I am enjoying this story! You've done a good job with the Lexington's crew--and making them holograms in a holoplay was a great idea--it gives you creative room.
The Star Eagle Adventures: EVS-2 - Crossing Over
- Thread starter CeJay
- Start date
Killer Robots! Cool new addition to the holo-adventure. Looks like it will keep on throwing them curve balls to keep them on their toes.
Louise Hopkins had always admired Xylion. At first she had thought it was merely because as a Vulcan he had a natural tendency to understand the things that she was most fond of. Machines.
With the exception of Nora Laas with whom she had spent three years as a roommate at the Academy, Louise had always found it a challenge to get on with people and once upon a time it had nearly kept her from joining Starfleet at all and instead signed on to the Daystrom Institute.
There was something inherently complicated about people to her and very often they had the tendency to say one thing while thinking the exact opposite. Not that she was immune herself to such notions but it was especially frustrating when having to deal with others.
No such problems existed with computers, warp cores or EPS flow regulators. Or in fact with Xylion.
Vulcans were not machines however and over the years on Eagle she had come to appreciate the differences. She had also realized that her attraction to the tall science officer went far beyond his flawless logic.
Put simply, she enjoyed his company and from time to time she allowed herself to think that he enjoyed hers.
She as an engineer and he as a scientist had plenty of reasons to work together and when they did they usually produced excellent results. And even though they were now faced with an imaginary problem in an imaginary environment, they nevertheless proved once more how well they complemented each other.
“These are without doubt the main power relays feeding directly into the antiproton release valves but we won’t be able to just cut into them considering that any attempt would most likely release the build up energy and fry everything within a one thousand meter radius to a crisp,” she said after she had completed her initial investigation of the conduits she had been studying with Xylion’s help.
“It may be possible to reroute main energy instead of cutting it off entirely.”
Hopkins shot him a look as if he had just revealed the meaning of life to her. “Of course, redirect. But to where?”
The Vulcan glanced towards the large panels above them through which they could now see that the planet-killer was heading straight towards its next meal, a world populated with millions of inhabitants who had no clue that their very existence was being threatened by a massive doomsday machine. “If the energy is redirected towards the antiproton emitters that may cause an overload but also release enough power to still seriously damage the planet.”
Hopkins nodded along in agreement. “Which means we need to redirect the energy away from the emitters and directly into the hull.”
“A logical conclusion,” he said.
“But will it be able to sustain that amount of energy?”
“Unknown. Neutronium is an extremely dense state of matter. In theory it is indestructible. However, the energy output of this device is beyond our means to measure. At this point it is impossible to estimate the effect.”
“Unmovable object meeting irresistible force,” said Hopkins with a grin.
“In essence, yes.”
“And it’s probably safe to say that once we transfer a gazillion volts of current into the hull this will quickly become a very unpleasant place to be.”
“Unquestionably.”
A chirping sound interrupted their considerations. For a moment Louise wasn’t quite sure what it meant until Xylion glanced at the communicator attached to her belt.
She quickly retrieved the small, rectangular shaped device and flipped it open with a shake of her wrist. “This is Hopkins.”
“Wesley here. What’s your status, Lieutenant?”
“Sir, we have encountered some resistance but Kuznetsov and the others were able to distract them leaving Xylion and me to work on a solution to our problem.”
“Understood. I thought I let you know that time is running out. We anticipate the device being in firing range within twenty minutes, so whatever you have to do, do it quickly,” he said but sounded neither stressed nor impatient. “I know you thrive under pressure, Lou. Can’t ask for more pressure than this.”
This caused the engineer to smile. She wondered if Commodore Robert Wesley had really talked like that. If so, she would have enjoyed serving under him. Something to be said for a captain who not only kept his cool in a tense situation but also managed to maintain a sense of humor. “We have a plan of action, sir, which we think may work. But we expect that we will require a quick getaway as soon as we are through here.”
“Very well. Get started and we’re brining the Lady back into transporter range. Good luck. Wesley Out.”
Xylion had already removed the access panels to get to the circuitry they would need to manipulate for the task at hand by the time Louise had closed the communicator and joined him.
Hopkins quickly found that most of the systems looked satisfyingly alien as was to be expected from a machine whose origins hadn’t even been established in her time. And yet the basics were not too different from the EPS power grids on a starship.
They didn’t have much time to affect the reallocation of the immense power plant that was running the device’s weaponry and they had to work carefully considering that they were playing with immeasurable energy levels.
But Wesley had been absolutely correct. Louise Hopkins, like many other Starfleet engineers before her, excelled at working under exactly these conditions. A fast approaching, non-negotiable deadline it turned out was just the motivation she needed.
The trick for her had always been not to think about anything other than the job at hand. Not to worry about the time restraints, not to contemplate that failure would mean the certain death of millions and especially not to pay any attention to your own feelings for the man you were working with.
Unfortunately the last point was surprisingly difficult. As was usual, they worked well together. They both knew exactly what needed to be done and approached the task almost as one. Xylion would pass her the tool that she needed without her even having to point out which one was required and Louise would have the answers to the questions he hadn’t even asked yet.
But they also worked in a very tight space together and her undeniable physical attraction to the Vulcan kept her inching closer towards him instead of allowing him as much room as possible. It didn’t help that Xylion didn’t seem to mind their close proximity at all, encouraging her further.
At one point, tackling a task that required four hands, they brushed so close to each other that their faces were mere inches apart. Hopkins had looked straight into Xylion’s emerald colored eyes and allowed herself to wonder what it be like to kiss him right then and there.
The moment lasted all but a couple of seconds and yet it stayed with her as they continued.
Hopkins’ inappropriately distracting thoughts aside they managed to do as they had set out, putting in place a procedure which would redirect the destructive energy, designed to power the planet-devouring antiproton beam directly into the massive machine’s hull.
While the energy build-up was in process – and Hopkins and Xylion could feel that it had already begun by the increasing vibrations all around them – Lou allowed herself a moment of rest and triumph, taking a seat on the cold floor and leaning against a computer console.
Xylion sat next to her.
“We did it,” she said, keeping her eyes at the latticework of circuitry, which they had manipulated for the last twenty minutes.
Xylion nodded. “The energy build up is under way and should lead to a catastrophic system malfunction within minutes. You have done an excellent job.”
She turned to look at him. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”
He looked back at her but said nothing.
Louise didn’t exactly know what made her do what she did next. Perhaps it was the fact that while she had been on the holodeck she had felt like a different person, like somebody with the self-confidence to do the things she would never have done in the real world. The truth was, it was something she’d always wanted to do and now it simply felt like the right time to finally do it, no matter that it so obviously wasn’t.
Xylion didn’t try to stop her when she leaned over and pressed her lips onto his. He didn’t even seem surprised. Instead he gave back as much as she was giving him and allowed her to put her hands around his neck and then brush through his hair, touch his ears and ultimately stroke his face while they exchanged an unexpectedly passionate kiss.
Louise heart was thumping in her chest with such force it rocked her world. She didn’t realize that it wasn’t her heart but instead unfathomable amounts of pure energy, which were causing the chamber to tremble.
Eventually she had to come up for air and when she did she saw Xylion’s face, flushed with a tint of green, betraying the pleasure he undoubtedly had felt from the kiss.
“Lieutenant.”
Hopkins turned her head to see Kuznetsov had stepped back into the control room along with Mtolo and Nora.
The Russian was wearing his semi-permanent frown which made it difficult to ascertain if he was more annoyed than usual to find his officers in the middle of a romantic episode at the most inopportune time.
The dark-skinned Mtolo on the other hand was revealing rows of pearly white teeth as he gave them a wide grin.
But Hopkins only jumped up and away from the Vulcan when she saw Nora Laas who wasn’t quite able to close her mouth. The Bajoran woman’s uniform and pantyhose were ripped in a few places, giving proof that her battle against the androids had been the most challenging one. And judging by the state of her dress she had eventually gone in close and personal with her opponents, something that had come hardly as a surprise to anyone. She had however not expected to see Eagle’s chief engineer eagerly making out with their Vulcan science officer.
