Mission 24 - Nanoprobes Killed Outpost Beta 12

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Tournneau
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Re: Mission 24 - Nanoprobes Killed Outpost Beta 12

Post: # 4655Post Tournneau
Tue Feb 19, 2019 1:54 am

OFF: This is a backpost, taking place before the last large JP.

ON:

<<USS Malinche-A -- Chief Engineer’s Quarters, Deck 3-Alpha -- Mission Day 14 -- 0545 Hours>>

Derek Tournneau had been sitting in his bathtub, full of foam, for the past thirty minutes.

They had let him, and the other away team members, out of decon at 0500 that morning. Besides the head, there had really not been any facilities in the chamber. He was eager to finally get the chance to just soak and decompress.

Of course, a sonic shower provided a better cleansing, but Derek much preferred to take water showers or baths when possible. He found the sonic shower to be very uninvigorating. The hot water soothed his sore muscles and relaxed his mind in a way that the finest in Federation hygiene never really could match.

He allowed himself to sink so that his nose was just above the water, head completely encircled in foam. He replayed the events of the mission in his head for the hundredth time.

Viradia was right, it was a damn near thing, this one, Derek thought ruefully, we were nearly killed. Korath….tough son of a bitch, but he nearly had it. And those poor officers - Sovuk, Branei, Owens - they didn’t even have a chance. Where did they find that contaminated debris? An even worse thought crossed Derek’s mind. Or better yet, did the nanoprobes try to found by them? And here we are, with debris sitting in our lab…..

He knew these were questions he was going to have to start answering immediately, but he allowed himself several more minutes in the tub before draining the water, drying off, and changing into a uniform.

He strode out of his bedroom, feeling the clean fabric of his tunic with both hands. Ah, I feel human again - well, almost. He stopped at the replicator terminal.

“Iced mocha, almond milk base; egg and sausage biscuit.”

The meal sparkled into existence, and Derek brought it to his sofa by the windows and set the plate on the coffee table. He sat, sipping his mocha and watching the belt system that Outpost 12 formerly occupied. He could see some of the nearer rocks silently, gracefully pirouetting about in space, tumbling eternally through the void.

So strange, that such violence just occurred there. It seems unthinkable…

Just as Derek took a bite of his sandwich, his door chime rang.

“Emmfur,” he said with half a biscuit in his mouth.

Viradia (PNPC) stepped into the room, hands clasped behind her back. “Good morning, Derek - I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Not at all - please, grab something to eat and sit.”

“All right, thanks,” Viradia replied as she walked to the replicator. “Bolian tomato juice, cold.” She brought the beverage to the sofa and sat next to Derek.

“So, how are you doing after decon?” Viradia asked.

“Oh, it was nice to get a real bath - I just sat there for almost an hour.” The pungent aroma of Viradia’s savory beverage wafted over to him. “I’ve never tried that - is it good?”

“Yes, although most other species find it rather salty. The Bolian tomato is grown underwater, so it takes on a lot of the saltwater that surrounds it.”

“Well, I might stick to my usual - I have a sweet tooth in the morning, as you know.”

“Yes, well….”

Derek chuckled politely. Both of them had desperately heavy topics they wanted to broach, but neither of them knew how. So, Viradia, I almost got assimilated or ripped to shreds by horrific Borg automatons - one of which is sitting in Lab 1 - how does that make you feel? Oh by the way, what are we now? Derek clenched his free hand as he continued to sip his mocha.

“Listen, Derek --”

“Hmm?”

“I -- I’m sorry that I was -- unprofessional yesterday, I just --”

“V, don’t worry about it, we all get --”

“Hold on, let me finish.” Derek nodded as Viradia continued. “When you were in decon, I didn't mean to snap at you when you were making light of the situation - I know it's just your way. I just...didn’t want to think about the alternatives to what happened down there. About what I...we... could have missed.” She reached out and placed her hand on Derek’s knee.

Viradia continued, “I know - we put on the uniform and we have jobs to do. We’re sitting in a tin can with the power of a star squeezed into a bottle. What we do is dangerous, but we choose to do it anyway. We’re officers, and I know that we serve together, but I can’t help but feel….more... for you than just a colleague or a friend. After the outpost, whatever happens, I don’t want to lose the chance to let you know.”

