The Day After Leaving Sigma Iota II

[Amanda Rose]

Last night with Mary was enjoyable, Gary had decided. Whether she had been worth the wait, was something yet to be determined. However, his objective in obtaining her was complete. Of course, Mary wanted to keep up appearances so she had left his quarters early so they could arrive on the bridge separately. However, as the issue of Kat had not been settled, Gary decided that he was not going straight to the bridge this morning. He was going to wait for Kat to come out of her quarters and then discuss matters with her before she officially clocked in.

At least she'd slept. Kat tried not to nurse her shoulder when she dressed, leaving her hair loose today so she didn't have to try to lift her arms too far over her head. She was doing some breathing exercises, slowly and steadily as she walked through the open door to her quarters and stopped short as she caught sight of the Captain.

"Sir," she said in some surprise. "What brings you this way this early in the morning?"

"Sir? Over a year and not on duty yet and you're calling me sir, Kat? I would think that you would know better than that by now."

Kat blushed only slightly and laughed. "You startled me, Captain. I don't recall you ever waiting outside my quarters before." She gave Gary a lop-sided grin. "It was a knee jerk reaction; I'll do my damnedest to never show you that much respect off duty again."

"That's better," Gary said with a short laugh. "Still not perfect but better. Just remember that I have a reputation to uphold." He gave her a mischievous grin.

"As do I," Kat responded. "Oh, and if I'm late for my duty shift, my boss might kick my ass soundly, so is it alright if we walk and talk?" She gave him a dazzling smile and began walking toward the turbolift. "Unless...." There was a moment's hesitation. It was not suggestive, simply an uncertainty in this new situation. "To what do I owe the dubious honour of you meeting me here?"

"Unless I have to kick your ass?" Gary asked finishing the earlier question with a bit of annoyance and yet with a touch of humor. "And yes, we're going to walk, talk and have a private little meeting."

"Oh?" Kat's eyebrows raised in inquiry. "Of course, Captain," she said as the turbolift opened and she stepped inside. "I hope there is no ass kicking involved. That would seriously put a cramp in my whole day."

"From what I have heard, asses were not the only thing being kicked yesterday."

Kat's eyes narrowed slightly and a small crease appeared above the bridge of her nose. She even cocked her head slightly and managed to keep the twinge of discomfort off her face as she asked, "I beg your pardon?" She thought that there had been an understanding. Where did the leak come from?

"If you want to beg, it won't be for my pardon," Gary said seriously. "Honestly, Kat, do you think that I'm ignorant? Stupid? Did you really think that I would not figure it out?"

"No, Captain, I don't," Kat responded, just as seriously. "It was a minor altercation that was handled. I didn't mention it because it didn't seem important enough to do so." She tried to remain informal but still polite, but only managed to go to duty first.

"Kat, the safety of all of my crew is my primary concern and anyone that has the audacity to mess with my personal yeoman.... I'm not sure whether I am more angry with them or you at the moment. After all this time, how could you think that I would not want you to come to me with anything?"

Kat smiled, a small one that was more self-conscious than any she had ever shown. "I thank you for the concern, Captain. And I'm sorry you're angry; it was never my intention." She took a deep breath and felt a small blush colour each cheek. She hated it, but she owed him an explanation.

"In all honestly, it was my battle to fight so to speak. And running to the Captain with 'every little thing' could be a hard perception to shake."

"This is more than every little thing...." The doors of the turbolift opened up but not to the bridge, rather they opened to the officer's quarters. Gary open his palm and gestured for Kat to get out.

Kat nodded and exited the lift, walking as she would on the Bridge; with an air of formality and fully expecting a reprimand. Perhaps something even more. Well, she wouldn't have changed a thing; she couldn't have. She didn't want any more trouble than was necessary, and the Engineers were nursing a rather sordid array of injuries including crushed genitalia on top of wounded pride.

If she hadn't taken care of it, she would have been labelled something far worse... and perhaps some things were worth fighting for.

Gary led Kat in silence to his quarters. It was not foreign to Kat. She had been there before. When the doors to his quarters opened, they revealed a somewhat stark. No personal photos adorned his quarters. Rather one was more likely to find a technical manual or some sports equipment there.
He gestured her towards the entrance and said, "Make yourself comfortable."

Stepping in, she nodded, and took a brief look around. "You've redecorated," she deadpanned before taking her regular seat on the couch corner, perched as usual, prepared for anything. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism, trying to lighten the mood. She didn't like the uncharacteristic silence between them, and she took a deep breath, letting herself sink back into the cushions, just as uncharacteristically.

