Come together right now...

Posted on 08 Feb 2018 @ 12:30am by Lieutenant Marion Kent

2,369 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: M-14 New Beginings
Location: Dockingarea
Timeline: Prior to departure.

ON

Kent knew the time table for warp Drive; he had broken it down by the variances of power centers, the Federation Warp Cores creating the Warp field per class and Reactor type. The calculations were in his natural brain as the Daystrom people did not have a nice calculator function in that computer bank of his. He really wondered if his Cyborg part of teh brain was really all that good? What kind of computerized system does not have a calculator function? One that runs a nervous system and Memory storage obviously.. duh.

Still, those functions would only have come to the conclusion microseconds faster than Kent himself; the same conclusion, Jillian was not arriving any sooner than the sensory net confirmed. The ship had been tracked along the planned trajectory, the speed variations was marginal at best.

"Slow Pig boat." Kent referred to the old Earth term for a large but slow freighter. He still had time and nothing is going to quicken her trip. It was only 3 weeks; 'Only' seemed a funny way to put twenty days sixteen hours and seventy five seconds.

He had a chronometer but no calculator; he really did wonder about priorities at Daystrom.

Jillian sat, pretending to read her favorite book. Persuasion, by Jane Austen. She knew every line by heart and she fell into it every time, her heart aching right along with Anne Elliot's and then- at last- exulting in triumph with her as well. But as the freighter got closer to their destination, even those well-known, thrilling words lost their ability to captivate her and her mind wandered.

Please, don't let him have changed his mind, she thought, half-afraid. She, like her dear Anne, had waited so long without hope. And she knew he wouldn't have changed his heart- Russ loved her and three weeks away wouldn't have changed that- but... Had he gotten a taste of 'freedom' and now regretting asking her to marry him? The ring on her left hand sparkled brilliantly as she played with it- twisting it on her finger had become a nervous or agitated habit in the last few weeks since he had given it to her.

She tried to tell herself that it wouldn't matter. As long as he loved her, it didn't matter if they were married or not.

She finally put her book away. They would be docking in 20 minutes. It was useless to pretend anymore, so she stared out the window.

And twirled her ring on her finger yet again.

[Docking Bay]

Okay, the meditation thing had worked; he would give the counselor that much credit, but he had to get that damn head clock reset as it obviously did not have an alarm. The Docking had changed and he was on his way at a brisk walk; officers do not run, and he had to have some decorum. The last letter had only arrived yesterday, nearly a week old and he ran his fingers along teh script, not caring as it was something she had touched so it was special. It was sent before she departed, luckily faster than the slow Pig Boat.

He wore the Brown slacks and boots; antique turtle neck and a matching vest to the boots in color. he had the flowers from hydroponics, and some chocolate; a cliche' but it worked well enough to remain a good offering of affection. The quarters were still separate until after the wedding but he knew where they were compared to Officer Country. What turbo lifts made the best path from Bridge or Engineering.

He could only get a forty eight hours away from Engineering, and that is lucky as this is Gamma Shift so still a work day and just those few extra hours.He came shuffling to a halt to the left side of the docking door. People were already filing out, he had his full field of vision, forget the headache he could relax with Jillian after this and be okay.

What if she were the first one off and Kent missed it? That might not give the proper impression, but she would have waited, maybe scolded him for being late... no she had to be coming yet as he did not see her in his field of vision nor catch that distinct scent of her favorite perfume...

Jillian had tried to jump up and get off the ship first but... Her section had been on the opposite end from the main docking port, and they hadn't opened the secondary, so she was stuck waiting. She took advantage of the delay by tossing her travel bag into one of her luggage crates- this freighter was bringing all her belongings after all- but then she fretted and waited and smoothed her skirt and fixed her hair. She'd taken a little extra care dressing for today, since she didn't have to wear her uniform while traveling this far. A knee length dress in emerald green was simple enough, but also happened to show rather nicely her feminine curves and she she'd indulged in high heels with an ankle strap that looked more daring than they really were. She'd pinned her strawberry-blond hair into her favorite loose chignon at her neck and done her make-up today specifically to highlight her violet eyes- her best feature, she personally thought.

Kent was on vanguard; the first tail of people was thinning out; that was the starboard side, she had to be port side then, he would play it he had been here the whole time and she would never know he was a bit on the late side. The port side would be coming out soon; he had controlled his breathing, his head panned slightly left and right to add field of vision that he really did not require but it felt like he had things covered well.

Finally, Jillian could see the docking bay doors and sighed impatiently, straining to see above the crowd in front of her as she got to step off the ship and into the docking bay of the station- he would be here, he had to be, there was no way he wouldn't be here....

Like a target locking the point in his vision locked upon the face he knew too well; both parts of his brain confirmed her presence disembarking. Those eyes were a give away, encircled by the lovely face framed by the strawberry Blonde hair. One hundred percent verified identification. He was moving deftly through the crowd; for once his heightened reflexes and other attribute set to maximum human potential were not strained as he got closer, he actually had to be glad the Daystrom folks got this part right. He saw her looking for him; never taking his center-most eye focus on her eyes as he bobbed and wove around passengers until she saw him coming. Now he did not care about passage of time the clock is discounted and all his universe focused deeply into the eyes that were much like an Old time Earth actress, the eyes he saw in dreams and now right in front of him.