“Laas, it’s not what you think,” she said quickly, her face turning a deep shade of red and her voice taking on a panicked edge. She was completely ignoring the other two officers as well as the increasingly precarious vibrations, which were forcing everyone present to struggle to maintain their balance.
The Bajoran raised her hands. “It’s alright, Lou. It’s just that … I had no idea you two … you know. I feel really silly now. I shouldn’t have imposed myself on your simulation – “
Louise quickly shook her head. “You didn’t. I mean it’s not like that. I can’t really –“
“We need to get out of here, now!” Kuznetsov interrupted sharply.
“Maybe I should just go,” said Nora.
This statement confused the first officer, which only added to his already significant annoyance. He reached for his communicator. “We’ll all go.”
That’s when the computer consoles all around them began to explode.
But Hopkins was still focusing on her friend. “Laas, you don’t have to go, really.”
“Watch out,” Mtolo warned and pushed the Bajoran aside when part of the ceiling began to collapse.
Nora landed on the ground and cursed herself for not paying attention to her surroundings anymore. Considering what she had walked into perhaps it was somewhat understandable. Hopkins has tried to warn her to expect the unexpected but nothing could have quite prepared her for this. “Computer, pause program.”
“No, don’t.”
Regrettably for Louise ‘no, don’t’ was not a command the computer was programmed to recognize and so the entire simulation stopped abruptly with every fragment coming lose from the ceiling suddenly stopped in mid-air, every explosion and plume of smoke frozen in time and Kuznetsov and Mtolo standing as still as stone statues.
Nora picked herself up again. “Sorry Lou, I know this is cheating but you guys had me so distracted I nearly got knocked out,” she said with a little smile as she curiously looked at the razor-sharp shards of ceiling which were now suspended just above her head. “You know what? I’m just going to leave you two alone,” she said but when she looked back at her friend she found her starring down at the floor, refusing to make eye contact.
“I’m sorry, Commander,” she told Xylion who was standing a few meters behind the engineer. “I shouldn’t have interrupted in the first place,” she added, clearly feeling embarrassed herself by this situation.
Then she turned around. “Computer, exit.”
Immediately a large door appeared were moments ago there had been nothing but solid wall. She took two steps towards the exit and then stopped.
Something had been very out of place and she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it had been. Her instinct had been to make a quick getaway but now she felt the urge to find out what exactly had startled her.
She turned around again and spotted it instantly.
Xylion was not moving at all. Not even an iota.
“Louise?”
She looked up at her very slowly, her face bright red in shame. “I’m sorry.”
Nora approached her. “He’s part of the simulation?”
She nodded.
“Oh, Lou.”
“I know it’s wrong. I really do. You have to believe me, it didn’t start out with him being any part of this. At first I wasn’t even the chief engineer, just another crewman on Commander G’arv’s staff. But after a while I kept changing things. I took his place and I made the crew respect me and look up to me and it all felt so good that I thought, why not add somebody else whose respect I wanted so desperately? I know I went too far,” she stammered.
“I don’t understand, it’s not as if you are not respected on Eagle.”
She shook her head. “But it’s different here. When I’m out there,” she said, pointing towards the doors, “I always feel this anxiety and that fear that people don’t really believe in me. Especially when I’m not in engineering. Maybe it’s nonsense, I don’t know but I just can’t get the confidence to say what I think. In here I don’t have that problem.”
“I think I understand. But putting Xylion into your fantasy? A real person you work with? There is something very wrong with that."
She didn’t say anything to that.
“You like him, don’t you?” she said.
Louise nodded. “A lot, actually.”
Nora sighed. “Leave it to you to fall for the most unattainable person on this ship. Might as well have a crush on the captain while you’re at it.”
She shot her an icy look.
“Sorry,” she said quickly. “But, Lou, you can’t do this. It’s extremely disrespectful and probably in violation of half a dozen regulations, if not laws, to re-create a real, living person on the holodeck and do … you know, do what you did.”
“We’ve never done anything –”
Nora cut her off. “You’ve done more than you should have.”
“I know,” she said, her shoulders slumping visibly.
Nora hugged her friend and Hopkins didn’t resist, in fact seemed to be grateful for the gesture of the stronger woman taking her into her arms. It was not something she was accustomed to from Nora Laas who possessed plenty of emotions but usually very few of the sympathetic or comforting kind.
“Listen, you don’t have to tell me how hard it is to have feelings for someone who you are not sure has the same feelings for you,” said the Bajoran after they had separated again. “But not too long ago our situations were reversed and you came after me while I was trying to hide away in a holodeck, afraid to show my feelings openly. You gave me some good advice back then and perhaps it is time to return the favor.”
Louise looked at her. “That was different. I wouldn’t even know where to start with my problems.”
“Start by not using all your time living in a fantasy world. Start by talking to somebody about your feelings. And I don’t mean just your feelings for Xylion. You also have to open up about your anxieties and confidence issues. You owe it to yourself and those who rely on you that you do whatever you can to have the confidence to do your job right.”
She nodded slowly. “Can I talk to you?”
Nora smiled. “Of course. But I gotta tell you, this stuff isn't exactly my field. Maybe you should also talk to a counselor. There is no shame in that and they are trained to deal with exactly this kind of thing.”
Louise looked around the holodeck and the frozen faces of the holographic people around her, including the one she had been kissing passionately just moments before, her mind completely and conveniently ignoring the fact that he hadn’t been real. She looked upwards towards the viewports to see the graceful lines of the Lexington on fast approach but now, like everything else around them, stopped dead in her tracks.
She sighed. “I supposed I should try it your way,” she finally said as she looked back at Laas.
“What about all this?”
“Computer,” said Hopkins and then waiting on the telltale trill, which would indicate that it was ready to receive instructions. “End program Hopkins-One and delete.”
The computer beeped in acknowledgement again and within seconds the artificial world around them had dissipated to be replaced by a black room entirely covered in a yellow grid pattern.
“I’m going to miss Wesley and Lady Lex but I think you're right. It’s time to leave the past where it belongs, abandon fantasy and face the real world. For better or worse."
Laas gave her a good-natured clasp on her back as they walked towards the exit together. “And look at the upside. We get to wear proper uniforms again.”
“I actually liked those. Maybe I could petition Starfleet to bring them back.”
Nora gave her the evil eye. “Don’t even think about it.”
With the exception of Nora Laas with whom she had spent three years as a roommate at the Academy, Louise had always found it a challenge to get on with people and once upon a time it had nearly kept her from joining Starfleet at all and instead signed on to the Daystrom Institute.
There was something inherently complicated about people to her and very often they had the tendency to say one thing while thinking the exact opposite. Not that she was immune herself to such notions but it was especially frustrating when having to deal with others.
No such problems existed with computers, warp cores or EPS flow regulators. Or in fact with Xylion.
Vulcans were not machines however and over the years on Eagle she had come to appreciate the differences. She had also realized that her attraction to the tall science officer went far beyond his flawless logic.
Put simply, she enjoyed his company and from time to time she allowed herself to think that he enjoyed hers.
She as an engineer and he as a scientist had plenty of reasons to work together and when they did they usually produced excellent results. And even though they were now faced with an imaginary problem in an imaginary environment, they nevertheless proved once more how well they complemented each other.
“These are without doubt the main power relays feeding directly into the antiproton release valves but we won’t be able to just cut into them considering that any attempt would most likely release the build up energy and fry everything within a one thousand meter radius to a crisp,” she said after she had completed her initial investigation of the conduits she had been studying with Xylion’s help.
“It may be possible to reroute main energy instead of cutting it off entirely.”
Hopkins shot him a look as if he had just revealed the meaning of life to her. “Of course, redirect. But to where?”
The Vulcan glanced towards the large panels above them through which they could now see that the planet-killer was heading straight towards its next meal, a world populated with millions of inhabitants who had no clue that their very existence was being threatened by a massive doomsday machine. “If the energy is redirected towards the antiproton emitters that may cause an overload but also release enough power to still seriously damage the planet.”
