Reunited

Posted on Fri 12th Apr, 2013 @ 11:32am by Commander Mikaela Locke & Colonel Horatio Drake
Edited on on Fri 12th Apr, 2013 @ 1:50pm

1,937 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: https://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/3
Location: Deck 12 - Colonel Drake's Office
Timeline: MD-05 1108 hours

[ON:]

Mikaela Locke had eventually found Main Operations.

The turbo-lift doors slid open and she stepped out in to the vast room that served as the primary control centre for the station. It was larger than she had envisaged. She began to move around the outside of Ops, attempting to give the impression that she knew exactly where she was going and what she was doing, despite having absolutely no idea. She was also trying not to catch the eye of the duty officer - mainly because she hadn't had a chance to check the duty roster and had no idea who it was. With a cursory glance around she recognised both Commander Windsong and Commander Kell, either of whom could have been in charge, but neither of whom she was bothered about meeting right now. That would have to come later.

"Excuse me," she stopped a passing middle-aged Bajoran non-com, who could have been an engineer, or a security guard, or someone of any other speciality that involved donning a gold undershirt, "Where is Colonel Drake?"

It seemed strange to her, referring to her new commander as 'Colonel Drake'. For years she had simply known him as 'Ashton'.

"In his office, sir," the non-com responded, indicating across the room to a door that was slightly set back from the main curved wall.

"Thank you," Mikaela responded with a half-smile and formal nod. She still hadn't quite gotten used to be being called 'sir' - especially by those who clearly had many years experience on her.

She headed towards the door that had been pointed out to her by an indirect route, continuing to circle around the outside of the large Operations Centre. She noted, as she passed, a couple of work stations which were currently set up for communications, although they seemed to be set up quite badly. She resisted the urge to make comment, however, choosing instead to wait until she formally began her assignment.

As she traversed the final few metres, she wondered how he had adjusted back into life as a Starfleet officer - and a Commanding Officer no less. Accusations of nepotism had always surrounded his rapid ascent through the ranks, but Locke, of all people, understood what it meant to be successful at a young age. She had briefly reviewed his personnel file before coming on board and she'd noted that, of late, some of his command decisions had been called into question. She understood that as well. She knew first hand just how devastating the death of Patrick had been for him. And, it would certainly be no surprise to her if he was sporting deeper emotional scars than was healthy for someone in command of such an important facility. Of course, she wasn't a counsellor...

She stopped suddenly, realising that she had got caught up in her own train of thought and lost track of where she was in the room. She glanced around and realised that she had stopped just outside of the ready room door.

She took a deep breath, taking a moment to compose herself, as she realised that the two of them had not met face to face for several years. Finally, with a slightly trembling hand, she reached out to press the chime.

===

Drake had been sitting at his desk for the past half an hour, deep in thought about his current predicament. All circumstantial evidence pointed towards Dobbs... but there was no hard evidence. He was clearly a clever man. Should Drake just confront him? Dobbs clearly thought it was appropriate to confront him?

Presently the chime interrupted his chain of thought - this wasn't unusual, which is one of the reasons he tended to get most of his work done in his Quarters and not in the Ready Room.

"Please, come in" He picked up his empty coffee mug and realised it was empty... he couldn't be bothered to get another.

The doors slid open revealing an extremely young, slight woman with jet black hair and the most stunning blue eyes. Despite Ashton being comfortable with his sexuality if he were ever to turn to the other side, Locke would be the one to do it with.

"Well, fuck me sideways" He stood "What the Hell are you doing here?"

Mikaela grinned. "Lieutenant Mikaela Locke, reporting for duty, sir," she replied, her anxiety suddenly melting away at the sight of her old friend. "And, I'd really rather not..." she continued cheekily, "If it's all the same to you."

She stepped in to the room and approached Drake, arms outstretched to greet him with a hug. "And, what-in-the-hell kind of greeting is that anyway?" she demanded, knowing full-well that she had thrown protocol right out the airlock. "Do you not check your transfer manifest before you approve it?"

Drake held her in a tight embrace, it felt so good... almost a relief... she had been a lifeline for him during his darkest hour and, somehow, she still felt like one. "Of course I bloody don't... sounds like a lot of work to me!".

He held her out at arms length to look at her. "As gorgeous as ever, Mickey... it's so good to see you!" He said, using the name that he knew she hated but somehow it stuck.

"It's great to see you too," Locke replied, genuinely, "Although, please don't call me 'Mickey'..." she paused briefly, considering the notion, "Well, at least, not in front of anyone else!"