"If you call bringing you here redecorating, then yes, I have." He sat down in the middle of the couch and placed his right hand on Kat's left knee. "So, what is it going to take, Kat...?" he asked open ended.

Kat looked at him, looked down at his hand, and then back up to his face. "I'm not exactly sure what needs to be taken," she said plainly. "But if you mean why I didn't tell you about the boisterous folk who were subdued..." she looked down at her hands; her right one flexing all on its own. "I didn't think that the full description of kneeing them in the groin would make for idle conversation over coffee."

She moved to stand. "Speaking of which, did you need a cup before heading to the Bridge?"

Gary did not lift his hand and commanded, "Sit! We're not done here." His tone softened, "I'm sorry if I am making you uncomfortable, Kat but I had thought that we were long beyond this. You're as close to me if not closer than anyone on this ship. I could not bear hearing of what happened down there," he gave a dramatic pause for emphasis, "from my former department. It is unacceptable. And for you not to be able to come to me...." He shook his head sadly.

Kat sat, and pressed her lips together, flinching from his tone. She bowed her head slightly and whispered, "You're not making me uncomfortable, Captain." She sighed gently and looked up into his face. "I'm not sure what we need to get past, but I do know that I didn't hide it from you for any other reason than to let the respective Department heads deal with the disciplinary actions." She still had a blush on each cheek. "If I came to you as a friend, could you have managed to separate it from your duty?" She shook her head slowly. "It wasn't a position I wanted to put you in."

"And yet," Gary said softly, "you still have placed me in that position." He edged slightly closer to Kat and moved his hand lightly onto Kat's shoulder and looked deeply into Kat's eyes. "I would not forgive myself if something happened to you. I put you in that position yesterday. I could tell you were not comfortable going with Arkady or performing that task but...." He sighed.

"Captain," Kat said, and placed her hand gently... and carefully... on top of his. "I can still refuse an order, you know." She grinned. "Besides, I had to speak to him, and it made the most amount of sense to go with him. That was my choice, not yours." Her determined strength was clear in her twinkling green eyes and on her face. "Besides, no one should make me feel uncomfortable aboard the Horizon. It's as much my ship as it is yours." She grinned. "It's my home too, you know."

"It is," Gary confirmed. "But I am the Captain and I am in charge of the safety and welfare of everyone on this ship. I give orders that could cause people to die. People follow them because they trust me. Yet, Kat, you do not trust me enough to tell me of your troubles."

"If I'd been..." Kat thought a moment. "If they'd taken advantage of me, Captain, I wouldn't have hesitated." She looked at him, eyes searching his face. "This isn't a matter of trust of you, so much as a matter of trust of me." She squeezed his hand gently. "Your responsibilities are great, and I didn't really want to bother you." She raised a hand. "I know I'm not a bother, but really, you've got your hands full of... so many other things."

"My responsibilities are not so great that I can ignore any one person, especially you." Again, he paused. "If you understand that you're no bother," he asked while taking his other hand and lightly grasping Kat's raised hand, "then what prevented you?"

"I dealt with it," she said off-handedly. "I thought the issue was closed." She sat there turned toward him, trying to fight the throb in her shoulder. "What would have done, Captain?" She didn't pull away and even moved slightly forward. "What do you intend to do now?"

"I am of half a mind to give you a good spanking."

She almost snorted and coughed at the same time, a delicious laugh bubbling up from inside of her. "I don't quite think that's regulation, Captain." She tried to keep the laughter out of her voice, but her whole face lit up. "I keep strict records of all of the new regs, and I can guarantee you, spanking wasn't mentioned once."

Gary laughed with Kat. "Gary, off duty, Kat. And who said that I played everything by the book?"

"You know I'd rather not slip up on the Bridge..." Kat let the words taper off, rife with meaning. "And as for playing...you wrote your own book." She twisted her lips into a wry grin, and shifted slightly. "Spanking probably got at least two chapters, and an honourable mention in the prologue as well."

"You're not on the bridge," Gary reminded Kat. "Do you not trust yourself? If you do not trust yourself, at least trust me." Again, he maneuvered closer to Kat. Close enough such that there was little space between them. "And there are many things in my book. If you would like, I would let you flip through it."

"No, I'm not," said Kat softly. "And I trust myself just fine. There are just certain other complications if I even appeared to be involved with the Captain as anything other than a simple Yeoman or friend." She emphasised the last word specifically. "And your book I'm sure is filled with quite a lot." She looked directly into his eyes. "As is mine." She lifted one hand from his and tucked her hair behind her ear. "That doesn't mean that the library is open for business, yet."

