Dinner With The Captain Part 1
Posted on Sat Sep 10, 2016 @ 1:21am by Commodore Michael Aravan & 2nd Lieutenant Gage Aravan & Danielle Mercursi-Mallory & Captain Madelina Weisz & Lieutenant Commander Arrda & Lieutenant Lukiz Smyth & Lieutenant Martha Cusack & Lieutenant Commander Alex Rho & Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas Barnes & Lieutenant JG Lucia Cusack & Spencer Aravan & Piper Aravan & Elsie Cusack
Mission:
An Orion to Die For
Location: The Black Hole
Timeline: MD 1 || 1800 Hours
Michael came into the private quarters that he shared with his wife, daughter and two children. He wanted to take his combadge and pips off, but he had an idea in mind and he wanted to run it by Spencer first. "Oh Star of my Sky, where are you and our two bundles of joy at?" he asked.
Spencer walked out of the bedroom and smiled when she saw him. "Well, this is certainly a surprise. I wasn't expecting to see you for a couple more hours at least. What do I owe my being so lucky to?" she asked as she closed the distance between the two of them so she could press a kiss to his lips.
Ava came barreling out of her parents bedroom when she heard her father's voice. She'd been 'helping' her mother tidy up a bit, which mainly consisted of her jumping on the bed while she watched Spencer do all of the work. At nearly three years old, there were certain things that were expected of her, but more than anything, her mom just wanted her to be a kid. With a giggle that could only be rivaled by a chipmunk on a sugar high, the toddler threw herself at her father's leg, hugging it tight. "Hi, Daddy!"
He returned the kiss and scooped up his little black haired warp core of energy from where she had wrapped herself around his leg. "It's hours past my shift, Spencer," he said. "I've been wrapping up final details and fending off Admiral Grant on why we haven't launched yet. We still don't have a Chief of Science and the EMH Mark X is having some issues with the emitters. I've assigned Chief Barnes to look into that and a few other things. How was your day?" he asked both of them.
"Maybe it is hours past your shift, but you've just gotten orders for the first mission and new crew are settling in. The first time we went through this, neither one of us made it to bed that night until nearly midnight," she pointed out. "As for my day, it hasn't been so bad. Little Mikey and I brought Ava to school this morning, then roamed the ship for a little while. It's very different being on the civilian side of things, but we know why I made that choice."
"I'm sure you'll find your way into the officer side of things soon enough in one way or another," Michael said. "In fact, I wanted to talk to you about that. I know that I didn't associate with the crew very much the past few missions, but I want to change. What do you think about having an informal dinner with the senior crew at least one every few weeks now?"
"Well... that depends. Do I have to cook for everyone, and do you plan on doing it here?" Spencer found herself asking. Not that she'd really mind it, but with two little ones, her sanity would take a nosedive to Nopeville rather quickly.
"I was thinking of having it in the Captain's Mess," he said. "That way, you wouldn't have to do anything other than look beautiful and there wouldn't be any pressure on Piper at The Black Hole, either."
"Oh, Piper would love it if you did it that The Black Hole once in a while, though. You'd just have to let her know in advance so she could save the space," she said, looking to Ava who was making fish lip faces at her Dad. "Of course, you'll have to let your chef know ahead of time, too, so he'll be able to prepare. I think your best bet would be The Black Hole if you're interested in doing something with them tonight."
Michael laughed at his little girl and gave her a kiss. "See, I knew I was right to contact you," he said. "You were and always will be my Number One, Spencer. I have the Queen of Hearts as an Executive Officer now, but she gets the job done. Can you contact Piper while I send out invites to the senior staff for an hour from now? That should be enough time."
Spencer reached out to take Ava after she kissed her father. "I can do that. I'll let her know that you and the senior staff will be coming in for dinner tonight. You're her favorite brother-in-law. She'd be willing to accommodate you on short notice," she said. "As for Maddy... I don't think she's that bad. You're still upset because she called you Moon Moon that one time, then looked it up once you got home."
