JP - Lt. Robin Hopper & Lt. JG Nathan Richards: World Beyond Zero (Part 1)
Robin Hopper
((OOC - This JP can be considered a continuation of the scene started in these two sims: Lt. JG Nathan Richards - Something to Avoid & Lt. Robin Hopper: Distract Me, Please))
((Amity Outpost – The Glommer & Beagle))
Hopper: You know…? I think I like the fries at Wet Goods better. I know they’re probably replicated anyways, but there’s something about the recipe that sets them apart. And I don’t even think it’s the seasoning…
Despite her protestations, Robin took another couple curly fries from the basket in the middle of the table and added them to the small plate before her – empty, save for a few crumbs. She picked one up, studying it briefly before sticking it in her mouth and pondering the flavour.
Hopper: Could it be the potatoes?
Nathan spun a curly fry on his index finger. It was almost a perfect 2-inch ring, if it wasn't for the cut ends.
Richards: I'm not sure. It has to be something with the way they are cooked or for how long or something. :: Shrugging:: Curly fries are curly fries to me. ::Smiling and tossing the ring in his mouth::
Robin smiled, appreciating Nathan’s easygoing attitude. She was aware that she could, at times, be ‘high-strung’, and it helped to have someone able to match – or perhaps balance – that energy. She’d had her reservations at first about trying to maintain a friendship with him, given their initial attraction to one another – an attraction that had led to an ill-fated date…
When they had decided to keep things ‘professional’ between them, it had only been Richards’ commendable self-awareness that had made her trust him to keep up his part of the agreement – and she was pleased to find him as reliable as she’d hoped. He was a good man, and he was proving to be a good friend. A great friend, actually.
Hopper: Thanks for spending your afternoon off with me. I’m sure there’s a lot of other people vying for your time.
Nathan raised his eyebrow and shook his head slightly as he took a drink from his glass of water.
Richards: ::Sarcastically:: So many people. It's hard to keep and make time for anything else. ::Chuckling:: What about you? I figured being the CSO would keep you busy at all hours. The SRC is a big place with lots of people and things to watch over.
Hopper: ::Sarcastically:: It’s called work-life balance…
She shook her head. The truth was, her work at the SRC did keep her busy – and when she wasn’t at her desk, it continued to occupy her mind. It was only in moments like this, where she could really connect with someone over something as simple as how many seconds of ‘fry time’ the restaurant programmed into their replicator recipe, that she could leave it behind.
Hopper: ::Chuckling:: Honestly, my calendar is wide open… except for PADDwork. There’s always more PADDwork. ::Smirking, poking a finger across the table into Nathan’s chest:: You’re lucky! You know, when I served as the Assistant CSO on the Wall Street, I thought “I’ll never look at this many tiny screens full of text again!”... I was so wrong. Trisha had the right idea. I need an Assistant.
Richards: Don't you have hundreds of officers and crewmen down there? Surely one of them would jump at the chance to be an assistant.
Robin tilted her head back and forth slightly, a small sigh escaping her lips.
Hopper: Yeah well, not everyone wants to ‘move up’ and take on more administrative work. Especially in Sciences, there’s a lot of Officers who want to stay in the lab, do the ‘real work’. The truth is, when you’re running a department of this size, a lot of it involves sitting at a desk, making decisions about how to allocate resources. ::Shrug:: But someone’s gotta do it, and I think I’m good at that sort of thing.
She wrinkled her nose and smiled.
Hopper: Sort of like ‘programming’ I guess.
Nathan nodded, putting another fry in his mouth.
Richards: The tough life of a department head. ::Chuckling:: It does sound almost like the perfect job for you though.
Robin rolled her eyes, but took the compliment.
Hopper: What about you? ::Eating another “not as good” curly fry, quite happily:: Do you think you’ll ever want to run a department? Chief Engineer Nathan Richards? It has a pretty nice ring to it.
Richards: Do you really want me to be in charge of a whole department? I can barely keep myself in line most of the time! ::Laughing:: But, in all seriousness, I think that might be my ultimate goal. ::Smiling:: Chief Engineer Nathan Richards. I do like that.
Hopper: Ooh, ooh, just think – you could say things like, “I’m giving her all I can, Captain, but unless you’ve got a hyperspanner for giants up there, these nacelles aren’t staying put!” ::Giggling:: Or something like that.
Nathan took another drink, smiling. Robin reached across the table and nudged his arm. She’d been genuinely impressed with his work during their brief time as bridge crew for the USS Jemison – and she wanted him to know.
Hopper: Seriously, I think you’d be good at it… ::Leaning across the table, trying to convince him:: You love your work, and I think people would find your enthusiasm inspiring! ::Sitting back, arms crossed:: You’d be a good leader.
Richards: Being Chief Engineer on a starship would be exciting, but I don't know if I'd be able to leave Amity. It's become my home.
Hopper: ::A moment’s pause:: Right, yeah, of course. You’re ‘putting down roots’ here. I can understand the appeal.. ::small smile:: ..Amity is certainly special. But you never know... People move around. Scotty has a girlfriend – maybe they’ll want to move on and there’ll be a vacancy. It’s not like you’re in any rush, right?
Richards: ::Shrugging:: What about you? Where do you see yourself in… say 10 years? That feels like a good timeframe.