Gary gave Kat a warm smile. "I shall definitely have to have a word with the proprietor to determine the operating hours, then." He then chuckled. "And if she does not wish to cooperate, I may have to take matters into my own hands."

"That, I'm sure, will be a very interesting conversation," she replied, not even indicating that the conversation was quite readily already underway. "I'm not quite sure that your hands can handle juggling quite so many matters." Especially with his continued pursuit of the XO. "After all, some things that are desired might slip through them if you're not careful."

Gary paused. "You are rather discreet, even here," he told Kat with a raised eyebrow. "We are out in space. Not many would come out here. We could die any day, at any moment. We choose not to talk about that but it is fact. We could start another war with an unknown species, like the Romulans. We are the ones on the front lines. Risk is part of our life and our nature. Regret will get us killed."

"We are out in space, and all we have is each other." Her intelligent eyes bore into his. "Discretion, reputation, respect; it's what makes us who we are. In varying degrees of course." She grinned. "Risk and regret are possibilities too, but that all depends on what each of us considers a risk." She lifted a hand from his and stroked his forehead, swiping a strand of hair clear. "Or a regret."

Gary moved in close enough that Kat could feel his breath on her face. "And what do you consider a risk or regret, Kat?"

"Standing in the way of my Captain's desire for his XO," she whispered, turning her face slightly and leaning forward so her heated breath brushed his ear. "You've been so dedicated to pursuing her, I would be remiss in not doing the best that I could to help you achieve such a goal." She leaned in further, lips barely brushing his earlobe and said softly, "That would be a risk and a regret."

"Indeed. But is there a reason that that we must look at this in absolutes? After all," he whispered in her ear, "I have not heard anyone make any commitments but to the welfare of the crew. And, some here, need more personal care than others."

"And some demand nothing less," Kat countered, leaning back. "I'm not the one who decidedly swore off of any involvement with the local...wildlife on Sigma Iota II..." she said significantly. "If you're willing to take those kinds of steps toward as close to a commitment as possible, I can't in any good conscience take any more personal care than is due anyone else aboard this vessel."

"Your concern for my personal welfare first, as usual, is appreciated. And your attention to detail is quite impressive," he retorted with explicit innuendo.

"It's my duty, Captain," Kat said. "And my pleasure." Her smile widened, eyes twinkling with mischief. "If I wasn't so attentive, I don't know you'd enjoy your position quite so much." Her voice was light, teasing, and playful.

Gary laughed lightly. "There are many days where there is not enough happening on the ship," he admitted. "I do believe that you enjoy it as much, if not more than myself, though."

"Captain," her voice became ever so reprimanding with an undercurrent of something else. "I'm your Yeoman. And good at my job." Kat smiled widely. "And the days you say that there's not enough happening on the ship are the days where my regular duties are only slightly lighter." She shrugged, wincing but playing it down easily. "Rotations are still documented, schedules are still adhered to, birthdays still celebrated, and gossip still spread." She thought of Shelly and laughed. "Or avoided." She batted her eyelashes. "I'm damned good."

"I have been pleased thus far with your service, Kat. I am certain that if you wanted that you could adjust rotations in such a way that nobody would notice anything out of place. In fact," he continued with a mischievous smile, "I often wonder the extent of your goodness."

"I'm mortified," Kat said dramatically. "Am I not above reproach? Have you not put your trust in me?" Her green eyes widened with an attempt at wide-eyed innocence and only managed to reveal a deeper mystery behind them. "I cannot understand how you could even wonder about such a thing." She grinned widely, her face softening significantly. "Just because Ensign Tarlac doesn't find his way to the Bridge as often since his interesting run in with a certain Helmswoman... I can't say one way or the other how he keeps pulling that particular duty shift." How many times could a man clean a manifold was anyone's guess, but until he apologised, it might be significantly longer.

Gary laughed. "Oh, Kat, what would I do without you?" At that, he placed both of his arms around Kat's neck and smiled into her eyes.

Kat grinned widely and brushed his cheek between her thumb and forefinger. "You know, Captain, I have no idea." She leaned forward, and hugged him gently, deftly keeping her left shoulder from any contact. "

Gary pulled away and said, "We shall have to continue this conversation later. I am certain that we will be both missed on the bridge soon. Besides, I would not want to damage your shoulder further," he said with a slight reprimand.

