Post by Scribe on Oct 16, 2009 16:23:49 GMT -5
NEW EARTH COLONY, GAIA
STARDATE: 13122170
Staring at the communicator after she had got him on the line, Lea Lynch fidgeted in her seat, trying to get up the nerve to do this. Even though she was convinced he would not read too much into what she was about to ask him, it was still something of an effort to force the words out. It had been such a long time since she'd made the request of anyone that it felt alien escaping from her lips.
And yet she knew putting it off was not going to help either. Right now, he was waiting for her to speak, to tell him for the reason for her call, instead of creating dead air between them on the com channel.
Taking a deep breath, Lea told herself – once more onto the breach and just asked him.
"Are you busy tonight Captain Rickman?"
"Tonight?" Derick Rickman had to pause. What the fuck was tonight? Lexie…oh wait. No. That was tomorrow night. "I thought I might... disassemble my phaser and clean it with a toothbrush..." he grinned.
"Well far be it from me to remove you from a night of such excitement," Lea said, shaking her head in her office, glad that he had joked because that relaxed to elaborate why she had asked him his plans this evening. "I have a thing tonight. I have to attend a function as security chief...it's been suggested that I bring an escort…" She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and braced herself, "would you like to go?"
At his desk, where she couldn't him, a smirk stole over Derick's face although he could guess how such a thing would be uncomfortable for her. In a room, with all those people presented so many unknown variables and she liked knowing what her variables are. Hell, the least he could do was go with her. On top of his apparent mission to get her to smile every time they talked. "A thing...I think I could do that," he said. Was Tom going to this thing too? "I mean, if you want to be associated with a mere Shark."
"I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't," Lea grumbled. "It a do aboard the Vulcan ship in orbit, I've been told to smile and look demure. Do I bloody look demure to you?" She snorted. "In any case, it's supposed to be a good will thing to welcome some new potential members to the Federation. Uniforms optional."
"That's the Betazeds that go naked to everything so I'm assuming a tuxedo otherwise?" Grinning to himself, Derick had to shake his head. No, she wasn't demure. Skittish, shy, sometimes downright terrified but not demure. "So what time should I pick you up?"
"Seven will do," she said brightening, grateful that he hadn't given her a hard time about this and even more so because he had agreed to come. "We can transport from my place to the ship." She replied smiling. It was good that he was going with her. Anyone else and it would be awkward; they'd think her asking them meant more than it actually was. Derick was different, he knew that they were friends and wouldn't try to hit on her.
"Seven it is," he replied. "A Vulcan party... sounds like... loads of rip-roaring fun," he grinned.
"Yes if we're really lucky, maybe they'll break out the quadratic equations and let us solve them before dessert." She teased. Not looking forward to it but grateful he was going to be there with her to save her from death by extreme boredom.
"I'll bring my abacus. Alright. So if you want me there all spiffy, I need to get some paperwork done..." Derick replied, his smile evident in his tone. "Having a good day so far?"
"Yeah," she stared thoughtfully at the communicator on her desk. "So far."
"I'll pick you up at your place about a quarter til seven, how's that sound?" Derick waved off Tom who was peering in his door like a kid spying. In other words, not at all subtle.
"Terrific," she nodded, "I'll see you then." Lea found herself smiling like a school girl. Bloody Yank.
He couldn't see it.. But Derick heard a smile. Or thought he did. "You got it. Rickman out..." He cut the comms, smiling to himself. "You can come in!" he called out to Tom.
"Moi?" Tom stepped into through the doorway, leaning against the frame with look of pure innocence. "Date tonight?"
"It's a not a date date. Some Vulcan thing she's got to go to," Derick said, trying to brush it off. "So if you don't mind, I'm going to leave about an hour early."
"Sure," Tom smiled, pleased to see Derick getting out there again after the whole business with Elena. His best friend needed someone in his life and oddly enough, he and Lea Lynch seemed to be an interesting couple. "Just stay away from any firing ranges...there's something about Sharks and Security Chiefs." Tom grinned.
Laughing, Derick was glad to see Tom actually cracking jokes, laughing when he thought of Alex instead of wanting to bury himself inside a bottle. Yep. Sloane was good for him. "Thanks for the…uh…tip," he grinned.
"No worries and you're good for leaving early too," Tom grinned, heading out of the room.
"Thanks..." He called after Tom. Seriously. This wasn't a date. Okay. Sort of but not really.
*****
Lea looked at herself in the mirror and tried to remember the last time she had worn a dress like this.
It wasn't so much as a dress as it was a gown. A low neck gown of silver that covered the scar on her blades but still bared shoulders. She questioned why she was wearing such a thing. Because the occasion was supposed to be a diplomatic dinner. The Vulcans were hosting a banquet for the race known as the Palmari, endorsing their membership in the Federation. In an effort to make the occasion less stifling since the Palmari were very much an expressive people, the Vulcans had asked for Starfleet officers to be present.
Lea ensured her hair was piled on top of her head and she looked suitably civilized as she waited for Derick to come meet her at her home so they could beam up to the Vulcan ship together.
*****
Uniforms were optional, Lea had said but Derick had chosen his dress uniform and even managed to get Jules to give him a quick haircut. Not because this was a date... it wasn't. Just a dinner. Some formal thing on a Vulcan ship that was bound to be boring as hell. In fact, he could just hear Ren now. Do not tease the Vulcans, Gunny, I don't care HOW bored you are!
Still, he'd taken Lea's offer anyway. Over the last few weeks, he'd joined her when possible for her morning run up Mayweather Trail. Sometimes, they talked, sometimes they didn't. That was fine with Derick, leaving it to Lea to speak when she wanted. This actually happened more and more, especially since he'd gone with her down to the new beach resort to inspect its security procedures. He'd convinced her to come out to the beach, to go swimming. He still remembered standing there in the water, Lea being so silent, holding his arm and her fingers ever so gently touching the burn marks left on his back from his father. Yeah, he'd have to say that was a defining point because now she seemed more open, towards him anyway. Face someone else and that mask was back in place.
That trip had seemed to cement something between them and Derick had made it a point to meet up with her more often. He'd even found occasion to join her for lunch a couple of times, mostly to discuss this integration project of hers but as Jules had pointed out, she'd become 'Lea' and not Lieutenant Commander Lynch. Julian had even suggested they have her over for dinner.
