Something Wicked This Way Comes...

Posted on Sun May 22nd, 2011 @ 2:40pm by Admiral Ricky Wegener & Captain Claudia Drake

Mission: The Ties That Bind
Location: SB900

Claudia walked towards the airlock, a bag slung over her shoulder, a young Ensign came towards her and spoke, "Can I help you with that ma'am?"

Claudia looked at him and smiled, "I would be most grateful young man." she smiled and handed him the bag, she may have been getting older, and although still physically fit, it didn't hurt to have youngster mistaking her for someone who needed help to carry things. She wasn't wearing a uniform as she hadn't fancied been called Sir every three seconds while on the long journey from Earth to sb900.

He took the bag and began to walk beside her, "You look familiar."

"I get that a lot" she said smiling at him.

"Wait...I know...you're from the Academy..."

Shit, she had been recognised, "Yes you probably do."

"Wait don't tell me....you're....you're." he said as they crossed into the Starbase. She smiled as she saw a familiar face waiting for her. She walked from the young man towards the older man. She stepped closer, and hugged him.

"Ricky, those boxes look nice on your collar" she kissed his cheek, "I always knew you'd go far."

She could see the young Ensign had caught her up and was shocked to see Claudia hugging the Rear Admiral.


"My dear Claudia, it seems like it's been eons since we last met!" He saw the Ensign gawking over her shoulder. "Is there something you need, Ensign?"

"Ah...no." He was having a hard time keeping his mouth from gaping open.

"Carry on then," he said as he backed away from Claudia and held her at arm's length. "You look as beautiful as ever. And may I assume you're still the hard-charging and sometimes mean-spirited Professor I came to know and love?"

"I never change" she said with a smile, "And flattery will get you everywhere...well apparently it already did" she smiled and looked at his collar, "You're running the base is the reason I took this assignment myself." she smiled and looked at the Ensign who placed her bag on the floor and moved away as quickly as possible, "You know you scared that poor kid" she smiled and looked to her bag, "Be a dear and carry an old ladies bag for her?"

"Of course," Ricky said, picking the bag up and walking along with her. "And he had no reason to be scared. I just need him working and not gawking." He winked. "So, I was such a good student that you just had to come out and play on my station, eh?"

"I was bored on Earth, there are only so many times you can give the same lecture and be involved in the same inter-divisional bitching" she smiled, "I am getting too old for that stuff and needed a bit of excitement. I realised I had never been to the Delta Quadrant so I thought what the hell" she began to walk, not actually knowing where she was going, "I assume you have nice quarters picked out for me...I hate anything too small, I need somewhere to keep the boys" she said with a wry smile playing on her lips. She was famous on the Academy for keeping two large Parithian Leopards as pets, the animals were the size of small Terran mountain lions, but were harmless, although she liked to scare cadets with them. She would spend the famous initial 5 hour exam seated at the front of the hall slowly stroking her leopards..."

"If they are not at-least half the size of those they give to you flag-officers I am on the first ship back to Earth, and I will pretend I actually like knowing that Lt. Kincade is having an affair with Dr Melok who is actually in love with that Vulcan stick-up-her-arse T'Mar." she laughed, and she put her weight onto her cane and carried on walking towards a turbolift.

Ricky laughed. She certainly was a one-of-a-kind woman. "We may not be as big as the Spacedock class, but we have some enormous rooms just sitting empty and one with your name on it, not far from your section of the base."

"Excellent" she said with a triumphant tone in her voice, "I hope I will be allowed to walk the boys around the station, you know they're not nasty...after all you did end up spooning one of them your graduating night" she winked at him, remembering the drunken state he was in after the formal ball. She had hosted a party for them at her own house in Rotterdam and most of the attendants had passed out long before she had even felt slightly merry, "You know you're father still hasn't forgiven me that his son looked hung-over to hell in his formal graduating holo." she paused as they entered the turbolift, 'Speaking of old Gunty, we had dinner last time he was on Earth, he asked after you." she looked at him in silence for a few moments, 'I think it's waiting for you to tell it where to go..."

"Ah, yes," he said, then announced, "Deck 550." The lift began to move. "Need I remind you that the last time we spoke you promised you would never mention the spooning incident again? I swear you just hold that over my head to use as blackmail." There was a shared chuckle between them then the lift got quiet. Finally, Ricky asked. "How's he looking now? You know, his health? Is he okay?"

"The same as always, even for one of our people you're father looks good for his age." she paused, "Although he has something of a silver-fox thing going for him now...all salt and peppered" she got lost in her own thoughts for a few moments, before exclaiming loudly, "That bastard! I've just realised he owes me 80 quid from 2012...I bet him the world wouldn't end...swine...." she laughed, "Sorry Ricky, all I know is he was headed to the Beta Quadrant on an extended run." she shrugged her shoulders as the turbolift began to slow down.

He tried to figure out in his head just how long it had been since he'd seen his father. He loved the man dearly but they just never spent much time together once Ricky went out on his own.

"Oh, and to answer your question, yes...you can walk your leopards wherever you please, so long as you clean up any messes they make." He looked wryly at her. "I remember the baby one you got my third year and I believe I'm still digging scat out of those boots."

Finally, the lift stopped and the doors opened. They walked less than one hundred feet and stopped at a nondescript door. "This is you, my dear professor. I'm sure it will be more than to your liking and, the best part is, not far from the lift and the next five decks are all yours. Do with them as you please--er, within reason," he quickly added, knowing just how this woman could act sometimes.

"I wouldn't open that package that I had sent to your office then" she said with a smile, she made a habit of sending her favorite former student's one of her leopards turds encased in plasti-glass cube to let them know she was coming. Knowing how the couriers were from Earth the package would probably arrive this afternoon. "Have your crew been told about my coming? I will need to speak to them about their role in educating the best and brightest future of Starfl..." she burst out into laughter, "Sorry that gets me each time."

That definitely got a chuckle out of Ricky. Remembering some of the stooges he went to the academy with, and the high positions they were now in, made him shake his head in wonder. "They were advised of the opening of the academy satellite, but not who was going to be the HMFIC." He smiled and waggled his eyebrows. "I wanted that little tidbit to be a surprise."

"Good, I love surprises, maybe get me a big leather winged chair that rotates, and a fluffy white cat..." she laughed, then realised that Ricky was too young for the reference, "Sorry a bit before your time, it's a bit before mine to be honest as well." she shrugged, "I've probably taught most of them" she looked wistful for a moment, "Shall we schedule a meeting for later this afternoon so I can meet them all?"

"Absolutely. How does 1700 hours suit you, in the main conference room? That way I can have you over for a welcome dinner and we can catch up on old times."

"Sounds like a plan. Now you young whipper-snapper: you need to piss off and do some work. You have an entire station to run. I will get myself sorted and settled in here."

He watched her disappear behind the door and smiled remembering just how terrified he was of that woman, and just how wonderful she actually was.

((OOC -- Anyone wanting to JP with Claudia before the meeting, just start it up on the site and I'll jump in. / Sam))

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A joint post by:

Professor Claudia Drake
Academy HMFIC

&

RADM Ricky Wegener
TF38 Commanding Officer
SB900 HMFIC