The Feline Variable

Posted on Sun May 24th, 2026 @ 10:52pm by Lieutenant JG Lovisa Montague & Crewman Raine Ni-ya

1,983 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Behind the Curtain
Location: Science Lab 3 - USS Fenrir
Timeline: En Route

ON:

The lab was quiet enough. While underway, this was mostly running the standard experiments, the tests that they worked on...all the things that kept a starship's science department going. And Raine, still working on her theories, had started early. Her gloved hands moved with confidence over the console, eyes focused on the results that came in. Reading them was slow. But it was what you did here, you read. No plugging yourself into a system to make it move faster. Besides, she was not compatible with Starfleet technology...she assumed. Guessed. Was reasonably confident of.

"Morning!" Lovisa smiled warmly as she made her way into the lab, not feeling the slight brush against her leg. She set her coffee down close to her station, her mind not quite awake yet despite her breezy nature. "Did you even go to bed last night, Raine?" she teased.

Raine did not look up at first, but after a moment her eyes went to the familiar shape of Lovisa, and the ever trusting coffee cup. "I did. I did not stay long in the lab....it would annoy beta shift," she said before she looked back at her console. "I started reading the book you recommended. So far, I find the main character annoying. Is that common?"

Lovisa couldn't help but laugh at the blunt words as she logged herself into the console, getting comfortable in the tall chair. "Actually, you'd be surprised. A lot of people usually prefer the side characters over the main characters in books and holofilms. Don't know why. Are you enjoying the story though?"

Raine considered it for a moment before she gave a nod. "It is all highly improbable.." she said, but there was a hint of a smile. Brief. Could also have been a sarcastic smirk...but it was leaning more into a small smile. "And I suspect it will have a romance in it later. I am five chapters in."

Lovisa's smile gave away that she was right and she laughed to herself as she caught up on the readings and results from the last shift. "Come on, everyone loves a romance..."

Raine tutted, shaking her head. "You are assuming my species does...romance..." she said, glancing at her before she looked back at her work...but there was something about her face, or something in the set of her shoulders, that showed she was...teasing.

"You don't have to do romance to enjoy it," Lovisa pointed out with a soft laugh, shaking her head as she started to set up the next scan. "Trust me, I haven't done any kind of romance for long enough..."

"Well, human romance is-" Raine suddenly froze as the animal jumped up from the floor and laid across the console, tail flicking and green eyes watching. Raine's upper lip pulled up a little bit, but otherwise her body was frozen.

But Lovisa's eyes widened with joy and a smile brightened her features. "Oh...oh! Look! I heard rumours we had a ship's cat now!" she moved over, reaching out to carefully touch the token hanging from the tortoise-shell moggy's collar....only, she realised it was a commbadge, and on the back, the name 'Freya' had been engraved. "Oh...hello, Freya, aren't you beautiful...." she cooed, carefully offering her hand for inspection.

The cat sniffed the hand and then nudged it, marking it with the side of her face before she blinked. "Why does it look like a miniature cousin of a Caitian?" Raine demanded, finding her voice as she took a slow step back.

Lovisa giggled, looking to Raine with a warm smile. "We keep cats as pets on Earth. But there's bigger cats too. Wild ones that can kill with those cute little murder mittens. I...have no idea why they resemble caitian's though...maybe you should research it," she teased. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Is it food?" Raine asked, looking at the cat before she tilted her head. It looked soft. And then it yawned and showed all the sharp teeth and something about it made Raine tense, with a sharp intake of breath. Oh yes, somewhere in her DNA something was rising in challenge. Fascinating. She rolled her shoulders to relax. "It's a predator."

"No it is not food! Cover your ears, Freya!" Lovisa laughed warmly, scratching warmly behind the cat's ears. "And they're fearsome little hunters...mice, birds, leaves, socks...."

Raine tilted her head at hearing the purring, moving closer to it. "Reptiles..." she said and looked at Lovisa, face serious. "Does it talk? Can the universal translator translate for it?"

"No," Lovisa chuckled softly, shaking her head lightly. "Well...not in words. But they're usually very good at making their needs known. Why don't you come and say hello to her?"

Raine looked at her before she let out a breath. "If I am allergic and die because of this, I am blaming you," she said and moved closer, holding her gloved hand out the way Lovisa had.

The cat leant in close, sniffing carefully before headbutting the hand, demanding attention and fuss. Lovisa bit back a laugh at how the cat took to her. It was absolutely typical...she clearly sensed her discomfort and decided this was now her person.

Raine looked at the cat before she moved her hand, carefully stroking it. "We should make sure you stay away from Klingons," she said to the cat, quietly.

Lovisa watched on with a small, warm smile at them getting along and making friends. Freya enjoyed the fuss for a few more moments before jumping down to investigate the lab. "She likes you," Lovisa teased with a stage whisper before sitting back at her station, laughing softly.

Raine shot her a look before she looked at her glove...and the hairs. Dark hairs. "How...she is white too, and red...why are there only black hairs on my gloves?" she asked with confusion.