Hopkins nodded along in agreement. “Which means we need to redirect the energy away from the emitters and directly into the hull.”
“A logical conclusion,” he said.
“But will it be able to sustain that amount of energy?”
“Unknown. Neutronium is an extremely dense state of matter. In theory it is indestructible. However, the energy output of this device is beyond our means to measure. At this point it is impossible to estimate the effect.”
“Unmovable object meeting irresistible force,” said Hopkins with a grin.
“In essence, yes.”
“And it’s probably safe to say that once we transfer a gazillion volts of current into the hull this will quickly become a very unpleasant place to be.”
“Unquestionably.”
A chirping sound interrupted their considerations. For a moment Louise wasn’t quite sure what it meant until Xylion glanced at the communicator attached to her belt.
She quickly retrieved the small, rectangular shaped device and flipped it open with a shake of her wrist. “This is Hopkins.”
“Wesley here. What’s your status, Lieutenant?”
“Sir, we have encountered some resistance but Kuznetsov and the others were able to distract them leaving Xylion and me to work on a solution to our problem.”
“Understood. I thought I let you know that time is running out. We anticipate the device being in firing range within twenty minutes, so whatever you have to do, do it quickly,” he said but sounded neither stressed nor impatient. “I know you thrive under pressure, Lou. Can’t ask for more pressure than this.”
This caused the engineer to smile. She wondered if Commodore Robert Wesley had really talked like that. If so, she would have enjoyed serving under him. Something to be said for a captain who not only kept his cool in a tense situation but also managed to maintain a sense of humor. “We have a plan of action, sir, which we think may work. But we expect that we will require a quick getaway as soon as we are through here.”
“Very well. Get started and we’re brining the Lady back into transporter range. Good luck. Wesley Out.”
Xylion had already removed the access panels to get to the circuitry they would need to manipulate for the task at hand by the time Louise had closed the communicator and joined him.
Hopkins quickly found that most of the systems looked satisfyingly alien as was to be expected from a machine whose origins hadn’t even been established in her time. And yet the basics were not too different from the EPS power grids on a starship.
They didn’t have much time to affect the reallocation of the immense power plant that was running the device’s weaponry and they had to work carefully considering that they were playing with immeasurable energy levels.
But Wesley had been absolutely correct. Louise Hopkins, like many other Starfleet engineers before her, excelled at working under exactly these conditions. A fast approaching, non-negotiable deadline it turned out was just the motivation she needed.
The trick for her had always been not to think about anything other than the job at hand. Not to worry about the time restraints, not to contemplate that failure would mean the certain death of millions and especially not to pay any attention to your own feelings for the man you were working with.
Unfortunately the last point was surprisingly difficult. As was usual, they worked well together. They both knew exactly what needed to be done and approached the task almost as one. Xylion would pass her the tool that she needed without her even having to point out which one was required and Louise would have the answers to the questions he hadn’t even asked yet.
But they also worked in a very tight space together and her undeniable physical attraction to the Vulcan kept her inching closer towards him instead of allowing him as much room as possible. It didn’t help that Xylion didn’t seem to mind their close proximity at all, encouraging her further.
At one point, tackling a task that required four hands, they brushed so close to each other that their faces were mere inches apart. Hopkins had looked straight into Xylion’s emerald colored eyes and allowed herself to wonder what it be like to kiss him right then and there.
The moment lasted all but a couple of seconds and yet it stayed with her as they continued.
Hopkins’ inappropriately distracting thoughts aside they managed to do as they had set out, putting in place a procedure which would redirect the destructive energy, designed to power the planet-devouring antiproton beam directly into the massive machine’s hull.
While the energy build-up was in process – and Hopkins and Xylion could feel that it had already begun by the increasing vibrations all around them – Lou allowed herself a moment of rest and triumph, taking a seat on the cold floor and leaning against a computer console.
Xylion sat next to her.
“We did it,” she said, keeping her eyes at the latticework of circuitry, which they had manipulated for the last twenty minutes.
Xylion nodded. “The energy build up is under way and should lead to a catastrophic system malfunction within minutes. You have done an excellent job.”
She turned to look at him. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”
He looked back at her but said nothing.
Louise didn’t exactly know what made her do what she did next. Perhaps it was the fact that while she had been on the holodeck she had felt like a different person, like somebody with the self-confidence to do the things she would never have done in the real world. The truth was, it was something she’d always wanted to do and now it simply felt like the right time to finally do it, no matter that it so obviously wasn’t.
Xylion didn’t try to stop her when she leaned over and pressed her lips onto his. He didn’t even seem surprised. Instead he gave back as much as she was giving him and allowed her to put her hands around his neck and then brush through his hair, touch his ears and ultimately stroke his face while they exchanged an unexpectedly passionate kiss.
Louise heart was thumping in her chest with such force it rocked her world. She didn’t realize that it wasn’t her heart but instead unfathomable amounts of pure energy, which were causing the chamber to tremble.
Eventually she had to come up for air and when she did she saw Xylion’s face, flushed with a tint of green, betraying the pleasure he undoubtedly had felt from the kiss.
“Lieutenant.”
Hopkins turned her head to see Kuznetsov had stepped back into the control room along with Mtolo and Nora.
The Russian was wearing his semi-permanent frown which made it difficult to ascertain if he was more annoyed than usual to find his officers in the middle of a romantic episode at the most inopportune time.
The dark-skinned Mtolo on the other hand was revealing rows of pearly white teeth as he gave them a wide grin.
But Hopkins only jumped up and away from the Vulcan when she saw Nora Laas who wasn’t quite able to close her mouth. The Bajoran woman’s uniform and pantyhose were ripped in a few places, giving proof that her battle against the androids had been the most challenging one. And judging by the state of her dress she had eventually gone in close and personal with her opponents, something that had come hardly as a surprise to anyone. She had however not expected to see Eagle’s chief engineer eagerly making out with their Vulcan science officer.
“Laas, it’s not what you think,” she said quickly, her face turning a deep shade of red and her voice taking on a panicked edge. She was completely ignoring the other two officers as well as the increasingly precarious vibrations, which were forcing everyone present to struggle to maintain their balance.
The Bajoran raised her hands. “It’s alright, Lou. It’s just that … I had no idea you two … you know. I feel really silly now. I shouldn’t have imposed myself on your simulation – “
Louise quickly shook her head. “You didn’t. I mean it’s not like that. I can’t really –“
“We need to get out of here, now!” Kuznetsov interrupted sharply.
“Maybe I should just go,” said Nora.
This statement confused the first officer, which only added to his already significant annoyance. He reached for his communicator. “We’ll all go.”
That’s when the computer consoles all around them began to explode.
But Hopkins was still focusing on her friend. “Laas, you don’t have to go, really.”
“Watch out,” Mtolo warned and pushed the Bajoran aside when part of the ceiling began to collapse.
Nora landed on the ground and cursed herself for not paying attention to her surroundings anymore. Considering what she had walked into perhaps it was somewhat understandable. Hopkins has tried to warn her to expect the unexpected but nothing could have quite prepared her for this. “Computer, pause program.”
“No, don’t.”
Regrettably for Louise ‘no, don’t’ was not a command the computer was programmed to recognize and so the entire simulation stopped abruptly with every fragment coming lose from the ceiling suddenly stopped in mid-air, every explosion and plume of smoke frozen in time and Kuznetsov and Mtolo standing as still as stone statues.
Nora picked herself up again. “Sorry Lou, I know this is cheating but you guys had me so distracted I nearly got knocked out,” she said with a little smile as she curiously looked at the razor-sharp shards of ceiling which were now suspended just above her head. “You know what? I’m just going to leave you two alone,” she said but when she looked back at her friend she found her starring down at the floor, refusing to make eye contact.
“I’m sorry, Commander,” she told Xylion who was standing a few meters behind the engineer. “I shouldn’t have interrupted in the first place,” she added, clearly feeling embarrassed herself by this situation.
Then she turned around. “Computer, exit.”
Immediately a large door appeared were moments ago there had been nothing but solid wall. She took two steps towards the exit and then stopped.
