Somewhat slow beginnings...

Posted on Sun Dec 30, 2012 @ 11:34pm by Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit & Lieutenant Samantha Raylen & Lieutenant JG Markus Davenport

3,504 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Refit and Reorganization
Location: U.S.S. Victory
Timeline: 62494.943 {Mon, 19 Nov 2384 11:45}

OOC: This post picks up with the ship on patrol and jumps forward a little over 2 months time wise. I hope no one minds, I have a feeling playing out 2 months of nothing but a few meteors and training drills would bore us all to death... so we'll just jump ahead a wee bit to more interesting parts..

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Captain's Log, Stardate 62494.943 Supplemental

During the past two months since departing SB900, ship and crew performance has improved dramatically thanks to the series of combat and emergency drills we have conducted during our patrol. Response times from all teams has improved 150%, and we've also had the opportunity to work a few kinks out of our new systems to insure that the Victory is performing at optimal levels.



Staring at the words on the computer screen, Katrijn frowned alittle as she considered what else to add. She'd already completed and filed last month's status reports. The ship and crew were producing outstanding results after the training drills for the past two months..

And the Captain..

Picking up her bottle of water, she took a drink then set down to finish her personal log entry. Keeping her entry positive in tone.. and leaving out one little detail..

The Captain was bored stiff.

She understood the reasoning for their assignment to the routine patrol after so long in space dock.. to give them the time to train new crew, work out the kinks from the refit..

But after two months of empty space, the occassional cluster of asteroid and comet dust..

She was feeling somewhat ready for something else to add to her weekly report..

She was also ready for lunch!

Looking towards where the XO was seated, she said "So.. heard anything about what the galley is cooking up for chow this afternoon.. and please tell me it isn't that weird chicken and noodle concoction they came up with last week..."

Alec met her lean halfway, "matter of fact Captain I have." His eyes twinkling in merriment, Seems their going to try that weird concoction this time with BBQ pork and beans. It should be a real winner."

From the engineering console, Lt. Raylen said "Captain, we've got an irregularity on the long-range sensors. I can't clarify the reading.. we're detecting what looks like an energy pulse but if it's coming from the area indicated.. that system shouldn't be capable of producing the technology to generate this sort of signal."

Turning to look towards the engineer, the Captain said "Where exactly does the computer believe the signal's point of origina to be Lieutenant?"

"The system designation is DGC Alpha 25466," Raylen answered. "The information we have indicates it is home to a pre-warp civilization who call themselves the Hakari. They have colonized their homeworlds two moons and at the last sweep conducted by a drone sent to survey the region for unauthorized activity there were some indications that the Hakari were beginning efforts to establish a colony of some sort on the 5th planet in their system. Their homeworld is named Ithauri. Based on the information we have, they don't have the technology to be sending this kind of energy pulse and if they do.. they definitely don't know what they're doing with it because this kind of reading is indicative of improperly calibrated power systems among other problems.. It's possible there's some interference with our sensors from the remnants of a coronal ejection noted about 9 months ago from DGC Alpha 25472.."

Considering the engineer's words, the Captain came to a quick decision. "Helm.. Mr. Davenport, alter course to take us in for a closer scan of the DGC 25466 system. If there's something going on in that system we need to know it.. and if it's a glitch in our sensors we need to know that too.." she added. "Continue to monitor the sensors.. Commander Hunter," she said then. "Care to join me for a working lunch to go over the results of the last emergency drill series? See if you can help me think of something new and unexpected to throw out in the next drill.." They normally did not take lunch at the same time, however the dull morning had left Katrijn with a lingering desire to spend a little time with Alec off the bridge and.. the need to go over the last drill results and discuss upcoming drills was a perfect and legitimate excuse to have him join her for lunch in the Captain's Dining Room.

Davenport nodded as he answered, "Aye Captain.. altering course.."

"I'd be delighted Captain. I'm sure between the two of us we can think of something to keep the crew on their toes." Alec replied, glad for the invite as well as the chance to spend some time with Rhea. It was clear if they wanted to spend more time together, they were going to have to come up with some more inventive ways to accomplish the task.

