Captain Addison MacKenzie - Statute of Limitations
Addison MacKenzie
(( Quark’s Bar, Promenade, Deep Space Nine ))
The CO and Chief Engineer of the Artemis exchanged pleasantries while
waiting for their drinks to arrive, each of them taking in the atmosphere
around them – seated in one of the most notorious establishments in the
quadrant. It was hard to focus on the Yelikan, with so much history around them
– so many pivotal moments that must have occurred in and around this bar, on
this station…
Yellir: What about you? Are you.. Okay?
The Chief Engineer turned to face
Addison, resting her weight on her elbows.
MacKenzie: Okay is a relative term these
days, no? The Academy only prepares you for so much – but it’s a flawed method
of preparation. Nothing can get you ready for an encounter with CloQ, or to
meet a very different version of yourself.
Yellir: I know what you mean, and here I thought we’d be making first contact every Tuesday and seeing a few Crystalline Entities. But you know, as much as they say “weird’s part of the job”, I feel like we always get the short end of the stick with the weirdness.
The Ferengi brought their drinks and set them on the bar in front of their intended recipients. While Addison anticipated that Hallia’s drink would have been as brightly colored as the Yelikan herself, she was intrigued when the beverage arrived – it was very similar in color to her own. Addison picked up her mug and raised it in Hallia’s direction.
MacKenzie: Cheers.
Hallia followed suit, raising her own glass.
Yellir: Cheers, may the Artemis stay in one piece.
She took a sip from the mug before returning it to the bar top.
MacKenzie: So, any plans for shore leave? I’ve been to the station once before, right as I was assigned to the Resolution, but I didn’t have much of a chance to do any sight-seeing.
Yellir: For starters— I’m absolutely going
to sightsee, and I really want to visit Bajor, I hear the Rankatha province is
amazing this time of year.
MacKenzie: I’ve never been there before – you’ve
heard good things?
Yellir: The views are to die for, besides,
they’ve really bounced back since the war. It’s amazing to see
how it’ll be in person How about you?
She rocked her head from side to side. There was a lot on her list and
honestly, she’d probably have to pare down her expectations and be realistic
about how much she could actually fit in, given that she was still the
commanding officer of a starship.
MacKenzie: Well, I hear the shopping both on the station and on Bajor is incredible. I like collecting garments from the places I travel, so I’m hoping to stumble into something beautiful. I also want to check out the Bajoran Institute of Science and the Monastery of the Kai.
Yellir: I have a question for you— and it
might be overstepping, but before all ::gesturing around:: this,
did you ever get into trouble on shore leave? Of course I’m not talking full on
brawls, but you seem like you’ve had some adventures.
A
slight smirk appeared on the red-headed commanding officer’s face as the
engineer took a sip.
MacKenzie: Well, I suppose that depends how you define trouble… Do you want to hear about the time we were ambushed by the Maquis coming back from a funeral on Betazed and I had to perform brain surgery on the guy I was dating, or the time we went on a bit of a bar crawl in the Shoals?
Yellir: Response
Addison chuckled.
MacKenzie: Right. I suppose Betazed still hits a little close to home… Shoals, it is…
She took a sip before starting the story.
MacKenzie: The Veritas was stationed in a part of the galaxy known as the Shoals – it’s an area of space between the Federation and the Tholian Assembly. It’s treacherous, warp drive is severely limited, and there’s a lot of hostile actors. ::waving her hand dismissively:: Anyway, there’s a world that was frequently part of our stops, and it had a greasy diner that had some of the best burgers in the galaxy. We were spending one shore leave on the planet and organized a bit of bar crawl.
Yellir: Response
MacKenzie: It was a night of too much alcohol, awful karaoke, nearly getting pummeled by a gang of drunk soccer hooligans, and Captain Rahman nearly ready to hand it to Captain Teller and Commander Ukinix for disorderly conduct…
Yellir: Response
Addison offered a dismissive eye roll, thinking about the shenanigans that some of her former colleagues had gotten into.
MacKenzie: Well, I suppose that’s the trick – knowing just where the line is, and knowing how not to catch the attention of your CO for the wrong reasons.
Yellir: Response
Addison picked up her mug and took another swig.
MacKenzie: What about you? Anything interesting during prior shore leaves? ::she paused, recalling how many of them they’d been on together:: …that’s outside the statue of limitations?
Yellir: Response
Tag, and TBC!
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Captain Addison MacKenzie, M.D., Ph.D., FASFS
Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A
Captains Council Member at Large
V239601AM0