Derick had quickly suggested it was a good idea but they weren't a couple. That and Lea deserved to be warned about Jules' cooking.
And not just because she was human.
Laughing to himself, Derick's mind swung back to Lea, how she assessed and analysed everything not because it was new but because it could be a threat. Every time he was around her, he saw those tigers in the Betazoid Zoo. That was one reason he'd agreed to come tonight, to a help a friend in a social situation that she sure as hell didn't want to be in.
And it wasn't at all because he found that elusive smile of hers pretty.
Not at all. Moving up to the door, Derick keyed the chime.
Lea almost jumped at the sound and she swivelled her eyes from the mirror to the door. Taking a deep breath and smoothing down her skirt, Lea made her way to the door on the silver heels she purchased thinking that the shoes made your legs look great but were not that fun to walk on. Nevertheless, the least she could do was to treat Derick to a companion who didn’t look like she just tumbled out of a cave.
And it had nothing to do with wanting to look nice for him.
Activating the door, her eyes widened at how well he cleaned up. Damn, she thought to himself. Dress uniform really did suit him. “Bugger,” she said with a little laugh, “you scrub up pretty well Captain.” She said, puzzled at why she was suddenly breathless.
Wow. Derick actually lost his tongue for a moment, unaware of sweeping his gaze down and back up her form... he only knew that fuck a dead chicken, she was HOT. Had she always been this incredible looking?
Answering his own question, Derick figured he just hadn't really seen it. They were running partners, through the rain and the mud and working together on this integration thing but he just hadn't noticed. Out of respect, maybe for not only Lea as a co-worker but her situation. "Speaking of cleaning up well," Derick smiled at Lea, one hand indicating the dress. "You look fantastic..."
Lea blushed. She knew she looked good and had received compliments from men before Azati but since coming back to Gaia, she had been a mostly sexless creature. She certainly didn’t look in the mirror and see attractive woman, she looked into the mirror and just tried to find Lea. Not always an easy thing to do when a stranger’s eyes stared back at you and you knew that she was you, even if it didn’t always feel it.
“Thank you,” she stepped back. “Its been so long since I played dress up, I almost forgotten how to do it. Feel like we’re going to a deb ball or something. You didn’t bring a ute did you?” Of course he wouldn’t get the reference. Deb balls or rather debutante balls were excuses for 16 years old Australians to get righteously hammered before shagging all night in the back of the girl’s escorts utility truck or pick up under the stars.
"A.. ute?" Derick raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?" he grinned. "You ready to go? Do we need to go to your office?"
“No,” she shook her head, “not important unless you had plans of shagging til sun up with a cask of cheap wine.” It was meant as a joke until she thought about the implications and shook her head. She used to be so much better at the small talk. “We can transport from here.” She went to the nearest com panel and contacted Starfleet.
"Good to know Mars wasn't all that different than the rest of the world," Derick chuckled, offering her his arm once she'd made the call.
*****
A few short minutes later, they shimmered into existence on board the Lematya, in its transporter room. Larger than most, Derick took a moment, as he always did, to ensure that he arrived with all the correct parts. "Still in one piece?" he asked Lea quietly, as there was already a Vulcan delegate waiting for them, waiting to show them to the ship's ob deck.
Looking at all those rigid and somewhat stoic faces was slightly intimidating but Lea handled it. Stoic and rigid she could handle it even if it wasn’t the norm for her. Taking Derick’s arm, she stared at him a moment at how easy she was able to do that. For the first few weeks back, it had been an ordeal to have people make the simplest human contact without her needing to take their heads off.
“Yes,” she nodded and took the opportunity to explain as the Vulcans approached them. “Alright, the Palmari are from a system not far from Vulcan. They haven’t much contact with interstellar species until now. The Vulcans are trying to introduce them to other species so they’d feel comfortable about joining the Federation. The planet is covered in dilithium which would make the Palmari quite valuable to interstellar trade.”
The Palmari were willowy people, big grey eyes with no whites, who looked mostly humanoid with pale skin and jet black hair. Somewhat ghoulish in Lea’s opinion but she kept that to herself.
“Commander Lynch,” a Vulcan female in her fifties, wearing russet robes approached them on the transporter pad. “Welcome aboard the Lematya. I am T’Daris."
“Thank you T’Daris, I am honoured. This is Captain Derick Rickman of the Starfleet Marines Corps.”
“We are honoured, Captain.” The woman bowed slightly.
Time to play civilized man. With echoes of Ren in his head, Derick bowed his head. "Thank you, T'Daris," he said, taking Lea's information in stride as his gaze shifted over to the Zombi.. people. The Palmarians. Not .. zombies. Biting his tongue, he glanced at Lea and back to the stately Vulcan. "The honour is ours."
The Vulcan female did not smile but then they never did and with a prompt turn on her heels, led them out of the transporter room into the rest of the ship. Lea kept her arm linked through Derick, liking the illusion in her head that she was normal as any date he might have, not a basket case that was great in a fight but useless anywhere else.
The banquet hall, which was an elegant stateroom made into function hall, was surprisingly enough was not just filled with Vulcans and Palmarians but other races as well. She spied Andorians, Telerites, Betazoids and Trills. It seemed the Vulcans had wanted the Palmarians first interstellar experience to be a positive one by inviting a range of Federation members to the banquet. “This party might be interesting after all,” she whispered in his ear.
"I'll wait until they break out the quadratic equations," Derick replied under his breath, throwing a wink at her sideways as they followed T'Daris. Around them, Betazoids were animated in silent conversation and Vulcans talked at length with little expression and emotion showing through. He found it surreal almost until he heard a familiar voice as they entered the hall.
"Captain Rickman! How glorious to see you here!" The voice belonged to a Telerite, one that was hurrying across the open expanse of room towards them.
"Tash!" Derick grinned, hand extending to shake the Telerite's. Slightly pudgy and shorter than him, Tash shook his hand and transformed it into a more complicated greeting of his people. "Good to see you too! Where the hell have you been?"
"Oh," Tash chortled slightly, comical given his race's facial structure. "You know how the cat drags us around. You have a mate now. My wives will be very happy to learn you are saddled!" he replied happily, indicating Lea and clueless to his butchered human idioms.
