Free At Last

Posted on 02 Oct 2023 @ 5:27am by Ensign Mimi & Petty Officer 3rd Class John Hollenday
Edited on on 02 Oct 2023 @ 2:37pm

2,540 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: USS Galileo-A, Regula I - Various
Timeline: MD 16, 1830hrs

[ON]

John had gotten a message that Mimi was going to be released and he had made his way to just outside her quarters, he tapped the chime and stepped back. When the doors opened and Mimi stepped out he called out, "Hey jail bird!"

"John." Mimi called out knowing the voice immediately though she was surprised she hadn't smelt him first, crossing the distance in a flash Mimi hugged him tight, it had only been a few days but she had missed him.

John picked her up and swung her around. "Come on let's get off this tin can. It's being held together with phaser welds and the gods alone know how well they are going to hold. We have some places to hit on the station."

Mimi giggled as John swung her around. "Let me quickly freshen up and change, I will not take long."

"Nothing doing. We're getting off this patched-up POS. I'll get you a place on base to get cleaned up and get something new to wear. We have some important shopping to do." John fixed her with a glare. "And no pulling rank crap on me either."

"I would never pull rank on you John, unless it was really really important." Mimi said, she held his head and gave him a peck on the cheek before pointing down the corridor. "To the Station."

"Good. There's a lot to do. Come on." He picked her up once more and swung her around. "We've got a wedding to plan, you need a dress, I need something more than Starfleet issue."

"A wedding." Mimi repeated, it had only been a week since he had proposed to her in their little hidey hole in the ships Jefferies tubes. With everything that had happened since she hadn't thought about it, even the engagement ring he had given her wasn't on her finger as she hadn't wanted to wear it until they had announced it. "I should have done some planning for it while I was in the brig, I had little else to do."

"Well, that ship is going to be in the dock for a bit. If they send her out again without some major repairs, we're not going to make it. I think we have some time. Now come on, let's get a place to get you freshened up and then start what needs to be done."

Moving down the corridors they soon reached the airlock and an Ensign from Regula one checking off the Galileo crew leaving the ship for temporary quarters on the station. "Ensign Mimi, Petty officer Hollenday." He said as they approached, having looked up the limited crew manifest of the small ship, he made no comment about how the man was carrying his feline companion. "Last minute orders from your Captain, you're both expected to be back onboard before 0700 tomorrow, to undertake repair and resupply operations."

John ground his teeth. *That piece of crap of a captain.* Echoed in his thoughts. "Very good. 0700." He kept his voice neutral.

Mimi let out a somewhat heavy sigh. "Alright, onwards John." She said and clung on tighter as he carried her off the ship, when they got through the airlock she looked up at him "That does not give us long, I think we will have to wait on getting married."

"I'll move heaven and hell." He jerked a thumb back toward the docked ship. "For all we kept that hulk operating, captain can spare us one favour." He picked her up and swung her around once more. "Now come on then, let's get you a dress and me a tux after we get cleaned up and some decent food. Time's a-wastin'"

Mimi smiled, food was definitely fighting for priority in her thoughts right now. "Some food sounds like a really good idea, I am very hungry."

"You're always hungry!" John teased her. "What are we going to do when you're expecting? Have to keep a food replicator on full standby in your room."

"When I am expecting?" Mimi asked, she'd not heard the phrase before but a replicator all to her own sounded like a fun idea.

"As soon as I marry you. I expect to keep my bride very satisfied and off the conception stuff. We might have to talk to the doc, but that is later. Come on, don't have as much time as I want."

"Children...." Mimi blurted out, surprised at the suggestion. "I did not expect that. I do not know if it is possible between us. I do not know if I am ready for that." She babbled, her mind going a hundred miles a minute.

"Well you better. It might not be exactly right away, but I'm looking forward to some furballs."

"Newborn Nekomi are very furry. Almost like full cats, most of it comes off after a few months." She told him then added. "I will talk to Allyndra, see if it would be possible.

"Sounds good. Now come on, we don't have a lot of time and I need to pamper you for a bit considering everything you've been through. Speaking of the doc, I heard from the scuttlebutt that she figured out that the Klingon was poisoned."

"I heard the same, strange thing to think of, a klingon using poison to kill someone." The klingons were really the last thing she wanted to be talking about right now but she was just happy to be talking with John.

John picked up on her look. "Very good. First stop, "Finley's Fish House," see what is on the menu. I know you favour seafood. Then shop. We've both got to be back a lot sooner than I would like."

Mimi's ears perked up at the talk of as fresh as you could get out here seafood. "I could definitely use a nice big piece of fish right now, lets go."

John simply laughed out loud. "Then right this way, My lady."

He had plotted out the route earlier and soon enough found themselves outside the place. It was not high end but it was more than a greasy joint. "Two, please."

"This way."

The booth was nice enough, a little worn, but the smell of cooking and frying fish was enough to get the appetite going. He perused a menu. "Think I'm going to be stick in the mud and go for the fish and chips."

Mimi's nose twitched frantically at the smells wafting across the room, they were so enticing. "The biggest fish they have, lightly battered."

"Yes ma'am. Right away." The waiter turned and headed off.

"I hope the champagne will be to your taste. We need some sort of bubbly as a celebration of you getting out of jail. So," John frowned, "want to tell me the details? All I know is that you got into a fight, and next thing I know they say you and some Klingon are down in sickbay. Almost got tossed in the brig myself, but they needed the engineers so they tossed me out on my butt."

"The Captain, forced me into a diplomatic dinner with the Klingons." Mimi said somewhat hesitantly. "I got into a disagreement with them, the Klingon Captain he....."