She nodded, her smile giving away nothing as she answered "Excellent! If we can't identify what they're serving.. you can taste it first.."

"I appreciate that Captain but I'd hate to deprive both you and the cooks of you not having the honor of tasting the meal they have prepared." He bantered back as he followed her to the lift. His smile warm and sincere.

She waited for him to join her, she led the way towards the 'lift. Moments before the pair reaches the lift, it's doors swish open to reveal the ship's Ferengi science officer. The short, wide-browed alien flashes a toothy smile and begins to loosen his jaw to greet his captain when she swiftly intercepts him. "Lieutenant Nix," she said then. "You have the conn.. we'll be in the Captain's Dining Room should anything worth note develop.. See you in an hour.."

"Ah, yes very well," the Ferengi responded with a smile as he stepped clear of the turbolift. "Have no worries, captain. The ship is in good hands. I shall treat her as if she was my very own," he added with a latinum-laced twinkle to his eyes and shuffled his way over to the fancy chair.

Entering the 'lift, the Captain turned and watched the XO enter. Then, once the doors slid closed she said "Deck 2." Then, looking up into her First Officer's gaze she said, "What was that crack about not wanting to deprive me of the honor of tasting the meal... And here I thought I could count on you to protect me from anything which might pose a threat to my health & safety.."

He turned and faced her with a huge smile on his face, "Of course you can Captain there is no threat that I wouldn't face for you, or any meal I wouldn't taste for you. I just didn't want to disappoint the cooks." He teased. " However I will be glad to sample the meal for you, you big chicken."

Unfazed by his teasing remarks, she answered "I'll take a borg cube.. or a pissed off Klingon.. or hell.. I'll even deal with a Talaxian merchant wearing his best garments trying to sell me some just like them.. but that goop they served up last week.. " she made an exaggerated gag face accompanied by a gagging sound. "That stuff was horrible.."

"You'll get no argument from me on that score." He answered trying not to laugh at the face she made or the gagging sound that went with it. "Okay." He relented. "I'll try the meal first. If I keel over I'm coming back to haunt you. Though you know you could just tell the cooks what you want to eat. You are the Captain and that does apply to having a say in your meals. I know I looked it up." He joked.

One eyebrow rose slightly at his words, "Is that a fact? So.. are you saying that as Captain.. all I have to do is say what I want and I get it?"

"Absolutely. Without a doubt . It's one of the perks of the job. People jump at your very word." He bantered. "No one wants to face the wrath of an angry Captain"

Entering the Captain's private dining room, she pointed towards the table and said "Pick a seat.. one of the galley staff should be bringing in lunch momentarily.. when we entered they would have received a notification that we're here."

He moved to the table and slid into a chair and then waited for the cooks to appear, hoping, praying they weren't going to serve that awful bean slop he had heard them mention earlier. Just the thought of it was making his stomach turn over.

Taking a seat herself, she smiled as the door slid open and a pair of galley staff officers entered with a cart carrying two covered plates as well as glasses of ice and a pitcher of iced tea. When the covers were removed, instead of the threatened bean concoction which the XO had mentioned earlier, there were two bowls of stew with bread sticks, and fresh tossed salads on the side.

She just smiled at his expression, "Hey.. you're the one who said since I"m the Captain, I can get what I want. You even looked it up.."

His expression was one of first confusion then surprise, pure and simple surprise. "So I did and I should have known you would have already done so. My compliments on your selection of a meal. Very well done. You have very good taste. Does it apply to all areas?" He asked innocently, his eyes twinkling in merriment.

Picking up the pitcher and pouring herself a glass of tea, she added "Now if only it was as easy a task for me to get better orders then cruising a patrol run for another 3 months..."

"Patience Rhea, good things come to those who wait." Alec said as he poured himself some tea and then sipped his drink. "Though I do have to admit this is damn boring."

"I would rather not have someone start shooting at us.. but I would prefer a little more freedom in our course heading. With so much unexplored territory out there just out of sensor range .. cruising along a set patrol route just seems.. wrong.." she told him.

