A Night Of Twists And Turns - Part III

Posted on Tue May 3rd, 2016 @ 8:23pm by Captain Li Hawke & Admiral Ricky Wegener & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & El'Shar Blackhorse

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: IKS cha'Do

* Deck 124 - Flight Deck , IKS cha’Do *

Li and Darwin stepped onto the ship and were headed to the small cabins to drop their bags when the doors began closing and the seals engaged. Both had stopped in their tracks, their eyes wide, wondering what was happening. Had someone else been assigned this ship in error?

“Li, honey, Rick said you were punctual, but I was beginning to get a bit nervous,” a familiar female voice announced over the internal comm system. “And he’s getting impatient, as usual--”

“Hey!” they heard in the background.

“--so buckle up or join us up here because we’re leaving now.” On cue, the ship began to lift and maneuver out of the bay.

“Well, that answers that question.” Li began to laugh and shook her head. “No wonder he gave in so easily. Which means….” She looked up at Darwin. “We’ll be sharing.” She opened the doors of the two cabins to see which was empty, then led the way into the one that was.

“Sh-sharing?” Oh, he was in so much trouble.

“Unless you want to sleep in the targ pit?” She laughed as she dropped her bag on one of the bunks. “You know very well who the last one sleeping in there was….and ewww. Did that get cleaned out?”

Sharing with Li was obviously far better than sleeping in the targ pit. “Oh, fine,” he dropped his bag on the other bunk. “He could have told us he was coming. Granted, then I’d have told Oz and Gilroy and they’d have pitched a fit and insisted on a larger ship and a contingent of security because, you know: Admiral.”

Li nodded. “Likely why he didn’t tell anyone. But El being here is a good thing. Retired temporal affairs officer, remember? Considering where we’re going.” She suddenly recalled they had been summoned. “We should get up to the bridge.”

“Fun,” Darwin had turned into the recalcitrant teenager. He followed Li to the bridge and gave the Admiral a glare of disapproval. “How thrilling, Admiral, to see you here.”

With a quick glare to Darwin, and then back out the viewports, Rick spoke. “Keep a civil tongue, young man. This might be off the books but I’m still your boss. I am very creative with punishments for those who deserve it.”

El gently put a hand on Rick’s forearm. “Cookies?” she asked, turning to Li and trying to change the subject. “I whipped some up for the ride.” She handed a small tin to Darwin and one to Li. “They’re chocolate with walnuts.”

“Thanks.” Li shot Darwin a glance, then opened the tin. “Here, Dar, have a cookie.”

Frowning, Darwin took the cookie. “I brought barbeque. From Bubba’s,” he said and ate the cookie.

“Excellent choice, Mr. Darwin,” El’Shar replied with a cool smile. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember your rank. Then again, I guess we’re not really using them for this trip are we? Either way, Rick tells me we’ll be cruising for a while so that barbeque might come in handy for you.” She looked to Li wondering what the hell was happening between the men and hoped Li could help.

“I think we’ll go pack that away and check the stores. I didn’t give them much time to stock the galley,” Li answered. “Also, Admiral, this ship is a trifle cranky just before going to warp. Sweet talk the engines a little and they’ll give in. Ready El?” She smiled sweetly at Darwin, then motioned to El’Shar and began to move towards the rear of the ship.

“The galley’s bursting at the seams,” Rick replied. “You think an Admiral going on a vacation wouldn’t have a fully stocked--” He stopped. Turning around he’d noticed the girls were gone and he was left with Darwin.

With a deep sigh he gestured toward the open seat. “Might as well make yourself comfortable, and useful. No telling how long they’ll be gone.”

“You say that as if I’m never useful,” Darwin moved to the co-pilot’s seat that El had vacated. “So you notified Oralia that she’s CO of the Station while you’re gone? Or does she get to skip that because she’s technically not on duty?”

