Humble Move

Posted on 22 Jul 2014 @ 9:20am by Commander Norvi Stace & Commander Luke Wyatt
Edited on on 22 Jul 2014 @ 12:32pm

1,774 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo: 04-0808 EN, Wyatt's Quarters
Timeline: MD 06: 1200 hrs

ON:

Luke fell back onto the two person sofa which was positioned equally between the two separate living areas. He only had a couple of hours to make his room into a suitable Day One, Week One Academy-style dormitory and even took down some of his own personal decorations. He was beginning to think it was a punishment for the two of them. However he was pleased with what he managed to accomplish and now all there was was for the lieutenant to arrive.

As the door to Wyatt's (and Stace's temporary) quarters breathed open, Stace stopped on the threshold and dropped her duffel bag just in the interior. "Managed to get my bio-signature calibrated to these quarters quickly, didn't you?" she said with a sarcastic yet not aggressive tone. "So this is home sweet home for a week, huh?" Her eyes darted about the sparse room with utter contempt as they then rested on the single, basic bed. "Guess that's mine?" she asked as she picked up her and threw it onto the sheets.

Luke stood up slowly from his bed and nodded. "Being temporary chief and having a few friends in engineering means I can get things done quickly." He walked over to the replicator. "Yes, that's your bed. I've looked over your duty roster and have worked out a program that ables you to do you duties alongside this little experiment. Would you like a drink?" he asked.

Stace sighed again and then traipsed over to the bed. "It smells like man in here," she replied without referencing the chief's question. "But yes, please. A glass of chilled water, if you could."

Ordering two waters from the replicator he sat his down on the desk next to his bed and handed Stace's to her. "What would you expect? It's just me that lives here! And don't go spraying your female scent around." He said "We won't begin until tomorrow. In which case, 0500 will be revailie upon which you will be dressed in PT kit ready for an early morning gym session at 0600. I will inspect your uniform and room and then you can continue with your normal work routine. Any objection?" Luke went from chilled out to seriously worked up in ten seconds flat. Another trait he got from the marines and one he was going to use to his fullest advantage.

"Is that a genuine question?" Stace retorted, rolling her eyes and then remembering where she was. "Listen, Mr. Wyatt. This is going to be a tough week for me. What with the responsibilities I have down in the labs and with my duty shifts, don't expect a happy Trill bunking with you. I'm not shying away from from this, and, if I'm honest, I think I'm going to rather enjoy the exercises, but don't expect me to beam about it. Okay?"

Shrugging of the outburst "And it's attitude like that, that has landed you in this situation. Miss Stace I don't particularly enjoy sharing my quarters with you either but I have a responsibility to you and more importantly myself to see this through fully. I only ask out of meer respect that once upon a time you passed out of the academy and earned your way to being a department head however if you want to play the hard boil trill then I shall treat you as such."

Stace shook her head at him. "Listen, Marine," she began with, folding her arms across her chest in a disgruntled, could care less fashion. "This hardened attitude might work with your recruits. And I might be here as punishment, but that punishment does not entitle you to talk to me like shit." She sighed, placed her hand on her forehead and then shook it. "We're getting off on the wrong foot again."

Luke frowned "I'm not trying to be this all hardened marine but it comes out naturally for me, I'm not the best person for this and not shall I try and hide it. I'm sorry if it comes across like that... Perhaps we should start over again?"

"If you tow the line, I'll tow the line, Wyatt," she replied, unfolding her arms. "It'll make this week much more easier to bear."

"Ok, well, why did you join Starfleet in the first place?" He asked sitting down and offering her the seat on the sofa next to him, the only other seat in the smallish two man quarters.

She sighed, and plopped herself down next to him. "I can't really tell you," she offered in truth, looking out into the middle distance with a blank stare. "I can't really remember whether or not a life in the Fleet appealed to me before or after I was joined. But the fact that my previous host was a Starfleet captain probably guided my enthusiasm back to the service. And that's probably why I don't like being spoken to with hostility. Or taking orders. It's probably my experience as Janel that got me promoted to department head to begin with."