Something had been very out of place and she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it had been. Her instinct had been to make a quick getaway but now she felt the urge to find out what exactly had startled her.
She turned around again and spotted it instantly.
Xylion was not moving at all. Not even an iota.
“Louise?”
She looked up at her very slowly, her face bright red in shame. “I’m sorry.”
Nora approached her. “He’s part of the simulation?”
She nodded.
“Oh, Lou.”
“I know it’s wrong. I really do. You have to believe me, it didn’t start out with him being any part of this. At first I wasn’t even the chief engineer, just another crewman on Commander G’arv’s staff. But after a while I kept changing things. I took his place and I made the crew respect me and look up to me and it all felt so good that I thought, why not add somebody else whose respect I wanted so desperately? I know I went too far,” she stammered.
“I don’t understand, it’s not as if you are not respected on Eagle.”
She shook her head. “But it’s different here. When I’m out there,” she said, pointing towards the doors, “I always feel this anxiety and that fear that people don’t really believe in me. Especially when I’m not in engineering. Maybe it’s nonsense, I don’t know but I just can’t get the confidence to say what I think. In here I don’t have that problem.”
“I think I understand. But putting Xylion into your fantasy? A real person you work with? There is something very wrong with that."
She didn’t say anything to that.
“You like him, don’t you?” she said.
Louise nodded. “A lot, actually.”
Nora sighed. “Leave it to you to fall for the most unattainable person on this ship. Might as well have a crush on the captain while you’re at it.”
She shot her an icy look.
“Sorry,” she said quickly. “But, Lou, you can’t do this. It’s extremely disrespectful and probably in violation of half a dozen regulations, if not laws, to re-create a real, living person on the holodeck and do … you know, do what you did.”
“We’ve never done anything –”
Nora cut her off. “You’ve done more than you should have.”
“I know,” she said, her shoulders slumping visibly.
Nora hugged her friend and Hopkins didn’t resist, in fact seemed to be grateful for the gesture of the stronger woman taking her into her arms. It was not something she was accustomed to from Nora Laas who possessed plenty of emotions but usually very few of the sympathetic or comforting kind.
“Listen, you don’t have to tell me how hard it is to have feelings for someone who you are not sure has the same feelings for you,” said the Bajoran after they had separated again. “But not too long ago our situations were reversed and you came after me while I was trying to hide away in a holodeck, afraid to show my feelings openly. You gave me some good advice back then and perhaps it is time to return the favor.”
Louise looked at her. “That was different. I wouldn’t even know where to start with my problems.”
“Start by not using all your time living in a fantasy world. Start by talking to somebody about your feelings. And I don’t mean just your feelings for Xylion. You also have to open up about your anxieties and confidence issues. You owe it to yourself and those who rely on you that you do whatever you can to have the confidence to do your job right.”
She nodded slowly. “Can I talk to you?”
Nora smiled. “Of course. But I gotta tell you, this stuff isn't exactly my field. Maybe you should also talk to a counselor. There is no shame in that and they are trained to deal with exactly this kind of thing.”
Louise looked around the holodeck and the frozen faces of the holographic people around her, including the one she had been kissing passionately just moments before, her mind completely and conveniently ignoring the fact that he hadn’t been real. She looked upwards towards the viewports to see the graceful lines of the Lexington on fast approach but now, like everything else around them, stopped dead in her tracks.
She sighed. “I supposed I should try it your way,” she finally said as she looked back at Laas.
“What about all this?”
“Computer,” said Hopkins and then waiting on the telltale trill, which would indicate that it was ready to receive instructions. “End program Hopkins-One and delete.”
The computer beeped in acknowledgement again and within seconds the artificial world around them had dissipated to be replaced by a black room entirely covered in a yellow grid pattern.
“I’m going to miss Wesley and Lady Lex but I think you're right. It’s time to leave the past where it belongs, abandon fantasy and face the real world. For better or worse."
Laas gave her a good-natured clasp on her back as they walked towards the exit together. “And look at the upside. We get to wear proper uniforms again.”
“I actually liked those. Maybe I could petition Starfleet to bring them back.”
Nora gave her the evil eye. “Don’t even think about it.”
_________________________________________________
Stay tuned for the tenth and final story in the series:
‘And A Star To Steer Her By’
featuring characters from DarKush’s Dark Territory, Galen4’s Star Trek: Intrepid and TheLoneRedshirts Tales of the USS Bluefin.
Stay tuned for the tenth and final story in the series:
‘And A Star To Steer Her By’
featuring characters from DarKush’s Dark Territory, Galen4’s Star Trek: Intrepid and TheLoneRedshirts Tales of the USS Bluefin.
I had a funny inkling that Xylion was a part of the program initially. However, I had thought it a historical thing like maybe he had served back then. But the fact Louise had programmed him into the holo-deck adventure is a little weird but then Hopkins has always been a little kooky in how low her self-esteem is. But good to see a mature Nora here offer advice and support.
And very intrigued to read what the last instalment is going to be. I have to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed these crossover ficlets of the UT universe. A great job all round.
And very intrigued to read what the last instalment is going to be. I have to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed these crossover ficlets of the UT universe. A great job all round.
Thanks mirandafave.
Hopkins a bit kooky? Yeah, I suppose. But I always thought she was an endearing (and probably underused) character because she isn't one of those typical Starfleet officers brimming with self-confidence.
I'm glad you have enjoyed these stories and hope you will like the final one as well
Hopkins a bit kooky? Yeah, I suppose. But I always thought she was an endearing (and probably underused) character because she isn't one of those typical Starfleet officers brimming with self-confidence.
I'm glad you have enjoyed these stories and hope you will like the final one as well
I like your work Cejay, especially these short stories. Looking forward to the next piece.
Id read everything else on United Trek sometime ago but not yours. I finally did though and was hooked, read everything you wrote in four days. It was very good so keep it up!!
Id read everything else on United Trek sometime ago but not yours. I finally did though and was hooked, read everything you wrote in four days. It was very good so keep it up!!
Mistral
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Difficult to imagine a smooching Vulcan? Yeah, maybe. But I'm sure we've seen Spock and T'Pol stealing a kiss here and there. But you are right of course, the real Xylion would probably not have behaved in this manner.
Rat Boy
Glad to see the misdirection worked.
Kyhrk
Thanks for checking out my stuff. 4 days for everything?!! Wow, that's pretty impressive.
Thanks for reading and commenting everyone. Hope you get a chance to check out the final story as well.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Difficult to imagine a smooching Vulcan? Yeah, maybe. But I'm sure we've seen Spock and T'Pol stealing a kiss here and there. But you are right of course, the real Xylion would probably not have behaved in this manner.
Rat Boy
Glad to see the misdirection worked.
Kyhrk
Thanks for checking out my stuff. 4 days for everything?!! Wow, that's pretty impressive.
Thanks for reading and commenting everyone. Hope you get a chance to check out the final story as well.
Well she is kooky in that she does buck the trend for trail blazing confident officers - instead much more reserved and reflective. And yes, she has been underused but has been put to good effect here. So here's hoping we get to see her shine in the future.
And a Star to Steer Her By
Featuring characters from DarKush’s Dark Territory, Galen4’s Star Trek: Intrepid and TheLoneRedshirt’s Tales of the USS Bluefin.
Featuring characters from DarKush’s Dark Territory, Galen4’s Star Trek: Intrepid and TheLoneRedshirt’s Tales of the USS Bluefin.
February 2372
There were a few constants in the universe that simply would never change. Matter and ant-matter would always explode when coming into contact with each other, a black hole would always swallow up all light surrounding it, Klingons and Romulans would never see eye to eye on anything and starship officers would always butt heads with starbase personnel.
And the worst kind of starship officers would always be captains. Always demanding, always imbued with that sense of self-importance and always with the unshakable belief that their mission, their ship and their crew was the one most significant in all the known galaxy.
Amaya Donners didn’t care for starship captains and yet she had made it four years as the executive officer of the space station Deep Space Five, having dealt with countless ship commanders, without ever letting them to believe that this energetic, efficient, comely woman harbored but the slightest resentment against them and their ilk.
