appearing to have some sort of wits about her, would only make the woman laugh at the absurdity of Murphy's query.Â
And so, she moved forward, one foot striding confidently, the other, controlled by the part of her mind not under the influence of her madness, dragged, trying to stop her before it grew too late. But it quickly became such, she was standing directly behind the woman, it was too late to turn away now. And so, trembling fingers tapped gently upon the shoulder, and as the stranger whirled around, Murphy offered a nervous smile.Â
''ĺč° ćéčżäşďźä˝ çĺĺćŻĺçćŻç§çšďź''