"Well, I'm not a captain but it would seem to me that Captain's have wide discretionary powers when it comes to interpreting orders." He grabbed a bread stick. "Hell Rhea, some of the earliest Captains like Kirk just viewed orders as guidelines." he took a bite, "Good. You know you could always redirect sensors under the purview of calibrating them, fine tuning them. never mind the fact we just left space dock."

"Technically we've been out of space dock for almost 2 months.." she pointed out. "Sometimes I envy the era Kirk lived in. Far more focus on exploration than now.. now we alternate between a show of force while on patrol.. letting everyone else out there know we're here, and able to defend our territories.. diplomatic headaches.. and occasionally a little science and exploration thrown in to keep us motivated I think.."

"Now Rhea, two months is just left space dock considering the lengths of the mission. Plus how do you/we know they work properly unless their focused them on something rather than continuing to go along a set patrol pattern?"

"You do make a valid point XO," she answered with a nod of her head. "Perhaps I should give Lt. Nix orders to test out the sensor systems more fully when we return to the bridge from lunch.."

"Thank you Captain, just doing my job as XO by pointing out options to help the Captain make informative decisions." Alec answered as he gnawed on a breadstick.

She just smiled, holding back a soft laugh as she replied "I'm fortunate to have you aboard to help keep me on course.."

"Indeed you are Captain." Alec bantered back,giving her a smile of his own. "You do realize that my name isn't XO but Alec right?" He continued to gently tease her.

Picking up a breadstick, she broke a part off and then paused, nodded and replied "I seem to recall reading that on your personnel file..." before popping the bit of warm bread into her mouth to eat.

"Indeed. Just what else do you recall from my file Captain er Rhea. Please enlighten me." As he placed his elbows on the table and placed his head in his hands. "I'm all ears."

She cocked her head to one side, looking at him for a moment then answered "And they're cute ears too.." Before he could speak she added quickly, "I know you excelled in tactical theory. I know that you were top in your class in flight school.. and that most likely you're itching to get the okay to take one of those classified Valkryie fighters they loaded aboard out for a spin.."

He grinned at her like a schoolboy.His head still in his hands, "Cure ears huh? Thanks." Then he continued on, "Quite correct on all counts. I really do want to take one of those new fighters out for little stroll, put it through it's paces." He stopped and his grin grew he broader, "However, you forgot one small detail about me."

"Oh?" she responded. "And what might that be..." she asked then.

"Yep." He replied as he continued to look at her. Then reached for his glass and sipped it. "I don't know if I should be hurt or not." He continued, milking whatever he was going to say for all it's worth. "I mean I would have thought this was a given." He bantered in a tone of voice that clearly wasn't upset but rather enjoying this. "I mean Captain's are suppose to know this especially about their XOs."

"And what might this item be?" she asked him. "Surely you're not talking about the First Officer's job to try and keep the Captain from getting into trouble... we both know that's a lost cause..."

"Nope, nope, nope. Your right that is a lost cause my job there is to keep you from getting killed. Maybe I should have said, you should know this about me." He thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, that sounds better and makes better sense. Okay second guess, go ahead."

"Second guess.. hmmm.." she replied with a soft voice. "Lets see.. you apparently actually liked that weird concoction they came up with in the galley the other day.. so you must enjoy odd and unusual foods..and you even convinced me to try that Terran dish.. pizza.. which wasn't half bad. It just looks odd... but I have a feeling that's not what you're hinting at so... hmmm.." she paused, gazing thoughtfully at him while taking a moment for a bite of her lunch.

"You're going to have to give me a hint.." she said at last, a little smile on her face. "There are so many possibilities we'd be here all day if I had to try and list them all one by one, hoping to eventually get the right one.."

"Now wait a second Rhea, pizza is good, especially with the right toppings And I do like unusual foods within reason. But your right that isn't what I'm hinting at." His smile grew bigger, "Well, we can't stay here all day. We have such an exciting day ahead of us." He quipped. "Okay another hint. It isn't food, it's on a more personal level, personal as in between two people."