After all she was quick to flash a pretty smile and ensure that the captains who came to her with their requests would get exactly what they asked for and sometimes even what they needed.
It was a terrifically well-maintained façade.
“Listen Commander, I appreciate that your people have a full slate, I really do. But I don’t have the time to sit here for three more days and wait for them to get around to the Guadalajara. If it was anything other than the warp coils I wouldn’t even waste your time but without the overhaul we won’t even make it half way to Starbase 12 where we are expected urgently.”
Amaya’s dark skin wasn’t prone to blushing and that certainly helped in this situation. She so wanted to tell him straight and without mincing words that there was simply no way that she could have her work crews skip a navigational deflector replacement on the Galaxy-class USS Venture so that they could tend to his little Oberth science vessel which inexplicably had gotten itself into one seriously bad fix and now had the scars to prove it.
Instead and as always she kept her cool. “I want to help, Commander. But it’s just not going to happen. I can promise you that your ship will be fully warp capable by the day after tomorrow and you’ll be able to get to wherever you need to go then.”
“I would prefer if you’d refer to me as captain.”
She caught herself glaring at him but replaced it with a more amicable facial expression so quickly that he probably never even noticed. “Of course, I apologize, Captain.” But it was getting to her that this man, younger than her, holding the same rank, needed to make a show of being referred to by his title. It was his right of course and she mentally berated herself for the slip-up.
He waved it off as if it wasn’t a big deal at all even though she could tell from the look in his eyes that to him it was. “I’m not trying to make your life difficult.”
But he was so clearly doing just that.
It was only then that she saw something else in his eyes. Captain Jason Aubrey may have been younger than she was but his tired eyes seemed to belong to man a great deal older. What ever he and his little ship had gone through had clearly taxed him enormously. And then there was that impatience brewing under the surface which he was fighting to keep from showing perhaps as much as she was trying to deflect from her own true feelings.
“But being second in the queue is simply not going to be good enough. I need to be out of here by tomorrow and I’m afraid neither one of us has a choice in that matter.”
“I really don’t think –“
Aubrey placed a padd on her desk. “Orders from Starfleet Command.”
Checkmate.
She simply looked at the padd without bothering to reach out for it, slowly realizing that he could have played that card at any point but had waited until now that he had found her unwilling to be convinced by his insistence alone.
She looked up and thought that she could see pity in his face now. He shrugged. “Sorry,” he offered meekly.
Amaya Donners had a poker face like the best of them and showed no outwards sign of this game-changing revelation. Instead she picked up the padd and quickly scanned it over. It didn’t reveal what Aubrey and Guadalajara had been up to but it made it quite clear that the top brass at Command wanted him back at Starbase 12 without delay.
She nodded. “Very well, Captain,” she said. “I’ll have her prioritized and shipshape by late tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Commander,” he said and then quite unnecessarily added, “I appreciate your help.”
She gave him a quick nod, which he returned in kind before turning on his heels and stepping out of her office.
As soon as he was gone she dropped the padd unceremoniously back onto the desk. “Why me?”
* * *
I'm getting caught up again, working backward as I go...
"From Lexington with Love" was really enjoyable. Nora and Hopkins in a holodeck simulation was a great way of showcasing a different era. It makes perfect sense that an officer might create a simulated world to bolster their self esteem. You've shown that even well balanced people run the risk of addiction when their fictional world becomes more appealing than the real one. It even happens with today's technology...
As always, your work is character driven and you seem to find subtle details to explore with each person in a story. I think that's your biggest strength as an author.
"And a star to steer her by": As I commented over at United Trek, you've painted a sympathetic picture of Donners, here. You also zeroed in on a subtle part of Aubrey's personality, which is his tendency to keep a trump card in his back pocket at all times, even when the situation doesn't call for it. A trait that's ruffled many feathers in his career.
Looking forward to reading this one again, and back tracking to the installments I missed the first time around!
"From Lexington with Love" was really enjoyable. Nora and Hopkins in a holodeck simulation was a great way of showcasing a different era. It makes perfect sense that an officer might create a simulated world to bolster their self esteem. You've shown that even well balanced people run the risk of addiction when their fictional world becomes more appealing than the real one. It even happens with today's technology...
As always, your work is character driven and you seem to find subtle details to explore with each person in a story. I think that's your biggest strength as an author.
"And a star to steer her by": As I commented over at United Trek, you've painted a sympathetic picture of Donners, here. You also zeroed in on a subtle part of Aubrey's personality, which is his tendency to keep a trump card in his back pocket at all times, even when the situation doesn't call for it. A trait that's ruffled many feathers in his career.
Looking forward to reading this one again, and back tracking to the installments I missed the first time around!
Dnoth,
I imagine Aubrey didn't want to play the trump card here unless it was absolutely necessary. He isn't a bad guy but on that particular day he was just giving poor Amaya more headaches.
Galen4,
I'm glad you enjoyed From Lexington. The idea of using the holodeck in that manner is obviously not the most original concept (Barclay?) but I think Hopkins used it much more subtly here. Until she went totally overboard ...
And Aubrey is quite the sly fox. And there is so much more to him than meets the eye. Too bad I didn't have more opportunities here to explore that. Maybe some other time.
Thanks for reading and commenting, guys.
I imagine Aubrey didn't want to play the trump card here unless it was absolutely necessary. He isn't a bad guy but on that particular day he was just giving poor Amaya more headaches.
Galen4,
I'm glad you enjoyed From Lexington. The idea of using the holodeck in that manner is obviously not the most original concept (Barclay?) but I think Hopkins used it much more subtly here. Until she went totally overboard ...
And Aubrey is quite the sly fox. And there is so much more to him than meets the eye. Too bad I didn't have more opportunities here to explore that. Maybe some other time.
Thanks for reading and commenting, guys.
Commander Amaya Donners had not always felt that way about starship captains. In fact, back at the Academy she had desperately wanted to be one herself some day. Time had the tendency to change one's outlook on life.
She had graduated near the top of her class and received a coveted billet as the helmsman of a brand new starship. She quickly came to realize that she had a real knack for engines and eventually became the chief engineer of the venerable USS Columbia. After serving years on that ship, she had been in line to take over the vacant first officer spot until a good friend of hers had come in to scoop it away from her. She hadn’t held it against Michael Owens at the time and received her own XO billet shortly thereafter on the Bellerophon.
Her assignment on that ship had lasted for all but two months before she was recruited away by Admiral Samson Glover to become his adjutant. She had never regretted that decision even if she felt a profound sadness and not a little bit of guilt when she thought of the fate that had befallen the ship and crew she had barely known at Wolf 359 just weeks after her transfer.
But Deep Space Five had been the perfect match for her. It wasn’t a starship of course but running the station and serving as the admiral’s right hand woman had kept her fairly busy and she had risen to the challenge with great enthusiasm. She had also grown fond of her crew and of Samson who over the years had treated her like the daughter he had never had.
If it hadn’t been for those pesky starship captains insisting on throwing wrenches into the well-oiled machinery she had turned DS5 into, the galaxy would have been a perfect place.
Amaya stepped onto the operations center of the station and took a seat at her usual workstation. DS5 was by no means the most modern facility within Starfleet. On the contrary, the Orbiter-class station was a relict of the previous century and had the cramped interiors to prove it. But it was her station and she didn’t want to exchange it for anything.
“How did the meeting with Aubrey go?” asked Lieutenant Jasmine Mendes, the station’s chief of operations, from her own workstation.
“Bump her to the top of the list,” she responded without looking up from her station, putting the orders into writing even as she spoke. “Pull as many people as you have to from the Venture to get Guadalajara’s new warp coils installed by tomorrow.”
“That bad?” said Jasmine.
Amaya just shook her head. “Don’t even get me started.”
“I know you don’t want to hear this but Captain Ebnal won’t be happy if he’ll have to wait for his new deflector,” said the engineer.
“Tell him, tough luck.”
Lieutenant Raeger, the blonde-haired communications officer smirked. “Can I use those exact words?”