"We don't talk about Moon Moon," he grunted before he passed Ava over. "I'm going to freshen up and see Mikey before I send out the messages. Oh, tell Piper to put a muzzle on Gage if he's helping her out this evening."
"He's sleeping. I'll wake him up while you freshen up, though. As for your brother... I doubt he'll be helping her out. Someone's got to keep an eye on the baby," she said, setting Ava down so she could play for a little while.
"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes," Michael told her as he headed into their room for a quick sonic shower. Once he finished, he went to the terminal in the living room.
While Michael did his thing, Spencer contacted her sister to let her know there would be a rather large party coming in for dinner, then went to scoop her sleeping son up. She smiled when he snuggled against her and pressed a kiss to the top of his little head. "I don't blame you for wanting to stay asleep, little man, but your Daddy wants to see you." She carried the ten month old boy out to the living room and settled down on the couch with him. "Piper said okay. I handled it the lazy way and contacted her via combadge."
He laughed. "I'm going to make it formal or informal," he told her as he composed the message. "Do you think I should go in uniform or not?"
"Not. Make it informal since you're using this as a way to get to know your crew a bit. No one should show up in uniform for that, but if they do, then that's fine," Spencer replied. "I just don't think you should. The pips are pretty intimidating to just about everyone."
"Informal it is, then," Michael said as he went to get changed into a white t-shirt, black pants and a black faux leather jacket. "How does this look?"
"Got your eye on one of your new staff members, hm? Maybe your new Chief Operations officer?" his wife asked in a joking tone. Of course, she had no idea who any of the new people were on board the ship, so while it was said in a joking tone, it was also said in innocence. "You look fine, Michael."
"Oh, he's a cutie, but I doubt that Ava would ever call him mommy," he joked in return. "Mikey is young enough that he'd come around, but Ava...no."
Spencer gave him 'the look'. "That's not even funny, Aravan. You need to go before you're late, and since you're the host, that can't happen." She looked down to the baby who was still sleeping, then scooped Ava up when she climbed onto the couch with her mom.
Michael laughed. "Come on, beautiful. Let's go," he said as he turned his attention back to the terminal and sent a message.
To the Senior Officers of the ship, I invite you all and your family or significant others to The Black Hole for dinner tonight at 1900 hours. Formal or informal attire is accepted. Cordially, Captain Michael Aravan.
Spencer arched an eyebrow. "Me? Go?" she asked, looking down at the stained shirt and jeans she wore with her hair thrown back in a haphazard ponytail. "If you want me to go, then I'm going to have to be fashionably late. You can take Ava with you." After all, the toddler was already dressed with her jet black locks pulled up into pigtails.
"...I forgot to say we. See, this is why I need you," he said as he went to give her a kiss and scooped up Ava. "I'll see you there, love." With that, he headed off.
Upon entering the area, one notices that the decor inside is set to remind one of twenty-first century Earth, with various posters and other memorabilia from the era, along with a shelf lining the ceiling which is home to various ancient beer cans and liquor bottles from years past.
It's design is for those serving on board a Starfleet vessel to forget where they are while they're inside the establishment. The bar itself is settled off to the left side of the main room, and is square in shape, able to seat twenty people at any given time, while tables make up the rest of the seating. A mirrored wall sits behind the bar, and has shelves covered in various types of alcohol. There is definitely something to satisfy the tastes of even the most picky patrons.
A dance floor, an area for a live band and karaoke machine complete the main room. A door to the left of the bar leads into the kitchen, while a second on the far end of the room has a sign above it that reads 'The Escape' in red neon. For those brave enough to wander through the door are in for a treat. Inside the not-so-secret room is what helps both man and woman forget they're in space, offering a wide variety of activities.
The Escape has multiple poker tables, dart boards and pool tables for those who like to place a friendly wager. For those who want to be kids again, various arcade games line one wall, including but not limited to Dance Dance Revolution, Pacman and Ms. Pacman. Completing the activities offered are beer pong and ping pong tables, pinball machines and air hockey tables.