Oh shit... Derick winked at Lea and indicated her for Tash. "We're not.. mated, Tash. This is Lieutenant Commander Lea Lynch, Gaia's new Chief of Security."
Tash's wide, bulbous eyes blinked at Lea and then Derick, before he burst out laughing. "Oh, I have made a funny!!!" he giggled and looked at Lea. "Forgive me, Commander," he said, bowing forward. "Captain Rickman is always saying I make the funniest funnies. You are not offended?"
The man's personality was so infectious that it was hard not to forgive and truth be told, it wasn't that offensive to her. She and Derick had been seen around a bit so it was only natural to make the assumption. "Not at all," she tossed Derick a little smile. "I could do worse than him if I had to choose a mate."
Oh was that a flirt? Lea was too out of practice to be sure.
Ah-ha, a smile! Derick was going to have log this moment in time somewhere. He smiled warmly at Lea, glad to see that at least on the outside, she seemed relaxed.
Tash bowed again. "Well, you must see me before the night is over, Captain. We should regale Commander Lynch with our adventures on Rigel IX," he said and left them on promise that Derick would at least say goodbye.
Watching him go, Derick shook his head, chuckling. "Don't ask..." he said to Lea, smiling at her.”Several years ago, we pulled a Telerite trade delegation out of Rigel when a negotiation between them and a race called Aukla went south. Took us a few days. Tash was our liaison during that." He looked down at her. "Doing okay so far?"
"Yeah," she nodded as they continued to mingle. "I didn't realise it was so hard being sociable. I used to be good at this you know," she declared, as if needing to convince him. "Now I just don't have the patience for it." Still it was nice being with him, having his support and it was good to know that he was watching her back, making sure she didn't say anything offensive when people pissed her off.
"I had to learn the hard way," Derick grinned, free hand covering hers on his arm without thinking. He could feel her fingers fluttering against his sleeve and it only emphasized her not quite smile, "I was a sergeant before Tom would even let me out in a gathering like this," he teased. "And even then Richards had to be with me. They don't teach etiquette in Marsi, you know. Would you like something to drink?"
"Oh God yes," she replied and then added, "I'd give my life for a beer right now but I think we're going to be stuck with those fruity drinks that they serve at things like this," she smiled. "Just make sure there are no umbrellas or twisty swizzle sticks please?"
A woman after his own heart. Beer, thank god. Derick chuckled and nodded. "Deal but only if you let me take you out for a beer at some point." Say what? "You know, after work some day," he added, so Lea wouldn't panic. Not that he thought she would but Derick wanted her relaxed tonight, to have a good time at what was probably the first time she'd been so public since her ordeal. And Der.. shut up and get the drinks already. "I'll be right back. No umbrellas." Derick winked at her.
"I'll be waiting," she said, staring after him, finding herself smiling as he left. It had been so long since a man's smile could affect her and a wink had stirred emotions in her she thought burned out of her being forever. Watching him go, she thought about their relationship, how nice and safe it was and wondered what it was about her that made him take the time. He was a handsome man, surely there were women who were more accommodating that he should be spending time with.
*****
A few minutes later, longer than he would have liked but there was a line, Derick returned to Lea's side where she wasn't alone. A Vulcan was speaking with her and as he waited patiently, Derick used the moment to observe Lea. She was striking instead of pretty, with the hair and the eyes that most women would die for. And then there was her smile. What a smile, when it was let out. He'd seen it a couple of times, knowing that whatever she gave him during their day to day interactions was only a ghost of the one that used to be there. Slender, he wondered if she'd lost a lot of weight during what had happened for Lea seemed a little gaunt or maybe it was just that way she seared everything into her memory.
After getting into a near philosophical debate about security keeping the peace, Lea was happy to see Derick come back and she took the moment to break away from the festivities and ask. "Fancy a walk to their OB deck? T'Daris said it has quite a view." In truth, it was getting a bit overwhelming all this schmoozing.
"Sure... I can 'fancy' that," he replied with a smile, handing over a glass of wine. "Closest thing I could get to no umbrellas. Hope you don't mind." Derick offered his arm again and when she took it, he led them both out into the main passageway where, he noted gladly, it was a little cooler. "She didn't happen to tell you which way the OB deck was, did she?"
"One deck up apparently," she replied, taking the wine and his arm. "Thanks," she said as they drifted out of the function hall, "I needed a breather. As soon as people start asking me where I served and who I served with, I start getting nervous."
"Gotcha." Pulling his arm that she was holding closer to his torso, Derick kept his pace leisurely. "This is the first time you've been out at a function like this, right?" He asked it gently, matter of factly, and didn’t tack on 'since'. They approached the lift, Derick stepping back once to let a group of the Palmarians pass them by. Despite his attention being on Lea, Derick could feel their observant eyes on his uniform, the medals on his chest and the different stripes on his slacks that represented a campaign or two. Ever the gentleman, Derick nodded, arm protectively going to the small of Lea's back to lead her around them.
"That obvious?" She met his gaze, noting how the Palmarians were impressed by the uniform. "Yes I'm afraid. I used to be comfortable at these things you know? Now I feel like there's too much talk and all of it seems to be going around in circles. When the bloody hell did I become such a closet case?" She laughed.
"There's always been too much talk," Derick said as the aliens moved on and he guided her into the lift, grateful when the doors slid shut and left them in peace. Turning to her, he sipped at his drink. "And it's not that obvious." Smiling, he hoped that was reassuring. She really wasn't being that obvious, part of it was him. Trained to notice behaviours in his recruits, Lea's nerves telegraphed to him.
"Thanks," she let out of a sigh of relief. "Its not that they intimidate me or anything," she met his eyes inside the narrow space of the lift, "it’s just that the small talk seems so tedious. It’s like talking just for the sake of talking, without anything real to say." She paused. "Does that make sense?"
"A lot, actually," Derick nodded. "And you're right. Most of it is just talk. Except for the Vulcans. I doubt they engage in anything just for the sake of it," he grinned.
"Oh bugger no," she laughed as the lift came to a stop and she stepped out into a room framed by clear plexiglass that allowed for a panoramic view of Gaia. "Now that's worth seeing," she said turning to him.
"Whoa...." Derick paused just outside the lift, as the room gave the illusion that you were stepping right out into open space. Above them, the sun shone on Gaia's southern and as of yet unexplored continent. "Look.. snow," he said, pointing out the peaks of white amid the greens and browns. "That's Hades Cape, there's talk about setting up a ski resort there."
