The Day After Leaving Sigma Iota II

[Melissa Richards]

Commander Mary Wells
XO


Mary was completely oblivious to the looks that Gary and Kat were giving each other. If she had been, she would have slapped him. But, for now, she was heavily engaged in this experiment. Details of the probes showed that it definitely was some kind of wormhole phenomenon. Something that was only theorized and never charted. A once in a lifetime find! She debated the possibilities as she also considered the safety factors. If they could get closer, maybe they could send another probe even deeper. Actually see what's on the other side.

"Helm, move us in 5000 Km closer. Science, prepare a third probe for launch with a stronger signal booster. I want to see exactly what's over there.."

tags

[Amanda Rose]

[KendleRJ]

Kat nodded briefly and stepped back, still clutching the PADD in her hand. It was a deferred dismissal and a clear, barely veiled indication that later, there would be an anomaly to take all of Commander Wells' attention, and that would leave the Captain free to... well, to do what the Captain might do.

"As you wish, Captain," she replied but instead of leaving the Bridge, stood just beside the turbolift, eyes fixed on the viewscreen. If there was something happening out there in space, there was a very high probability that they were the first humans to see it. There was something tantalising about such a possibility, and she listened to the orders, but only barely, as she focused fully on what was happening out there in front of them. The stars were oddly coloured, a clear difference near the centre of whatever it was, but the edges were blurred, as though it wasn't clearly defined.

And the ship was moving closer.

That inspired less confidence and more concern than Kat was comfortable experiencing. It was a distinct feeling of dread that she had which had no foundation in reality at all, but she still leaned back against the hull as though that position might help protect her, or lay her discomfort to rest. It wasn't the best choice as her shoulder twinged and she flinched with the suddenness of the pain. It wasn't unbearable, just unexpected, and she sucked in a breath softly, trying to dissipate the sensation.

Kat's fascination with what was happening soon outweighed whatever small discomfort she had felt, and watched the Bridge crew in action, and suddenly realised she'd stopped breathing. She also found herself standing at the railing, her left hand gripping it tightly. What was it?

But she, like everyone else, would have to wait for Science to analyse it as they drew slowly closer...

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[KendleRJ]

Comms Officer - Ensign Talia Flowers

Dr. Talia Flowers, known also as Ensign Flowers, sat at her Comm Station, trying to adjust to the swap out of shifts. It seemed that something big was going on and she had been requested at her station for the morning shift. She leaned forward, stifling a yawn and took a quick look around. All eyes were on the Captain or that Yeoman of his, or the XO... all abuzz with probes and destruction. Good, she thought and took that distraction to fully stretch her muscles out.

Sigma Iota II was a great outing, and a wonderful study in evolving culture through mimicry. They had required very little in the way of adaptation in order to communicate with the eager group of aliens. But that wasn't here or now. Now was restriction and focus, and the very pedantic monitoring of the multiple channels. The computer and she chugged along in mutual symmetry, scanning the various frequencies, sub-vocal, harmonic, resonant... patterned like a pulsar or random like a... Hm. Talia flicked a few switches, twisted a knob and brought the specific area of space and its frequency into focus. Yes, that was a remnant of the probe... running the thin wave through an analyser, it had the insignia of a Starfleet signal. But there were other things that made it almost impossible to tell...

She used her analysis and piped it through to the Science Station. Angular and temporal distortions might be useful information for them to make a fully informed decision. At least more informed, because the details were still coming in. She absent-mindedly tucked up a foot under her ass and leaned forward, tapping in the details and watching the information scroll through. Was it just her imagination, or was this ripple effect she'd noticed with the probe data expanding?

~Tags Bridge

[Amanda Rose]

As they neared, the Horizon lurched. Gary reflexively asked, "What was that?" There was no panic in his voice but concerned laced it. He then asked, "Commander, do you have any idea what is happening here?"

tag - Mary

Reports started to come in. The Horizon appeared to be caught in some sort of gravity well. Gary commanded quickly, "Full reverse." Horizon did not budge and in fact started to move more towards the anomaly. "Suggestions, people.... I need a solution here."

tags - all

[Azaria]

"Can I shoot it?" Regan called out.

[Melissa Richards]

[Amanda Rose]

[KendleRJ]

Katarina Alicia "KAT" Tell, Yeoman 1st Class

The stress around her was palpable and Kat's mind was cast back to her initial interview between she and the Captain. So many parallels ran through her mind...

Katarina sat patiently outside of the office, taking deep, measured breaths in an attempt to remain calm. This was a possibility, she thought to herself, not the end game, and went over everything in her mind once more.

