Great Company

Posted on Sat Jun 29, 2019 @ 9:55pm by Captain Madelina Weisz & Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas Barnes

Mission: Refits and Reviews
Location: The Blackhole
Timeline: MD 3 || 2000 Hours

Maddy made her way into The Blackhole and took a look around at those present. It was much busier than she'd expected it to be, but that wasn't all too surprising considering how popular the establishment was. Maybe, she should have requested Tom meet her elsewhere, but it was too late now, nor were they keeping their relationship a secret any longer.

Sadly, there hadn't been much in the way of time for their personal life with everything going on, along with his new role as Chief Engineer, but the redhead was determined to make time.

She found a table that was a bit secluded from the others and took a seat, requesting a glass of water to sip on until her companion arrived. And, until that happened, Maddy opted to watch the people around her in an effort to see if she could learn more about the crew she worked with.

Tom entered The Blackhole a few minutes behind Maddy. He'd left Engineering far later than he intended, but he made it a point to drop by his quarters and freshen up. Sporting a white short-sleeve button up and a pair of khaki shorts, Tom started to look around for Maddy only to find her halfway across the establishment. "Hey there," he greeted, approaching the table to give her a kiss on the top of her head before sitting down. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"You didn't keep me waiting. I only got here a couple minutes before you did," she said with a smile, wishing she'd taken the time to change out of her own uniform. Still, it was nice to see him relaxed, and despite the red collar, Maddy was fairly relaxed herself. "I got stopped a few times along the way with people asking questions. None of which were important. After telling them to get with me during office hours, I made my way here."

She studied him for a long moment before speaking again. "I feel like we haven't seen much of one another lately. How are things?" And after saying that, the redhead made a mental vow to change that. He, along with her career, was an important part of her life, and she needed to balance the two better so he didn't suffer.

Tom fought the urge to raise an eyebrow. He'd thought everything was fine before the long pause, and then the generic How are things? It'd only been a few days, right? No, had it been a week? Tom had lost all sense of time, and his current assignment didn't help matters either. "All's well," he said, raising a hand to flag a waiter. "I've got until yesterday to install the new ablative armor shielding, so that's keeping me busy. What about you? It's got to at least be a relaxing week for you, right?"

"I only wish it were relaxing. After what happened with Michael, it's got me on high alert," Maddy stated, but then she had to wonder if Tom even knew about that incident. "Someone tried to kill the Commodore just before he had surgery to remove a tumor in his brain."

He blinked twice. This was now twice in a matter of seconds that he'd been caught off-guard by strange events. Sighing, he simply said, "You know, this ship never ceases to amaze me." Then, to the waiter that just showed up, "Andorian ale. Have you ordered dinner yet, Maddy?"

Maddy shook her head, turning to their waiter. "I'll have an Andorian ale and a bacon cheeseburger with fries, please," she said, mulling over the more recent events while Tom ordered.

Tom took in a deep breath, considering what he might want. "Fajitas," he said at last. "I'll go for some steak fajitas."

The waiter nodded and departed, leaving Tom and Maddy alone. "Assassination attempt, eh? Our fearless leader graduates to the ensign rung of the admiralty and he gets targeted because he wears a boxed pip and a belt. Just goes to show that belts are evil."

"Why do you think I never want to go any higher than I already am?" Maddy asked. "And the same goes with having my own command."

"Starfleet doesn't just mint Captains and Master Chiefs," Tom pointed out. "One of us will wind up in the center seat or in a sector command job eventually." He snorted and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be cynical."

She shook her head. "No, you're right. We can't exactly hide forever, and as much as I may not want to command a ship of my own, I will have to eventually. It's just a matter of me not being ready to do that. I suppose, I could always do something stupid and get myself demoted."

"And what exactly could you do to pull that off?" At that moment, their waiter dropped off their drinks, acting like he hadn't heard a thing before walking off. "Steal a starship? Cross the Romulan border? Start a war? This is Commodore Aravan we're talking about here. Well, unless maybe you try to assassinate him the next time he's on the biobed..."

He took an swig of his ale before adding, "You know, I could probably engineer a transporter accident. Switch his and Spencer's bodies."

Maddy couldn't help but laugh at that. "He might actually appreciate being in his wife's body, and I'm just going to leave it at that," she said. "As for what I could do, I don't think it would take anything quite as serious as that, but you're right. I'm pretty sure anything that was even attempted would be seen right through by him."

"Isn't she pregnant though?" Tom took another drink of his ale. "The Commodore's a smart man. I figure you'll probably be XO for as long as it takes to put him behind a desk."

"And I don't see that happening any time soon," Maddy pointed out. Though, at the mention of that word... "Have you ever thought about having kids before?"

Tom paused, the rim of the glass almost touching his. He had given it some thought, years ago, especially during his last assignment back on Earth. Without drinking, he lowered his glass. "I have," he confessed. "But they're not something I'm interested in as long as the uniform is still involved. Space is exciting and dangerous all at the same time. It's not the best place to raise a family."