"God," she thought about that activity. "I haven't been skiing since I went to Andoria a few years ago. Matt and I went together..." she paused. "It was a while ago. I guess not much snow in Mars?" She asked veering away from the subject of Matt.
"Hah... are you kidding?" Derick chuckled, shaking his head, caught up for a moment in the lilt of her laugh and finding himself amazed with it. "Everything's red dust. And it covers everything. What snow there is .. was... was so high up, you needed EV suits to ski it."
"Do you miss it?" She asked honestly as they went to the glass, standing inches away from space. "Mars that is?"
She knew that his experiences of his youth on Mars weren't good ones. After she had seen the scars on his body during that trip of theirs to a resort on the Hornblower Sea, she had understood why he referred to them both being 'damaged'. After that Lea had found dealing with Derick a good deal easier as if she had found someone who knew what she was about because he had lived through something almost as bad. Still Mars was his home and he must have had some good times there.
Not answering for a moment, Derick shrugged, glancing down at Lea. "Not really. There's certain things I miss but in general, it... well...I didn't have that great a childhood and got off that rock as soon as I could." The same childhood that helped him recognize the high-intensity burn on her shoulder. Skin only melts like that under two conditions; seriously intense heat... or the heat source actually coming into prolonged contact with flesh. "Never went skiing on it. Didn't do that until about four years ago."
"I understand," she replied. "It’s easier to put aside the things that don't suit us." It appeared his Mars experience was really too much like her Nausicaan captivity. "There was a lot to remember for me when I think of Earth, my mum and dad. They were farmers, never thought about life as spacers..." her voice drifted off a moment as she noticed a small shuttle crafting docking with the Lematya. Not Vulcan, she thought to herself. She didn't recognise the design, Palmari perhaps. "But skiing is fun. I should go again I used to like it." The statement was more to remind herself if she still did.
"Yeah?" Derick hadn't found it all that exciting personally but he smiled anyway. "You should," he nodded, eyes narrowing as he noted the arrival of the shuttle, dismissing it as more guests. "What did they farm?" Derick gestured to a bench that faced the open panorama. "Have a seat."
Sitting down, the slit in her dress allowed the material to uncover a long tanned leg ending just beneath scandalous. "Well they used to farm macadamia nuts but then it became simpler to the turn the farm into a bed and breakfast. We were only a short distance from the country's largest crater lake and a national park so we did good business."
Somewhere in his head, Lea went from hot to damn and two seconds later, Derick kicked himself for thinking it. He'd seen her in plenty of form fitting clothes, her uniform, those leggings she ran in but something about actually seeing her skin, the toned thigh that the dress exposed seemed only to fuel this new found.. awareness of her. Reminding himself NOT to hit on her, he took the seat next to her. "Sounds like fun," he said, before a smirk stole over his features. "So you really did live in a nut farm?"
Nut farm. She laughed. "Oh absolutely, explains quite a bit doesn't it?" She noted the glint in his eye and was pleasantly surprised by the fact that she didn't hate him admiring her. Nice to know there was still female enough under all this mess to be attractive to someone, she thought. Honestly, Lea hadn't seen herself that way in quite some time. Where she had been, beauty had not been an asset. "It was good though, surrounded by bush and sugar cane fields. My parents hoped, I'd outgrow.." the shuttle still bugged her. "Feel like a walk?" She asked, feeling the need to know where that ship came from.
Something was up and he eyed Lea for a moment, seeing the huntress alert. "Sure," he replied, eyeing her as he stood up. "Where to?"
"Shuttle bay," she said firmly, trying to keep things light. She was being paranoid, she knew it. However, the ship wasn't Vulcan and while it could be Palmari, it also looked like someone had tooled a Ferengi shuttle or...worse yet disguise it.
"Shuttle bay it is." So she had sensed something, he hadn't imagined it. "That shuttle?" Derick indicated it as they left the OB deck.
"Yeah," she nodded, guessing he had seen the same thing she did. "I know I'm probably being a nervous Nellie but that's not a Vulcan ship and the Palmari's came on board the Lematya so they don't have any craft of their own. If I didn't know better, I'd say someone had modified a Ferengi warship shuttle with warp engines."
"Ferengi?" Shit... for ugly little midget toads, they were a serious pain in the ass. "We haven't had any trouble from them in a while," Derick replied, following her none the less. Instinct was instinct.
"It may not be Ferengi," she pointed out, stepping into the lift taking them to the hangar deck. "They'll sell their tech to anyone and we don't know anything for sure yet. It could well be Palmari but I'd like to check it out." Thinking quickly, she added, "when we get out there, play along with me."
"Alright." Derick gave his assurance blindly, now a Captain and a Marine who was escorting the Chief of Security and no longer just a guy and a girl. Making their way down the hall, Derick was glad that he'd at least brought a pistol. Strapped to his ankle in a holster but he'd brought it. Not that the Ferengi were warrior types, they really weren't unless money was involved. Still, Lea had a point. While not warriors, they were mercenary and would sell their mother to anyone. "Hey, just in case. My left ankle, holster with a phaser pistol," he told her quietly.
"Thank God," she whispered, "unfortunately, there wasn't much I could sneak on board in this dress," she frowned. Stepping out of the lift, the deck became less glamorous as they were greeted with grey walls, visible conduits and dim lighting. The ship had been docked for a good ten minutes now but Lea wanted to look on board anyway. Arm still linked through his, she noted the quiet and the lack of personnel. Meeting his gaze, she said without speaking 'this is wrong'. When they turned into the pylon where the shuttle was being berthed, Lea saw an alien that looked neither Vulcan or Palmari standing at the door to the bay.
Wrapping her arm around his neck, she planted a kiss on his cheek and giggled. "Come on luv," she smiled. "Where is this ship you were going to show me? You said were going to go for a ride... my feet are getting sore." She whined like a bimbo.
Holy .. Lea plastering her body to him like that didn't help Derick's pledge to not act on this awakened sense. "Not far, baby doll," he said, arm sliding around her waist as he managed a slight stagger, giving the effect of a little too much to drink. "I'll rub your feet for you." His grin indicated he planned on rubbing a lot more as he ran a hand down her free side and planted an affectionate kiss on her cheek. "You want me to carry you?" he chuckled.