"Aye aye, Captain," Kat said, flipping him a salute with her right hand. "I'm good with getting there late, so you go ahead." She grinned and then sombered immediately. "You can be quite upset with me, just like you are now," she said. "And our later conversation might also cover what you had in mind that might damage my shoulder further." She lifted her eyebrows in mock surprise and waved him out of his own quarters. "I'll head out and take the long way."

"Kicked out of my own quarters by my own yeoman," Gary retorted humored. "We will see how you perform your duties to see whether further reprimands are necessary this evening."

"Indeed," Kat said, eyebrow raised. "We'll see which chapter that might fall under," she said softly. "See you on the Bridge."

Gary got up and as he did, gave Kat a swat on her butt. "That's for not coming to me. I will expect better on the bridge. See you there, Kat." With that, Gary strolled out of his quarters and headed to the turbolift without waiting for her response.

Kat did a double take, her ass stinging lightly from the swat. "Hey!" she said to the closed door and shook her head after him. That. Well, that was war. She gave herself a moment to let the blush on her cheeks dissipate, and then stucking her head out the door, checking the corridor for personnel. With the coast clear, she slipped out, heading the long way to retrieve her PADD. That extra trip would allow her to slide that wall back into place solidly. And she would give Shelly no leg to stand on in the gossip department.

[Amanda Rose]

Gary arrived on the bridge late for his shift, earning a reproachful look from Lieutenant Matthews. Lieutenant Matthews reported, "Nothing new to report on the anomaly. Readings are the same. I am certain that the Commander can fill you in on all of the required details. Am I relieved, sir?"

Gary answered that he was. He wore a shit-eating grin as he seemed to make himself extremely comfortable in the Captain's Chair. He stated, "It is a fine morning, today. Let us see what we can find here today." He then asked the crew, "Did you all sleep well?"

tag - bridge folks

Turning to Mary he asked, "Well, Commander, what is there to report on our anomaly? Anything from the probes?" The word, "Commander" was spoken in the a tone with undercurrents of a secret being poorly protected.

tag - Mary, others

[Melissa Richards]

Commander Mary Wells
Executive Officer


Gary arrived on the bridge late for his shift, earning a reproachful look from Lieutenant Matthews. Lieutenant Matthews reported, "Nothing new to report on the anomaly. Readings are the same. I am certain that the Commander can fill you in on all of the required details. Am I relieved, sir?"

Gary answered that he was. He wore a shit-eating grin as he seemed to make himself extremely comfortable in the Captain's Chair. He stated, "It is a fine morning, today. Let us see what we can find here today." He then asked the crew, "Did you all sleep well?"

tag - bridge folks

Turning to Mary he asked, "Well, Commander, what is there to report on our anomaly? Anything from the probes?" The word, "Commander" was spoken in the a tone with undercurrents of a secret being poorly protected.

"We have launched one probe." Mary said in the business-like tone she always used when in her capacity as XO. "It's showing the same readings as the outside, which means it either is stuck within and didn't make it to the other side, or there's nothing on the other side. Or.." she looked at Gary.."there's a time differential and the readings are not yet back, because they are much slower then on this side of the anomaly. All very interesting possibilities, captain." She went silent then spoke softly.."And another which might be more worrisome. It could have been destroyed, whether by accident or deliberate action."

[KendleRJ]

Kat strode in, PADD in hand, smiling politely at the Bridge crew and raising an eyebrow at Lieutenant Matthews. It was a subtle gesture, but one that registered some surprise. At least he had been relieved when the Captain arrived. Yes, thought Kat. The Captain definitely looked more relaxed. She hadn't mentioned it before, but seeing him with the XO? Well, she had called it, hadn't she?

She stood, waiting for the proper window of opportunity, and through her placement on the Bridge, could watch the interaction between the Senior Staff. Something was going on with the anomaly, something... odd. That took precedence over signing rotation, scheduling, duty shifts, assignments, transfer requests, and... casualty reports. She kept her face remote, her posture regular, and her right hand hidden. She flexed it like usual, and realised with a start that it wasn't throbbing. Maybe it was transference. Because her shoulder ached like a son of a bitch. Some trade off.

The smile she had on her face was as much a part of her uniform as the turtleneck she wore and kept it firmly in place, waiting at a polite distance. But how far might that be on a Bridge? Close enough, she thought a little mischievously. But not too close.

Not anymore.

With the veiled concern in the XO's voice and demeanour... well, Kat could review the Science reports once she'd gotten these damned things signed... couldn't she?

