First Dates are Interviews

Posted on Fri Oct 20, 2017 @ 8:59pm by Lieutenant Marisa Cheshire & Lieutenant JG Jacob Hartley

Mission: Strange Matter
Location: Holodeck/Mess Hall
Timeline: MD 30 || 1900 Hours

If Marisa had reached out of her cock pit only a day ago she could have touched the surface of the Borg Sphere. The craft of the great enemy that fueled her childhood nightmares. Her heart was still racing and her hands still trembled slightly. Though underneath her anxiety was a feeling of elation. She didn't run away when the monsters came, she ran at it's maw to punch it on the nose and came out of the other side alive.

She sighed as she left the holodeck, only slightly calmed since she entered. Though that might have been to do with her selection of novel to play. Playing a human made combat android fighting against the alien machines upon a desolate Earth to the themes of some of the most controversial philosophers of the 19th and 20th century didn't really do much to assuage her anxiety.

She began her way towards the turbo lift still in costume, a black dress with puffy shoulders and Gothic embroidery that cut off at the thigh that only just cut off the top of her leggings. Over those she wore black thigh high boots with long heals that were completely unreasonable for the feats that the novel made her perform. A black hair band with a solitary white petaled flower adorned her head.

As she made her way however, she noticed the door to the holodeck adjacent to hers open and decided to peak her nose in.

As he reached the wall, his target ahead of him, Jacob ran at the wall, planted both hands on it and pushed himself up, vaulting over the wall. As he landed, he kept running, seeing his target ahead. He pushed himself further as his target disappeared around a corner.

Coming into view, but not noticing the holodeck doors were still open, Jacob saw an obstacle on the ground, so he ran at the wall, leapt up and kicked off of the wall, propelling himself forward as he did so. He handed smoothly, and continued to run, performing a Monkey Vault over a railing, grabbing it and pushing up, raising his legs as he did so he could clear it, and continue his pursuit.

Marisa walked in to the alcove and leaned against the control panel with one hand as she watched, mesmerised. Her novel had her doing comparatively much more impressive feats in stiletto heals, though with a lot of aid from the holographic force fields and gravity manipulation, amplifying her motions so it was effortless. Despite this, the impressiveness of his feats wasn't lost on her. She could see the exertion in his face as he fluidly navigated his way through the course, fully aware of the gulf between her game and his skill.

As Jacob neared his target, he kicked off from the ground, leaping through the air, vaulting over another obstacle, before leaping at his target, and tacking him to the ground. As they fell to the ground, the computer beeped, signifying the run was over. "Computer, time elapsed." Jacob said.

=/\=Six minutes, thirty seven seconds for all targets.=/\= Came the reply. Jacob growled, annoyed that he wasn't doing better.

"Bloody hell." He said, as he sat down on a bench, taking a breath. "Towel." He ordered. A towel appeared, and he used it to wipe the sweat from his forehead. It was then he noticed someone watching him. She wasn't a hologram because the holo characters had shut down when he had caught the target. "Sorry, I didn't run into your holodeck time, did I?" He asked.

Marisa raised her hands, clad in white velvet gloves. "No no." She said with a slight apologetic inflection. "I just finished up my session and the door was open. It was a good show." she said approvingly "I didn't mean to intrude though." She stuck her thumb over her shoulder "I can go if I'm intruding."

"No, not at all." Jacob said, with a smile. "I appreciate the compliment, but I'm still not happy with my time. I've been pushing myself, to be fair, but it's never enough." He told her. He looked at her outfit, liking it. "Been on the holodeck yourself?" He asked.

"Yeah" Marisa replied with a slight nod "I try and use liberty to unwind." her comment had a good natured critical edge to it that made it past her smile.

"Anyway, I don't think we've met, or if we have... it's a big ship.." she said tilting her head with some inwardly directed admonishment. She then stepped forward with one of her gloved hands outstretched and a friendly smile "Marisa Cheshire."

Jacob walked over and accepted her hand. "Jacob Hartley. Pleasure to meet you." He said, returning the smile. "I've been told I need to unwind, but at the same time, I don't like getting complacent, especially with god knows what out there."

"You're telling me." Marisa replied with a nervous chuckle. "If you figure out a way to prepare for the chain of events that happened over the last few days you'll let me know."