"Not yet luv," she giggled, as they caught the attention of the alien, Traskian she guessed. They were usually enforcers of some kind, hired muscle. "Hey there?" She smiled, pulling away from Derick, to stagger towards him. "What are you doing all by yourself lonesome? Don't you know that there's a party going on upstairs."
"Stay away from me woman," he grabbed her to shove her away when Lea pulled him down by the shoulders and brought her knee up. When he doubled over, she laid him flat with a left right jab.
"That's what you get for manhandling a lady, wanker." She snorted. "I'd get your gun." She looked at Derek.
"Already got it," Derick replied, straightening up as he showed it to her. "Nice drop." Charlie had some of these guys way back when. "Hold on..." Squatting by the unconscious alien, Derick patted him down, removing a funny looking weapon. "Here..."
"You know just what to get me," she said taking a look at the odd weapon and deciding if a Traskian had it, it was most likely dangerous. "Ready?" She asked as she stood to the side of the door and waited until he was safely on the other side of the door frame when she activated the panel. The door slid open and for a few seconds, nothing happened. Only when it was safe, did she nod at him and step in, assuming he'd cover her back as she did so. Inside, the ship awaited, the ramp extended and definitely looked like a Ferengi ship. She could see the markings despite the effort to scour it off.
"Definitely Ferengi," Derick remarked, ducking his head to follow her in. Midgets. Stepping close, he ran a hand over the nearest marks, fingers tracing out the lettering through the abrasions. This kind of security intel just wasn't his thing. Physical security, that's what Marines were for. "What do you think? Looks like they tried to burn this off with acid."
"Yeah," Lea nodded, "which means this was sold by the Ferengi to someone who wanted an unregistered ship which they could use forged flight plans with." Meeting his gaze, she looked at the ramp and started to approach. "I have a bad feeling about this."
The feeling was far worse than that when the gunnery turret beneath the belly of the craft suddenly snapped to life. Lea shot Derick a look and had barely a second to move before the thing started lobbying shots at them.
FUCK... Pushing at Lea, Derick all but dragged her to the ground with him as he dove behind another skimmer. Overhead, a klaxon sounded off over top of the cannon shots that rocked the little skimmer. "I'm just feeling bad about this...." he said, wincing as the little ship was strained against its deck anchors.
Okay two things happened then that made the whole situation go from bad to worse and then awkward. When he pulled her down to the ground with him, she hadn't notice where they had landed. However, now, with the two of them on the floor, taking refuge behind a skimmer, Lea realised that she had landed almost on top of him when she hit the deck. Hands planted firmly against his chest, she looked into his eyes and remarked, "no kidding, I wonder what they've got planned next."
And then as if fate was taking great delight in answering the questions, the lights dimmed around them as the power was cut.
"Fuck a dead chicken," Derick growled, keeping Lea on him for a moment to get stock of the situation. Which was FUCKED DER. With a little side of Traskian enforcers. "You okay?" he asked her, one hand on her hip, the other still holding his gun.
“Yeah,” she answered, her breath brushing against his neck as she answered, suddenly conscious of the hand on her hip and the fact that he being under her was not an unpleasant experience. “They’ve cut the power. They’re either on a command deck or engineering.” She commented quietly. “I say we aim for the weapon and try to disable it so we can get out of here.”
"I got an idea," she said climbing off him and kicking off her heels. "I'll draw its fire, you shoot the bloody thing." And perfectly aware of the protest she was going to get from him, Lea did not give him a chance to retort before she was on her feet, running.
The gunnery turret immediately swung into action, reacting to her movement as it chased her across the bay, a hair's breath from blasting her to dust. "SHOOT IT!"
Women. Fuck, he'd chew her out later. Opening fire on the turret, his shots impacting it one after the other, shredding bits of metal off the gun until finally, a soft, muted puff of smoke erupted from the turret as a surge of electricity swam across it. Silenced, the cannon hung limply crooked now as smoke billowed from its innards.
Lea had jumped behind a couple of crates when Derick had started shooting, peering up over the edge of them to see his handiwork when the destroyed turret had stopped firing. Smouldering in the wake of its torn metal and fused innards, Lea got to her feet and glanced in Derick's direction. "Nice shooting, Marsi." She commented with a smile.
"Yeah well, it was shooting at my date. They can look but I draw the line at shooting at her," he retorted, checking his phaser quickly. "You alright?" Derick eyed her up and down for injuries as he handed the gun over. "Hold this."
She took the gun from him and answered, "sure and I'm tops, not a scratch on me." Noting a rip in the skirt of the gown, she commented, "not sure about the dress though. Bugger, it’s the only nice one I had." She grumbled.
"Yeah well," Derick grinned as he unbuttoned the dress jacket and shrugged out of it. Without it, if one didn't know what the campaign stripes meant, he looked like any partygoer. "I'll buy you another one if we get out of this," he said, tossing the jacket back behind the eponymous crates. "What next?"
Lea took a moment to admire the broad of his shoulders before shaking her head and getting her focus back on his question. This really wasn't the time to be checking out the man. "That turret didn't fire itself, I'm guessing that someone is on board that ship. Might be worth investigating to see if the someone on board can give us some answers." She suggested.
"Might be a lot of some ones on board that ship, you sure?" Derick asked, eyeing her.
"Could be," she agreed, "but if we go deal with the blokes who got the run of the ship, I don't want to be blindsided by these buggers bringing up their rear...don't you think?" She asked, wanting to make sure her reasoning was sound.
"For a Fleeter, you make a good point." Derick winked at her. "You got the Traskian's gun?" he asked.
"Yep," she showed him the weapon and blushed a little at that wink. What the fuck.... "ramp?" She asked, looking at the ramp that lead to the open hatch of the ship.
"Ramp, let's go." Did she just.. blush? Probably a good thing there was much more going on at the moment, Derick thought. Motioning for her to come behind him, Derick didn't want to risk crossing and becoming a target to whoever was in there. "Come on.." he said, now the Marine as he hurried across and pressed his back up against the bulkhead next to the hatch. Peering around the edge, he motioned her in. "I got you covered."
She nodded back at him and did the same, making her way to the hatch and taking up position on the other side. So far, no one had started shooting and Lea nodded at him, giving him indication that she was going in. Slipping through the entrance, the shooting she expected didn't come. The narrow walkway that led into the rest of the ship was clear. "You're good."