Tags Bridge / Everyone

[Amanda Rose]

Gary arrived on the bridge late for his shift, earning a reproachful look from Lieutenant Matthews. Lieutenant Matthews reported, "Nothing new to report on the anomaly. Readings are the same. I am certain that the Commander can fill you in on all of the required details. Am I relieved, sir?"

Gary answered that he was. He wore a shit-eating grin as he seemed to make himself extremely comfortable in the Captain's Chair. He stated, "It is a fine morning, today. Let us see what we can find here today." He then asked the crew, "Did you all sleep well?"

tag - bridge folks

Turning to Mary he asked, "Well, Commander, what is there to report on our anomaly? Anything from the probes?" The word, "Commander" was spoken in the a tone with undercurrents of a secret being poorly protected.

"We have launched one probe." Mary said in the business-like tone she always used when in her capacity as XO. "It's showing the same readings as the outside, which means it either is stuck within and didn't make it to the other side, or there's nothing on the other side. Or.." she looked at Gary.."there's a time differential and the readings are not yet back, because they are much slower then on this side of the anomaly. All very interesting possibilities, captain." She went silent then spoke softly.."And another which might be more worrisome. It could have been destroyed, whether by accident or deliberate action."

"Destroyed?" Gary asked with a note of slight concern. "I would suggest that we should verify with another probe." He gave Mary a smile and then turned to see his yeoman walk onto the bridge.

He gave KAT an equally large grin as he spied her. Gary could not believe that they pulled their tardiness off. Mary questioned nothing and KAT was coming to him with her standard reports. He then said, "Ah, KAT. What does my favorite yeoman have to bring to me today?"

tag - all

[KendleRJ]

He gave KAT an equally large grin as he spied her. Gary could not believe that they pulled their tardiness off. Mary questioned nothing and KAT was coming to him with her standard reports. He then said, "Ah, KAT. What does my favorite yeoman have to bring to me today?"

Kat's smile never wavered, and she looked at the Captain without concern or even the flicker of acknowledgement of their earlier conversation. "Just the standard reports," she said, professional distance completely in place. "Rotations, duty rosters... nothing that can't wait if it has to." She gave the subtlest glance towards the XO. Priorities and precedence... she was used to that by now. Her head bowed slowly, but her eyes never lowered, and she held onto the PADD. Every nuance was like a chess move, and she kept her senses keen, her body ready, and her muscles taut. She moved forward at an even pace, and extended her hand out slightly, waiting.

Tags Captain / Bridge Crew / Everybody

[Melissa Richards]

Commander Mary Wells
XO

"Launching second probe.." Wells reported, her mind and eyes now on the job and unaware of what was or might be transpiring between Gary and KAT. "Probe is launched, proceeding on course. Estimated time to entry, five minutes.." She turned and looked Gary's way. "If we get the same results, what do you recommend then, captain?"

tags

[Amanda Rose]

[KendleRJ]

Kat took the look in stride, and tried to minimise it in case the XO had taken any notice. It was an interesting thing that it felt as though the Captain was speaking directly to her while referring to them both equally. And she suspected that he was referring to something quite different than duty or reminders.

"Of course, Captain," Kat replied, her voice soft and professional, inserted strategically between other conversations on the Bridge yet still loud enough to carry where it needed to. She adjusted her stance slightly, barely favouring her shoulder, and glanced up to meet his eyes briefly, the hint of a smile within them before she shifted her gaze. Looking at the rest of the crew on the bridge, she wondered how many of them had noticed the interchange between Gary and Mary and thought with a twist of strangely placed satisfaction, that at least his reputation was still intact.

"Is that all, Captain?" A simple request, indicating that she had nothing further for him, and if he had nothing further for her, then her rounds could begin. She asked it every duty shift, but somehow, it felt more significant this time. She flexed her hand slowly and kept her face neutral as she waited as patiently as she could for his response.

Tags Gary / Bridge

[Azaria]

LCdr Regan Sharpe

Regan watched the CO, XO, and Yeoman Tell out of the corner of his eye. Their antics were less amusing as groan worthy.
Well, Mary and Tell were behaving themselves... Gary had an absolutely shit eating grin on his face, and had the look of the cat who'd eaten one canary and was now eyeing up the second.
He shook his head. Luckily, he didn't think anyone else really noticed what was going on.

"Ensign," he turned to Aoife, "erm, Lieutenant... sorry, lieutenants seem to be getting younger and younger every year."

Tag Aoife

"I'm going to head down to the med bay to do a bit of follow up on yesterday's..." he searched for an appropriate term, "activities. I think I need to get my shoulder checked out... old man's disease."

tags Aoife & all