Dates, times, references, locations, and even more than that, a step in the right direction: away from her past. The cast had finally come off, skin just a shade or two different from the rest of her arm that had seen the sun. She worked her manual dexterity exercises in a mental and physical manner, keeping focused. No reason to consider the Captain's reputation or anything else for that matter. She was trying to distance herself from that. From all of that.

Perhaps it would be the right place to do it. And perhaps running away might manage to work for someone able to run faster than their own demons. Her green eyes darkened and she forced her mind to focus on the upcoming interview; if she got this... more doors could open up for her.

Captain Gary Alexander escorted a young lady out. As he did so, he said, "Thank you, Miss Noonen. I have one finally interview to conduct. I am certain that we will be in touch shortly."

Gary watched as Shelly Noonen walked away, lingering slightly on her rear. However, he glanced back in the waiting area and saw his final interview. Looking at a PADD, he asked, "Are you Miss Tell?"

Kat looked up and stood gracefully, the picture of professionalism. She had chosen that particular shade of emerald to wear as it off set the colour of her eyes, and instead of wearing the traditional skirt for an interview, she instead went with a tight pant. Not too tight, but.... shapely, the tailor had called it.

"Yes," she said calmly, her face serene and yet somehow alight with a subtle undercurrent of humour. "You must be Captain Alexander." She extended her hand and held it out firmly. "Please take it easy with the grip if you don't mind;" she paused a little and let a mischievous smile play across her lips before continuing, "I've just had the cast removed."

Gary let his eyes wander over KAT's body. Professional yet alluring. Clearly, she had prepared for this interview. He gave a hint of a smile at Kat, knowing that this interview could be a lot of fun. If it turned out to be a bust, well, there was always Shelly.

Gary took her hand and shook it but let his hand linger for an extra period of time as he looked deeply into her eyes, trying to reach into her soul. Letting go, he moved to the side so that KAT could walk in the door first. He stretched out an arm welcoming her into the room as he said, "So, tell me why you had a cast on your arm, Miss Tell."

Kat met his eyes easily, and didn't shy from the lingering handshake. She didn't pull away first, and took his lead when he waited for her to go first. Quite probably to check out her ass, but also, a nice play for chivalry there as well.

She had anticipated this question, and instead of pouring out every sordid detail, she smiled, her dimples subtly showing in her face. "I had a few disagreements while off duty. One was with a rather immovable column." She flexed her fingers.

"However, I believe that I and my bones have learned that rather... hard lesson. And I have vowed to ensure that it won't happen again." She smiled lop-sidedly and tipped her head slightly sideways.

"Providing there aren't any columns on the ship, of course."

"Bulkheads, not columns that I'm yet aware of. Please, tell me why you would have such a harsh disagreement with a column. I should like to know how it offended you." The door closed behind Gary and he silently offered KAT a chair in front of a desk that had a monitor to the side. Behind the desk were various metals from the Earth-Romulan War with Gary's name on it.

Kat nodded and leaned forward, a small circle of pink on each cheek and she smiled. She used the act of sitting to cover the discomfort she felt and smoothed her hands over her upper thighs. "It had been a particularly stressful day, led up to by a whirlwind of plans, details, invitations...perfection." She let herself go back to that day for an instant, the old her now locking eyes with the new her in the mirror of her memory. "Except one of the guest's of honour had other plans." With a slight murmur, she added, "And his mother had the column replaced with a solid one. Something about tradition..."

She shut off that part of her, and looked up at Gary, a shade of vulnerability in her eyes as she revealed as much as she could manage. "Under any other circumstances, I believe that the innocent object would have been spared." And so would her hand. If she had known, she would have used the intricate candelabra that had been handed down in his family for centuries. She idly wondered if leaving their future wives at the altar was traditional as well.

Gary sat on his desk and looked at KAT sympathetically. "That is a horrible thing to have happen. Your former fiance clearly lacked taste. Had he had any good sense, he would have married you and kept you in his home." He shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately, it seems that the universe lacks a great deal of sense."

Kat smiled as shyly as she could manage, and said, "Thank you, Captain. However, there has been some good that has come from it." She looked at him squarely, and lifted her hands off her lap, placing them on the desk. "I wouldn't be here now, for such an amazing opportunity."

Gary had to smile at that. The woman had a lot of confidence. She put herself into the job without even being offered. He got up off of his desk and looked down at her, "An opportunity," he reminded her. "Not a certainty."

He walked around to the back of the desk and sat down. "Why should I select you and not say, Miss Noonen, who you just saw leave. Or why not one of the others I interviewed?"