Rick sucked through his teeth and put the ship on autopilot. They weren’t going to warp soon enough for him to need to be in direct control. Instead, he turned the chair to face Darwin. “Let me stop you right there, son. If you’re checking to make sure I performed my duties prior to going on this unannounced vacation, don’t worry yourself about it. And, since it’s just you and me here, why don’t you tell me just exactly what your problem is? I’ll even throw you a bone--we’re not in uniform, or on duty, so you can speak as freely as you dare. Just remember this: I, as with most El-Aurians, have an eidetic memory and you don’t want to burn the wrong bridges in life.”

Turning toward the Admiral, Darwin kept his frown in place. “If doing my job causes me to burn bridges, so be it. This is irresponsible, sir. We should be sending a ship - the Hammond or someone else - not larking off on an unsanctioned trip.”

“So this has nothing to do with Li being on this vessel? Be forewarned, if you say no, I’ll follow up with calling you a liar.”

“Of course it does. It has to do with you on this ship as well.” He dropped the ‘sir’; his temper was starting to get the better of him, mostly because the tensions on the ship were getting to him. “We have qualified personnel for this sort of thing.”

“You’re right,” Rick agreed. “We do. And some of those qualified personnel are on this ship right now.” He took a moment before speaking again, now speaking more calmly. “Listen, I do appreciate you reminding me that I’m not supposed to go on away missions and all that, but it wouldn’t have changed my mind back on the station either. Ship and base commanders do have the prerogative to do these things--well, maybe not off the books like this, but if you ask Li she’ll tell you that I’m not a conventional commanding officer and that this isn’t the first time this has been done.” He turned his chair back to its normal position and prepared to go to warp, giving the engines a few moments to come to terms with their impending task. “When I walked into my office earlier I had already planned this. It was just luck that you were also there and gave me the opportunity to bring one of our best security officers along. You’re here for a reason, though, not just because you were in my office. However, you’ve made your complaint known and, if you wish, I’ll make a formal note of it upon our return.”

“Let’s see how this trip goes, then we’ll see if a formal note needs to be made,” Darwin, too, turned towards the console. He checked a few readings, double-checking the admiral without thinking about it. “What’s the reason for me being here?”

“Two reasons, actually,” Rick replied without looking up. “The first I already told you, you’re one of our best security officers. I wouldn’t have promoted you and put you on the list of those who would take command of the station if that weren’t the case. The other reason is your relationship with Li. While I question it, it’s none of my concern. She may be a surrogate daughter to me but she is her own person. But she’s still dealing with so much right now and you are someone she can count on and talk to, probably even more than she’s willing to do with me. So, if this happens to go south, and I’m busy, she’s going to need you more than ever.”

“She’s quite stressed right now, but happy, too, since she and Max have connected.” Darwin took a deep breath then slowly admitted, “Harding has me on medical leave. Li... ah... triggered something and I’m having some side effects.”

“Will it affect you during this trip?”

“It won’t keep me from doing what needs to be done,” he said.

“Good enough for me.” The warp engines had idled long enough and he started them up easy, eventually getting them to warp 4. He turned his chair again and stood. “The ship is yours, for the moment. I’m starving. Want me to bring up some of your barbeque?”

“No, I just had some. Don’t tell Li what I said, about side effects.” He didn’t look at the admiral; instead, he checked the readings on the engines and the ship’s heading.

“Hello--telepath? I’ll do my best not to dwell on it, but I’ve been told, numerous times, that I am a loud...uh, thinker? Otherwise, your secret’s safe with me...to some extent.” He clapped Darwin’s shoulder as he headed to the galley. He was hungry but, for some reason, he really wanted to be around El right now.

It was only a few minutes later that Li appeared, the cookies in one hand and two glasses of milk in the other. She settled carefully into the empty seat, then held out the milk to Darwin. “It’s a classic and I thought you could use it. Everything okay?”

“Other than the admiral and his girlfriend being on this ship? No, everything’s fine,” Darwin let sarcasm lace his words. “I’m thrilled that we get to spend the next week with him on the ship.”

