Aria & Kohl - Shoot 'em up [18+]

Posted on 27 Sep 2013 @ 6:03pm by Commander Andreus Kohl & Lieutenant Aria Rice

1,215 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 04 - Exodus
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2, Holodeck 2
Timeline: MD 02 - 1658 hours

[ON]

Standing there in the passageway, outside holodeck two, Andeus Kohl was staring at the LCARS panel intently. He watched the seconds tick by on the chronometer, waiting for his time period on the holodeck to begin. Really though, he was waiting for the person ahead of him to finish his or her time on the holodeck. That's what he was waiting for.

Kohl was clad in his uniform, but because he was expecting to work up a sweat, he opted for the uniform variant with only a vest over his teal tunic, instead of the full jacket. He had instructed the replicator to make it of a thinner material, and sized it to give a certain cling to his pectorals and abdomen. He had also opted for a uniform variant with a phaser holster on the hip, rather than his usual tricorder sheath.

Aria Rice however had not even gone anywhere remotely close to her uniform. She had opted for black tight trousers with combat pockets and a tight brown vest. She had holsters for her phasers and her hair was tied back in a braid. She sized Kohl up as she walked over before folding her arms, with something close to a pout. "You moved out on me," she said as a greeting...but there was an underlying smile there too. She wasn't angry with him. or surprised. They were both higher on the chain now. Or just higher in general.

"I was seduced," Kohl replied sardonically. Turning to Aria, he shrugged at her, as if to say there was no other choice he could make. "Jeremy in Operations came to talk to me. He hadn't shaved that morning and the tattoos on his forearms were showing. He apologized profusely for the oversight that left you and me together for so long, and then he started talking about me having my very own sonic shower. I got confused. I couldn't say no to that handsome face of his."

Aria chuckled at that before hitting his arm, hard, her eyes narrowed. "That's for abandoning me. For a pretty face...and you are right, you know. He is pretty hot like that. So...what do you want to do?"

"I don't want anyone taking away my phaser, just because I look good in teal," Kohl said. The holodeck doors opened up, revealing the grid-patterned room. A fellow crewman vacated the chamber, but Kohl paid him no mind. Although Kohl knew Aria was colloquial enough to understood what he meant, he explained, "I need to recertify for my phaser license. As a security officer, you are qualified to invigilate."

"Of course," Aria nodded, her eyes warm as she motioned to the door. "Let's go in and make sure you're sorted out. Don't want you bringing in your own patients..."

"Do you mean as evaluators," Kohl asked, as he strode on into the holodeck, "Or as targets?"

"Targets," she said as she walked with him, her eyes warm. "You're a healer, not a wounder...like me," she said softly, taking a breath.

"I mostly limit my wounds to the emotional variety," Kohl remarked. He may have been referring to his abruptly moving out of the quarters he shared with Aria, but it moreso applied to the vanishing act he pulled on the ship's last shore leave. He had been pursuing love, but he'd still hurt some of the friends he'd left behind on Galileo. "Rehabilitation is much slower," he said.

She chuckled as she watched him, punching his arm again. "And that is for abandoning me the first time. Don't worry...I'd forgive you anything, you know that."

"If it's any consolation, I'm moving. Again," Kohl said, and for once, there wasn't much emotion in his timbre. He palmed his phaser, and checked again that it was programmed for holodeck training. Kohl steadied his footing on the platform and multi-coloured target lights began to shimmer to life in the distance. Kohl raised his phaser and fired. He said, "The luxurious department head quarters are going to the new Chief of Medicine."

"Shit, what the hell is happening? Thought that was your job?" Aria asked with confusion, already taking the padd that would set the scores as he fired.

Kohl shot his phaser twice more, striking an enemy-target dead-on, but also striking a friendly-target. He waited until the whining report of the phaser went quiet. "Starfleet Medical has determined our Sickbay would benefit from a department head with command experience," Kohl replied.

"If anyone ever gets so close they're in sickbay, I've massively fucked up something," Aria said, making notes as she smiled weakly.

"It's my new Assistant Chief. She's been a department head for years. Even spent some time in command," Kohl said. His frantic energy was dissipating; his timbre was calmer and he was waiting a half-second longer to aim his shots. "They transferred her over in my old position, the vacant position, and once she proved herself here, they moved her on up."

"That's...pretty unfair," she said as she looked at him with surprise. "You've earned the position. By rights, it is yours. Why should she get it? What, because she's louder and got more experience? Then she can bugger off to another ship then, can't she?"

While Kohl kept his eyes on the moving targets, and his phaser trained on them too, he had to laugh loudly at Aria's remark. He shot another couple of targets dead-on, and then he said, "Computer, freeze program." Kohl lowered his phaser, and he drew in a deep breath. Looking at Aria with some wonder in his eyes, he said, "She fought for me. Allyndra did. She's already making plans for Starfleet Medical to recognize why I should be the Chief Medical Officer aboard this ship."

Aria looked at him with sadness before touching his arm. She stroked over his arm before pulling him close, hugging him. "So what went wrong?"

"It's not her decision to make," Kohl said, leaning into Aria. He clutched her tightly, with the training phaser still clumsy in his hands. "Allyndra still took the job. She didn't protest to the point of resignation."

Aria nodded before stroking over his neck, wanting to reassure him. She pulled back, holding his eyes for a long moment. "Andreus...you're an amazing medical officer. And you will be Chief. Maybe just not on the Galileo. But there's plenty of ships out there. And you have plenty of time..." she smiled gently, touching his cheek. "Hey, if I ever get ill, I'd only want you to treat me."

Kohl smiled sheepishly at first, pressing his cheek against her palm. "Oh no, I'd much rather treat you while you have some fight in you," Kohl said, and his smile turned wicked. He used an index finger to poke her in the side.

She gasped and poked him back, her eyes narrowed. "Hey! Don't get too cheeky, I am the right height to hurt you..." she teased back, her eyes warm.

Throwing his arms up, Kohl said, "I surrender, I surrender."

"You better," she said, watching Kohl for a moment. She was...well. Unsure where the roads would take them. But she would, like everyone else, see.

OFF:

Lt. Aria Rice
Assistant Chief Security Officer
USS Galileo

RSS Feed