Robin leaned back in her seat, her head squishing against the back of the booth, a wide-eyed sigh of uncertainty escaping her lips.
Hopper: Hooo… ::Shaking her head slightly:: Ten years? That’s a tough question. ::Looking back up at Nathan:: Honestly? I don’t really know… I guess I don’t tend to think that far ahead. At least not yet. Not while I have the luxury not to.
She leaned forward again, resting her arms on the table, her hands intertwining in front of her. As she considered her answer, a sparkle of excitement kindled in her eyes.
Hopper: When I was a little girl, I used to think I would be like my moms. Well-traveled, going on adventures around the galaxy and meeting all sorts of interesting people, brokering trade deals and peace agreements that would help shape the Federation… I mean, I eventually figured out that the life of a diplomat is a lot more like the life of a Chief Science Officer – ya know, a lot of PADDwork… I guess I sort of saw them like heroines out of an old adventure story back then.
Nathan sat, arms crossed across the tabletop as Robin spoke.
Richards: I can see that. ::Nodding:: We always look up to our parents and aspire to do something great and make them proud. Maybe even follow in their footsteps.
Hopper: Well, I think that desire kind of led me to Starfleet. I applied to the Academy on a bit of a whim. ::Thinking back, an embarrassed half-frown forming:: Actually, I’m pretty sure I was drunk at the time. I never thought I’d be accepted. And now here I am, living as close to that ideal life as I can imagine… But ‘putting down roots’ doesn’t really factor into that. If I were offered an opportunity to keep exploring, I don’t think I’d want to turn it down.
Richards: ::Smiling:: Well, maybe you shouldn't. If the offer comes, follow your heart. Do your exploring and live out your dreams. That's kind of how I've lived my life. Following my heart. If something feels right, go with it.
Robin nodded, smiling, before she realized she hadn’t even touched her food in several minutes. The lone remaining fry on her plate had gone cold.
Hopper: ::Chuckling:: Sorry – you got a lot more out of that question than you bargained for, mister. ::Shrugging:: Bit of an earful, but I want to be honest with you. It’s a complicated answer.
Nathan leaned back slightly, shrugging.
Richards: It was a complicated question.
A glimmer of excitement spread across Robin’s face.
Hopper: This may seem completely out of left field, but have you ever seen – or, maybe more plausibly, heard of – World Beyond Zero? It’s… a little obscure, but I know you’ve seen Rambo – so you can’t be opposed to old twentieth-century cheeseball flics.
Richards: Cheeseball? Rambo is a work of cinematic brilliance! But to answer your question, no. I haven't seen World Beyond Zero. But, I am always down for some 'cheese'.
Nathan chuckled, throwing in air quotes as he spoke. Robin rolled her eyes playfully.
Richards: I feel like you had something in mind there.
Hopper: ::Amused:: Well, to be honest, I don’t think there’s anyone else on this station who would agree to this. I guess thinking about home and why I wanted to explore space in the first place brought it to mind... It’s this amazing terrible old movie from 1967, just a few years before Star Wars came out. Some people say Lucas took inspiration from it, but ::shaking her head:: I think it was more like a “what not to do” situation… ::Grinning:: You wanna watch it with me?
Nathan took another drink, looking at Robin carefully. He knew she had an affinity for classics, with her love of disco and retro clothing. It only seemed fitting that she would be into classic films as well. But it did take him somewhat by surprise that she wanted to share this with him.
Richards: So, you want to go to the movies? ::Chuckling:: Interesting proposition. How about this? We can watch World Beyond Zero, then, next time we will watch my favorite old movie. How about that?
Robin gave Nathan a mocking-scolding look, like he’d just said the stupidest thing in the world.
Hopper: Um, obviously yes. That’s a double win for me… do you even know me?
Richards: ::Laughing:: I might need some time to figure out which movie for sure is my favorite. But we will do yours first.
Nathan smiled and tossed a couple more curly fries in his mouth. They had grown cold while they sat there and talked which, strangely, made them taste a little bit better. Robin batted her hand towards him dismissively.
Hopper: With how backed up the holodeck scheduling can get, you’ll have plenty of time… ::Mischievous smirk:: But I happen to know the SRC’s holodeck maintenance schedule. Call it one of the perks of being a department head. Holodeck C’s booking schedule is blocked off for another 6 hours or so for routine maintenance that Beta Shift finished at 1300.
Nathan raised an eyebrow at that, a smirk growing on his lips.
Richards: Piggyback on over scheduled maintenance hours? ::Sly smile:: You're sneaky. But how do we…
Hopper: Access codes. Another ‘perk’. ::Playful shrug:: I’m a good friend to have.
Richards: ::Chuckling:: I'll say. Glad you're on my side.
Hopper: Okay, forget dinner and drinks here. I have the perfect program. I’ve been building it since my days on the Wall Street – and I think you’ll get a kick out of it too.
Richards: Oh do you? ::Taking a drink:: Let's hear it.
She leaned in, raising her eyebrows.
Hopper: You ever… drive a car?
TBC in part 2/6…
Lt. Robin Hopper
Chief Science Officer,
Amity Outpost
V239806K11
Lt. JG Nathan Richards
Engineering Officer
Amity Outpost
A239905NR1