"Sorry," she said rather sheepishly. "I didn't mean to catch you off guard with that question, but you're right. Space isn't the best place to raise a family. Aside from that, I know I'd make a terrible mother. I work too much, drink too often, and... if I listen to the rumor mill... I'm a total witch. Mind you," She picked up her ale and took a drink from the glass before finishing the sentence. "I wanted to use a different word just then, and it sounds a lot like witch does, but there are families present."

He smiled and chuckled. "I'm sure there's a many other set of phrases you could use too, but none of those matter to me you know. There's plenty to enjoy without having to worry about little ones and their well-being."

"Exactly, and let's not forget that I'm a selfish woman. While I have no issues sharing you with duty and other necessary things, I am rather partial to having your attention all to myself."

"No issues showing me off either," he said, gesturing to the people around them in the restaurant. "Not that I care. I don't like hiding things. In fact, it's liberating being about to be public about this finally."

"I'm not big on keeping secrets and hiding things, either, but I don't really view us keeping our relationship quiet in the beginning as either of those things," she told him. "Before you joined our crew, I was at the forefront of a lot of the rumors on the ship. None of which were very kind to me or my reputation." In fact, Maddy was sure he could guess what a lot of those rumors suggested without her needed to tell him. "I didn't want you to have to deal with any of that. I've never cared what others think about me, but I do care about you."

Tom smiled. "I appreciate that. I've been called many things over the years, from Admirals and Captains all the way down to fresh recruits in basic training. What people think of me doesn't matter to me. I'm not here for anyone other than myself. And now, you."

Maddy returned the smile, and unable to help herself, leaned across the table to kiss him. "I love you, Tom, and I thank whatever lucky stars I might have for bringing you here."

He returned the kiss and leaned back a moment later. "And I you," he seconded.

Beside the both of them, a throat was cleared. Tom turned to see their waiter had arrived with their food. "Cheeseburger for the Commander," he said, setting down the hot plate. "Fajitas for the NCO."

"Thanks," Tom said with a smile, moving his drink to make room for his multi-plated dinner. "Smells great!"

Maddy offered the waiter a smile. "Thanks," she said, settling back in her chair to allow her plate to be placed in front of her.

The waiter departed, leaving the two of them to their dinner. Tom began to assemble his first fajita, collecting the rice, peppers, and steak onto a tortilla. "Even though I'm going to be busy most of the week, I'll be able to peel away for a while. I hear the tenants on D-S-Ten's Promenade had a pretty lofty changeover since we were here last."

"I'm looking forward to seeing it," the redhead said, picking up a french fry and popping it into her mouth. "And, as I've said in the past despite being unfamiliar with Engineering, if you need an extra set of hands, feel free to use mine. Though, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to lend said hands. It's crew evaluation time."

Tom froze, sizzling fajita just millimeters away from his mouth. He lowered it slowly, unable to wipe the startled look on his face. "Evaluations? Now? I've got to install ablative armor generators and perform evaluations?"

He leaned back in his chair to heave an exasperated sigh. "How am I going to pull that off? And, I take it, you're going to do mine? Or because of our relationship, does the Captain have to do that?"

"I'm sure Michael would be willing to put Engineering's evaluations off until that's done," Maddy said, hoping to reassure him a bit, but she wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps, it was time to ask their Commanding Officer for a favor... something she rarely did, but this seemed like a good time to do so. "As for yours, I'm impartial enough that I could do it, but he may want to."

"I sure hope he'll let me put it off. If it wasn't for the refit, I could have pulled it out without a problem." With that, a tired Tom took the first bite of his fajita.

"He'll let you until the refit is done," she assured him. "I'll offer to babysit for the next few months." Maddy could see it now... both of Michael's kids running amok while she chased them in an attempt to get them calmed down. However, she'd have candy and things stuck to her from them.

"Thanks," Tom offered, before continuing with his dinner. "There just never really is rest for the weary is there?"

"Not when you live in space," she said, taking a bite of her cheeseburger. Before speaking again, Maddy chewed her food and swallowed it. "Of course, there are some who are busier than others, and being in Engineering would fall into the busier category. Do you ever regret making that move?"

He shook his head as he finished one fajita and moved to start assembling a new one. "I've learned a lot in the last twenty some years. If I stop learning, I figure I'll grow old. Engineering is new, different, and at the same time, a great way to expand my horizons."

"I thought the same thing about Command. Now, I'm a Captain without a ship. It seems Starfleet isn't very pleased about that," she stated with a wrinkle of her nose.

"Oh?" Tom asked before consuming another fajita. "Didn't Spock serve as a Captain and an Executive Officer for more than a decade?"

