Mail Call
Posted on Sun Nov 21, 2021 @ 11:11am by Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant JG Camille Lévesque PhD
1,589 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Archangel
Location: Nicole & Camille's Quarters
Timeline: Evening
Penny walked into the science lab and pulled a chair up to Camille and straddled it in reverse, resting her arms on the back and her chin on her arms. She waited silently as Camille finished what she was engrossed in and finally looked up.
It took a while. Camille’s eyes were locked onto a monitor as she made adjustment after adjustment to a virtual chemical reaction she was trying to get just right. She was getting frustrated with a lack of progress, and suddenly turned away. “Ugh!” The sight of Penny startled her, and she jolted to her feet. “Ah!”
Penny giggled. “Hiya! I was starting to calculate an estimate as to when you’d notice me.” She grinned and spun around in the lab chair.
“Whatever your estimate, always add fifteen minutes,” Camille joked, grinning. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I am on break, and I thought I’d come see you and see if you wanted to do anything,” Penny said. “And that’s totally of my own accord and I’m totally not looking in on you on Nicole’s behalf after you asked her to stop checking up on you an hour ago.”
Camille took off her glasses and rubbed at the corners of her eyes with her thumb and index finger. “Nicooooole.”
“She means well,” Penny said, giving an understanding smile.
“I suppose so,” Camille conceded before sighing dramatically and putting her glasses back on. “What now, then?”
“Well, you could go to Sickbay and tell her off, but that might just play into her evil plans of keeping tabs on you, whereas if we go have lunch in the mess hall, we can inflict unbearable torture by leaving her wondering for an hour.”
That made Camille’s grin come back. “Oh, she’s not getting away that easily…”
Nicole was reclined on the couch when she heard the doors to their quarters open. “Before you say anything, you should know that it's a well-known fact that Penny is a compulsive liar,” she said, eyes peeking over the top of her padd, then going wide.
She should have been surprised to see Camille not in her uniform, but rather in a little black dress. For Nicole had not expected Penny to return to the science lab after duty shifts were over, at Camille’s request. She had not expected that they would replicate matching outfits, go to the holodeck, and spend several hours club-hopping in re-creations of the Federation’s best dance venues.
"Has the science department dress code changed?" Nicole said, trying to keep her cool, but looking approvingly at Camille.
“I thought I’d take Penny out for a bit of dancing,” Camille said, her tone even and confident, her arms folded in front of her. “She was being a very nice friend, after all, and not making me feel like a child who needed to be looked after.”
“I’m sorry,” Nicole said, sighing a bit in defeat. “I’m just...still a bit put off from everything.” She stood up and walked up to Camille, tucking her chin and pouting slightly. She batted her eyes. “Forgive me?”
Camille squinted, tried to remain strong, but failed. “Oui, mon amour,” she said, nodding and uncrossing her arms.
Nicole grinned and produced a padd from behind her back. “Mail has arrived. Guess what we got?”
“What did we get?”
Nicole tapped the padd and cleared her throat dramatically. “From Richard and Cassandra Kennings: Please join us in welcoming our newest addition to the Taurean lineage. Darla Amber Kennings was born at 9:47 am this morning, 3.9 kilos, 64 centimeters, and the cutest little head of wispy, colored hair!” She grinned ear-to-ear and turned the PADD around, showing off a series of baby pictures.
“Eeee!” Camille squealed. “I didn’t realize that the hair was a genetic trait! I thought Cass dyed it in a culturally relevant way.”
"Nope. All natural. So's the skin and the violet eyes," Nicole said. "Now just appreciate the little bundle, and stop analyzing her," she chided.
“The baby is adorable, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be fascinated too,” Camille declared before sticking her tongue out. She knew it was likely that Nicole would catch it, but she didn’t mind.
Nicole leaned in and kissed her, nibbling her tongue playfully. "Fine then," she said, grinning. "Well, now Cass has a little doppelganger to follow her around, so twice the scientific observations." She gave a small squeal of delight as well as Camille brought up another picture. "Look at that little nose!" She sighed and smiled. "I just wish I'd been there for it."