“Yes,” said Donners and then looked up when she realized what she had said. “No,” she corrected herself quickly and uttered a sigh. “If he has any concerns ask him to contact me and I’ll be happy to discuss them with him.”
Raeger looked at Mendes, still smirking. “And so her mission to keep peace among the unruly crowd of starship commanders continues. Another battle waged but the outcome of the war still very much in doubt.”
Amaya glared at the communications officer who refused to wipe that silly grin off her face. “I swear to God, Christine, if you don’t shut up soon, I’m going to have you shown out of the nearest airlock.”
Raeger pointed at her superior officer. “Now that’s exactly how you should talk to your friends on those starships,” she said and looked at Mendes for confirmation. “Right?”
Jasmine smiled but shook her head. “Fat chance. Maya's simply too nice to say something like that and mean it.”
Donners grumbled. “I must be, seeing that I’m willing to put up with the likes of you two on a regular basis.”
Any further conversation on the subject was put on hold by an insisting beeping from Raeger’s station. “We’re getting an incoming message from Starfleet Command.”
This was hardly unusual. Admiral Glover was important enough in the fleet hierarchy to be in frequent contact with the top brass back on Earth. Donners turned to look towards his office adjacent to the operations center but could tell that he had not arrived yet. “Put it through to my station,” she said. As Glover’s adjutant she was quite used to speaking to high-ranking officials and while other officers of her rank and position may have been hesitant to field a direct call from the Commander, Starfleet or the CINC, she had never had any qualms about it.
“Coming through now,” announced the communications officer.
Donners screen switched to show the official Federation emblem and then the face of a gray-haired Starfleet admiral sitting at his desk. From the vista of the window just behind him it was clear he was calling from San Francisco.
The familiar face put a smile onto her lips. “Admiral, it is good to see you again.”
He appeared similarly pleased. “And you, Maya. How have you been?”
Donners was not one to complain even if she had good reason to so her smile never wavered. “Very well, thank you, sir.”
Jonathan Owens looked skeptical for a moment. They knew each other mostly because of Amaya’s close friendship with his son, Michael Owens. They had attended the Academy together and remained close afterwards, even after he had stolen her first officer position on the Columbia. And while Michael and his father had some undeniable issues with each other, Amaya had always understood that it was wise to keep on good terms with powerful men. It hadn’t been difficult with Owens, Sr. She genuinely liked the mysterious Starfleet admiral even if it was nearly impossible to figure out what exactly his duties entailed. Officially he was the head of something named Department of Special Affairs and Investigations but his section was true to its cryptic name and nobody she’d ever met had been able to tell what it was they did.
“Why do I have a hard time believing that? You can flash that pretty smile of yours all you want but I can tell something’s bothering you.”
“It’s nothing, Admiral, really. Just one of those days,” she said and then tried to change the subject. “I’m afraid if you’re looking for Admiral Glover, he is not in his office yet.”
But Owens was not easily distracted. “I think it’s that horrible little station of yours. What you need is a change of scenery,” he said sternly.
This she found rather annoying even if it didn’t show on her face. There was nothing wrong with the station and she certainly didn’t feel like leaving it. “You’ll better not let Admiral Glover hear you talk about DS5 that way,” she said with a playful grin.
He waved her off dismissively. “If it been up to me we would have replaced her years ago. I suppose resources are scarce at the moment,” he said and then added, “And you need to start thinking about your future, young lady.”
She liked Owens well enough but she really didn’t care for where this conversation was going. Thankfully her boss had decided to pick that moment to emerge from the turbo-lift. “Ah, the admiral is now available for you, sir.”
This actually caused Jonathan Owens to laugh. “You were always a smart one, Maya, knowing exactly how to tell somebody to mind their own damn business without actually saying it.”
“I would never presume to tell you anything of the kind, sir,” she said good-naturedly.
“Of course not. And don’t think you'll be able to dismiss me so easily. I’ve made it my life’s work to get involved into other people’s business so expect to hear from me again soon. I think I’ll hold for the admiral now. Pleasure speaking with you.”
“It was all mine, Admiral,” she said and then placed the call on hold and looking up just in time to see Samson Glover crossing over towards his office. “Good morning, sir.”
The tall man of African-American descent nodded towards his first officer. “Morning, Maya.”
“I’ve got Admiral Owens on the line for you.”
“Very well, please pipe him through to my office.”
Moments later and after Samson Glover had taken his seat behind his desk Jonathan Owens’ face appeared on his computer screen. This time the man didn’t waste time with idle chitchat. “Samson, I have a favor to ask of you.”
The frown on Glover’s face turned uglier the longer he listened to what the other admiral had to say.
She had graduated near the top of her class and received a coveted billet as the helmsman of a brand new starship. She quickly came to realize that she had a real knack for engines and eventually became the chief engineer of the venerable USS Columbia. After serving years on that ship, she had been in line to take over the vacant first officer spot until a good friend of hers had come in to scoop it away from her. She hadn’t held it against Michael Owens at the time and received her own XO billet shortly thereafter on the Bellerophon.
Her assignment on that ship had lasted for all but two months before she was recruited away by Admiral Samson Glover to become his adjutant. She had never regretted that decision even if she felt a profound sadness and not a little bit of guilt when she thought of the fate that had befallen the ship and crew she had barely known at Wolf 359 just weeks after her transfer.
But Deep Space Five had been the perfect match for her. It wasn’t a starship of course but running the station and serving as the admiral’s right hand woman had kept her fairly busy and she had risen to the challenge with great enthusiasm. She had also grown fond of her crew and of Samson who over the years had treated her like the daughter he had never had.
If it hadn’t been for those pesky starship captains insisting on throwing wrenches into the well-oiled machinery she had turned DS5 into, the galaxy would have been a perfect place.
Amaya stepped onto the operations center of the station and took a seat at her usual workstation. DS5 was by no means the most modern facility within Starfleet. On the contrary, the Orbiter-class station was a relict of the previous century and had the cramped interiors to prove it. But it was her station and she didn’t want to exchange it for anything.
“How did the meeting with Aubrey go?” asked Lieutenant Jasmine Mendes, the station’s chief of operations, from her own workstation.
“Bump her to the top of the list,” she responded without looking up from her station, putting the orders into writing even as she spoke. “Pull as many people as you have to from the Venture to get Guadalajara’s new warp coils installed by tomorrow.”
“That bad?” said Jasmine.
Amaya just shook her head. “Don’t even get me started.”
“I know you don’t want to hear this but Captain Ebnal won’t be happy if he’ll have to wait for his new deflector,” said the engineer.
“Tell him, tough luck.”
Lieutenant Raeger, the blonde-haired communications officer smirked. “Can I use those exact words?”
“Yes,” said Donners and then looked up when she realized what she had said. “No,” she corrected herself quickly and uttered a sigh. “If he has any concerns ask him to contact me and I’ll be happy to discuss them with him.”
Raeger looked at Mendes, still smirking. “And so her mission to keep peace among the unruly crowd of starship commanders continues. Another battle waged but the outcome of the war still very much in doubt.”
Amaya glared at the communications officer who refused to wipe that silly grin off her face. “I swear to God, Christine, if you don’t shut up soon, I’m going to have you shown out of the nearest airlock.”
Raeger pointed at her superior officer. “Now that’s exactly how you should talk to your friends on those starships,” she said and looked at Mendes for confirmation. “Right?”
Jasmine smiled but shook her head. “Fat chance. Maya's simply too nice to say something like that and mean it.”
Donners grumbled. “I must be, seeing that I’m willing to put up with the likes of you two on a regular basis.”
Any further conversation on the subject was put on hold by an insisting beeping from Raeger’s station. “We’re getting an incoming message from Starfleet Command.”
This was hardly unusual. Admiral Glover was important enough in the fleet hierarchy to be in frequent contact with the top brass back on Earth. Donners turned to look towards his office adjacent to the operations center but could tell that he had not arrived yet. “Put it through to my station,” she said. As Glover’s adjutant she was quite used to speaking to high-ranking officials and while other officers of her rank and position may have been hesitant to field a direct call from the Commander, Starfleet or the CINC, she had never had any qualms about it.