"Ahhh.. you're being sneaky. here I was thinking you were talking about professional talents .." She was smiling as she spoke. "Personal level.. hmmm.. You're quite persistent..when you want something you seem to be quite determined to get it.." she told him. "You're spontaneous, you're.. intelligent. Funny at times when it suits you.. not a half bad kisser..."

Alec was smiling as Rhea spoke, "See? You forgot sneaky.' Then he was nodding his head. "Right,right, quite right. Whoa! Wait! Not a half bad kisser?" He tilted his head at her. "Not a half bad kisser?" He repeated.

Her expression perfectly innocent, eyes sparkling with humor however, she explained "Well I haven't had a kiss all day.. it is possible that the stress of the day thus far is effecting my memory.. if you should feel like offering a refresher.."

His eyes glinted with humor. "Ahhhhh, I see.That's just terrible.Stress affecting your memory. Well we can't have that, now can we?" He asked even as he was up and out of his seat and moving to her. Reaching her, he stopped and bent low, his lips moving towards her and then stopping just short of them. "One other thing. Most important too. I love you Rhea. Now and forever.Always and totally." He whispered then kissed her, gently but deeply but with a passion that couldn't be hidden. He loved Rhea, completely and totally.

She stood up slowly as they kissed, so that she could wrap her arms around his neck.. for the moment putting the agreed upon need for discretion aside in order to return the embrace as she wanted. After a long moment, when the pair separated she remained close, arms still around his neck and looked up into his gaze. "I didn't think I'd ever smile again before I met you.." she told him in a soft voice. "Much less fall in love .. but I have.. " Kissing his lips gently, she said "And I revise my prior statement.. you are a very talented kisser..."

He held her gaze as his arms came up to wrap around her and hold her close. Right now nothing else existed. It was just Rhea and himself, lost in their own little world."I'm the lucky one Rhea. You are such a wonderful warm, caring person. The day I met you was one I'll never forget. The day you smiled was a true sight and I knew I wanted to see you smile more and more.The day I knew I loved you, was the greatest day of my life. I'll never do anything to hurt you. I hope you know that but even more importantly that you believe it." His eyes twinkled, "Talented kisser eh? Glad to hear it, thought I might be losing my touch but just to be sure......" He kissed the woman of his dreams,the one he loved with every fiber of his being, holding her next to him, never wanting the moment to end.

Katrijn returned his kiss, then leaned her head back slightly to say "Yep... talented kisser.. Though sadly not a talent which I can give you an 'official' commendation for on the record..."

Drawing back now, though still holding his hand for a moment she said with a nod of her head towards their half-eaten lunch and said, "We should finish eating.. no sense in letting it go to waste..."

He grinned like a lovesick school boy. "Well, it's a same about not being able to get an official commendation but as long as you know. It's all good. Besides the reason I'm so talented is I have an extremely talented partner." he followed the nod of her head to their lunch. "As you wish Rhea, we can continue this little exercise later. One has to practice to remain talented." He bantered.

"Somehow I think you get plenty of practice..." she answered with a wink. Before he could reply immediately, the comm chimed then Lt. Nix's voice reached them over the comm system.

"Captain? I have an update on DGC 25466. We have detected weapons fire presumably from orbital platforms and are holding course. ETA to comm range is 18 hours. We are preparing to launch a sensor drone and have prepared a geological survey as soon as we are within range."

After a brief pause, the Captain answered "Understood Mr. Nix. Maintain sensor surveillance, but maintain distance.. I don't want them to detect our presence...Cmdr. Hunter and I will be there momentarily. And send all the information you have at the moment on the situation to Lt. Devereaux, tell him I need his analysis of the situation as well as any additional information which Intel may be able to provide.."

Looking at her XO, Katrijn said "At least we'd just about finished lunch.. we need to get back up there.. sounds like our boring patrol just got a little more interesting.."

Meeting her gaze squarely, Alec replied, "Good idea though the timing could have been better. Just when lunch was getting interesting as well." He finished with a smirk.

"Come on.. lets get up there before things settle down and we miss the interesting parts.." she told him, holding out a hand to help him up from his seat and then, together they headed back to the bridge.



TBC on the Bridge

 

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