Maddy nodded her head. "Those were different times, I suppose. When Admiral Breckenridge promoted me, he tried his hardest to convince me to take on a ship. Do I really want to do that? Am I really the kind of person who should be trusted to keep others safe?" she asked, expecting some kind of answer, and hoping he wasn't going to side with her. Frankly, the Captain didn't think she was Commanding Officer material, which was why she turned Breckenridge down.

Tom finished his fajita, carefully composing his reply as he did. "The four pips on your collar don't just state what Starfleet thinks. They declare it. Not everyone gets a heavy collar these days. Hell, if my chevrons and dots were as big as your pips, I doubt my collar would even be able to remain upright each day."

He reached over, fishing for one of her hands to put his on top of. "Aravan trusts you. I trust you. As do so many people on this ship."

"It's a weight that can be difficult to carry, that's for sure," she said, giving his hand a squeeze when he finally found hers. "Thanks, Tom. I guess I doubt myself quite a bit these days."

“We’ve been through a lot lately,” Tom assured her. “Orion’s, ethereal life forms, Romulans, ambushes... it just hasn’t let up lately.”

"That's why I plan to enjoy as much of this 'downtime' as I can," she said, popping another fry into her mouth. "I don't know if I would consider it much in the way of actual downtime, though."

Tom withdrew his hand and began to assemble another fajita. "I wouldn't either. Deep Space 10 is just your average Nor station. Not much to see or do out here in the frontier. Now, if we were orbiting a planet or something, that'd be different."

"I suppose we should be grateful for holodecks. They're definitely good for escaping... even if it's only for a little while," she told him as she finally picked up her burger. "Still... my place in life is out here among the stars. I honestly don't think I'd be happy anywhere else. Well... unless you were there, of course."

He chuckled before taking a bite of his fajita. Tom chewed, savored the flavors tangoing on his tongue, and swallowed. "Where you go, I shall follow. That is, if you're willing to keep putting up with an enlisted fellow."

"Likewise," she told him. If he was ever transferred, Maddy would be right there with him regardless of how others felt about it. They'd survive without her. The love she felt for Tom would have her following him to the ends of the galaxy is that's what needed to be done. "What do you think of curling up and watching a movie together after we check out the promenade on DS 10?"

Smiling, Tom finished another fajita and said, "Sounds like a good plan. I think we just got a new package of films from the early 21st Century. There's got to be something interesting in there."

"What do you feel like watching? Scary? Funny? Dramatic?" she asked. "I personally can do without the dramatic given we seem to live more than our fair share of that lately."

"I could go for humor," Tom considered. "Sounds like you and I both need it after a lengthy rough patch."

Maddy smiled. "You've won me over. Humorous it is. Do you have to go back to Engineering after dinner?"

"Not tonight." Tom shook his head as he prepared his last fajita. "The team has everything well under control, and in order to do that, we're making sure we don't burn out the crew. With our track record, we'll be right back in a red alert situation as soon as we leave DS10, and I can't have bloodshot eyes everywhere trying to keep us afloat."

"I think I'm going to take the rest of the evening off myself. The last thing I want to do is work myself into an early grave, and that's exactly where I'm headed if I don't start taking better care of myself."

"Smart call," Tom confirmed. "Besides, you're the XO. Just order some light duty for yourself the next few days. Take tomorrow off even."

Maddy looked like she wanted to take his advice, but couldn't do so with a clear conscience. Especially after Michael just had brain surgery. She needed to pick up the slack and make his life a bit easier for the time being. "As much as I'd love to take a day off, I don't think I should right now. Michael, even if he wouldn't admit it, is still recovering from surgery."

"Perhaps when he's back then," Tom supposed. "And before we get back underway?"

"It's possible," the redhead said, though, she couldn't make any promises. "What about you? Will you take a day off when the armor is done?"

"Assuming that there's time to take off when the job is finished and the Triumphant warps out, I certainly will." Tom took another bite out of his last fajita.

"How much longer do you think is left?" Maddy found herself asking as she finished off her burger.

"We just got started yesterday." Tom chewed as he thought about the timeline. "Week... and a half I think."

Maddy leaned back. She was stuffed now. "That doesn't seem so bad all things considered. I thought something like that would have taken a lot longer than roughly a week and a half. Though, you're leading the team, which is encouraging."

Tom finished his fajita and looked up at Maddy. "Being docked at a starbase and having access to extra crew makes a huge difference. If we were anywhere else... it'd take at least a month."

"That's true. I'm glad you have the extra help. It means I get more of your time when it's all done."

He smiled. "Then it's a date. Well, in seven to ten days. In the meantime," Tom pushed his empty plate forward, "I think it's showtime."

Maddy finished off her ale and nodded her head. "I want to get out of this uniform first. Since I have no intentions of going back to my office thing evening, it seems like the right thing to do."

"Then to our quarters it is," Tom said, rising from the table and extending a hand. "Change of clothes, a walk, then a movie. Sounds like a good way to end the day."

"It certainly is," she said, accepting his hand. And it was a great way to end the day as far as she was concerned.