Ships in the Night - Part II

Posted on Thursday January 13th, 2022 @ 12:15am by Lieutenant JG Talerian Maxx & Lieutenant Commander Curzon Bennett

Mission: EPISODE 1: SHAKEDOWN
Location: 10th Fleet Headquarters
Timeline: MD1 1000hrs

::ON::

'Deep Space Three, Lieutenant, what else?' Sakaan replied with a shrug. 'They apparently want a Mission Adviser to tag along with the new ship. As the senior most officer without a current posting, I was asked to fulfil that role,' she concluded in a matter-of-fact tone. 'I've just come from a debriefing now with the new Captain and some the, ah, brass, I believe humans call flag officers?'

Lieutenant Maxx sipped his coffee as he nodded to Sakaan and replied, "Flag officers eh? Well I am sure you filled that role well." Lieutenant Maxx gave a small grin as he did admire the view of Sakaan, however her personality was rather condescending. Judging from his past life experiences he knew Vulcans were a lot like fine chocolate in that they were pleasant in small doses. However since he would have to work with her he had to be professional with her. So he sipped his coffee before he asked, "So you will be joining us on the Oberon?"

'I believe that is the intention,' Sakaan replied coolly. 'I thought perhaps Starfleet would not want us all on the same vessel again, but it seems I was incorrect in my assumption. It will be good to serve with the crew again, however.'

Lieutenant Maxx nodded as he sipped his coffee again. He then swallowed it as he replied to her, "Indeed it would. It will make remembering all the names a lot easier for sure. However we will have to get used to smaller work spaces as a trade off. I am sure DS3 was a lot bigger than any starship. My biggest concern will be if the replicators are working properly since I work better after a nice cup of coffee. How about you?"

She almost smiled, recovering after a twitch of the lips. 'I am looking forward to shipboard life once more. Deep Space Three was a short interlude in my career, and one that proved to be less fruitful than I had hoped. It will be a refreshing experience now that I am not a member of the Intelligence Department.' She leaned in conspiratorially, 'I should tell the new Commanding Officer about the replicators when you meet him.'

Lieutenant Maxx notice the slight quiver in Sakaan's lip. It almost looked as if he almost made her smile. He smiled as he thought to himself that he somehow made an impression on Sakaan. Then he listened to her snide comment on her last position on DS3. He wondered if she was more upset by loosing the job or being over with it. Vulcan's were a hard race to to size up and a pretty one like Sakaan was no different. It would be hard to see the subtle differences in her expressions when she was experiencing a multitude of feelings. Then it sounded like she made a joke at his expense about the replicators, which made him perk up as he replied, "If I didn't know better I would say you were teasing me Lieutenant Sakaan? I might have to document this in my rainbow pony diary." Lieutenant Maxx winked at her as he sipped his coffee and waited for her response.

She arched an eyebrow in return. 'A rainbow pony? How illogical. As a scientist you would know that it wouldn't provide any camouflage in a pony's natural environment, likely rendering it vulnerable to predation.' Again, that hint of a twitch at the lips. 'Perhaps we can take up this talk at another time.' Sakaan raised her PADD, 'I've been asked to compile a report in readiness for our launch.' She indicated the door she came out of. 'I presume you're here for some preliminary briefings.'

Lieutenant Maxx smirked as he saw her lip twitch again. Then he replied, "I look forward to our next conversation, perhaps over a coffee or two. He knew he made her smirk and this was a fun game. Perhaps they could chat again in the future since Vulcan's rarely indulged in humor or dating. Whether it ended up in romance or simple friendship, she would be fun to spend time with. When she gestured to the PADD he nodded at her as he too had a meeting. He replied, "You have a good eye for such things. I do indeed have a meeting as well, however I was distracted by your charming ..." dramatic pause as his eyes looked her up and down "... conversation." Lieutenant Maxx let his words sink in to see how Sakaan would react next time they met as he raised his coffee cup to her and sipped it before he entered the room for his meeting. While in the meeting he was bored going over the usual info exchange while he wondered if Sakaan would take his bait.

As Sakaan walked away, she merely raised an eyebrow at the Science Officer's flirting. She considered him for a moment. Not bad looking, and he has some wit about him. Chief Science officer too, which means he's not a complete dullard. I've done worse.' As she walked the base's empty corridor, she permitted herself a half smile. Perhaps she would take up his offer for coffee one day.

After an hour of long boring questions and equally long tedious procedures, Lieutenant Maxx was finally free from the required meeting. His head was throbbing and worn out from sheer boredom as he left as soon as he could. He made his way to the nearest coffee place which was a small food replicator and ordered a large cappuccino with two shots of espresso in it. Once it was ready he picked it up and inhaled the aroma before he sipped it and slowly swallowed it. As the coffee moved down his throat he sighed in relief as his stress was melting away. Then he made his way outside and took a small walk to find a bench as busy people were moving all around him while busy at work. Of course he was in his own little world as he slowly sipped his hot coffee and smiled with his eyes closed.

::OFF::

Lieutenant Talerian Maxx
Chief Science Officer
USS Oberon

Sakaan
Mission Adviser
USS Oberon
[PNPC Commander Bennett]