Derek set his mug down and placed his hands over hers reassuringly. “I know - I know! I feel the same way about you - you have to know that, after all this time that we've spent together; after the ship christening back on Earth. I’m sorry that we haven’t really had time to talk about this since then." Derek paused for a moment to look out of the viewport at the asteroid belt, towards the fine cloud of dust that was once Outpost 12. “The way I see it, we have a choice - we either keep on marching forward like good soldiers and ignore our feelings, or we jump in and see where it takes us."

Viradia beamed at Derek. “I vote jump.”

Derek laughed. “It’s just….are you sure? You’ve seen where I am mentally - I’m still a mess right now, and, well let’s be honest: I’m not really a young man anymore.”

“You’re only what, ten years older than me?”

“About as near as makes no difference.”

“Well, I’m not interested in other men - young or no - I love you, for who you are, right now.”

Derek smiled and shook his head once incredulously. Here I am, holding hands with this incredibly talented, beautiful woman - when even a year ago, I would not have thought I would get a second chance at finding the real thing. “And I love you, Viradia - for what you've done for me, what you mean to me…”

Derek realized that they had been subconsciously moving closer to one another over the past few minutes. Her face was not more than a decimeter from his. Derek closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against hers. He felt her startle, but she quickly eased into the kiss and placed a hand on his chin as they continued their embrace. Her taste was faintly spicy to Derek, and her saliva made his lips and tongue tingle slightly.

Their lips parted and they both opened their eyes, each taking a long, piercing look into the gaze of the other. Their eyes seemed to speak deeply into the core of one another. Derek felt giddy, full of excitement. Viradia began to tear up slightly. Derek frowned. “I -- I’m sorry, was that not --”

Viradia laughed, easing Derek’s concern. “No, no that was -- that was perfect. We Bolians are an emotional type, I’m afraid,” she chortled as she wiped the tear from her eye.

“Well, you already know that about me,” Derek said.

Viradia moved to wrap her arms around Derek, and sat with her head on his shoulder. “That’s just one more reason that we became such good friends - you don’t hide your emotions. How do humans say it? Wearing one’s heart on one’s...arm?”

“Sleeve.”

“Yes, that’s it. On Bolarus, they would say that you swim with your heart.”

“I would hope so.”

Viradia made an exaggerated scoff. “Never ends with you, hmm?” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Sooo...how do we go from here?”

Derek snorted. “You’re asking the wro-o-ng person my friend - I might as well know nothing about this now. Obviously, we have to make sure to keep things professional on the clock.”

Viradia pinched her eyebrows together in mock seriousness and saluted Derek sharply. “Of course, Commander.”

“It’s a lot more difficult to do than you think, Lieutenant. Trust me, I’ve been there - but I think that everyone on the ship is pretty understanding about this sort of thing. Starfleet’s never really been one to interfere with people’s personal lives if it can be helped.”

“And, off the clock?”

“Well, I don’t know - I guess we just keep spending time together and keep learning about one another. It got us this far, right?”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

Derek closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling of Viradia’s breathing against his chest. This is what he had wanted to happen back on Earth, when there was time, when there weren't the shattered remains of a Borg murder machine sitting in his ship. As they say, there's no time like the present. If not now, then when? He inhaled, taking in the smell of her perfume. As he opened his eyes, a PADD on the coffee table caught his eye. The time indicated at the top of the device read 0655. He quickly broke Viradia’s embrace and stood, turning back to face her wearing a rather foolish look on his face.

“Speaking of on the clock -- I’m going to be late! I’m supposed to meet Commander Fala at 0700 to discuss the security precautions we’re taking with the Borg spider probe. I’ve got to go now!” He leaned over and kissed the still seated Bolian on the top of her head. “Let’s do lunch later, yes?”

"Lunch is always the right direction."

OFF

Viradia Beladd
Assistant Chief Engineer
USS Malinche, NCC 38997-A
PNPC of
Image
Lieutenant Commander Derek Tournneau
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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