Michael entered The Black Hole and went over to where his sister-in-law was and smiled. "Thank you for accommodating for the senior staff so quickly, Piper," he said. "If you ever need anything, let me know and I'll make it happen."
"It's not a problem, Michael," Piper said with a smile, reaching out to take Ava before her father could protest. "Gage and I already moved some of the tables together, and I've decided to open the bar along with the kitchen. You and your people stay away from the blue stuff, though. I don't want anyone dancing on my tables. Shoe scuffs are hard to get off."
"Baby thief," he laughed when she took Ava before his brother Gage came out of the back with a portable bassinet with his new son in it.
"You know she is. I'm about to take our boy back to the quarters before she can change her mind again, bro," he said with a laugh.
Piper pressed a kiss to Ava's temple. "She's my favorite niece ever, so I reserve the right to steal her whenever I want to," she said before looking toward Gage. "You try to take him out of here, and there's a cast iron skillet in the kitchen that would love to meet your kneecap up close and personal." She gave him a smile and even batted her lashes.
"But...but..." Gage started.
"Gage," Michael warned his brother. "If a woman with a newborn tells you not to do something, you don't do it. You may be a Marine and used to going hard, but if she gets that skillet in her hands, you will relearn what hard is."
Gage gave a sheepish grin and set the bassinet on the bartop. "Yes, dear," he said to Piper.
Having received the Captain's invite, James had sent a message to his wife to alert her to prepare the kids. He had spent some of the time briefing his marines on what he expected whilst he was gone, and then left the Marine County to prepare.
He had finally finished in the sonic shower, and had managed to have a shave so he was ready. His hair was neat and exactly the way he liked it. He saw an outfit had already been laid out for him, a simple pair of jeans and a black shirt. It was informal, but James rarely did informal. Lucy, however, looked perfect in a simple floral dress. It was her idea of formal, and James loved her in the outfit. "Perfect, as always dear." James said, smiling as he pulled on his outfit.
"Thank you, sweetheart." Lucy replied, with a smile. "Kids, I hope you're ready." Lucy called. Amelia and Oliver came out of the bedroom, helping Lucy. Amelia and Mariah were wearing dresses and leggings, whilst Oliver was wearing a similar outfit to James. "I would imagine that our definition of informal does not match the Captain's, but you all look wonderful." James complimented.
"Thank you Papa." Amelia said smiled.
"Thank you father." Oliver agreed, also smiling. James smiled, and knelt down, grabbing his three kids into a hug.
"You three make a father proud." James said, kissing their foreheads. "Mariah, hold my hand. Let's go." He said, leading the way to the exit of their quarters.
It didn't take them long to reach the Black Hole and as James, Lucy and the kids walked in, they made their way over to the Captain, as well as a woman he didn't recognise, and Gage Aravan.
"That's Piper Aravan." Lucy whispered immediately, once again her eidetic memory being a great use. "Sister in law to the Captain, and Gage Aravan's wife."
"Thank you, dear." James whispered back. She had decided to learn all of the senior crew, and their families, as well as the marines. She was invaluable to him.
"Captain, Sergeant, Miss Aravan, thank you for the invite. This is my much better half, my muse and my beautiful wife Lucy, and this are my children, Amelia, Oliver and Mariah." He said, introducing each child who stepped forward as their name was called out.
"Please, call me Michael when we're off duty," Michael said to Racktor after he smiled at the Marine CO's children and wife with proper introductions.
"Michael then. And please, call me James." He replied.
"Colonel," Gage said while he stood at his wife's side and made sure that people didn't come within three feet of their son.
Piper smiled at the Marine CO and his family. She hadn't had the honor of meeting them yet, but that was all going to change shortly. In fact, she had a feeling she would be meeting quite a few people as the night progressed. "It's nice to meet you all," she said with a smile, still holding on to little Ava while her own son slept. "Welcome to The Black Hole and the Triumphant."