Luke was actually beginning to understand just how she felt as much as a non-Trill could. "What was the ship's name? How long were you the captain for?" he asked. Trill were somewhat of an interest to him. "How many hosts have you had?"

"I'm the fifth," she answered, taking a sip of her water and looking to him. "And the ship was the Gilmore. A valiant Galaxy class." She smiled to herself and chuckled quietly. "He was so damned proud of the thing. And considering his trepidatious rise to the command, I kinda don't blame him. You see," she continued, almost like a grandfather telling his grandson war stories from days of old as she shifted her wait to look at Wyatt fully, a beam of enthusiasm emanating from her face, "Janel never wanted to be joined in the first place. He was already serving in the Fleet and loved his career. But the joining changed him and I think he lost himself a little. He had to return back to Trill to have retrospective counselling to deal with the change. But," she again remembered fondly, "he returned back to Starfleet and worked his way up. A little more confident, a little more aggressive. And a little more driven. He was given the Gilmore and fought in Wolf Three Five Nine against the Borg invasion. He liked that he made a difference."

Listening to everything Stace was saying he could understand more and more why she had a difficult time being told what to do especially by him. "The Borg, it seems no matter how old you are or where you're from everyone has a Borg story to tell."

"And I don't think it helped that I was onboard the Venture as a Science Officer when it was attacked by them. If it hadn't have been for the Gally coming to our rescue, the end of the Stace line would have ended with me. It's tough to survive two Borg attacks and still remain calm at all times. I think that some people have even forgotten about our last mission already." She paused and then looked directly at him. "Were you onboard the Gally when the Borg were being used as puppets by the germophobes?"

Luke was one of the guilty few that had tried putting the memory locked away and forgotten about. "I was actually on the Venture too when it was attacked and destroyed."

Stace snorted a sigh and looked at the floor. "Small world, huh? She was a big ship. And I wasn't posted too long before the mission. I didn't really know that many people on her."

"Me too. I was assigned as a marine liaison for the mission but obviously that was cut short, I was originally posted to Deep Space Five before deciding to remain on the Galileo." Luke had moved around a lot before the Galileo but had now found a place to settle. "Have all your hosts been female?"

"Janel wasn't," she replied quickly with a laugh. "But, no. I've had two male hosts and two female hosts. I'm the third female." It makes for a balanced dynamic, I feel."

Luke could understand the need to balance it out. "It must be rather weird? So you have any previous hosts partners still alive? That would be particularly awkward!"

"No, thankfully." She breathed and then took another sip. "With Janel being a little older than I at the time of his death, and never marrying, all my previous hosts' partners are no longer alive. To be honest," she recounted, "it's never really presented itself. And we do go through extensive training for those types of scenarios. It's discouraged somewhat. The Trill Symbiosis Commission wasn't particularly pleased when I expressed an interest to rejoin the Fleet. In fact, I had to fight for it. They like the Symbiont to gather as many different experiences as they can across their lifetimes."

"I can't imagine what it would ever be like! You must get this all the time but I've never really served with a Trill in the marines but your urm... Spots?" He asked nervously.

"Yes?" she glared, a subtle grin washing over her face.

Luke thought of pursuing the curiosity. "Actually, don't worry. It's inappropriate and we should technically be doing some sort of physical activity or getting ready for tomorrow" he grinned recalling the purpose why she was here.

"Tough," she said, now standing up off the couch and draining her glass. "It's midday, and I should have started duty four hours ago. Training starts at 0600 hours tomorrow. As per your own suggestion..."

Luke shrugged as he heaved himself up of the couch "And so I did but four hours late to your duty shift. Do I need to report you? It hardly seems turning up for now!"

"Lieutenant Kohl is taking care of my work for me this morning. I told him I'd drop by after lunch." She flashed him a smile. "You snooze, you lose, Wyatt," she joked as she headed for the door. "I have a lot to do so don't wait up."

'Touche Luke thought with a smile "Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be waiting for you and watching your every move!"

"Have a good day, Wyatt," she said as she disappeared through the door.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Norvi Stace
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Senior Chief Petty Officer Luke Wyatt
Acting Chief of Security
USS Galileo

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