“I know,” Camille said, gently rubbing Nicole’s shoulder. “But you’ll meet her soon.”
"Well, heavens knows when we'll be able to get the time, but we definitely need to go visit so I can hold her," Nicole said, sighing with longing. She stepped up behind Camille and put her arms around her waist, resting her chin on the blonde's shoulder. "You have a letter in the queue as well," she noted.
“I do?” Camille pulled open her own mail application on the PADD and opened the unread message. “It’s from the Daystrom Institute’s Alpha Centauri annex.”
"Oh?" Nicole said, kissing her ear and moving to the couch to lie back down. "And what scientific poser are they seeking your assistance on?"
“ ‘Dear Lieutenant Lévesque,’ ” Camille began to read. “ ‘The Centre for Exobiology Studies of the Daystrom Institute has been following your research during your assignment aboard USS Victory, ever since your publication of Discovery, characterization, and treatment of novel, toxin-producing, designed and manufactured variant of Parvovirus B19 with nonstandard quantum signature in Delta Quadrant in the Journal of Biomedical Science.’ Huh. They read our paper.”
"Well, of course they did; it was brilliant," Nicole said airily, then gave her a grin. "You, especially, were marvelous, and you wrote a brilliant analysis. So, are they just mailing you an award, or do you have to send in a thank-you speech?" she joked.
“It continues, ‘The Daystrom Institute continues to search for the best minds of the galaxy to contribute to its scientific endeavours. With that in mind, we invite you to hold a position with us at the Centre for Exobiology Studies on Alpha Centauri VII. The precise terms of our offer are attached. Sincerely, Teleri Uto, PhD, Centre Director’.” Camille looked up at Nicole, her eyes wide. “The Daystrom Institute! Can you believe it?!”
Nicole's eyes were wide, and her jaw was hanging down. "That's...that's wonderful!" she said, jumping up and hugging Camille hard. "My Uncle Michael and Aunt Nancy live there, right in Bracksville. The pictures they've sent me are lovely. It's an amazing city."
“The offer includes a residence in the suburbs outside Bracksville,” Camille said, having opened the letter’s attachment. “A team of ten, many of whom I’ll get to pick. A state of the art lab. Mon Dieu, an excursion craft for long range expeditions.”
Nicole gave a whistle. "They're right serious, aren't they?"
“This is incredible!” Camille said. “But…should I accept it? I mean, you’re here. I’ll be there.”
Nicole frowned, sitting back down on the couch. She crossed her legs and wrapped her arms around her chest, brows knitted together.
“I joined Starfleet in part to be away from Earth and out in the field.” Camille took a deep breath. “I can’t pick my own work here. I can really only do as ordered or whatever’s near to where the Captain sends us. We’ve done incredible things, but with freedom of choice and the backing of the Institute…imaginez.”
"I don't want to glenonau," Nicole said, her voice hard. "We had an understanding."
“You mean…”
"Oui," Nicole said, standing up and walking up to Camille, facing her. "I told you if you returned home, I'd go with you. By extension, if you are going to Alpha Centauri, I'm going with you." She took Camille's hands and held them in hers. "You and I are a package deal. I'm not going to let you even consider missing out on an opportunity of this magnitude. If you want this, then you take it."
Tears of joy began to well in Camille’s eyes, and she smiled. “I want this.” She leaned in and kissed Nicole. “And I want you with me.”
"Well, you say that now, but remember that I still can't cook," she said, smiling.
“But what will you do?” Camille asked. “I can pick my team, but while I love our professional collaborations I get the feeling that we’d kill each other if you worked for me. And I don’t think you’ll be happy if you’re not helping people more directly.”
"Yes, I agree some professional distance would be best," Nicole said. "Besides, as much as I can enjoy research, I miss the private sector. I miss battling a mysterious illness, curing a blight, holding a newborn..." her eyes got a bit misty. "I was told I'm always welcome back home. Perhaps after a brief hiatus, I spend some time there, this time for the right reasons."
Camille knew what she was referring to. “Rigel IV isn’t too far. A few hours at high warp. We can make it work, and do what we were born to do.”
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