"Sergeant, good to see you. Miss Aravan, thank you. Now, I understand you make an excellent steak. I warn you, when it comes to my steak, I'm a tough critic. It is my favourite meal; one of the reasons I need to train harder than most." He said, with a smile.
"If steak is what you're looking for, then you've come to the right place for that," The Black Hole's owner said with her award winning smile. "There's an open bar tonight as a favor to Captain Aravan, here, so anything you want is in the house." Not to mention there were still oodles of bottles in two different cargo bays ready to be brought in when they were needed.
It was Lucy who smiled and spoke. "I think you've just made a new best friend, Miss Aravan. A medium rare steak and a cold apple juice is James' number one meal." She said.
"I occasionally enjoy a glass of Scotch, but I tend to refrain from drinking myself. I like to keep my mind clear at all times." James explained. "I don't suppose you have milkshakes for the kids, do you? If you do, they'll love you forever." James said, as all three of his kids looked at Piper grinning.
"As a matter of fact, I do. How about you three come with me so you can help make them?" Piper asked, looking toward their parents for permission. Of course, with Ava still in her arms, the toddler was going to be joining in on the fun, too.
James smiled, nodding at the kids. "Be good." He said, as the kids grinned, walking with Piper.
"Can I have Strawberry please?" Amelia asked.
"Chocolate please." Oliver added.
"'Nana Pwease." Mariah added.
"We'll make them all, I promise," Piper said with a smile, escorting the children back to the kitchen after she grabbed Liam to bring him along, too.
Douglas had spent far too long getting his figurative house in order, he realized as he stood and stretched his tall frame. A glance to the chronometer on his desk proved this, and he closed down the terminal and left the office. Now it was family time, and he was looking forward to a quiet night with his beautiful wife, a good dinner, and maybe other things.
He entered the quarters and took off his uniform jacket. Folding it as he walked, he made his way across the main room toward the bedroom. "Danielle? Are you home?" he called. He did notice that everything had been put away, the quarters decor arranged beautifully, and smiled to himself.
Danielle backed out the wardrobe with a blue dress with the side split to the right hip in her left hand and a green backless dress in her left hand. "Which one should I wear tonight, Arrda?" she asked him with a smile. "And why are you still in uniform? We're going to be late."
Arrda paused, for a couple of reasons. One, he always loved to just take a moment and look at this lovely woman who had, for some unknown reason, agreed to marry him. And two, he had no idea what she was talking about. All right, there was a third. The way she said his given name always made him shiver in the most pleasant way, even when she was not being purposely seductive. "The blue one; it brings out your eyes." He answered with a smile, pausing then as his expression shifted to reflect confusion. "Late? For what?" Apparently he had missed something, so engrossed in his work.
"The Captain has invited all of his senior officers and their families and significant others to The Black Hole for an informal dinner," Danielle said as she put the green dress back in the wardrobe. "I checked your messages for you when it came in since it wasn't coded." She dropped the towel she had wrapped around herself and began to get in the blue dress. "Unless you don't plan to go."
Every time he looked at her, he knew how blessed he was. He watched her for a moment then forced his eyes away so that he would not get completely distracted. "Oh, I think it would be extremely bad form if I didn't go." he said as he passed her and took off his clothes, placing them in the Refresher before heading into the bathroom for a quick sonic shower -- he preferred the real thing, but at least these didn't mess with his senses like they did his children's. And he didn't, apparently, have time for the water shower. "And I'm glad you're going with me." he continued as the sonics vibrated all the dirt and oils from his skin. "What time are we supposed to be there?"
"Nineteen hundred hours," she told him and didn't miss the look in his eyes before he looked away. She knew that look well and knew what it meant, and gave a small chuckle as he stripped to get cleaned up. "I wouldn't miss a chance to see who you are working with, Arrrda," she purred as she stepped into the bathroom to speak to him. "I was your Executive Officer as well as your Chief of Security at one point and it's still my job to make sure you're safe and well-covered, even if I am just a civilian now."
