Destination Unknown

Posted on Wednesday February 5th, 2020 @ 23:32 hours by Mayterial Droz & Alexandria Farron

Mission: Hot Couture
Location: Captain's Quarters, Deck One, S.S. Fawkes
Timeline: MD06 - 1230 hours
2018 words - 4 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON]

Before turning the corner into her quarters Mayterial stuck her head into the Bridge area and called inside, "Alexandria, could you come to my quarters, please?" Without waiting for a response she walked back a bit to come to her quarter's entrance. She opened the door and set it to stay open as to allow Alexandria easy entrance. They needed to figure out their next steps and the mousy navigator was just the right person for that job. She glanced over to the desk that held at least another two bottles of brandy, but decided to not drink in front of Alex. The ex-starfighter pilot seemed skiddish enough as it was, she didn't need to scare her off even more.

Alexandria looked around suspiciously as she navigated the short distance from bridge to captain's quarters, as if still wary of people out to get her. It had been a long day. Two days? She hadn't really slept since the day before the heist, and fatigue was starting to take its toll. Plus she was still in mild shock. Little remained of her fancy disguise from the night before, except for the sheer pantyhose that had somehow made it through without a single hole or ladder. She'd been too lazy to take them off, and now they were paired with athletic shorts, sneakers and a t-shirt sporting the logo for an once-obscure Trill girl-group that was now becoming mainstream. It was an odd look for anyone who didn't know Alexandria, and fairly typical for those who did. The only things missing were her ever-present sunglasses and beanie cap. Her hair and eyes were still their natural brown, but it was only a matter of time before she changed them back to their unnatural shades of gray and blue. The fact that she'd reverted to her natural shades to go into disguise probably said something about her character, though the irony escaped her.

Incidentally, the last time Alexandria had been in Captain May's quarters was when she'd slept in her bed. It was a very comfortable bed, and the navigator yawned as soon as she caught sight of it. Then again, she'd also napped on the captain's sofa, and yawned when she saw that too. Hesitant to sit for fear of falling asleep, Alexandria stood there just inside the entry, lurking in awkward fashion. Her feet quickly rediscovered the edge of the creaky deck plate she'd noticed during her first visit. As before, she couldn't help but compulsively prod it with a sneakered toe.

"You did great out there, you know that right? Couldn't have done it without you." Mayterial made her way over to the replicator, "drink?"

Alexandria froze. She'd seen this holovid before. After the robbing and pillaging, this was the part where the pirate captain selected the crew member deemed the greatest liability, disarmed them with praise, then had them... killed. She wasn't one hundred percent convinced that this was what was going to happen, but she was convinced enough to bury her fear. If the Betazoid captain sensed fear, she'd be even more convinced that Alexandria might one day betray her.

"Umm.... strawberry milkshake?" Alexandria said, trying hard not to think about escape routes. She couldn't run, and she couldn't hide. She twitched slightly as the cabin door slid closed behind her. If she was going to die by poison, at least it might be tasty. Might. Fawkes' replicators weren't very good.

One of the downsides to drinking was that her mental training was replaced with more instinctive uses of her empath abilities. Mayterial felt a lot of emotional turmoil coming from the navigator. That in itself wasn't really surprising, seeing how emotionally unstable the woman could be. "One strawberry milkshake, coming right up," She ordered one from the replicator in the corner and brought it over to the young woman, "Have you had time to find a proper place to set us down? Mercy needs some time with the engines idling. So a Fleet starbase or something would be ideal." Maybe taking her mind off the things that they had just gone through and focussing on her job and getting them back to civilisation would set her mind at ease.

Alexandria took the milkshake and gave it a not-so-subtle sniff, catching some milky froth on the tip of her nose in the process. She couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary, so she took a careful sip. "Nantak II is the closest place listed. Cheap docking rates, but their service and hospitality ratings are not good. If we require anything beyond the most basic parts, there is a good chance they won't have it..." Alexandria trailed off, waiting to see if any poison was taking effect.She didn't appear to be in any immediate danger of dying.

"Atherin Prime is the next closest... normally the best overall option. But they were under a recent quarantine due to an alleged outbreak of Andorian shingles. I can't confirm the legitimacy of that report." She shuddered nonetheless. She hadn't been vaccinated for that, and she'd heard that the symptoms were quite unpleasant. "Berune is also within a day's travel, and has excellent ratings. But their docking rates are higher than average, and the local security force is known for... fascist tendencies."

"Andorian Shingles?" Mayterial tried to think if she'd ever heard of such a thing, and if it would be worth it to avoid that particular place. If she took on passengers in that place there would be a high risk of infection. Especially in the confined space of their boat, "I think our best bet would be Berune, we can keep our heads low, and people would have enough reason to want to get away. Is there not a Federation outpost in that system?"