“Coming through now,” announced the communications officer.
Donners screen switched to show the official Federation emblem and then the face of a gray-haired Starfleet admiral sitting at his desk. From the vista of the window just behind him it was clear he was calling from San Francisco.
The familiar face put a smile onto her lips. “Admiral, it is good to see you again.”
He appeared similarly pleased. “And you, Maya. How have you been?”
Donners was not one to complain even if she had good reason to so her smile never wavered. “Very well, thank you, sir.”
Jonathan Owens looked skeptical for a moment. They knew each other mostly because of Amaya’s close friendship with his son, Michael Owens. They had attended the Academy together and remained close afterwards, even after he had stolen her first officer position on the Columbia. And while Michael and his father had some undeniable issues with each other, Amaya had always understood that it was wise to keep on good terms with powerful men. It hadn’t been difficult with Owens, Sr. She genuinely liked the mysterious Starfleet admiral even if it was nearly impossible to figure out what exactly his duties entailed. Officially he was the head of something named Department of Special Affairs and Investigations but his section was true to its cryptic name and nobody she’d ever met had been able to tell what it was they did.
“Why do I have a hard time believing that? You can flash that pretty smile of yours all you want but I can tell something’s bothering you.”
“It’s nothing, Admiral, really. Just one of those days,” she said and then tried to change the subject. “I’m afraid if you’re looking for Admiral Glover, he is not in his office yet.”
But Owens was not easily distracted. “I think it’s that horrible little station of yours. What you need is a change of scenery,” he said sternly.
This she found rather annoying even if it didn’t show on her face. There was nothing wrong with the station and she certainly didn’t feel like leaving it. “You’ll better not let Admiral Glover hear you talk about DS5 that way,” she said with a playful grin.
He waved her off dismissively. “If it been up to me we would have replaced her years ago. I suppose resources are scarce at the moment,” he said and then added, “And you need to start thinking about your future, young lady.”
She liked Owens well enough but she really didn’t care for where this conversation was going. Thankfully her boss had decided to pick that moment to emerge from the turbo-lift. “Ah, the admiral is now available for you, sir.”
This actually caused Jonathan Owens to laugh. “You were always a smart one, Maya, knowing exactly how to tell somebody to mind their own damn business without actually saying it.”
“I would never presume to tell you anything of the kind, sir,” she said good-naturedly.
“Of course not. And don’t think you'll be able to dismiss me so easily. I’ve made it my life’s work to get involved into other people’s business so expect to hear from me again soon. I think I’ll hold for the admiral now. Pleasure speaking with you.”
“It was all mine, Admiral,” she said and then placed the call on hold and looking up just in time to see Samson Glover crossing over towards his office. “Good morning, sir.”
The tall man of African-American descent nodded towards his first officer. “Morning, Maya.”
“I’ve got Admiral Owens on the line for you.”
“Very well, please pipe him through to my office.”
Moments later and after Samson Glover had taken his seat behind his desk Jonathan Owens’ face appeared on his computer screen. This time the man didn’t waste time with idle chitchat. “Samson, I have a favor to ask of you.”
The frown on Glover’s face turned uglier the longer he listened to what the other admiral had to say.
* * *
One Week Later
“You are staring again.”
A startled Commander Donners turned her head to look up at Christine Raeger who had just whispered into her ear before placing the latest communications log onto her workstation for review.
Donners scowled at the younger woman. “I wasn’t staring, I was thinking,” she said in an equally quite tone to make sure the subject of their conversation, sitting at the other end of the operations center would not overhear them.
“My mistake,” she said, gave her a grin and returned to her duties.
Amaya was fully aware how her deep thoughts could have been mistaken as her staring at the white haired and bearded Efrosian officer across the room. It didn’t help that Raeger and the rest of her officers already suspected that she resented the recent arrival.
This of course was not the case. He had come onto the station only a few days earlier and she hadn’t even had the chance to get to know the man. But popular opinion had it that the sudden appearance of an officer of equal rank and judging by his advanced age, of greater experience, and a rather under-defined job role had to be vexing to her and perhaps even indicate a vote of no-confidence in her abilities to run the station.
But the truth was that all this had happened so quickly and unexpectedly that Amaya simply wasn’t sure how to feel about his presence yet. The official word from Admiral Glover had been that Commander Rahul was DS5’s temporary second officer and would answer directly to her.
Rahul himself was a quite sort who didn’t talk much unless he was spoken to but when he spoke it was with the confidence of a man who knew exactly what he was doing. His service jacket had shown that he was well over one hundred years old and it made her slightly uncomfortable to have to issue orders to a man who was more than twice her age. If anything she guessed that she could learn a thing or two from him.
All that was plenty of reason for her to be in deep thoughts.
She didn’t get much of a chance however to consider this peculiar development any further when Jasmine Mendes emerged out of the turbo-lift in what seemed to be a clearly exasperated mood. She was slightly shaking her head as she stepped closer. “Commander.”
Donners didn’t miss the fact that Rahul looked up from his station even though Mendes had clearly meant to address her.
“You’re not going to believe this,” she said. “Captain Solok wants us to go over the repairs schedule of the T’Kumbra again and he demands to have a senior command officer present this time. What is it with Vulcans anyway? If they think they can do a better job at this why come here at all?”
“Solok is a perfectionist even among Vulcans,” said Donners, who’d had the misfortune of having to deal with the notoriously difficult captain on previous occasions. “He’ll spend five hours to discuss a job that will take two. He won’t be happy until every last detail has been seen to,” she added and stood, sighing inwardly at the prospect of spending the rest of the afternoon with the nitpicking captain.
“Perhaps I can assist,” Rahul offered as he came over from his station. “Solok and I have history and he may be more amenable when dealing with an officer he is more familiar with,” he said and looked at Mendes who shot him an empty expression before looking over at Donners.
“Unless you would prefer to handle this yourself, Commander,” said Rahul who noticed the two women exchanging looks.
Amaya hadn’t even considered the possibility and her first instinct had been to dismiss this offer. If Solok wanted to speak to a senior command officer than that should have been her. But then of course this was not the kind of job she was looking forward to. She shook her head. “No objections, Commander,” she said. “If you want to take this one, be my guest.”
Rahul nodded and then turned to the operations chief. “I suggest we tend to Captain Solok immediately. The longer we keep him waiting the more difficult he becomes.”
“Sure,” Mendes said. She shot Donners another look, perhaps to see if she was truly alright with this and then led Rahul back to the turbo-lift.
“He’s real helpful, isn’t he?” said Reager once the two had left operations. She made a point to keep her eyes on her console however.
“Yes,” Donners said absentmindedly.
“You don’t think he might be up to something,” she said now looking up from her station.
“Like what?”
The communications officer shrugged her shoulders “I’m just saying, his sudden arrival on the station is rather suspicious, don’t you think? I’d watch my back if I were you.”
Amaya considered this for all but two seconds and then quickly shook her head. “I don’t have time to entertain your paranoid fantasies,” she said, picked up a padd and headed for Admiral Glover’s office.
He waved her in before she even had a chance to press the enunciator.
The admiral stood behind his desk as she strode in. Samson Glover was a man past his prime but not by very much. Still as tall and broad-shoulder as he must have been in his younger years, his hairline had noticeably receded and his close-cropped curls were more gray than black these days.
His broad smile which Amaya imagined had charmed countless women when he had been younger was much more fatherly now.
It had been his never say die personality and his magnetic charisma which had attracted her to work for him and even after four years, which had not always been easy, she simply could not imagine working for anyone else.
“Maya, how can I help you?”
Whatever she felt below the surface, she did a splendid job to keep those thoughts well hidden underneath a mask of stern professionalism. She held up the padd she had brought. “I have the weekly communication logs for your review.”
He frowned and she wasn’t exactly sure why until he located a padd of his own. He handed it to her and she looked it over to find that it contained exactly the same thing she had brought. She looked up at him. “I don’t understand.”