"Tell me that when we're back on Gaia and in one piece," Derick motioned her to follow him. "Cockpit first?"
“Yeah,” she answered as she waited for him to go in first. “I have a feeling that its just one bloke left behind to mind the ship. If that’s the case, you can use your Shark charm and get him to tell us how many there are. I could use my boobs but I don’t they have the same effect unless you’re human.” She joked. Oh no, she wasn’t flirting.
"Depends on the species." Smiling at her, Derick led the way up to the cockpit, thankfully encountering no one else along the way. Everyone, it seemed, was 'attending' the shindig.
The cockpit itself was closed, the hatch barring the way for the time being. "There," Derick said quietly, pointing to the other side of the door. He took up a position on the side as well and reaching out, knocked three times on it. Loudly.
“Little piggy isn’t coming out,” she grumbled and looked past his shoulder. “Derick,” she gestured to a panel behind him. “Be a pet and open that up will you?”
Looking up to the panel in question, Derick nodded, tucking his pistol in the back of his pants. The panel cover was apparently just as recalcitrant but he was able to muscle it open. "There."
"Lovely," she smiled, "now blast that yellow bit there," Lea instructed, indicating a yellow control box of some kind.
"You sure?" Derick grinned, pulling the pistol back out again. "Don't want to flush all the toilets on the ship or something," he said but shot it anyway, ducking back from the sparks that spit out of the panel.
"Trust me darling," she smirked as he blasted the thing. Once it was smoking, she spoke up in a voice loud enough to be heard on the other side. "In case you were wondering in there," she met Derick's gaze. "We just vaporized the life support connections to the cockpit. In about one minute you're going to notice that we've rerouted the oxygen and are sending anaesthesine gas through your vents. If you don't give yourself up, we'll be in there to collect you in sixty."
Nice..." Derick began but didn't have a chance to finish. The door was yanked open promptly, causing him to bring his weapon up quick to bear on the... Palmarian peering around the open door?? What the fuck...?
“Oh did I say life support?” Lea said with a perfect innocent expression on her face, “I actually meant thermostat controls.” She retorted with her weapon trained on the Palmarian. “Now kindly explain why you’re attacking a ship with your own people.”
“I will say nothing!” The Palmarian male glowered, angered enough by being duped.
Not even warning him, Derick reached out and popped the guy in the nose. Not even all that hard but there was still a soft mushing sound and the alien cried out. "That is no way to talk to a lady," he said, not even phased. "I can hit you harder," he warned.
“He’s a Shark you know,” Lea pointed. “You know what they are, don’t you?”
The Palmari’s eyes widened, indicating that he did.
“You know how dangerous it is to annoy one, I’d start providing some answers unless you want me to tear you apart.”
Derick put on a good sneer for show as the alien seemed to cringe as he rubbed his flat nose.
"Disgraceful primates!" he blustered, cringing again when the human male brought his fist up. "Wait!"
"Wait? For??" Derick prompted, fist cocked back for good measure.
“And it better be good,” Lea warned him. “Now why are you attacking your own people?”
“Because we do not wish to be apart of your Federation!” He spat, “you’re all war mongers! You’ll taint our purity!”
Lea’s expression of disbelief spoke volumes. “You’re bloody joking.”
Derick frowned, lowering his fist. "Well some of you do wish to be part of it... we're not war mongers." Yeah, and it wasn't a combat seasoned Marine and the Chief of Security standing there... he glanced at Lea and back to the alien. "So that means what? Why are you guys here? Really?"
“We are here to take your ship hostage, until the Federation agrees to withdraw from any discussion with Palmari about membership. We know that there are many Federation delegates on board.”
Lea shot Derick a look, “they’re heading for the function room.”
"Yep." Giving him a hard look, Derick continued though. "So…who are the guys at the function? Compared to you?" he asked. "Who exactly doesn't want to join? Just you and your group or most of the planet or what?"
“We are small but eventually we will show the rest of our world your true face. We’ve hired mercenaries,” the Palmari replied. “We hired them from the Nibrite…”
Lea tensed, “Nausicaans?”
“Yes,” he nodded, “They were the only ones who would accept the job.”
Lea’s eyes narrowed. “of course they would.”
Even if he hadn't known of Lea's past, Derick would have known something was up with the way her spine seemed to go ramrod straight. He glanced at her and noted the darkness that came over her features. "Great," he replied after a moment, disgusted. "You do realize that by hiring mercenaries to protest against supposed war mongers is bass ackwards fucked up?" That was just more stupid than a bunch of drunken Marines on Rigel VII and at least, Derick had that experience to draw upon.
“It is the only way to show you that we mean what we say..” the Palmari declared.
“Alright,” Lea declared, looking at Derick. “Let’s lock this wanker up, then go find a communicator,” she was not going to lose her head. She was Starfleet Security and she was going to be smart about this, no matter what her feelings. “We need to contact Starfleet and gets some Sharks up here.”
“I can do you one better." Without missing a beat, Derick stunned the alien, stepping forward to catch and lower him to the ground so the idiot wasn't hurt. "Alright, come one. One of the Vulcan shuttles should get us in contact with the surface."
"I love the way you handle prisoner control," she complimented forcing aside the whole issue of Nausicaans for now. "Vulcan shuttle it is. Store him in a compartment or something and lock the bastard up."
Giving her a look that was still half concern, Derick unbuckled his belt and pulled it off. Bending down over the Palmarian, he secured it's hands tightly. "I learned from the Colonel," he grinned. "Let's go and quickly."
“Agreed," Lea answered as they hurried out of the ship. "These bastards are pretty smart, disrupting power this way. I wonder if they've got blokes in engineering or did they tap into the main grid from the bridge." She was hoping it was the former.
"I don't know.. there," Derick indicated the nearest shuttle. "If they've taken the bridge, it changes things a bit." He keyed open the hatch on the shuttle and waved her inside. She'd held it together so far at the mention of the pirates but damn, it couldn't be easy and Derick admired her for not going to pieces. Showed just how tough she was, even if sometimes Lea didn't always see it.