Again, he shivered slightly at the purring quality she applied to his name. A smile slid over his features. He understood that she was being seductively playful, but he also knew the truth of the words. She may not be a Security Officer in Starfleet anymore, but she would always be one at heart, and he could understand that. No matter what else he ever became, he would always be an Enforcer -- and an Artist, he reminded himself. He finished the shower and smiled at her as he stepped out. "I wouldn't have anyone else at my side to do that, my Love."
He placed a soft kiss to her lips as he passed her to get dressed. "Did the message say whether it was formal or informal?" he asked, glancing through the wardrobe. He really had to keep his mind focused on the task at hand or he might just have said 'to hell with it' and stayed home. She had always been able to drive him mad in the most pleasant of ways. And that purring tone coupled with the dress she was wearing were so not helping him focus on dinner. Dessert maybe, but certainly not dinner.
"Nineteen hundred hours," she repeated after kissing him. "And if you keep this up, you'll never be invited to a rare dinner with the Captain again, Douglas. Shall we go?" Her use of his Standard name was a clear indicator that she wasn't about to let that happen, especially when he hadn't been that familiar with most of his own crew and she wasn't going to let him make a mistake like that again.
He did not miss the shift from his given name to his chosen Earth name. He frowned slightly, though, at her repeating of the time. "Um, Love?" he said to get her attention with the questioning tone. "I didn't ask what time. I asked if it was formal or informal." He softened that with a smile. "Or do I just distract you that much?"
"Sorry, I got distracted," Danielle said. "It's informal and the time is fast approaching to the point where we're going to be more than fashionably late and I don't think you want to give the Captain the impression that his new Security Chief is a late comer."
He smiled and kissed her softly before slipping on his black slacks and a deep blue dress shirt. Tying the front and sides of his hair back in a somewhat Native American styling he had learned from Dekotah, he examined his appearance in the mirror. Satisfied enough, he slipped on a nice pair of loafers and held his arm out to his wife with a smile. "Then let's not keep the captain waiting."
Danielle walked into The Black Hole and gave a low whistle of appreciation. "This place is nice," she said. "It's like being back on Earth." She looked around and spotted the Captain and the Marine Commander by the bar with a few other people. "There's our host, Arrda," she said quietly with a nod of her head. "Now to be social."
Douglas paused for just a moment in the doorway, taking in the room. It reminded him of Earth, yes, but not modern Earth. This took him back, back to when his children were young. A fleeting look of nostalgia crossed his face, then he pushed it aside and nodded with a smile. Moving with her to where the captain and the colonel stood, he gave a nod of greeting. "Good evening, gentlemen." His eyes flicked to each of them as he spoke. "May I introduce my wife, Danielle." He then proceeded to introduce them to her as well.
Michael smiled. "A pleasure, Mrs. Mallory," he said. "This is my brother Gage, his wife Piper, James Racktor, the Marine Commander, his wife Lucy, and this are his children, Amelia, Oliver and Mariah."
"Mrs Mallory, a pleasure ma'am." James greeted, bowing his head slightly. "Lieutenant, good to see you." He added.
Douglas nodded to the marine colonel. "You as well, Colonel." he greeted. His eyes had taken in each of them as the captain had introduced them. From her Dossier photo, he recognized Piper as the one who ran this particular establishment. "Good evening, Piper." he offered with a smile, using her given name as that was how she had been introduced. "Thank you for allowing the staff to invade your establishment tonight."
He then greeted the others, Gage, Lucy, Amelia, Oliver and Mariah, each individually to give appropriate respect due any individual. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you."
Lieutenant Smyth, fresh from Engineering, wandered into the Captain's Mess and took a look around before offering his apologies. "Sorry I'm late, had an issue with the power transfer regulators on deck six," he smiled before adding, "all fixed now."