"Yea, yea!" he playfully rugby tackled her into the nearest sofa and jumped on it beside where she landed. "So... are you an officer here now then?! What have you been doing?! Come on, tell me!" He ruffled her hair... another thing he knew she hated, but tolerated it from Drake.

Mikaela ran her fingers through her hair, semi-tidying it. "Well," she began, adjusting her posture and sitting up a little more from where she had been unceremoniously dumped, "Research and analysis was fine, for a while, but, eventually, no matter how much you read or learn, the job essentially becomes all the same: read stuff, write a report on what you've read, go back and read more stuff." She shrugged, "Eventually, I just got bored." She turned to face him a little more. "I started applying to field-assignments, but no one seemed interested in an analyst..." she chuckled, "Not even one who can remember everything that she's ever read! So," she continued, "I went back to the Academy and did some additional training, and, long story short, here I am - your new chief communications officer."

"Ah right, so you've finally decided to join the big boys out on the frontline, ay? Well, I'm not sure if you can hack it Mickey!" He loved it how she tolerated so much playfulness from him and never even said anything. "Do you fancy a drink?" He posed the question so that she could take it either way.

She smiled. "A coffee would be great," she replied, "And, if I'm completely honest, I'm not entirely sure that I can hack it either." She sighed heavily. "I looked out of my San Fransisco apartment and longed to see the universe - to be serving out among the stars. Now that I'm here..." she paused, suddenly melancholy, "My thoughts are very much on Earth."

He jumped up again and headed for the replicator. "I was joking, Mickey!" He said in a solemn tone. "The universe if a bloody boring place, but not as boring as San Fransisco - let me tell you." He ordered two coffee's and returned one of them to Locke, taking his seat next to her again.

"This fucking place is falling part, as it is - I wouldn't worry about being able to hack anything" he gestured to the air around him, eluding to the entire starbase.

"I'm sorry," she replied, smiling as she took the coffee cup from him with two hands. "I guess it'll just take a little while to adjust to a new life out here. So," she continued, with a new found brightness, "What's going on here?" A mischievous smile crept across her lips. "It took nearly forty minutes before the Regent got clearance to dock and then they gave us some B.S. about a pylon malfunction..." She turned and looked her friend in the face, "There was nothing wrong with the docking pylon, was there?"

"Probably not" He suddenly turned very serious... almost dutiful... this was a side to him that Mikaela hadn't seen before. He wondered how she might react to it. "I don't know how much of the history of this place you're aware of - but during the Dominion War, it was in the hands of the FCDA. Naturally they had to close most of the station down - seal it off. When Starfleet finally came back, work began on opening those sealed decks and getting them back up to some kind of working order".

He paused and took a sip of his coffee, it was far too hot. "A few days ago, on deck one thousand and thirty, a... laboratory, type facility was discovered. Cut off from the rest of the deck with fake bulkheads and dampening fields. In it... we found bodies... all had been experimented on, whilst they were still alive, in the most devastating of ways." He turned to look at her. "Now, we are trying to discovery who was responsible for it". He smiled, it wasn't a genuine smile, but it was all that he could currently offer.

Mikaela sat and listened intently as Ashton revealed the horrific truth behind the lie that she and the crew of the Regent had been told. She had, of course, assumed that the story was a cover for something, but she hadn't imagined just how disturbing that 'something' would turn out to be.

"Wow..." she paused and took a deep breath, still processing the information she had just received. "And you think someone from the FCDA was responsible?" she finally managed to ask.

"I honestly don't know Mickey" He pulled his legs up on the sofa and crossed them. "It's like a thousand piece puzzle and we've got about six of them... all no where near each other. It's impossible to see the picture."

"In that case," said Mikaela, taking one final gulp of her coffee, before setting the cup down, "I'm going to let you get on with figuring this out." She stood. "If there's anything I can do..." she said with a half-smile, hoping that the implication of the sentence was obvious, "then I will be in my office trying to figure out what the hell it means to be a Communications Chief." She chuckled. "That's assuming I can find my office, of course."

She looked at him. Clearly this... macabre discovery and the fallout had taken its toll on her friend, but she couldn't help but be a little relieved to see him wearing his uniform - clearly in his element. "It's great to see you, Ashton... I'm sorry," she corrected herself, "It's great to see you, sir."

"Yea, yea enough with the sir!" He winked at her and she about turned and departed from the ready room... leaving him with a lot to reflect and think upon.

[OFF:]

---

This reunion was brought to you by:


Ashton Drake
Commanding Officer

&


Mikaela Locke
Chief Communications Officer

 

RSS Feed