Breaking the News

Posted on 13 Jun 2014 @ 5:40pm by Lieutenant Min Zhao & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Commander Scarlet Blake & Lieutenant Jared Nicholas
Edited on on 14 Jun 2014 @ 4:10pm

1,419 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo, Bridge & Captain's Readyroom
Timeline: MD -07: 1600

OLD:

Min held Jared. Min Nicholas felt a little weird rolling off the tongue but she could get used to it. She closed her eyes, sleep beginning take hold on her. "Let's talk to the Captain first. We, I, have a lot of planning if we're going to pull this off."

He kissed her again, then said, "Good idea. we can do that tomorrow."

NEW:

Alpha shift the following morning passed quite quickly, despite the anticipation Min was feeling. She'd noticed Jared enter the bridge a few moments before and linger near one of the science consoles talking to another science officer on bridge watch. This was shift change so the usual flurry as the current watch standers passed on details of their watch to their replacements. Min gave her acting deputy Chief Petty Officer Graysan a smile as he sat down at Ops and completed his takeover of the console.

She nodded up at Jared and began going towards the door to the Captain's readyroom. Reaching her hand out and taking Jared's in her own, she smiled nervously at him, her hand hovering over the chime. "You ready?"

The last time Jared had entered the Captain's Ready Room, it had been a different Captain and it had been under much different circumstances. His hand tightened around hers. "More than ready," he said.

Min pressed the chime and waited for the Captain's permission to enter.

John had otherwise been engaged with the watch handover to his XO - the desk was it's usual cluttered affair of PADDs detailing the comings and goings of the Alpha Shift, and the conversation was most certainly reflected towards their mission above everything else.
As the chime sounded Holliday gave an apologetic look to his First Officer before responding.

"Enter!"

Jared wasn't sure if entering holding hands was such a good idea. He wasn't sure about how Holliday would react to a public display of affection. But it was just hand holding, he'd once been guilty of so much more. Besides Min needed the support, so his fingers remained entwined with hers as they stepped into the room.

Min for her part wasn't concerned about Holliday seeing the display of affection as almost everyone knew Min & Jared were sleeping together. Min wasn't exactly in JO quarters where she was assigned a bunkmate so Jared sleeping in her quarters meant something more serious was going on between them.

Stepping in Min approached the Captain's desk. Greeting both officers. "Captain. Commander. Could we have a moment of your time?"

Jonathan looked towards his First Officer with a sideways glance. It was not unexpected that he would see these two junior crewmembers in front of him together - the XO had kept a very close eye on all goings on since her promotion and as such, Holliday knew the score aboard his ship.

"I'm sure the watch handover can be delayed a few minutes - do you agree Commander Blake?"

Jared shrugged his shoulders waiting for the XO to reply before he stared the speech he had practiced.

Scarlet met Holliday's eyes, and the slight sparkle of mirth in her own was unmistakeable. "I think we can spare a few moments, Captain," she nodded in agreement before looking to the two officers with clear expectation on her features.

"Well, sir er sirs, I know the last time I was here the circumstances were.... a bit different. I can't believe how different. I don't believe its any secret that Min and I have been sharing a quarters together

What you may not know is that I have already agreed to, asked actually, to be the baby's father. I don't care if she's not mine biologically, she'll be mine, she is mine, every other way.

But that really isn't good enough for me. I am tired of intimacy without relationship and relationships that are casual or meaningless. So, well I asked her to marry me and she agreed."

Somehow it had seemed smoother when he had practiced it and he was a bit disappointed in himself. He was supposed to be so good with words and yet his words just seemed so lame.

John allowed a wry smile to creep across his face before returning to his usual blank expression of authority. It seems the reports that he had been receiving from "below decks" indeed had some weight to them.

"And I presume you darken my doorway with a request for me to officially conduct the ceremony? Would that be right Lieutenants Zhao and Nicholas?"

Jared exchanged glances with Min, before returning his gaze towards the Captain. "Yes sir, that is what we would like. We thought we should make the request formally."

John decided he was going to have a little bit of fun before saying anything else. Standing up from his desk, he wandered towards the window with hands firmly clasped behind his back. Taking a moment he looked at the nearby shelf that held several of his personal possessions, releasing one of his hands to run a finger along the top before inspecting it for any signs of dust. Eventually he turned back to the two junior officers.

"You would both be making a substantial commitment. Family life and Starfleet life do not always work well together. I still need to be able to count on your both to do your duties accordingly."

Patience was not one of Jared's virtues, though he had been getting better about it of late. But still it seemed like the Captain was taking an awfully long time to answer them.

But finally he did speak and Jared could breathe again. "Of course sir," he replied,"we will both give you 100%."

"Commander Blake - any reservations?" John mused to his XO as he returned to his desk and settled back into his chair. Crew morale and discipline came under her remit now since his promotion to the big chair, and the Martian wanted to make sure she was in agreement before he continued.

Scarlet looked to Holliday with a small smile. Inwardly? Yes, the counsellor in her did have concerns, about the speed of it, about Jared's previous in matters of the heart, about the timing with the pregnancy for Min, about the path ahead for both of them and a child who might one day have questions about her real father and how Jared might feel about that. But in truth? She was a First Officer in this moment, and they were adults who knew what they were getting in to. What was love without having to take a few risks along with it? She was pleased that they'd found happiness on their little ship, and she hoped that it would only get better for them. "Only what hat to wear, Sir," she said softly with a playful edge, her eyes shining.

Jared looked towards Min a sense of relief on his face.

Min's face also showed a measure of relief at their response. Not that their refusal would've changed the union as it stood, they'd still be sharing quarters and each other's company, but to have the Captain and XO's blessing, it meant something.

John smirked back towards his XO - she had the same dry sense of humour that he had, which made matters of the more official nature a little more simplistic to deal with.

"Very well Lieutenants - permission granted. Congratulations."

"Thank you sirs," Jared addressed both officers."we are not naive enough to believe that this is going to be easy, or storybook, but we know we can make it work."

Min nodded her agreement with Jared's sentiment. "Thank you both." She gave Jared's hand a squeeze as she exchanged glances with him briefly before turning back to the Captain and First Officer. "If it's okay, we'll leave you both to your briefing now that we've intruded enough."

John nodded and raised a hand with an open palm to indicate towards the door. He didn't need to verbalise that he had dismissed them, and instead picked up a PADD and returned to his briefing with his First Officer.

"So Commander, where were we......"

Jared was good at reading body language, especially when it was so clear. He stood and moved to leave, still holding Min's hand.

[OFF]

--

CAPT Jonathan Holliday
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo

LT Min Zhao
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Jared Nicholas
Language Specialist
USSGalileo

RSS Feed