Tom entered The Black Hole not long after the Chief Engineer arrived. He'd just arrived in his quarters when the message arrived at the dinner. He was never one to shy away from a social function, though he'd never been to one with was both with senior officers and quite informal. It didn't matter much to Tom that he'd been an NCO for a large part of his life now, and even though he interacted with officers every day, doing so as a member of senior staff was quite a new concept for him.
Capitalizing on the informal nature, Tom chose to wear a white button-down shirt with the upper two buttons undone and a pair of navy blue slacks with dress shoes. It was a perfect line between formal and informal. He was, after all, working with the upper echelon of Starfleet and wanted to look the part regardless of how he felt. "Hi everyone!" he said with a big smile, waving as he approached the group.
Martha, Lucia and Elsie were next to arrive. They had taken a bit longer to get ready as they were busy trying to find things to wear amongst their packed cases - but at least they had managed to arrive for the occasion. Deciding to simply slip in quietly and sit down - so the Cusacks took a four seater table and sat down. They were all worn out - but Martha insisted they attended.
"Do we have to stay long? There's still loads of unpacking to do" Lucia asked.
Martha smiled. "No beautiful. Just long enough to show our faces and be social"
Michael turned his attention to the Engineer and Operations Chiefs when they entered. "Mister Smyth, Mister Barnes, I'm glad you could make it. Please make yourselves comfortable."
"Will do, Captain," Barnes replied with a smile. He hadn't seen this section of the ship yet, but he had heard of it through some of the Operations staff. I'm going to like it here, he thought.
Seeing the Chief Tactical Officer come in with her family and sit down away from the others, Michael excused himself and went to their table. "Lieutenant," he said with a smile. "I take it this is your family?"
Martha smiled and nodded. She was happy they agreed to come along - as originally Lucia wasn't planning to come until Martha persuaded her to come along. Martha also reminded Elsie she did work in The Black Hole so she would be better to show her face.
"Hello Captain. Yes this is my wife Lucia and our daughter Elsie" Martha replied.
Lucia smiled. "Hello Captain"
"How do you do?" Elsie said.
"Very well, thank you," Michael replied. "It's very nice to meet all of you." He looked at the young lady at the table. "You must be Elsie. Did you find time to speak to Piper about working here?"
Elsie smiled. "I did thank you. I start tomorrow morning"
Martha watched as her daughter spoke to the Captain. It was nice to see her a lot more confident talking to people she didn't know - a few years ago she was still quite reserved and found it difficult to talk to new people.
Once Elsie had finished talking Lucia gave the Captain a smile.
"It's nice to meet you too" Lucia said.
"If you lovely ladies will excuse me," Michael said. "I have a few more people to greet."
The Cusacks watched as Michael moved away to greet other members of the crew. Martha then took requests for drinks from her family before she went up to the bar to order and collect them.
Alex had gotten the message shortly after he had gotten back to his quarters. He really hadn't given much thought to dinner at that point and wasn't as hungry as he usually was. But the socialization would be good...get to know the people he would be working with. Alex showered and changed out of the Mnemonic Clothing and put on a real set of clothes; a pair of bluejeans and a long sleeved, black sweater. The Intelligence Chief left his quarters and made his way to the Black Hole and entered.
He smiled and nodded as he saw the decor and then realized how full the room already was. Apparently he was close to the last to arrive, if not the last. What stood out immediately to him as he scanned the room was how many of the senior staff had families. He hadn't been on an assignment before where that had happened. And in all honesty, the first thing that came to mind was the weak link that it presented as far as the officer getting captured. His mind didn't stop there, either. He found himself analyzing the room, looking for exits and planning the best escape routes based on the groups that had seemed to form and their projected paths. He tried to push that stuff to the back of his mind, knowing that this was a social function called by the Captain. But he couldn't. At any rate, it was time to socialize, so Alex began making his way through the crowds.
Maddy arrived shortly after Rho. After a mental battle with herself, she decided it'd be a good idea to show herself... even if it was only going to last for a few minutes. Let the senior staff see her, talk to a few of them, then make her escape so she could get out of the dress she was wearing. It certainly was a far cry from the uniform she normally wore, and the redhead woman certainly was much more comfortable in it. However, it was unlikely many people would show up in their own, and the more she looked around, the more she realized she'd been right.