"It's a magic trick all cats have," Lovisa chuckled as she double checked the parameters of her scan before triggering it.

Raine groaned with annoyance, pulling off the gloves with care. "It'll contaminate everything," she said and looked at Lovisa, with confusion. "You seem...strangely fine with an animal in our lab."

"Aw, she's beautiful!" Lovisa laughed warmly as she shook her head, reaching to take a sip of her coffee. "How can you begrudge her? Besides...ship's cats are lucky, you should feel honoured she visited us..."

"We will have to disinfect everything," Raine said before she looked at the cat, sighing. She reached for an instrument and knelt. "Come here. I'll sample your DNA, I can then make sure to disregard you from the tests," she informed the cat.

Freya made absolutely no move towards her though. She just sat there, casually washing a paw before slow blinking in her general direction.

Raine exhaled sharply, watching the cat closely before she looked over at Lovisa. "What does it say? Does it understand?"

"I think it said 'I like you' with that cute little blink," Lovisa smiled to herself as she tapped on her screen. "It's an animal, she doesn't understand you, Sunshine. You're going to have to just...try and get close enough. Good luck..."

"I hate you," Raine said, her voice turning the words as an observation, as if she was saying that the bulkheads were grey. She didn't mean it though. It was all in context. She moved forward on her knees, a little bit closer. "And you. Stay. I will just take a sample."

Freya ignored her entirely, trotting off around her to jump up onto the table next to Raine's console. She looked directly at her before using a delicate paw to knock the stylus off.

Raine's eyes widened and she lifted her head a little, words escaping quietly in a language the UT was struggling to translate. "...little..." she exhaled, slowly, trying to find a balanced place. "You did it on purpose."

Lovisa watched on, biting her lip to stifle her laugh...then finally decided to have mercy on her. She moved over, slowly, reaching to stroke the cat gently before carefully taking a hold of her to pick up. "There we go...good girl...let the grumpy science lady take your DNA in a totally innocent way..."

"I won't clone her," Raine said and looked with awe at how easily Lovisa did it. She took a sample, quickly, shivering at the fur touching her bare skin.

Lovisa chuckled, taking the chance of having the patient cat in her arms to stroke fondly behind its ear. "Come on, you've terrorised poor Raine long enough," she carried her outside of the doors, setting her down and watching as she trotted off down the corridor.

Raine narrowed her eyes before she moved to put the sample in. She glanced over at Lovisa before she looked back at the screen. "We don't have animals where I am from."

Lovisa blinked, trying to process that as she moved to sit back at her station. "As in...no pets...?"

"When my people destroyed the planet and evacuated to the moon..." Raine didn't look at her, instead isolating the cat's DNA. "They did not think about the wildlife. No pets...no insects."

Lovisa's frown deepened at the words. She remained silent though...it would have been something she fought against, both as a person and a scientist, but who was she to judge? She hadn't been there. "Maybe we should visit a wildlife park one day. You can meet Freya's bigger cousins..."

"I am not sure if that is terrifying...or fascinating," Raine said and looked over at her, seeing the...frown. She could easily see the disapproval. She did not blame her...she did not approve of her ancestors either.

"Maybe a bit of both?" Lovisa laughed gently as she logged back in, checking on how her scan was going. "It...could be nice though?" she suggested lightly, glancing her way.

Raine gave a small nod, before she looked back at the samples. "If only from a scientific...viewpoint," she said, but there was a small smile on her lips.

"Oh...of course..." Lovisa replied lightly, glancing to her with a small, fond smile. "Actually...we needed scientists to get involved with a lot of our animals and wildlife. We didn't treat our environment with respect, and animals and wildlife suffered for it. Scientists worked hard to help restore habitats and increase numbers."

Raine stopped at that, frowning as she glanced over at her. "But it is better now?" she asked, wanting to know. Caring, somehow, about it.

"Yes," Lovisa gave her a small, almost reassuring smile. "Yes, we have protected wildlife parks and reservations for them now. We messed up...but we helped make it right again."

Raine nodded, accepting the words before she looked back at her, meeting her eyes. "Then I would like to see the feline's...larger relatives, one day."

Lovisa's smile grew at her accepting the offer. She hadn't been sure if she would or not. She knew she was too much for the other woman. But she just couldn't help herself. She saw how serious she was and her instinct just kicked in, to try and brighten her day. "I'll keep you safe...promise..." she winked to her.

Raine looked at her before she nodded, looking at what she was doing. And then, quietly, she added, "good, because I suspect I'd taste like chicken to them."

Lovisa laughed out loud at the words, unable to help it as she shook her head. "Raine! You *do* have a sense of humour!"

"You're imagining things," Raine said lightly as she looked at her, her face still, just...studying her. And then there was a smile. Small, but it was a smile that stuck.

OFF:

Crewman Raine Ni-Ya
Scientist
USS Fenrir

Lieutenant JG Lovisa Montague
Science Officer
USS Fenrir

 

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