Kat looked up at him, no concerns about where he sat, or how close he came. She nodded and smiled at the reference, but kept her council and waited for him to get settled once more, before she stood without being asked. She felt more confident on her feet and stood as she would on the Bridge, feet easily apart, hands in front of her and said, without compromise, "If I may," and then continued, pushing the chair underneath the desk on her side.

"That question, Captain, is a bit unfair." She considered her answer and didn't move, press her advantage or use the position of standing in any way but to show him respect. "I don't know anything about the other candidates specifically, however I believe I can take a stab at it from another perspective."

"Yours." Kat nodded her head at him without moving the rest of her. "You strike me as a man who is decisive, demanding yet fair, and who knows what he wants, and isn't afraid of going to any measure to achieve it." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she took in his office, the details adding more layers to him.

"Perhaps you left the best for last?" Kat smiled as she watched him. "I'm fairly certain I wasn't an oversight, slipped into the mix for you by some Commodore with a rather twisted sense of humour. I'm here because you deemed me worthy enough to meet."
She leaned forward on the balls of her feet, keeping her balance and then settled back down again. "If you had already made your decision, I wouldn't be standing here now. If the position weren't still available, I doubt you would have considered this interview worthy of having, or my placement aboard your ship."

She smiled openly and let out a small sigh. "And I am intelligent enough to notice this, and am guessing that you'd prefer forthright honesty to a shy or retiring type, or even someone who might fawn over your every word." She took one step closer to the desk, repositioned her feet and continued. "I can get the job done, have impeccable organisational skills, and a keen sense of adventure." She looked away from him, feigning military bearing as well as professionalism. "And I am the very heart of discretion." She added after a moment, "Not like you would need anything of that sort, but it is a Starship after all..."

Spunk. Gary internally chucked too himself. This woman had spunk. So, it was going to come down to her and Noonen. He wondered how he would decide this. Gary did not lose the fact that KAT had looked away when she mentioned discretion. Why? What was she hiding? The fact that she stood indicated that she liked control. That was good since she would be her messenger and right hand girl other than the commander. The thought of Wells made him smile a bit wider.

"Your response raises more questions than answers, Miss Tell. With a last name like that, how do I know you're discrete? And why would you think that I need discretion? You give that answer as if I would need more than a typical captain. And of your organizational skills, as far as I am aware, I only have your references and your resume to go by. Perhaps you need to tell me more about yourself, Miss Tell."

"Captain Alexander," Kat began, and raised her eyebrows. "I will be handling a great deal of information on your behalf, including personnel records, medical details, and the very intracacies of running a Starship. Who is linked romantically with whom, how that will impact shift rotation, or who might require reassignment if or when a specific situation might change." She was tempted to pace, but kept her ground. "The amount of intimate details a Captain must have is staggering, and also requires someone who can handle it all with compassion, consideration and an added bonus of 'shut-the-hell-up.'"

She smiled briefly and without turning around, she said, "Thirteen books on your shelf that once were arranged by height. You took out one of them to review for whatever reason, but have not taken the time to return it to its place. Unless you were not the person who took it..." And Kat stopped a moment before continuing. "Organisation is part of the job, but having things in their specific place helps everything run a lot more smoothly." She shrugged. "I'm sure I can't extol myself on the dazzling amounts of information I've processed, nor my observation skills. I can see how a man who requires a level of reputation with his Crew; fairness without compromise, could require a strong and capable Yeoman as his representative with the crew. And who is able to note details without taking a single written one".

Gary suppressed another chuckle. He definitely liked her. But he was going to push her. He had to be sure that she was the right candidate and he had ever so many more questions, both personal and professional. "OK. So, you know your job. But I need to know more about you. Tell me about yourself and skip the professional accolades and accomplishment. Tell me who Miss Tell is. And by the way, is that how you would prefer me to address you? I see your full name is Katarina Alicia Tell. Russian?"

"Kat." It was simple, and she explained. "Katarina Alicia Tell. Or Kat for short." She grinned and tugged the chair out again, sitting comfortably in it.

"To be honest, Captain, I'm ready. Ready to move on, to get out, and to get on with tne next great adventure." She sighed a little and rubbed her hand a bit. "I'm not running away from anything though, more like running headlong into the next step of my life." She shrugged. "I won't always be a Yeoman... I want to be an Ambassador. And to do that, I need a lot of exposure, guidance and support from my superior officer, and a great crew."

She looked at him without fear and asked him bluntly, "What are you looking for in a Yeoman, Captain? Because capability is one thing but a person with the personality of a wet fish wouldn't suit you at all." She sighed deeply. "You'd need a confidante, a listener, a ballsy sort who wouldn't be afraid to say 'no', if that was her belief, and go up against you if necessary. A free thinker who brings a lot to the table, including strategy."
She folded her arms across her chest. "I'm guessing someone who can meet each challenge and still end up surprising you for the better, every single day."