Jacob chuckled. "That's the worst part about being out here, isn't it? We're meant to prepare for any eventuality, but if you make a foolproof plan, someone else makes a bigger fool." He said. He sighed. "I'll admit, it does make me wonder what the hell we're doing out here when we can't seem to keep out of trouble. Let's face it, going up against the Borg is just one of a hundred things that could have happened." He said.

"I actually have a theory about that." Marisa said, placing a pensive finger upon her smile "Though I generally wait until I've gauged the crowd a bit before I mention it." she waved her hand away from her face with a roll of her eyes "I don't want people thinking that I'm a pessimist."

"So how do you move like that?" She asked. "I mean, I'm sure a lot of it is intuition but... yeah. It looks like a skill that might come in handy."

"Years of training and mental self discipline mostly. Started studying as a kid as a way to get my mind focused." Jacob explained. "My adoptive parents were strict with discipline, and I chose it as my path. Parkour teaches us to train our body, but also to hone our instincts and our minds, because when you're moving, you don't have time to stop and think. You have to think moves ahead because otherwise, you make a mistake, then you fall and injure yourself, or die depending on what situation you're in."

He looked at the course. "It's also a case of me wanting to push myself further. I know what my limits are, but I don't accept them, at least, not all of them. I mean, I'm never going to be able to fly without wings of some kind, or walk through walls or walk on water, but other limits, I can push. My adoptive father...he said everyone has to have a code. Mine is precision. I keep moving and training until I have it right. Then I improve on it."

Marisa listened with her finger back in it's pensive position on her lips "Yeah, I get what you're saying." Marisa said with a comprehending nod once he'd finished. "It's like that behind a stick. Except for the part about thinking. Some times you get about half a second to think, and what ever you come up with you commit to it and hope for the best."

"If you decide to run classes, let me know. I'd sign up." she continued before the discomfort she was feeling caught up to her and she hand to adjust her stiletto "These things are killing me. And I suppose you want to continue or have a shower or something."

"Never thought about classes, but I'd be happy to give you some instruction in it." He said. "I'm just about done, but if you like, I wouldn't mind grabbing something to drink. You can change first, I wouldn't want you being uncomfortable." He said, with a smile.

"Sure." Marisa smiled back "Sounds less depressing than my plan of curling up with a glass of wine and some trashy Vulcan novel. Have a venue in mind?"

"Officer's lounge works for me. Shouldn't be too crowded so we can enjoy a drink and get to know one another." He replied.

"Sounds like a date." Marisa said with a slight twinkle in her eye "Give me half an hour and I'll meet you there." Marisa said before turning to walk away. Despite her complaints, she pivoted on her stiletto rather fluidly.

Jacob smiled, watching her leave, before heading out himself to change.

*****

As he reached the officer's lounge, he saw that he was the first to arrive, so he grabbed a table, and waited. It would be rude, after all, to get a drink before Marisa arrived.

He didn't have to wait long. "I didn't keep you waiting did I?" she asked, taking the chair across from him.

She was dressed in a flowing charcoal cardigan over a purple button down v-neck and dark blue jeans. Her shoes were far more sensible this time around, a set of sandy brown sued booties with only a slight heal.

Jacob smiled. "Not at all." He replied. He was wearing a blue shirt and jeans, and his simple black boots. He liked the outfit. It was simple, it was comfortable and it didn't restrict his movement. "What are you in the mood for?"

There was a moment's pause before Marisa gave a slight shrug "There's a good chicken and chorizo tomato pasta bake pattern. About the only thing that the replicator gets right. And a hard apple cider." A smile grew wide on her face "My staple foods. How about you?" She said, leaning forward "Got any recommendations?"

"Well, I haven't had lasagna for a while." Jacob said, with a smile. "That's always been a winner in my book, with a strawberry milk. It's sort of a weakness for me." He confessed.

Marisa chuckled "Watch out. He's got a few days off and he's on the strawberry milk. We might have to call security." She said teasingly. "You're a bit of a straight lace aren't you?"

Jacob smiled. "I've been told that before. I did try alcohol once, but I found it dulled my senses too much. I guess I like being in control. Who knows when something might happen, and if I'm nursing a hangover, I'm not exactly a help." He said. "Plus, my adoptive family hated alcohol, so whilst I was living there, I never exactly got a chance to try it as a kid."