John knew Mimi and Klingons was like mixing matter and antimatter. You knew there was going to be an explosion. "Gee for someone who is rather anal about things, you would think the captain would've read a little bit of file on personnel and know better." He shook his head. "I guess you were not on the bridge but I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall with her trying to explain why she had a Klingon cruiser coming in. The base administrator must've love that one."

"I kept protesting the order but she made me go anyway, I made a few remarks about their food being horrible and they called me a racist." Mimi told him. "They said they could see how tense I was around them. I explained why, told them about Kemi, and.... maybe said that I'd kill any of them without hesitation if I found out any of them were there."

"Sounds to me as if the command should have taken things better. You know I miss the old captain, she had a way of dealing with things better." John shook his head and then tossed his napkin on the table. "So when you're done let's go get cleaned up and out of these clothes and then hit the shoes. We probably are going to have to rush a lot faster than I want. Who knows what bee the captain will have up her butt next."

Mimi was glad John changed the subject, she wasn't sure how he was going to react if she mentioned why she got into a fight with the Klingon Captain. "Maybe when the ship is fixed, we will get some more time off, we all need some after what we have been through. Especially after our first shoreleave got cancelled."

"I hope so as well. Already we got to be back and start working on the ship. You'd think a station like this would have plenty of engineers, but no, it is our own compliment. Secondly, " he pointed a finger at her, "we just got told we have limited time. That tells me in my gut that something else is going on. It's all rush, rush."

"I can do some asking around and try to get a little extra help for us." Mimi offered, "I would not be surprised if we were made to head straight back out after this though. Tarin is definitely a hard Co."

"She's going to make a bad mistake one day." John made a face. "Well enough of work, let's get cleaned up and get some shopping while we can. I pre-looked and there is a place that might work for us for wedding stuff."

"This is not a big base, how did you find a place that could do wedding dresses?" Mimi asked, though they'd not have a chance to explore the station much; she knew it didn't have much in the way of amenities.

"There's a place that refits uniforms for personnel and might be able to custom something up for us. Replicators here are better than on the ship and I don't want to have some higher-up officer breathing down my neck about frivolous use of ship's stores."

"I am the chief ops right now you know I could approve it." Mimi smiled and quickly devoured what remained of her food. "Lets go."

"Sounds good." John got up and held out a hand.

He had mapped the place and while it was nothing to look at, it would have to do. It was primarily a place for getting basic uniforms and such but he had checked it out ahead of time
He leaned over to Mimi. "You want to pull the whole officer thingy on them?" He asked as one man looked at the two of them and was already asking, "What can I help you with?"

"We were wondering if you had replicator files for or could make me... a wedding dress." Mimi asked the man.

"A what? Where do you think you are? The Risa colony?"

"I know we are in deep space but you are the only place around here they may be able to help." Mimi said somewhat expecting the man's response. "It does not have to be extremely..... fancy, just nice enough to get married in."

"Still..." The man trailed off. He glanced between the two. "Say what department you two in?"

"Engineering mate. Nut buster third class."

The man nodded. "And you miss?"

"I am an operations officer." Mimi replied after a moments thinking just why the man had that question, she added a little extra emphasis on the 'officer'

The man looked between the two and chuckled. "So the crew that actually keeps everything running. I'm ops also here. Unusual request, but sure, Ensign?"" He peered at her collar.

"Mimi." She replied.

"Can't get too fancy but peruse some ideas in the civil catalogue and we can do some 'special' programming." He pulled out a PaDD and handed it over.

An unconscious flick of her tail made Mimi think what the 'special' programming would likely involve, hiding her tail underneath or making a hole for it to poke through. Taking the Padd she started to nosey through.


"You know I like traditional. I mean really old fashion, but hey you have to wear it." John grinned as he looked over her shoulder. As if he read her mind, he added, "Say we need to do something with your tail. Didn't you say something about tying tails together? That reminds me I need to talk to the head doc, see what she can do, at least temporarily."

Mimi laughed hard as she pictured John with a tail. "You would look really weird with a tail John," she thought for a moment. "We could fasten our hands together instead."

"Yeah, I suppose, but whatever you wish sweetheart." He looked over at the ops man. "All I need is a regular tux, nothing too fancy."

"Can do that." He turned his attention back to Mimi. "Have you figured out some selections?"

"I like this one," Mimi said, turning the Padd towards him, it was a simple affair. Just above the knee, shoulderless with lacey arms but without any train. "Simple enough, make a hole to stick my tail through."

"Simple enough. Sure. Here let me get a scan of you and you too," He motioned to John, "So we can get proper fit." He took out a device and said, "Close your eyes, the light can be bright."

He did Mimi first and then John. "There we go. Want to wait or go blow ten minutes elsewhere?"

"I do not mind waiting, we have a lot to discuss about our wedding." Mimi replied.

"Alright." The man left them to their discussion as he went to make the required outfits.

"If we can I would like Allyndra there, she has been so helpful to me during all this." Mimi said, she considered Allyndra her closest friend on the ship. "And she knows enough Nekomi for that side of the wedding."

"I've no problem. Well after this. We have only a short time, think I can convince you for a little roll in the hay time?"

"I could be convinced." Mimi said with a slight purr. "We have a lot of planning to do first though."

"Excellent. However, I've got a little bit of something I need to do first. Tell you what sexy, you go find a place and I'll catch up in half an hour." He leaned over and nuzzled an ear before whispering. "Something sheer and sexy would be nice."

"You should make it an hour, I need to try my dress on after all." She reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Maybe some shoes too."

"Perfect. See you in a bit."

[OFF]

--

Ensign Mimi
Deputy Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

PO3 John Hollenday
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Warraquim]

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