A Tall Order

Posted on Sun Mar 18, 2018 @ 8:58pm by Captain Madelina Weisz & Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas Barnes

Mission: History
Location: XO's Office
Timeline: MD 33 || 1245 Hours

After a quick working lunch, consisting of a salad from The Black Hole, Maddy sat in her office pondering how to handle the present situation. She really didn't want to be one of those officers, but someone had to, right? At least... that's what she told herself. Whether is actually helped or not remained to be seen.

Pushing those thoughts from her head, the redhead took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she reached up to tap her combadge. =^=Weisz to Barnes... report to my office as soon as possible.=^= With that done, she tapped the badge once more to end the communication and began to do some paperwork while she waited.

Tom was already in the turbolift on his way back to the bridge when the call came. It wouldn't even take a course adjustment to reach the XO's office, but he didn't even get a chance to reply as he heard the channel abruptly close. Was something up? There seemed to be an urgency in her voice. Taking in a deep breath as soon as the turbolift came to a stop, Barnes crossed the bridge to her office and tapped the door chime.

"Come in," Maddy called, knowing who was on the other side already.

The Ops Chief entered the room, his hands clasped behind his back. "You wanted to see me, Captain?" he asked just before the doors closed.

"At ease," she said, gesturing to the replicator as she began to make her way toward it. "Can I get you anything before we get started?"

So very formal, he thought as she hadn't slipped 'out of uniform' with her speech. Shaking his head, he answered, "I just finished my lunch below decks. But thank you."

After getting a cup of tea, she moved back over to her desk and settled the beverage down before sinking unceremoniously into her chair. If it was anyone else, maybe she would have put a bit more care into it, but she didn't think he'd mind. "It's been an incredibly long day already, hasn't it?"

"And it's not over yet," Tom agreed, remaining standing in front of her desk.

"Have a seat, please," she offered. "You're likely going to need it."

Tom raised an eyebrow. It couldn't be anything in their personal lives, after all, she kept it professional from the summoning to her demeanor when entering the room. Whatever could this trouble be? He accepted the invitation and waited.

Maddy ran her hands through her hair and sighed, looking over at Tom. "I'm going to out it out there. Something about Ambassador Valasa Caenala doesn't sit well with me, and I'm aware that's been happening a lot lately," she began. "I've already spoken to Commodore Aravan about this, which is what has led me to calling you here. Can you monitor all incoming and outgoing communications and let us know if anything suspicious arises?"

Strangely, Tom didn't see that unusual at all. "Is that what all of the pretense is about?" he asked. "Wondering if Romulans are about to stab us in the back while we're in their territory?"

"Yes," the Captain answered. "And I can't shake the feeling of it not being if but when they stab us in the back. I hope I'm wrong, and I'll be extremely grateful if I am, but none of this sits well with me."

"I'll make sure the monitors are running," Tom replied. "And make sure that all of the trip wires aren't detectable by most methods. For the sake of clarification, what qualifies as suspicious? Or, should I let you, the Commodore, and Intel handle that?"

"Just anything that doesn't seem right... especially with the Ambassador... no matter how big or small it might seem," Maddy replied. She studied him for a moment, wondering if he would turn on her some day. The redhead quickly shook those thoughts from her head and focused. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

Tom shook his head. "If you're crazy, then I must be so colorblind I can't see my own green skin. Honestly, the whole thing has had a strange smell. Humanitarian aid is one thing, but why just one Federation ship? Why can't the Romulans do this on their own?"

"Exactly. They don't need us," the Captain said, breathing a mental sigh of relief that he didn't think she was losing her mind. "They could handle this situation on their own, but the question now is... what do they possibly have to gain? The ship? Not likely."

Sighing, Tom replied, "Lieutenant Rho is probably more qualified to answer, or speculate. If I had to guess..."

"Commodore Aravan is speaking with him. Whether that comes up or not is beyond me," she said with a frown. Why did they have to be put in this position in the first place? "Maybe communications will reveal something."

"Well, if something's in the communications, we'll find it," Tom said. "I'll take some time and sift through prior communications. Everything's monitored, but if something's been altered or proxied, I can find that too."

"Perfect. Let me know if anything comes up," she said, rising to her feet and moving around the desk. It was just the two of them in her office, and professionalism could slip for the moment. Maddy leaned down at kissed him. "I may not have the chance to do that again today."

He smiled and graciously returned the kiss, being careful not to let his passion take control. "Humanitarian missions always take everything one has to offer. I just hope those civilians don't get caught in the crossfire again."

Maddy stood upright again and leaned back against her desk. "That's my hope, too, and if we're lucky, that won't happen. One life is too many lost as far as I'm concerned. Especially when it's someone that doesn't deserve it."

"Agreed," Tom said, rising from the chair as well, assuming that the worst of the news was over. "Try and make sure you take a little time for yourself the next couple of days. We've seen killer aliens, manipulative Orions, and a little more. But none of that compares to humanitarian missions. These are the most draining."

"I will, but that time is going to involve you, too. At the very least, we can steal a little time to have dinner," she said, giving him a smile.

"Consider it done," Tom said, "even if I have to bring a brown bag special to wherever you are."

"We'll go to The Black Hole. The Commodore and I can take shifts so we can both get an hour away," Maddy stated.

"Then it's a date," Tom declared, adding with a bit of emphasis, "Commander."

She couldn't help but laugh, her tone joking. "You'll pay for that one later."

He smirked. "If I didn't want to do the time, I wouldn't do the crime." With that, he gave her a quick kiss. Anything more would be less than gentlemanly in her Ready Room, not to mention the compromising position both of them would be in should someone come knocking.

Maddy returned the kiss, and to say he was more than a little tempted to make use of her office for other purposes was quite the understatement. Still, they both had jobs to do, and she wouldn't keep him from doing his. "We'll meet up for dinner later. In the meantime, as much as I don't want to, we should both get back to it. I love you, Tom."

Tom smiled, replying simply with two simple words. "I know." He waggled an eyebrow before backing away and heading for the door. Under normal circumstances, he'd wait for a dismissal. These circumstances, however, were far from normal, and that dismissal wouldn't happen until after a few other things had happened. "See you tonight!" he called out.

The Captain watched him leave and couldn't resist the cheesy grin that formed. It didn't matter how dark things were around them, he was all the brightness she needed in her life. Turning, she moved back behind her desk and settled down to get a few more things done before making her way back onto the bridge.