"Rookie mistake." Marisa said with a wide smile "You're not supposed to drink to the point of a hang over." she continued, shaking her head slightly "Just enough to take the edge off."

"Anyway. Want to grab this food?" The pilot sighed "I'll bug you about your upbringing while we're eating. I'm famished."

"Sounds good." Jacob said, as he stood up. It didn't take him long to get the food from the replicator and get back to the table. He put the food down, before sitting down himself. "So how old were you when you first drank alcohol?" He asked.

"Oh, no idea." Marisa answered as she pulled her food closer too her. "I think I remember my dedushka, err, grandfather, pouring in a shot of vodka into my drink at a very young age. My dad would let me have a sip of his whiskey occasionally just to see me recoil. Only small amounts though." she clarified, not wanting her folks to sound like bad parents.

"So where abouts did you grow up?" She asked

"On Earth, in England." Jacob replied. "Adopted son of a retired Intel agent, and her husband. They were strict, but good people. Raised me as best they could, they'd never had any children of their own." Jacob replied. "They wanted me to grow up where my birth family had grown up, so my real grandparents gave them my family home, so they could raise me. They died shortly after I was adopted, so I didn't know them really."

"Sounds rough." Marisa commented, taking a sip of her drink. Her ears perked at the mere mention of intel. "So are you following in your adopted mothers foot steps or something?" Marisa narrowed her eyes slightly as she gave Jacob a cheeky grin.

"It was...well, that was why I chose Intel at first. I had a few options, but they had taught me from a young age to consider Intel as a career. My mother...well, for her, Intel meant a lot to her. She had spent her entire career doing what she could to save lives. For me, I wanted the same." He said, taking a sip of his drink. "After a while, I knew that it was what I wanted to do, thanks to my mentor, William. He taught me that whilst other departments were important, such as Security, Engineering, Operations...I had to decide what path I wanted to do. Of course, I had a lot of time to think." Jacob said.

"As I finished my first year at the Academy, William knew I needed to learn patience, so for two weeks, during the day, I was beamed onto what I thought was a column of rocks, high in the sky, alone. Turned out it was a holodeck, but it gave me time to think. I had spent so long wanting to be what everyone had wanted me to be, I didn't know how to be who I wanted to be. Intel...it gave me a chance to be everything, to make a difference. I can't talk about it, but I have done some things that helped make a difference. That's all I've ever wanted." He told her, before taking a sip of his drink.

"Sorry, I don't...kinda deep for dinner, huh?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it." Marisa said with a casual wave of her hand and a slight shrug. "I can relate. My mum drove a Peregrine in the Dominion war and my dad was in the diplomatic corps." she looked away thoughtfully for a moment. "We're all looking for meaning, and we all constantly need to affirm that meaning to others. We can only define ourselves in the eyes of others. It is the great tragedy of mankind that the barrier between them is the cause of so much suffering and all the wonder."

Jacob nodded, taking another sip of his drink. "That's the thing about life, isn't it? Trying to find meaning in a universe that has no meaning. But there is one lesson my adoptive mother taught me about defining ourselves. She said 'It's our actions, our deeds, that define us, not what we say or where we're from. Don't accept anything less than your best, and always be the best you can be' It's a lesson I always took to heart." Jacob replied. He took a bite of his food and smiled briefly.

"You know, I use this replicator pattern a fair bit, because it's a good meal. But it's always lacking something. Most people don't notice because they depend on replicated food. But having cooked as much as I have, I can always tell the difference." He said. "It does make me wonder, though, why we don't use this to help more people. I've been on planets where this will help a lot of people, yet it's not commonplace. I think it's another reason why I chose Intel, because for the most part, I don't have to see so many people in need and be powerless to help them." He said.

Marisa couldn't help but shake her head as she listened "I'm the wrong girl to talk to about that." She replied with a smile "I'm an objectivist, and a fervent believer in the Prime Directive." She put down her fork and gestured with her hands "You give an underdeveloped civilisation replicators and you put every one in agriculture and manufacturing out of work. These places don't have universal basic income like the Federation does, and you can't exactly power them with coal generators and wind turbines. If you give them replicators you need to give them antimatter reactors too. Then they're completely dependent on the Federation for technical support and you've turned their culture upside down, and that's the best case scenario."

