Rear Admiral Quinn Reynolds - The Reality of Possibility
Quinn Reynolds
((Main Shuttlebay, USS Juneau))
It wasn't often Quinn got the chance to stand and admire the Gorkon from outside. With the vast doors of the shuttlebay retracted, she was afforded the chance to do just that — and it was a beauty, long and sleek, with an elegance that belied the power that bristled beneath the clean lines of its design. A crimson flare of light from the impulse drive saw the massive ship begin an orbital station-keeping manoeuvre, a quick burn that was echoed in the engines of the Triumphant and Resolute, the two Defiant-class escorts that flanked the Sovereign.
It was odd, how two of those ships represented so much of her life. The Gorkon, now her home for years and the ship she'd commanded when she'd entered the heady heights of the admiralty. The Triumphant, where her career had begun as a fresh engineering ensign who had been dismayed to find she'd been posted to a warship — "a cannon with a couple of nacelles bolted on" as she'd been wont to complain — now commanded by her husband.
Husband. The thought made her smile, absently thumbing the golden band so new to her ring finger. Like binary stars they'd danced in each other's orbits almost as long as she'd been in Starfleet, finally committing to marriage during the Gorkon's last shore leave on Earth.
Quinn turned away from the view, from the trio of starships in orbit of the mineral-depleted resort moon below, the moon itself in orbit of a helium gas giant with swirling, marbled clouds of white and grey. A vision in monochrome; if she could paint, it would be a sight worth hanging on her ready room wall. As it was, all she could do was appreciate the moment and try to commit it to memory.
With a glance over her shoulder, she could see that the captain of the Juneau had arrived in the shuttlebay. Leaving the impressive sight, Quinn approached and Oddas visibly straightened up, shoulders square, chin level. Not quite at attention, but not far off it. The blonde Bajoran woman was barely taller than her, and it was a pleasant change to be able to look someone in the eye without craning her neck. The Gorkon sometimes felt like it was the land of the giants.
Oddas: Admiral, welcome aboard, I didn't realise you would be on board, as you can see we are just about to prepare for a bit of R and R.
Reynolds: Well earned, from what I understand. The reports have made for some... interesting reading.
Oddas: You could say that sir, it has been a long mission, a bit more eventful than we had planned.
Reynolds: The Syndicate do make life interesting at the most inopportune of moments. Speaking of which...
She let her words trail off when Aria's paused to direct a nod toward one of the new arrivals, and Quinn drew in a shallow breath. She'd braced herself for seeing Rahman again, but the expected churn of her gut didn't happen. Perhaps she'd mellowed... or more likely, time had allowed that wound to heal and scar over. The last time they'd spoken it had been awkward, but productive, with Quinn able to give the other woman what she'd come to ask for.
With a small start, as though suddenly remembering she'd been mid-conversation, Oddas' brown eyes snapped back to meet Quinn's hazel.
Oddas: What was that sir?
Reynolds: The passengers of the Ascent Vine. ::She raised her eyebrows and offered a faded smile.::The Gorkon helped with their evacuation and they had an interesting story to tell. Evidently, the Orions had treated them well; left them on an uninhabited planet with a distress beacon and supplies enough to last them until rescue.
Most of them, anyway. All the civilians and crew had been accounted for, but there was one notable person missing from the manifest — a Fleet Commander T'Kosa. That was a pain point for a whole variety of reasons, but reasons she wouldn't have been inclined to discuss then and there, even if it hadn't been classified up the wazoo. She was saved from having to go into any further detail by the arrival of a broad-shouldered Lieutenant bearing a bag that rang with the dulled clunk of bottles.
Peters: Hope I’m not interrupting. I brought gin.
Oddas/Rahman: Response
Peters: Bombay sapphire. I’ve surprised a couple captains with it on occasion when they’ve received promotions.
Quinn raised her eyebrows in a mild display of amusement, wondering if that was an attempt to fish for information. She glanced toward Oddas, and then back to the man.
Reynolds: I'm afraid there'll be no surprises in that regard today.
Oddas/Rahman: Response
He sat the bag on the makeshift table, next to what looked like a bottle of Kali-fal. Sienelis would be pleased, though the teetotal Quinn hoped there'd be something non-alcoholic on offer. The dark-haired Lieutenant stepped back, quiet but attentive as his gaze flicked toward more folk making their arrivals, and then she turned her attention back to Oddas. There was a light of curiosity and hope burning in her hazel eyes, the Admiral looking ten years younger courtesy of the thoughts bouncing through her brain.
Reynolds: I was hoping to get a chance to poke around the core, if that's alright with you.
Oddas/Rahman/Peters: Response
A rare smiled of unbridled brilliance caught at Quinn's lips, the subject capturing her engineer's heart. Of all the projects she wished she'd been able to be a part of, the Warp XV endeavour stood above them all.
Reynolds: I remember there were theories that there were more subspace layers when I worked back at Utopia Planitia. Nothing we had evidence for at the time, but the possibilities were exciting. ::She lifted a skinny hand, gesturing to the ship around her.:: And now the possibilities are a reality, thanks to you two.
Oddas/Rahman/Peters: Response