"If they've taken the bridge, they'd have flown out of here," Lea theorised. "I'd say its more likely they've tapped into engineering. Once we tell Starfleet the ship is compromised, there is going to be so many starships in the area its not funny and good luck trying to leave the system. If we have to, you and I will go down to engineering ourselves and blast the fuck of out of the dilithium chamber to stop the ship from going anywhere."
"You know just how to show a guy a good time." With a wink, he shut the hatch behind them, waiting until it clanged shut to head up towards the cockpit. "Come on."
“You don’t know the half of it,” she flirted, enjoying this moment of levity which in another time would have been impossible. It was him, she decided. Bugger, now how was she going to deal with that when this was over? Following him to the cockpit, she slid into the pilot's seat. "Right then, let's make a telephone call."
He didn't? Uhh..FOCUS. Nausicaans pirates remember?? Staying on his feet, in case there were any surprises (and dammit, he'd had enough tonight), Derick stayed behind Lea as she made the call, noticing with great clarity just how slender her fingers were, that they were long and elegant. Fuck... now he was noticing her fingers? She was his friend, that smile came out for him. Deciding to deal with it later (and think about how he so liked looking up at her), Derick rolled his eyes, pacing behind her.
"Starfleet Command," Lea spoke into the communicator once she had activated the system and found the right channel. "Starfleet Command, this is Security Chief Lynch. A terrorist boarding party comprising of Nausicaans has boarded the Lematya with the intent of taking hostages. I need a full Marine squad up here now."
"I can give my authorization code," Derick said, coming to a stop behind her, hands on his hips. "Make sure they know we're dealing with Traskians, too."
"Starfleet Command, I am here with Captain Rickman, please standby for his authorisation code." She spoke and recited the code when he gave it to her. A few minutes passed because she was speaking to a person again and she added, " let the team know that the enemy has boarded through one of the shuttle bays and has more likely taken hostages. They are most likely Nausicaans and Traskians."
"Commander Lynch," a voice returned from the Vulcan shuttle a moment later. "This is Colonel Merrick, Alpha Squad is on its way sit tight and try not to get into any trouble."
Lea tossed Derick a smile, supposing she shouldn't be surprised that the Colonel himself would have been notified of the situation once Derick's authorisation code was used.
"Thank God." Leaning down, one hand on Lea's shoulder absently, Derick hit the comms. "Don't ever give me shit again," he cracked to his friend, who had given him all kinds of shit when he'd found out that the Chief of Security had asked him to this thing. Dropping into the seat next to Lea, he winked at her.
Once again, Lea found herself blushing. What in the flying fuck is that about? She’s been friends with the man for months now…
“Mate,” Tom Merrick’s grin could be seen from the planet, “I haven’t even begun to give you shit yet.” He sniggered. “You and your date stay out of trouble until we come get you. Right?”
“Of course Colonel Merrick,” Lea said with a perfectly straight face, not missing the fact that he had called their evening a date.
"Great. He thinks he's John Paul Jones or some shit," Derick joked, with a glance.. whoa. Was she…blushing? Maybe it was all the excitement that had her cheeks tinging pink like that. Whatever it was, damn if it didn't go straight south. For which he instantly kicked himself. One, she was his friend and two, her past was a heavy thing to work with as a friend, let alone in…that way.
As he claimed the chair next to her, Derick's conscience was telling him it would be worth it. Hesitating only slight, eyes settling on Lea for a moment as he leaned back, he looked out into the shuttle bay. "So what now?" he asked her. "Sit tight? We should probably get out of this window."
“You seriously didn’t think I was going to actually obey him did you?” She stared at him, getting up to her feet. “I’m going to the function room. Coming?” She asked, her eyes full of challenge.
To confront the Nausicaans? Christ, there was no way he'd let her do that alone. Getting to his feet, which put him very much within her space in the tight confines of the cockpit, he gave her a grin worth a million credits. "I should have known and of course I am. Someone's gotta keep you out of trouble."
He was so close she could almost hear him breathe and for a moment, the Nausicaans was the farthest thing in her mind. She was very aware of him, of his height, his smile and the cologne coming off his skin. “Life wouldn’t be much fun without a little trouble,” she stammered, stepping out of the space before something happened. What she wasn’t sure but something right now was bad…right? “Besides, it will serve the Pom right if we made him lose what’s left of his hair.”
"He doesn't have any left to lose," Derick cracked, almost stopping her right then and there, suddenly itching to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. The voice from earlier stilled his hand, reminding him that Lea didn't like to be touched and even when she was, it was best if she initiated it. And had he caused that tremor in her husky voice? At a loss for a second, afraid he'd inadvertently frightened her, Derick let her move away, back to her safety zone.
Not to mention the fact there was a possible hostage situation going on at the moment. GUNNY!!! Ouch. Derick could almost feel Ren swatting him in the back of the head.
"You ready?" he asked her, leading the way out of the cockpit and back to the hatch.
Lea reached behind her head and freed the clip that held her hair in place, allowing it to spill over her shoulders again. She hated it when it was confined like that. Following a step behind him, her own weapon brandished, she nodded. “I’m right behind you Captain.” She answered, using the title as a term of endearment more than an indication of the rank. “I say we head out to the function room, see if its possible for us to get into the room pretending to be two people who just took for a quick shag or something.”
Quick shag. Way to keep your mind on the job Lea.
Damn... Derick cleared his throat, biting back several comments and settled back on something in the neutral zone. He glanced up and nearly found himself stopping again. Her hair…had he ever seen it down? Surely, he had.
No, he hadn't. Wow. "I don't know, you were all ready to abandon me for that Traskian," he teased. "Give me the gun before we get there, though. Like you said, no where to hide it in that dress. Which…if I haven't told you…you look fantastic in."
Her eyes caught his and shy smile stole across her face, “thank you.” She said handing him the gun and then added brushing his arm, “I’d never do a runner with you for a Traskian,” she assured him.
GUNNY. Derick had to shake himself from the effect of that rare smile, her touch on his arm as he took the gun and thinking on Ren yelling at him did the trick. "I hope not," he added with a wink. "You ready?"
“Let’s do this,” she said linking her arm through his and pretending they were like any couple taking out the evening. “Know anything about Nausicaans? She asked seriously as they went to the nearest turbo lift.
Not that he hadn't looked up more stuff on them when he'd learned about her. "Some," Derick replied, looking down at Lea and squeezed her hand. "Looked some things up." He left it at that.