"Kat, eh? Very well. KAT it is. Tell me, Kat, why do you keep coming back to what I want and avoid telling me about yourself and your interests? It seems that you might be able to anticipate what I need but the street works two ways, as the old expression goes."

Kat smiled self-consciously for a moment and she shrugged. "What I need, Captain, is a friend." She laughed a bit, and wiped a hand across her forehead self-consciously. "I don't always manage to express myself well in matters of my own needs, but I do excel at meeting and exceeding the needs of others." She sighed a little and settled back. "I've been hurt, I've been kicked, and I have risen. And with that in mind, I'm more focused on overcoming than concerning myself with my own needs." She relented slightly, "I need time to heal." Her face clouded slightly. "And out there is where I think I can do that."
She smiled, a bit softer, but still there, "I need space, Sir, and I think travelling in actual space might be the best way to go."

Gary gave a short snort at that. "Sounds all too familiar," came from under his breath. He sighed. "Tell me, KAT, if you could be any animal, what kind of animal would you be and why?"

Kat laughed, a warm sound that filled his office. "I'd like to be a tiger, I think. Beautiful to look at, but dangerous to approach unless you knew the right way about it. And not," she added, "with a whip and a chair. Although that, I think, is a lion."

"I believe that there was an ancient magic act in Las Vegas with white tigers...."

Narrowing her eyes, she considered, "Hmm... I believe there might have been, yes..."
Kat thought a bit. "Apparently, they were also showmen... and knew how to handle dangerous creatures. That's a rare trait nowadays."

Gary smiled at that. "So, if I was to select you, I would have to make sure that I worked magic with you and occasionally made you jump through a hoop?" Innuendo was all over that question and he did not seek to hide it from KAT. It was an all in question at this point.

"I do appreciate a challenge, Captain," she said. "As I hope, you do as well."

"I have yet to back down from one yet. Occasionally I have backed into one but that's neither here nor there." He grinned at KAT. "Hypothetical question. An emergency occurs on Horizon and we're stranded with no way of contacting home. Perhaps we can't even get back. What's your first thought?"

"Relief." Kat said under her breath. "And a bit of excitement besides. What a challenge... so many obstacles, so much to be done... a lot of work. But well worth it."

"Well worth it?" Gary asked curiously. "How so? Especially if there's no return and no contact? Who will know about it? Or do you mean, 'well worth the trip'?"

"Who needs to know?" asked Kat. "I'm not in this for glory... just a personal sense of accomplishment." She shrugged. "I'd miss a few people, absolutely, but well..." she closed her eyes to imagine it. "The rest of the consequences would settle a little more every day... but alone is only relative.

She considered one other thing. "We'd all get pretty close fairly quickly aboard, too, I should imagine."

Gary nodded. "The floor is open to you, Kat. What would you like to know about?"

"What are you like on your worst day, Captain?"

"I don't have worst days, KAT. Every day is a challenge, something to look forward to. I suppose like anyone else, I get frustrated. I have been known to growl at my equipment but my bark is worse than my bite or in your case, punch."

Kat laughed and nodded. "Fair enough." She thought for a moment. "What is the most annoying thing you can think of?"

"Most annoying? I would have to go with boredom. I like to be busy. I like to be doing things."

"Well, I think that's all I need to know, Captain." Kat stood, and smoothed out her clothes. "Do you have anything else you need from me?"

"That's a mighty open ended question, Kat."

She raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "You're the Captain, Sir. I leave the answer up to your discretion. As it would be aboard."

Gary just smiled and said, "I like you. I think I'm going to have to keep you."

Kat laughed, her green eyes sparkling just a bit. "Well, thank you, Captain. I feel the same way. In one way or another, of course."

She stuck her hand out.

Gary took it and replied, "I suppose we will find out. Though, Miss Noonen is going to be very disappointed. She's quite capable though. We may have to find a way to keep her on the ship."

"I'm quite certain you'll find a perfect place for her. And I thank you, Captain. It was a pleasure meeting you." She smiled easily and looked up at him. "I hope you aren't disappointed..."

"Something tells me, Kat, that you would never be a disappointment to me." He led her to the door which opened at their presence. He stopped beyond the exit and again let his hand extend outwards leading the way out."

Kat stepped out, a smile on her face. "Thank you, Captain. See you aboard." She walked the direction he had indicated, and had an extra swing to her step... She was hoping she wouldn't be disappointed either. But she would find out in time.

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(JP brought to you by Gary (Amanda Rose) and Kat - Thanks Amanda!)

[Melissa Richards]