"You mentioned before that sometimes you wondered why we're out here, and I think that's evidence that sometimes people don't want help." She continued, emphasising her point by tapping her finger on the table. "You and I could be back on Earth right now, subsisting quite comfortably on the UBI package, all of the enlisted would actually be more comfortable. So, with that in mind, we're not out here on a lark. We're out here answering some primal need, I think it's the need for meaning." She lent back in her chair and shook her head, harder this time. "I don't believe that everything is meaningless. Maybe we give it meaning and that's enough. Or maybe there is a divine plan, I don't know. What I do know is that nothing good comes from nihilism." She smiled and shrugged "That's my take on it anyway."

Jacob nodded. "Don't get me wrong, I agree with you on the prime directive, and that's what makes it worse for me. I guess I'm a contradiction. I don't want to see people kill themselves with technology, but I do want to see them helped." He said.

"I appreciate your view though. I guess I'm a little too cynical at the moment, but that's probably because of my line of work and my family. I was orphaned when I was a week old, because my parent's ship had an accident, using substandard parts which caused an engine explosion. Most of the crew were killed, including my parents. I inherited their company, but I never used any of the income from it. Hell, for a while I didn't know about it, and then I just forgot about it because I didn't want anything to do with them. I guess it gave me the dark view I have." He said.

Marisa took a deep breath through her nose as she pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I don't really have anything to say about that which isn't a platitude," she said after a moment "which I hate." She added with a inwardly frustrated roll of her eyes and a slight shake of her head. "I mean, that's a heavy personal issue and ((damn it)) I'm a pilot, not a psychologist. I shouldn't advise you on it, aside from saying that might not be a healthy outlook and that you might want to talk to someone professionally about it."

Jacob nodded. "That's what the XO said when she got the message of a recent incident about one of the ships. She wasn't pleased with me, and to be honest, I'll be in her bad books for a while now. After the away mission to the Romulan ship, the team were ordered to retake phaser training. We kinda screwed up over there. Someone decided to have fun with my training though." He said.

He took a sip of his drink. "I was doing very well, and even Commander Weisz was there watching. The problem was, I reacted on instinct, and fired at a target...which was of Commander Weisz. Even worse, I shot her target between the eyes..."

There was a slight pause as Marisa covered her mouth. Her eye twinkled with and she snorted slightly. Finally the dam burst and she let out a laugh. "In your defense, she is rather standoffish." She said, still chuckling "It's not as though she didn't earn her nickname."

She continued, having regained her composure while retaining her mirthful twinkle. " It's just a shell though, I've seen her a couple of times in briefings lose her composure for a moment. I honestly think she's trying to lead the best way she knows how, and it works for the most part."

Jacob chuckled. "To be fair, I hadn't planned to shoot her. She's good at her job, but...well, like I said, she's not going to forgive me anytime soon...or be near me when I have a phaser." He added.

"Still, it could have been worse. Can you imagine what would have happened if I had shot at a target of the Commodore and he was watching?" He asked.

"I suspect you'd have to learn to breath vacuum pretty quick." Marisa said with a smirk.

Jacob chuckled. "And that's if I was lucky." He agreed. "So what would you say has been an embarrassing moment for you?" He asked.

Marisa hummed contemplatively. "Well something that might be slightly relevant is the time 'Alice fell down the rabbit hole.'" Marisa said after a moment. "We use callsign's rather than names in the 'fighter corps, mine is Alice." She explained before she started the story. "So while I posted as a FAIP, um, a flight instructor, I had to ferry some flag officers and officials to Jupiter Station. So I was doing my check of the passenger cabin before take off, all of the delegates were sitting down and I tripped over. My wrist caught on the arm rest of a seat and I slashed it open pretty bad. I splattered the Admiral, in his white dress uniform. I excused my self and ran to the aid station to deal with it and while I was I heard my co-pilot, who was a cadet, say 'Don't worry, she's better at flying than she is at walking.'"

Jacob found himself torn between laughter and concern. "Yeah, that's definitely a bad moment." He said. "Can't have been pleasant for you though." He added, before taking another bite of his meal. He smiled at her. "So, you wanted to learn Parkour? It's not easy, but I'd say as a pilot, your reflexes and intuition will be perfectly tuned for it."