“He’s actually a good traveling companion. Just beware if he wants to play poker. He’s a great bluffer.” She sipped her milk then smiled. “I know it may be hard for you to get past the whole admiral thing but this will be a good way to get to know him on a more personal level. He’s very different when he lets his hair down.”

“I learned my lesson on poker with higher ups on the Eden trip. Oz still hasn’t collected her winnings.” He ate his cookie slowly and they sat in silence for a moment. He could tell she was a mix of stress, fear, and no small amount of excitement; the emotions felt almost like they were his, but he knew he wasn’t excited. He was irritated. “Dammit, Li, it’s bad enough that I have to worry about you, now I have those two as well.” He was supposed to be relaxed, having just returned from vacation - a stellar vacation - but instead he was uptight, worried, filled with fear for the crew on the Kohanna. “You need to calm down, Li, or I’ll have to take a Xanax.”

“I’m trying, really.” She let out a deep breath and was reaching out to touch his arm but stopped halfway. “What did you say? The last part.”

“Nothing,” he shook his head.

“No, it was something. What’s going on Dar?” She studied him a moment, then her eyes widened. “Ohhhhh…” She fell silent but her mouth was still open. She had no idea what to think.

“Yup.” He nodded. “Ed and Iggy made me go see Harding. He said that I have a new area in my brain. Perhaps we could take some time on this trip to teach me how to ...ah ...what is it? Block others out?” He glanced at her.

Li nodded. “Of course, that is essential so you don’t go nuts from the noise. But Darwin….why didn’t you tell me? This is huge and it’s….my fault.” She slipped her hand in his and squeezed it tight. I didn’t know this would happen.

“Neither of us did, Li.” He sighed. “I didn’t tell you because I don’t want you to feel guilty, which you do. I can tell. This is weird.”

“I’ll teach you how to live with it.” She smiled finally. “But you are not allowed to use it when we play poker.” She leaned over and softly kissed his cheek. “We’ll get you through this.”

“Good. Can you imagine if I were projecting emotions?” He laughed. “At least then, I’d still be relaxed and the people around me would be relaxed, too.”

“But you do, at least for me. You are nowhere near relaxed. Rick is a very strong-willed man and he’s going to do what he wants to do. He’s several hundred years old, I guess he’s entitled. I just don’t argue with him.” Li paused a moment, choosing her next words carefully. “I know this isn’t an easy situation….because of me. “

“It’s not an easy situation because of all of you, not just you, Li. All of you being the Admiral.”

“Well, try to rest easy on their account. He didn’t get this far without being able to take care of himself. Same for El. This trip is going to require that we all take care of ourselves. It’s not all on your shoulders. Besides, we can hope that it turns out to be nothing. Then we will have had a nice little cruise out and back with no pressures.” Looking at Darwin, however, she wasn’t so sure about that last part.

“I promise I won’t pressure you, Li,” he smiled at her, “but I sure won’t kick you out of my bunk.”

“Now who is playing in whose head?” she quipped. “That is exactly what he is afraid of.” She didn’t say which ‘he’.

“Max or the Admiral? If it upsets the Admiral, ...well... I’m not volunteering to bunk with him.”

“I wouldn’t say upset, just concerned. He isn’t so sure about Max either though, and I suppose it’s the whole protective thing. He knows very well that I will do what I want.” Her words echoed what Max had said just before she left and she frowned. Apparently, Max still knew her far better than he let on.

“Okay. You wanna go get some sleep? I’ll monitor the ship for the first shift,” he suggested. “Four eight hour shifts will be better than two twelves.”

Li looked at the conn and shrugged. “The ship will be alright on its own for a while. We should unpack though, and settle in. Maybe convince those two to have a game?”

“Bridge or Go Fish. I’m not playing poker with the admiral,” he asserted. He set the autopilot and stood. “Okay, come on, let’s go interrupt the Admiral before he eats all of my barbeque.”

**********
Admiral Rick Wegener
Captain El'Shar Blackhorse (Ret.)
Captain Li Hawke
Lt. Commander Michael Darwin