New Crew and Achilles Alum mixer - Part 3

Posted on 20 Mar 2014 @ 12:08am by Commodore Da`nal of the House of Varal

1,541 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: M12: For Duty or Honor
Location: Poisoned Arrow Lounge

Lounge

Cammy stepped into the lounge with Lisa right behind. She swept her eyes around the room, taking the event in for a moment. "A Starfleet Party. Talk about contradictions. I've seen more excitement in a library."

"I'm impressed you know what a library is." Lisa remarked with a grin.

"Cute." Cammy replied as she twisted her back around. A muffled pop cam from between her shoulders, and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Why do you do that?" Lisa remarked with a sickened expression on her face as Cammy twisted the other way. "You know I hate popping joints."

"Gotta get some disobedient vertibrae back in line." Lisa winced as Cammy's back emitted another pop. Cammy laced her fingers together, a wicked grin on her face. "You think that's bad? Listen to this masterpiece." She pushed her hands forward as her fingers rang out with a cascade of crackling knuckles.

"Ugh"

Cammy's grin got bigger as she shook some blood into her fingers, then gripped her chin and the back of her head. "And now for the neck..."

"And I'm out of here." Lisa said walking off. "When you're done dislocating every joint you have, think you might get me a drink?"

"I'll give it some thought." Cammy said watching her drift into the crowd.

Sharpe had, by this point, got himself a drink and was nursing it over in a corner by himself. He didn't know these people, and to be honest, didn't really care all that much. Some Marines tend to keep to themselves, and from bitter past experience, he didn't want to get too familiar with the navy pukes. They tended to be rather up themselves on their advance to the lofty ranks, and viewed marines as expendable fodder. This wasn't an absolute rule of course, but for the most part, it was true. At least, from his personal experience. He therefore intended to keep himself.

Lantiq noticed the young Marine Officer brooding in a corner and wander over to join him , keeping a straight face, but with tongue firmly in cheek, he asked quietly "I've heard that in Earth history, Marines were forced to wear stiff high leather collars, to make them keep their heads up in a smart and soldier like manner leading to them being called leather-necks or boot-necks. From your demeanor Mister Sharpe, I was wondering if you had re-established the tradition?"

Richard eyed the officer who had approached him. Bajoran. It would be a bloody Bajoran wouldn't it? They were everywhere now that Bajor was in the Federation. Who would've thought that there were so many of them around. One would've thought that the Cardassians had done a sizable job of culling their population, but in the words of one Glin he'd met on an exchange, they were like Earth cockroaches - impossible to eradicate. Of course, that was Cardassian points of view. Humans were supposed to be far more... evolved... and be respectable. But somehow, this Bajoran's sense of humor just didn't agree with Sharpe. "No sir." He said, acknowledging the rank insignia of a Lieutenant Commander of the Command division. Admittedly, he could be in flight control, as they wore red too, but given that it was a Lieutenant Commander - it was more likely he was in command. "Respectfully sir, I am merely keeping myself to myself."

Cammy overheard the lone Marine's comment as she walked past, and turned towards the voice. She noticed a lone Marine looking very much like he wanted to be left alone. Experience taught her that this was the one thing that guaranteed people would come over and bother you.

"If you want to be left alone," Cammy said approaching the table. "Don't act like you want to be left alone. Act like you have millions of vacation holos you're just dying to show the first person who makes eye contact."

Lantiq looked down at the Marine sensing a degree of hostility. Deciding that it wasn't worth it and this wasn't the time or place he granted the man his request and walked off to let the man be a wallflower. Besides he could see if Ens. Valentine had any luck getting him to stop sulking from across the room.

Perhaps it was that sixth since she sometimes seemed to have, or maybe there had just been something about the man that she'd first met while waiting to make this transfer. Either way, she'd noticed him among the crowd when she'd walked in. Though she'd also noticed that like herself, he wasn't overly thrilled with being here. He though hadn't seemed to have found a good hiding place and she pondered rescuing him. He was a Marine though… did he really need rescuing?

A hand lifted to rub the bridge of her creased nose before ordering a couple drinks. Bajoran Ale for her and a beer for him. Perhaps a bit stereotypical of her, but she figured she couldn’t go too terribly wrong with beer. Most men seemed to like the stuff she’d heard. And even if he didn’t want it, at least it was a good ice breaker so he could go back to brooding.

Rising with the drinks, the half Bajoran woman weaved around the crowd of others to make her way over to where he was. As she reached the table Kassi offered Cammy a smile before moving to the chair opposite of Sharpe and took the chair, making sure to leave the other one for the other woman, after all she didn’t want to me things up for the Marine if she’d been wrong in her thinking. “Hi, I hope I’m not interrupting anything, I just for the life of me couldn’t find another place to sit and well… I brought you a beer at least. You know, just trying to be friendly.“ She said with a bit of a ramble. “I would have brought you something to drink had I noticed you were here when I first started over here. “ Kassi said with a glance to Cammy.

"I'm sure I'll survive." Cammy replied, waving away the notion.

Sharpe looked somewhat overwhelmed by all the attention he was getting. He at least knew who Kassi was, having met her on the ride over. Even though she was half-Bajoran, he still liked her a bit. That was odd, wasn't it? That lead to a little moment of internal confusion on his part, that he could dislike Bajorans, but not dislike this one. He'd have to work that one out.

As for who this other woman was, he had no idea. She was certainly friendly enough, and wore Intelligence grey, but he was still none the wiser for who she was. Deciding that she had at least some point, he'd somewhat conceded that if he'd wanted to be left alone, he should've stayed in his quarters. But it was hard for him, because he didn't want to get to know these people, because the people he'd cared about, laughed with, gone out on the town with... his friends... were all dead. How did you come back from that?

"Thank you ladies." He said, finally. "I appreciate the effort, but I'm a lost cause."

"That wouldn't be the sound of a Marine giving up that I hear, would it? Tch, tch, tch...whatever would his fellow Marines say?" She whispered to Kassi loud enough for Sharpe to hear.

Since went did intelligence officer get so dang talkative Kassi wondered as she listened to the other woman with a slight raise of a brow and peek to her. A lift of that glass for a drink before she murmured softly. “Actually, most Marines I’ve heard about are usually the strong but silent type.” Hey, the woman had asked and she gave a slight shrug.

She could see he didn't want to discuss whatever cloud he had over his head, and she was all too willing to respect him not wanting people butting in to his problems. "Tell you what," Cammy said leaning back. "I'll leave you alone as soon as you convince me you aren't completely miserable. That way, I can honestly tell everyone here that you always look like this and there's nothing wrong with you." She gave him a friendly smile. "After all, you wouldn't make a Starfleet officer lie to her fellow shipmates to cover up for you, right?"

“He can’t be miserable, he has a beer and he has me for company.” Kassi said with a smile to wink to Sharpe before smiling to Cammy. Of course, if this worked to get Cammy off her little kick, the Marine was so going to owe her.

"Well, you're half right." Richard countered. "I have a beer, therefore I am happy." He wasn't as sure about this Kassi chick. She seemed a little... odd. "I promise you, I'm fine, I'm just... keeping myself to myself." He added, trying to get rid of this annoyingly chipper intelligence officer. She was amazingly friendly, and he couldn't bring himself to be rude to her. How could you be horrible to someone who was clearly the nicest person on the ship?


TBC

 

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