"Sort of." Alexandria said between sips of her milkshake. Her foot continued to prod the squeaky deck plate, though she seemed as aware of the nervous habit as the bit of froth still on the tip of her nose. "Starfleet also maintains a fuel and supply depot in the system and its crew's frequently take shore leave there... often with incident. I believe that is why the local security force is said to be short tempered and heavy handed." Though Starfleet tried to maintain an image of utmost professionalism and perfection, those who actually came into regular contact with its personnel saw a much different side. Disorderly conduct, public intoxication and physical altercations were often the norm when- and wherever Starfleet vessels docked for shore leave.

"Sounds lovely, make the necessary arrangements, and can you plot a course in the direction of the core worlds? I feel like we've had quite enough of the outer reaches. Could do with some stability. Put the word out there about where we're headed, work with Miss Nemet to get that done. Three legs to Earth or something like that." Mayterial put a foot forward, setting it down very close to Alexandria's foot, to stop the nervous tick from squeaking the floorboard. She always tried to give the young woman some leeway but it was starting to get on her nerves.

Alexandria nearly jumped when May stepped into her secure perimeter. The navigator was not particularly sensitive about other people's personal space, but she was about her own. She nearly fumbled her milkshake as she recoiled from May's approach, somehow pulling off a miraculous save without spilling a drop. To the observer it probably looked more like blind luck though, than skillful hand-eye coordination.

"Umm... okay." The navigator replied, after a moment of awkward silence. Whether it was an acknowledgement of May's orders, or something to break the awkward moment was anyone's guess. "I will poll the crew. I'm asked almost daily to plot a course to Risa, so I'm guessing that will top the list. I would also be interested in visiting Betazed, if that is an option." Alexandria added the last bit with some hesitation. She'd recently talked to her wife, who had just been released from prison. She'd been invited to visit. Alexandria was still unaware that May had tried to keep that conversation from happening.

The whole awkward response to Mayterial putting her foot down was immediately washed away at the mention of Betazed. It took her off guard and removed any comment she wanted to make on the dexterous save. She wondered why Alexandria would want to go to Betazed and she personally certainly didn't want to be near there any time soon, "Risa sounds good, we'll see if Betazed will fit in with the rest of the route." Her eyes narrowed a bit, remembering Alexandria's connection with Betazed. She'd have to look into the logs and see if there had been contact between her and the scammer that pretended to be her wife. She decided not to comment on it, "That's all. Please confirm the routes over to the Signaller and Bosun, we need to fill our holds and passenger quarters, it would help them to know where we're headed." She got up from the seat and stepped closer to Alexandria, she reached out and wiped the milkshake off of her nose with her thumb, "You had a bit of ..." She pointed at the milkshake in her hand.

That was what Alexandria got for signing up for this job--being worked to the point of exhaustion conducting criminal activities, then being too tired and unawares to guard against what happened next. She'd closed her eyes for just a moment, it seemed, and then there Captain May was, touching her nose. It could have just as easily been a knife to her throat, and that would've been it. Granted, May didn't seem the type to want a blood fountain in her quarters, but still.

In contrast to her near-crippling paranoia was one bit of logical reasoning though. If May had been seeking to poison her with the milkshake, she probably wouldn't have risked touching it with her bare fingers. And besides, most people would've just told her about it, rather than wipe it off themselves... well, most of the few people who would bother to care in the first place. Both the ship's quartermaster and signaler had sat through an entire meeting with her without bothering to tell her she had gotten oatmeal on her shirt and hair. Maybe Captain May didn't want to kill her after all? Or maybe it was just a ploy to get her to let down her guard.

"I should... uhh, go... then." Alexandria said, a relatively smooth closing statement, given her conversational skills. She really needed a nap, but the captain wanted her to talk to more people about... things. She couldn't wait. The sleepy navigator cast one final and not-so-subtle glance at the captain's comfy bed before she started ducking out of the room to scurry away.

Mayterial followed her gaze to the bed and sighed, "Once everything's set and sorted feel free to crash here." She had never really been a private person, but all the stuff that had happened since the lockdown was making her a little more guarded and on edge. She felt like she should get back to her own a bit more. That also meant she should be more open and inviting to her crew, "One time offer, not as a policy. We've all been through a lot." There was a need to specify with someone like Alexandria.

The navigator only got a few steps before May's reply. "Really?" She said with sleepy skepticism after the captain's initial invite. Her own bed was okay... but the mattress was thin, and her neighbor liked to play loud music that bled through the bulkheads. She guessed by May's amendment that the one-time offer did not include complimentary cuddles, but that was okay. Alexandria wasn't really the cuddly type. Plus she was married. Well, sort of. Before resuming her exit she offered the captain a rare, dreamy smile--rare enough that it may or may not have elicited feelings of immediate regret for May.

[OFF]

Mayterial Droz
Captain

&

Alexandria Farron
Navigator

S.S. Fawkes