Glover seemed somewhat uncomfortable. “Commander Rahul provided the report earlier this morning.”
“I see,” she said, looking dumbfounded.
“I suppose we have to work on our lines of communications and responsibilities,” he said, clearly still not perfectly at ease on the subject. “Figure out exactly who does what around here.”
She nodded.
An awkward silence ensued.
“Anything else, Commander?”
She looked at the admiral as if she hadn’t realized that nobody had said anything for a while. “No, sir.”
“Very well.”
She gave him a quick nod and then turned to leave but she stopped before she reached the doors and turned around. “Admiral, may I ask you a question?”
“By all means.”
“Have you not been satisfied with my performance?”
Glover immediately shook his head. “No, not at all.”
“Sir?”
He grinned. “I mean, yes, I have been very satisfied with your performance,” he said and then held up a hand to stop her from responding. “And let me dispel any notion that Commander Rahul is here because I may not like what you’ve done because that’s complete nonsense. Maya, you’re practically the lube that allows this station to run smoothly. Without you, well I don’t know what I would do.”
“I appreciate you saying that, sir, but if that is the case why bring in the Commander?”
“Because you do much more than just run the station. You are also my main adjutant and I know that sometimes that can be a full-time job.”
“And you feel that I have not been able to handle the workload,” she said, nodding to herself to show her understanding.
He sighed. “No, I just think that it would help having another officer around with whom you can share the workload. Make things easier on you. Don’t see this as a reflection on your performance. Instead consider it to be a reward. It will allow you to slow down a bit,” he said but made a pointed effort not to glance directly at her while saying this.
Donners still managed a smile. “I will do that, thank you, sir,” she said and left the admiral’s office.
“You are staring again.”
A startled Commander Donners turned her head to look up at Christine Raeger who had just whispered into her ear before placing the latest communications log onto her workstation for review.
Donners scowled at the younger woman. “I wasn’t staring, I was thinking,” she said in an equally quite tone to make sure the subject of their conversation, sitting at the other end of the operations center would not overhear them.
“My mistake,” she said, gave her a grin and returned to her duties.
Amaya was fully aware how her deep thoughts could have been mistaken as her staring at the white haired and bearded Efrosian officer across the room. It didn’t help that Raeger and the rest of her officers already suspected that she resented the recent arrival.
This of course was not the case. He had come onto the station only a few days earlier and she hadn’t even had the chance to get to know the man. But popular opinion had it that the sudden appearance of an officer of equal rank and judging by his advanced age, of greater experience, and a rather under-defined job role had to be vexing to her and perhaps even indicate a vote of no-confidence in her abilities to run the station.
But the truth was that all this had happened so quickly and unexpectedly that Amaya simply wasn’t sure how to feel about his presence yet. The official word from Admiral Glover had been that Commander Rahul was DS5’s temporary second officer and would answer directly to her.
Rahul himself was a quite sort who didn’t talk much unless he was spoken to but when he spoke it was with the confidence of a man who knew exactly what he was doing. His service jacket had shown that he was well over one hundred years old and it made her slightly uncomfortable to have to issue orders to a man who was more than twice her age. If anything she guessed that she could learn a thing or two from him.
All that was plenty of reason for her to be in deep thoughts.
She didn’t get much of a chance however to consider this peculiar development any further when Jasmine Mendes emerged out of the turbo-lift in what seemed to be a clearly exasperated mood. She was slightly shaking her head as she stepped closer. “Commander.”
Donners didn’t miss the fact that Rahul looked up from his station even though Mendes had clearly meant to address her.
“You’re not going to believe this,” she said. “Captain Solok wants us to go over the repairs schedule of the T’Kumbra again and he demands to have a senior command officer present this time. What is it with Vulcans anyway? If they think they can do a better job at this why come here at all?”
“Solok is a perfectionist even among Vulcans,” said Donners, who’d had the misfortune of having to deal with the notoriously difficult captain on previous occasions. “He’ll spend five hours to discuss a job that will take two. He won’t be happy until every last detail has been seen to,” she added and stood, sighing inwardly at the prospect of spending the rest of the afternoon with the nitpicking captain.
“Perhaps I can assist,” Rahul offered as he came over from his station. “Solok and I have history and he may be more amenable when dealing with an officer he is more familiar with,” he said and looked at Mendes who shot him an empty expression before looking over at Donners.
“Unless you would prefer to handle this yourself, Commander,” said Rahul who noticed the two women exchanging looks.
Amaya hadn’t even considered the possibility and her first instinct had been to dismiss this offer. If Solok wanted to speak to a senior command officer than that should have been her. But then of course this was not the kind of job she was looking forward to. She shook her head. “No objections, Commander,” she said. “If you want to take this one, be my guest.”
Rahul nodded and then turned to the operations chief. “I suggest we tend to Captain Solok immediately. The longer we keep him waiting the more difficult he becomes.”
“Sure,” Mendes said. She shot Donners another look, perhaps to see if she was truly alright with this and then led Rahul back to the turbo-lift.
“He’s real helpful, isn’t he?” said Reager once the two had left operations. She made a point to keep her eyes on her console however.
“Yes,” Donners said absentmindedly.
“You don’t think he might be up to something,” she said now looking up from her station.
“Like what?”
The communications officer shrugged her shoulders “I’m just saying, his sudden arrival on the station is rather suspicious, don’t you think? I’d watch my back if I were you.”
Amaya considered this for all but two seconds and then quickly shook her head. “I don’t have time to entertain your paranoid fantasies,” she said, picked up a padd and headed for Admiral Glover’s office.
He waved her in before she even had a chance to press the enunciator.
The admiral stood behind his desk as she strode in. Samson Glover was a man past his prime but not by very much. Still as tall and broad-shoulder as he must have been in his younger years, his hairline had noticeably receded and his close-cropped curls were more gray than black these days.
His broad smile which Amaya imagined had charmed countless women when he had been younger was much more fatherly now.
It had been his never say die personality and his magnetic charisma which had attracted her to work for him and even after four years, which had not always been easy, she simply could not imagine working for anyone else.
“Maya, how can I help you?”
Whatever she felt below the surface, she did a splendid job to keep those thoughts well hidden underneath a mask of stern professionalism. She held up the padd she had brought. “I have the weekly communication logs for your review.”
He frowned and she wasn’t exactly sure why until he located a padd of his own. He handed it to her and she looked it over to find that it contained exactly the same thing she had brought. She looked up at him. “I don’t understand.”
Glover seemed somewhat uncomfortable. “Commander Rahul provided the report earlier this morning.”
“I see,” she said, looking dumbfounded.
“I suppose we have to work on our lines of communications and responsibilities,” he said, clearly still not perfectly at ease on the subject. “Figure out exactly who does what around here.”
She nodded.
An awkward silence ensued.
“Anything else, Commander?”
She looked at the admiral as if she hadn’t realized that nobody had said anything for a while. “No, sir.”
“Very well.”
She gave him a quick nod and then turned to leave but she stopped before she reached the doors and turned around. “Admiral, may I ask you a question?”
“By all means.”
“Have you not been satisfied with my performance?”
Glover immediately shook his head. “No, not at all.”
“Sir?”
He grinned. “I mean, yes, I have been very satisfied with your performance,” he said and then held up a hand to stop her from responding. “And let me dispel any notion that Commander Rahul is here because I may not like what you’ve done because that’s complete nonsense. Maya, you’re practically the lube that allows this station to run smoothly. Without you, well I don’t know what I would do.”
“I appreciate you saying that, sir, but if that is the case why bring in the Commander?”
“Because you do much more than just run the station. You are also my main adjutant and I know that sometimes that can be a full-time job.”
“And you feel that I have not been able to handle the workload,” she said, nodding to herself to show her understanding.
He sighed. “No, I just think that it would help having another officer around with whom you can share the workload. Make things easier on you. Don’t see this as a reflection on your performance. Instead consider it to be a reward. It will allow you to slow down a bit,” he said but made a pointed effort not to glance directly at her while saying this.
Donners still managed a smile. “I will do that, thank you, sir,” she said and left the admiral’s office.
* * *
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