[JP] Lt. Commanders Marshall, Reynolds & Adea - Bait and Switch (Part I)
Genkos Adea
((The First Promenade, Deck 225, Deep Space 224))
Genkos’ headache had gotten no better since arriving on the station, but such were the dangers of deep space travel. He’d been dropped off by the away team on their way back to the Resolution as he had a dinner date with some old friends. He nervously stood outside Twilight’s Edge, their agreed meeting place, smoothed down the front of his jacket and hoisted his sash back onto his shoulder.
There were bubbles of tension throughout his body, but concentrated in the lower part of his stomach. He’d rather neglected his friends on the Gorkon of late, which he had felt guilty about. There was something about the USS Mental Trauma that brought out the worst in him, although that was nothing to do with his close friends, and he hadn’t been fair to them.
He pushed the silvery forelock that now dominated the centre of his hair behind an ear and stepped through the doors.
((Twilight’s Edge, Deck 225, Deep Space 224))
Genkos heard Jo’s laugh before he saw them and steeled himself again. They were his friends, hells he knew more about Erin than he did about anyone else, and there was really no reason he should be so nervous. He popped his head around the corner of the booth that he had taken to be theirs to see a Tellarite couple passionately engaged in whatever Tellarites did.
Blushing deeply, he moved down one booth and saw the familiar pair sitting together in their own little booth, the inky black decor framing them rather nicely.
Adea: Well, well, well, if it isn’t Trouble and Strife…
Sitting across from one another in the booth resembling starlight—dark material strewn with pinpricks of silver, like someone had thrown a handful of glitter all over it—the two blondes shared a laugh over something keeping them both smiling, a tall glass of half drunk milkshake on the table between them, two straws sticking out on either side. A cherry blush caught on Jo’s cheeks as she looked over the bench to her partner, heart swimming in happiness.
Genkos grinned and opened his arms to embrace them both in a deep hug. Jo slapped his back in the familiar way between the old friends, grin wide and happy, while the shorter Erin beamed and wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing gently.
Marshall: Good to see you, ’Kos. it’s been too long.
E. Reynolds: It really has.
Breaking the hug with some reluctance, Genkos took a step back and studied his friends with his ebony orbs. Those oh-so-familiar faces, so long since he’d last seen them and so much had happened to all of them since. All of which could be seen in the lines of his own face, he was sure.
Adea: You both look well. Clearly DS224 is treating you well!
E. Reynolds: Well, Jo’s been sampling her way through every restaurant on the base, and in between she’s put up with me almost camping out on the nature deck. ::She grinned at him.:: So I think that’s a fair statement.
Adea: I recommend avoiding the Burger Nagus; even Gnaxac says it is… less than optimal.
Marshall: Subway Sam’s had a bout of food poisoning recently, so that’s another scratched off the list. The Vulcan place is top notch, though.
Erin took a step back and gestured to the booth banquette, retreating to her former spot on it. Adjusting her t-shirt—emblazoned with green bold print stating “I’D PLANT A SEED BUT I HAVEN’T BOTANY”, the o replaced with a graphic of an acorn—she trapped her hands in her lap, leaning forward a little, shrinking into the space as she often did. Stray wisps of fine hair fell about her face in her signature untidy ponytail, her dyed blonde locks no neater or messier for being off duty.
E. Reynolds: What about you, ’Kos? ::She smiled at the Betazoid.:: How’s life on the Resolution?
Genkos settled into the empty part of the booth and crossed his legs at the ankle beneath him. A hand shot up to push that errant grey curl back behind his ear, and he opened his mouth to speak.
Adea: It’s so, ::he checked around that there were no Resolution crewmen around,:: small. The whole medical department on the Res could fit into Corliss’ office. I keep banging my elbows on bulkheads.
He laughed—compared to the enormity of the Gorkon; the Resolution was tiny. He was fairly certain you could park the Resolution in the Gorkon’s cargo bay, and nobody would particularly notice.
Jo dropped into the booth beside Erin and hooked her arm over the back of the booth seat. Forever stretching and taking up more space than entirely necessary, but with a sunny disposition and a hand on her stomach.
Marshall: But you’re out here, exploring! The Borderlands are fascinating.
Genkos gave Jo a considerate nod, conceding the point. The Borderlands were indeed intriguing and fascinating, and also seemed to be less full of dangerous lunatics than the area of space that the Gorkon was normally assigned to. A sudden excitement, tinged with a slight melancholy, came over Genkos and he leaned forward, as if conspiring with the couple opposite.
Adea: But tell me about the Gorkon, how’s she treating you? Are Corliss and Loxley still going strong?
Through all the bad memories, love for the people who made up the illustrious Admiral’s flagship remained. The obvious enthusiasm in the Gorkon’s former CMO brought a chuckle out in Jo, her stomach gurgling inside her abdomen, and she arched an eyebrow at Erin.
Marshall: Moved in together, haven’t they?
Genkos beamed and his shoulders tensed in a moment of excitement, albeit tempered by a sudden blossom of pain in his forehead. He frowned momentarily, rubbing the back of one hand as a distraction. Erin watched him with concern flickering in her hazel eyes, and when it seemed to pass, she nodded with a smile and continued.
E. Reynolds: They have! And... adopted a pet dragon, if the rumours are true.
Genkos blinked several times in rapid succession. He must have heard wrong.
Adea: A… dragon?
Marshall: A dragon! With a little beard. ::She reached over and made the universal symbol for a beard on Erin’s chin, earning a grin in response.:: Or it might’ve been a lizard. It’s not enormous.
E. Reynolds: You know the rumour mill. From a grain of truth, wild stories grow.
Genkos nodded sagely—he knew precisely what sorts of things she was talking about. There were all sorts of rumours flying around the Resolution about all sorts of things, not least of which had been his dance with Kalianna. Some people had… mistaken that for something completely different.