"It looked fun." Marisa said tilting her head with wistful smile "The kind of fun with a high skill ceiling, which is the best kind of fun." She then sighed, slightly exhausted "This last month has been so hectic, now we actually have a second's peace I just don't know what to do with my self. If you're offering, developing a useful skill seems like the best way to fill that void."

"Fun...it can be fun, but it's also a discipline, a way of life. If you want to do this, it has to be important. I'm more than happy to train you, but it won't come easy, and a lot of it won't be fun. Starts off with a few books to read, but if anyone has the patience to do this, it'll be you. It'll definitely fill the void though." He promised. "You have the right build for it, you're in perfect shape, and I think you'll be able to learn how to do it in short order. I should warn you, it'll take years to be as good as I am, but you can do it if you want to."

"I don't mind landing on my face a few times if that's what you're worried about" Marisa replied with a slight chuckle. "Like I said, if you're offering I'll give it a go."

"Alright, I'm offering." Jacob said. "I've got some books in my quarters that you can start reading, and I recommend working out every day, my regime is very strict. I wake up, 8 mile run on the treadmill or in the gym, stretching before and after. Shower after, and a healthy breakfast. When my shift is over, I run a little more, and use a Parkour training program. I also train myself in martial arts, it helps to focus my mind more." Jacob said, smiling. "Why don't you join me for my run tomorrow morning?" He offered.

Marisa folded her arms "I'm not giving up my cheat day. One day a week where I sleep in and lay about." She said defiantly, though with a slight smirk. "It's important to my morale."

Jacob raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his drink, doing a very passable impression of a Vulcan. "That'd be nice. I don't think I've slept in past six am in, well, ever. I'm not even sure my body would let me at this point." He said. "But that's a part of my code. It was ingrained into me from a young age, up early and make sure the body has enough exercise. Probably why I never really got into the whole going out and having a night out thing. I was always the odd one at the academy, didn't attend any of the usual events that they go on. I skipped the formal dances mostly because I didn't have anyone I wanted to go with either."

"Well, if we're blaming upbringing." Marisa said, tilting her head "I grew up in Pilbara desert, probably the least developed place left on Earth. No clubs or much in the way of entertainment venues. We had to make our own fun, though in the spring would regularly reach temperatures in excess of 35C. Summer would get you above 40. Your code might have given over to heat stroke." She suggested.

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "I can only imagine how difficult that was. Growing up in England, the weather wasn't wasn't always pleasant, but it wasn't because of the heat, it was usually colder. But at the same time, there were times when I would train in different weather. I like being prepared, as best I can anyway. It isn't possible to expect everything, but I do try as best I can to anticipate." He explained.

"I wouldn't describe it as difficult." Marisa corrected "Though YOU might if you lived there." She said with a slight smile "All I'm saying is you seem very flexible with your body, but not so much with your..." She looked up pensively before making eye contact. "approach. How about this, since you're showing me your moves, I'll work on getting you more acquainted with the area outside your comfort zone."

Jacob opened his mouth to defend himself, but at the same time knew that she was right. Plus, Terry would be happy to hear it. "Alright, you're on." He replied, with a smile, looking at her. "I'd...I'd like that."

"Good" Marisa said with a happy nod. "Glad to hear it." She then tilted her head slightly "Just try not to shoot me in the head, alright?"

Jacob chuckled. "I think I can manage that agreement." Jacob replied, realizing that their food had hardly been touched. But for some reason, Jacob found himself not caring. "We can start on the training anytime you want."

"May as well start while we've got liberty." Marisa said with a slight shrug and a soft smile "Any time tomorrow would be fine."

Jacob returned the smile. "Okay, well, how about 1700 tomorrow?" He offered. "I'll be able to prepare an excellent program as a start."

"Sounds good." Marisa said with a soft smile.

Jacob smiled back, and took another sip of his drink. She was...very attractive, and he liked her. He did wonder what she meant about his approach, but he was sure he'd learn that, and he'd learn more about her.

He just hoped he didn't screw it up. Although he did have to admit, this felt like a first date...more of an interview really.

But everyone knew that First Dates were interviews...