"Hi..." He said before he leaned to kiss her; the flowers and candy could wait.

The moment she spotted him in the crowd, her eyes lit up with joy. "Russ!" she called out, despite the fact that he had obviously already seen her, since he was making a beeline for her, ans she weaved through the crowd to meet him.

Then he was there, in front of her and kissing her before she could say or do anything else.

Jillian was not normally one for blatant public displays of affection. She wasn't prudish or cold about it; they would walk arm in arm or hand in hand, he would guide her through a doorway with his hand gently resting on the small of her back, or they would gaze deeply and unashamedly into each other's eyes while they were out, but public kisses were normally kept on the proper side of societal judgement.

Today was not normal.

Russ- Marion Russell Kent- kissed her, and she closed her eyes to kiss him properly in return: slowly, almost reverently, experiencing each moment to the fullest. She rested her hands on his chest and when she was breathless from his kiss she buried her face there as well, fighting back tears of joy at being back with him. "Hi, Duke," she whispered as she tucked her body up against him to be held close for as long as it took for them to ease the ache that their blessedly brief separation had caused them.

Kent held her; though he felt her warmth and hoped it would not melt the chocolate; he knew better but she was so warm and cuddly at the moment, she rested close to him and he would not allow time to continue. Just basking in the fact she was here; in his arms and a hug was nothing blatant about their affection and one public kiss is enough of his pushing propriety for one day.

"I missed you, My Love... did not sleep well knowing you were not .. at least near." He had restless nights where his mind had taken in too much and the slight noise of her breathing in his bed like a pillow; the echo of her heartbeat in the silence comforted him. Leaning on his chest he wished he had no shirt; to have her cheek so close did give him comfort and he even felt his own breathing calming with her right here.

She smiled and gave a little half chuckle. "Am I terrible person if I admit that I'm glad to hear that?" she asked him softly. "It's good to know I'm not the only one who didn't like being so far away." She looked up at him finally and smiled. "And now I'm here."

"Perish the thought." Kent smiled. "Sorry I kinda broke that promise not to leave you." He said softly. "I'll be more careful in the future. Would not do well away from the most precious thing that not even all the Latinum of the Grand Negas can buy?" He waited for her to look him in the eye. "A loving heart."

"You didn't break your promise so much as... bent it a little," she teased. "And my heart is yours, Russ. Always, and forever." She hugged him briefly and then stepped back a bit and noticed that his hands were not empty. "You brought me flowers?" she seemed a little surprised, in a good way, as she moved to take the bouquet from him.

"Oh yeah, forgot about those..." HE seemed quite genuine in his admission. "I... also got you this." He gave her the box of chocolate. "Andorian chocolate, I found a freighter that needed a little tweak so I ..." He smiled. "Thought you would like them."

"I will, thank you. And I like even better that you thought of it." She touched the petals of the flowers gently and breathed in their fragrance for a moment. Some of her girlfriends thought she was silly, putting so much stock in little 'meaningless' gestures like flowers. Of course, those same girlfriends often complained that their boyfriends were distant or negligent. Jillian's beau was always doing little things like this, and she never ever started to take it for granted. She'd gone too many years without such tokens to not appreciate them when she got them.

She tucked the flowers and chocolates under one arm, she slipped the other through his to walk at his side. "Now," she said, "it will take ops a little while to get my things transferred to my new quarters, and my report date isn't for a few days- this transfer got a little rushed on the other end- so... any ideas what we might do to fill the time?"

"I managed to get a forty eight hour pass." Kent said calmly. "This is my work day so I figure a little fudge on that part so I was hoping to show you a nice Italian place I found on the That looks out over the artificial lake used to water the Hydroponics section." He started, "And then perhaps if you were not in a hurry to get to the ship there is a nice bit of a hotel near the common areas that actually has a view out a Environmental Portal into the sky?"

She laughed. "I am in no hurry to get to anywhere that I have to act officially like a member of starfleet. Getting the few extra days was one reason I was willing to ride on that infernal thing," she nodded her head back towards the docking bay, "rather than wait for a more comfortable, faster transport. I've spent my last nights on a tiny bunk crammed up against the wall so I didn't fall out in a 'room' that barely counted as an alcove off of the corridor. I could definitely use a nice big bed and a room with enough space to stretch out in."

"I also made sure to have a large spa type tub and there are said to be excellent Bath oils in the hotel." He leaned closer to her ear. "I also have some Massage oils that I am told are excellent for sore muscles." He winked. "Freighters are not the most comfortable and I am more than willing to pamper you a bit to make up for the sacrifice."

Jillian shivered with something like delighted anticipation. She loved a good spa day and massage. And she had been separated from her fiance for three weeks. "When you put it like that, I have a feeling it'll be worth every cramped and awkward moment," she murmured.

"I think I can spoil My Beloved for a bit." He put an arm around her waist. "First I feed you decent, real food and then the pampering?"

Jillian smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment as they walked. "Anything you like, Duke. I'm all yours."

OFF

Lt. Russell Kent
Chief Engineer

Chief Warrant Officer Jillian Peters
Flight Control
Betrothed to Kent

 

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