Adea: I know the feeling well. ::He raised his eyebrow:: For example, the Marisol novels have even reached us here in the Borderlands. Are you any closer to knowing who writes the things? ::He chuckled:: I have notes.
Marshall: They made it to the Academy, too. I couldn’t possibly tell you who writes them, though.
Jo blew a sigh, relaxing back into the booth seat and running a hand through her hair, blue eyes darting a glance to her partner with eyebrows carving upwards. The newest arrival on the Gorkon said as much; her roommate in the academy enjoying the pulp fiction novels as a pastime, and it’d stumped her for what to say then, as well.
E. Reynolds: I’ll have to see what the fuss is about. ::She chuckled.:: Beyond the novelty of knowing Marisol herself, I mean.
As the server arrived to take their orders, Genkos hurriedly checked the menu before ordering a rather tempting looking salad with crushed pine nuts and what he hoped would be a generous helping of Vulcan mozzarella. His headache briefly returned as he handed the menu over, and he had to close his eyes for a few seconds for the feeling to pass. He also asked for a glass of water in addition to his customary sapphire wine. Perhaps he was merely dehydrated.
Adea: So, what brings you to my neck of the woods? Or is that classified up the wazoo?
Marshall: Quinn moves in mysterious ways. ::Exhaling a laugh, she ordered the largest sandwich available, along with extras of everything.:: Naturally, it’s classified beyond belief. If we told you, we’d have to kill you, and I just don’t think I’m ready for the emotional strain.
Erin added her order—a tagliatelle dish with a pesto sauce and green summer vegetables, the hybrid ravenous after having forgotten breakfast (and yesterday’s dinner) once again—thanked the server, and waited for them to leave before carrying on the conversation.
E. Reynolds: She took the Kahnrah out for a few days, but everyone’s very tight-lipped on where and why.
Marshall: Testing out the engines. ::Unconvincingly, she picked up her drink and took a long sip, a teasing grin clear behind it.:: Flying in circles. You know what she’s like.
Of course, she was entirely unable to divulge the actual reasons behind the dart out with the vessel into the vicinity of another station rumoured to be in the area. Completely unfounded rumours. It wasn’t unlike Quinn to take a flight out in one of the small craft, if only to get her adrenaline kicks in order and see if she could determine which valve leaked the most by the feel of the engine. It was rare without a pilot alongside her—just in case, for such times as, say, going missing in the middle of pirate territory—but not uncommon.
Jo realised she was rambling to herself internally as she placed the glass of milkshake back down onto the table, not entirely sure it was milk, and sported a tastefully stylish milk moustache for the trouble. Erin snorted softly, shaking her head, and waved her finger back and forth across her top lip to draw Jo’s attention to her own.
Genkos raised an eyebrow but politely decided to move the subject along, taking a sip of the recently brought over water. It was delightfully chilled, and it made Genkos’ headache subside, or at calm down a fraction.
Adea: It’s a good thing I was able to swing by the station; Gnaxac dropped me off on our way past, coming back from our last survey mission. ::He nodded to Jo.:: He said to say hello to your brother, by the way, although I’ve not the heart to tell the little man that Orson’s married now.
Erin flicked a glance at Jo. With recent developments, she wasn’t sure whether to field a response to that question, and decided silence was the better part of valour. If Jo wanted to share, she would, though the hybrid suspected a deflection was incoming. She received a thin smile from her partner for the unspoken concern and a gentle squeeze of her shoulder from the hand resting behind.
Opening her mouth to reply and voice the frustrations surrounding said brother, and sister-in-law, nothing appeared. Instead, a frown carved into Jo’s blonde brow and blue eyes dropped to her fidgeting hands, knuckles cracking on the table. Bear had promised to see her the day after they’d returned, and she thought for a moment he just might. But he hadn’t shown, deciding to stay in his quarters instead, and while Jo could understand why, it did nothing for the chasm between siblings.
Marshall: How was the survey mission? Find anything interesting?
Adea: Oh, we were just carrying out some routine flora and fauna surveys. All good fun, but not the most interesting thing I’ve ever done.
E. Reynolds: I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.
She managed the fake offence for all of three seconds before a grin cracked her facade. Her "twin" could manage an undercover operation, masking her emotions and faking her demeanour, but Erin had never gained the knack. She’d had to pretend to be Quinn once, and that had been stressful enough.
Genkos giggled slightly at her inability to mask her feelings; it reminded him of a time when… one of them, Erin or Genkos, was a child and unable to conceal their amusement at a youthful indiscretion. All he could remember was the deep frown of the adult scolding them, but for the life of him he wasn’t sure whose memory it was; his… or hers. So instead he threw up his hands in a mock defence.
Adea: I have NO idea what you mean...
Their food arrived in no short order, coupled with a couple of extra drinks, which were eagerly and gratefully received. Conversation turned to the meals in front of them, as well as Genkos’ recent asteroid survey. Naturally, news of the plants that seemed to use some kind of rudimentary telepathy as both a way of communication and as a basic defence mechanism intrigued Erin, and she peppered him with endless questions between mouthfuls.
Meanwhile, Jo drowned a familiar niggling feeling successfully burying itself in bread and vegetables. Genkos cast an eye over her; Erin had been right. But he was also aghast to see that it was worse than he remembered. Most upsetting.
TBC
--
Lt. Commander Jo Marshall
First Officer
USS Gorkon, NCC-82293
G239304JM0
&
Lt. Commander Erin Reynolds
Chief Engineer
USS Gorkon
T238401QR0
&
Lieutenant Commander Genkos Adea MD
Second Officer & Chief Medical Officer
USS Resolution
G239502GS0