"Okay," she said quickly. "Under the arm," she showed him in the soft part where the arm met the body. "Get them there and it has the same effect as knee capping them in the nuts. It will bring them down and hard." She replied.
"Ouch." Derick made a face and nodded. "Thanks for the tip. Alright…stay alert, your gun is in my waistband. Figured it would be easier for you to get to," he said. "Don't hesitate and Lea..." Alright, he had to say it. Stopping her, just outside the shuttle bay, he turned her to face him, one hand settling on her shoulder and not at all sure on what to say next. So much for all that leadership training. Went right out the window when faced with a survivor and the type of people that had held her prisoner. Frowning, Derick thought better of saying anything. "Just…don't get hurt, alright?" he said.
And there it was, a moment bronzed because at that instant he went from friend to something else and Lea had no idea how it happened.
She didn't react to the hand on his shoulder, didn't flinch or shudder. Instead, she covered it with her own and said with a nod, "don't plan on it Derick. Just do me the same favour alright. I've....gotten used to having you around."
His fingers spread to lace through hers and Derick squeezed them quickly. "Deal," he said, smile reaching his eyes that got lost in hers, deep pools of green. Leaving off anything else, stuff he'd think about later when adrenaline and danger weren't charging him, Derick nodded and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Let's get going...the Palmarians don't know the deep shit they've gotten themselves into."
"Okay," she nodded relishing the contact, not because it didn't make her sick to her stomach but because it felt good to touch him. "Forget the Palmarians," she said walking away, her eyes turning dark like coals. "The Nausicaans don't know what they've gotten themselves into."
No, they sure as hell didn't, Derick thought, watching Lea walk away for a moment. That was guts, walking back into the cage of the lion that attacked you. Catching up to her, they made their way down one deck and back to the function hall. As they emerged from the lift, Derick could see two large Traskians standing guard outside the main doors. "Showtime and I apologize now," he whispered to Lea as he draped an arm over her shoulders and staggered slightly as he pulled her out of the lift. "Damn baby... when you said take a powder...." he said, loud enough for the guards to hear him.
“Darling, you know by now, not to assume anything…” she smirked, pouring herself into the part. Lea tugged Derick towards her by the collar and captured his mouth in a deep, open mouthed kiss. It had really been about playing the part to begin with but the instant his mouth made contact with hers, the tongue that slipped past his lips did so not for the purposes of the play but for the fact that her body might have been craving this contact without her having the least bit suspicion of it.
Whoa…fuck me running. He'd expected a kiss, something sloppy and acting but this…damn. Damndamndamn. This was real. With his body responding in kind before Derick had a chance, he gave in and didn't fight his response. Kissing her back, smoothly and hungrily because inside, something growled with satisfaction at finally getting to taste Lea. Before he even realized it, too, Derick had pulled her up against him.
She hadn’t known a kiss since before Azati. What she endured after that though sexual in nature were hardly intimacies, they were abuses, like torture. Through all that pain, Lea had forgotten how good a kiss could be when you received it from someone who made you smile because he cared enough to listen without judgment. When he pulled her against him, it was as if something that she thought was dead inside her, came alive again. Like the ashes of a dead fire, suddenly twinkling alive with still hot embers.
“What are you two doing out here!” One of the Traskians demanded, puzzled by this mating ritual taking place in front of them, particularly when the hostages were all supposed to be inside.
The other approached Derick and Lea reluctantly pulled away to stare at the alien. “We went for a walk you know,” she giggled. “You know,” she bit Derick’s neck playfully. “A walk.” She winked at the Traskian.
“These two are morons!” The other declared reaching for Derick when Lea blasted him with the weapon she had retrieved from Derick when she had bit him. He fall back away from the Captain as Lea dropped to her knees, giving Derick a free shot at the one near her.
Only the gun being slid from his pants kept Derick's attention on the here and now and kept him from the maelstrom of sensation that Lea's teeth on his skin sent through him. Only a heartbeat behind her, he scored a direct hit in the face on the second Traskian, sending him . "That's what they get for calling us morons," he said, half tempted to pull Lea back to him. Save the world first, Marsrat. Then get the girl. Right. "Come on…" Moving up to the door, he put an ear to it. "I can hear someone talking."
Lea was staring at the door, thinking on how they were going to proceed. “Let’s hide the bodies and try the drunk and horny routine again.” She suggested. “It seems to be working so far.” Lea remarked, going to grab the first Traskian to shove him in a compartment further along the corridor.
Drunk and horny... hell yeah it was working and his pants were getting tight. Derick was going to need a cold shower after this. He refrained from saying that though and grabbed the other alien, hefting the body on top of the other one. "Want me to hide the gun again?" he asked her after shutting the door. Or maybe he just wanted to be bitten again.
“Yeah,” she handed him the weapon again, adjusting her dress, so she could looked like any other party goer and not someone who’d just shot up two Traskian terrorists. Heading towards the door, she glanced at him with a smile. “Come on Captain, time to be drunk and horny again,” she teased.
"Uh…yeah." Pulling his mind back to the present, Derick stowed her weapon and his and slung his arm around her waist again. "Alright, Lieutenant Commander," he grinned at her. "Let's go in, first... hopefully they won't frisk us." The beast that growled earlier did so again at the thought of anyone, let alone another Nausicaan, pawing up Lea.
The door slid open and Lea stepped into the room, once again reminding herself that there were Nausicaans on the other side and to ignore how good Derick’s arm felt around her waist. However, what pleasure she derived from his touch was fleeting as she saw the Nausicaans, there were four of them. A Palmarian was holding court, apparently making demands to his captive audience. One Nausicaan stood near the Palmarian, another near T’Daris. One was at near Derick’s Tellerite friend and the last at the far end of the room.
“Hey what’s going on here?” She said sweetly, even if her eyes were hard as flints. “This party is dead. Isn’t it dead baby?” She looked at Derick and leaned near him; nibbling on his neck for no other reason than it felt good and it served a purpose.
“Who the hell are you?” The Nausicaan demanded.
“This is Security Chief Lynch!” Some one declared. “Now you will pay for this insolence.”
Fuck, Lea cursed. So much for role playing.
“Security chief?” The Nausicaan snorted, approaching her. “Are you here to negotiate?”
“Are you the one to negotiate with?” Lea inquired.
“I might be,” he answered.