JP: Rear Admiral Quinn Reynolds & LtJG Jocelyn Marshall - In Her Element (Part 1)
Jo Marshall
(( Personal Quarters, USS Gorkon ))
::A number eighteen spanner skidded across the carpet as an exasperated huff escaped the lips of the blonde Officer sat on the floor. Her beloved bike was in the throes of a temper tantrum, deciding it wasn’t going to work with the new energy regenerator, or start for that matter.
::Jo chewed her bottom lip as she considered her options, then leaned back on her lands. She needed help, a fresh pair of eyes. She considered Cory, then figured he would be wanting to spend his time with his wife, then thought of Sera, but she would be relaxing on the Cloud Skipper. Her mind turned to her Admiral, with Erin’s voice prodding her recommendation to the forefront of her brain.
::She knew she had to tell the Admiral about her. She knew it would only be a limited time before Quinn found out anyway, and there wasn’t a better time than the present. She briefly wondered what she’d say; if she’d approve, or give her the nine-mile death stare that caused arrhythmias across the Conference Table, with an accompanying “cease and desist” order. The woman was an Intelligence Officer, of course she knew she had a motorcycle on board.
::Huffing again, Jo climbed to her feet, picked up her comm badge from the table and pressed the shield, the familiar ping of the channel opening.::
Marshall: =/\= Marshall to Rear Admiral Reynolds. =/\=
Reynolds: =/\= Reynolds. =/\=
Marshall: =/\= Have you got some time free, Sir? I could do with your advice. =/\=
::There was a vague note of surprising clinging to the admiral's words when she replied, but no hesitance or displeasure.::
Reynolds: =/\= Of course. =/\=
Marshall: =/\= Would my quarters be alright? It’s a little sensitive. =/\=
Reynolds: =/\= I just need to finish up with something here, but then I'll come straight to you. =/\=
Marshall: =/\= Thank you, sir. I’ll be here all day. =/\=
::Whatever the Admiral was "just finishing up with" took about half an hour, and then Jo's door was chiming in its usual polite fashion.::
Marshall: Come in!
::The doors slid open and Reynolds strolled inside, only the slightest hint of curious apprehension lingering on her features. Then she set eyes on Jo's "hobby", and while her eyebrows escaped to the top of her forehead, a lop-sided smile creeping onto her lips.::
Reynolds: Oh my. So *that's* what it looks like.
::Jo smiled; the bike always elicited a bit of pride from the Ops Officer. With her engine coils lying open and the new fusion module hanging out loosely, the bike didn’t look as good as she should have done, but still, an ebony motorcycle being in someone’s quarters wasn’t usual. She turned down the music that had been heavily bouncing off the walls in the quarters moments before and picked up her mug of coffee from the table.::
Marshall: She’s an upgraded retro model. Something to stop me from fidgeting. Have a closer look. ::she finished her drink and indicated to the mug:: Want one?
Reynolds: Just some tea, please. ::She answered without taking her eyes off the bike.:: This looks like quite the project. You're converting it to... ::There was a pause as she squinted at the bike's innards.:: ...is that a fusion module?
Marshall: That’s the thing. ::she jabbed at the replicator with her only finger that wasn’t lubricated:: The new energy regenerator pack isn’t connecting to the coils properly and I’ve reached a brick wall. ::she quirked an eyebrow toward Quinn:: Think you could have a look? I could with an extra set of eyes.
Reynolds: You're asking me to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in?
Marshall: Yeah, I could really use the help. :: she handed over the tea and drank her own coffee:: That is unless you've got Admiral-ly stuff to do.
::A rare grin of delight blossomed on the Admiral's face, her hazel eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.::
Reynolds: Probably. But I'd much rather do this.
Marshall: Great. ::Her mug met the table and she dropped to one knee beside the bike:: It *should* have aligned itself with the coil structure for the power feed but for the life of me I can't figure it out. What she should do, and what she does do are always different. She's got a mind of her own.
TBC...
--
Lieutenant JG Jocelyn Marshall
Operations Officer
USS Gorkon
G239304JM0
&
Commanding Officer
USS Gorkon
T238401QR0