Try to smile a little, she chastised herself mentally. You won't bite any of them, just like they won't bite any of you. Once she'd managed to get those thoughts out of the way, she did put a smile on her face and made her way toward Michael when she'd spotted him talking to a group of people.
Michael saw the Intelligence Chief come in and had started to go greet him when Commander Weisz came in and he had to do a double take. He wasn't used to seeing the fiery redhead in anything but a uniform since he had known her. A half a dozen thoughts went through his mind before he shook his head; he was a married man and she was a vicious woman who would call him Moon Moon in front of everyone if he was less than civil with her, which he had every intention of doing. He cast a quick glance around and wondered how soon the other men would take notice of her and debated calling for extra Security personnel in if it turned into a free for all.
Tom was just about to take a seat at the main table. The presence of spouses and families didn't deter him. He preferred the sense of adventure to settling down. Having lived this life as a young one, he didn't want to force a child or two to live that life. One day, he'd be a family man. Not yet though.
As Tom pulled a chair out from the table, he spotted a red-haired wonder enter the room. He saw her first as a glance, but when he realized who it was, she'd garnered his full attention. He'd met the First Officer that morning, and she didn't strike him as a person who would look like that off duty.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I'm gonna like it here."
Maddy offered Moon Moon... Captain Moon Moon... a smile just before she moved to the bar to order her drink of choice... The Zombie. Back on Earth, it was considered one of the most potent alcoholic beverages because it was made with different fruit juices, liqueurs, and various rums. With it in hand, she looked around and spotted none other than Thomas Barnes getting ready to settle down at the table. She smiled inwardly. There was just something about the man that... interested... her.
She took a sip of her drink and made her way toward him. "Mister Barnes... are you getting settled in well?" she asked with a smile, her German accent slight presently.
"Hmm?" he asked instantly, still slightly distracted. Come on, Tom. You're better than that. In fact, with a drink in her hand, he felt a little out of place. If he hadn't sat down then he would have made a quick beeline to the bar. His brain kicked in and replayed her question at quadruple speed. "Getting settled?" he repeated. "Yes, ma'am. Yes, I am definitely settling in. I have to say I've never seen... a ship like this."
"She is quite impressive, isn't she?" the German woman asked with a smile as she pulled the cherry from her drink and brought it to her lips to pluck it from the stem. She offered him a smile as she settled down next to him, taking a second to chew the cherry and swallow it. "I'm off duty, and out of uniform, Mister Barnes. You can call me Maddy."
Tom flashed a nervous smile. Any social situation was his nirvana, but he'd never been granted permission to address anyone higher than Lieutenant by their name. Well, he had, but he never did. He didn't want a sense of fraternization with officers in the event it might impede duty. Being a Senior Staff member, supposed Tom, made things different now. "Tom," he told her, granting her permission as well.
"Do I make you uncomfortable, Tom?" Maddy asked with a smile of her own, though, it was anything but a nervous one. In fact, the Triumphant's Executive Officer was rarely nervous about much when it came to certain things. Of course, larger social gatherings such as this one was made her feel a bit out of her element, but it didn't make her nervous. "Perhaps, you should get a drink... help yourself relax up a bit. I recommend one of these." She gestured to the drink in her hand.
"It's not every day a NCO is asked to call the XO by her name," Tom responded quickly, his comfort level returning. "And that does look good," he told her. Nodding to excuse himself, Tom stood and approached the bar for a bit of liquid encouragement.
Maddy watched him walk to the bar and grinned as she brought her drink to her lips to take a sip, allowing the liquid to burn its way down the back of her throat. There weren't many who could handle a Zombie, but it was her drink of choice, and only within reason. She cocked her head to the side. The redhead had a suspicion that Mister Barnes wouldn't be returning. Perhaps, she'd be better off if she kept looking.
TBC
