The Fuse

Posted on Mon Mar 2, 2020 @ 3:43pm by Captain Madelina Weisz & Commodore Michael Aravan

Mission: The Nanjing
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: MD 1 || 1530 Hours

Once everyone else left the Ready Room, Maddy rose to her feet and began to pace the floor. She crossed to one side of the room, then to the other before turning to repeat the process. There were so many things going through her mind right now, and yet, only a single question stood out above the rest. "Why didn't you tell me, Michael? Why did you let me find out something like that in a fucking briefing?" The redhead asked, finally stopped to give the Commodore her complete attention. "You said it happened an hour before you called the briefing, and yet... in all that time, you didn't think to give me any kind of clue? Had our roles been reversed, I would have had the decency to alert you that Spencer had been involved in... whatever the hell it was that happened."

The door had barely closed on the last officer and Michael hadn't dared to attempt to get a cup of coffee. He was correct that his Executive Officer was a boiling volcano and she was now erupting. He couldn't fault her on it, but he also couldn't just sit back and take it. "Maddy, I understand where you're coming from, but I had to follow protocols just like you had to. Between learning what Master Chief Barnes told us and what Commander Rho showed me, I had to make absolutely certain that a Borg nanoprobe infection wasn't loose on the ship."

"And, how long did that take you? Are you actually trying to tell me that somewhere in an entire hour... sixty minutes, three thousand six hundred seconds... you couldn't have taken thirty of them to tell me something happened, and that he was okay?" Maddy demanded. She reached for a single strand of her fiery red hair and held it away from her head. "Do you see this and the other ninety thousand just like it, Michael? They're not just hair. They're fuses, and they've officially been lit."

This isn't going to end well, he thought, especially with all ninety thousand of her 'fuses' lit. "Maddy, you're letting your personal feelings get in the way of your professionalism," he said, realizing it was fuel for her fire, but it was true. "Yes, I should have. However, would you have been able to do anything that wasn't done? Also, yes, I would have appreciated hearing about Spencer if it was her and not Master Chief Barnes, but I couldn't have done more myself if I had been there."

"You would have wanted to be there to see she was okay for yourself," the redhead snapped. "And hell yes, I'm letting my personal feelings get in the way for the first time in my entire career, Michael. We're not talking about a damn tribble getting friendly with Tom's arm. We're talking about the fucking Borg!"

Michael couldn't help himself as a chuckle escaped his lips and looked horrified a moment later that it had escaped. "Would have wanted, but would be doing my duty, Maddy. For that matter...I noticed that you didn't go with Tom when he left. Maybe he can find a Tribble to help him."

Red. That's all she saw aside from the silhouette of the man still sitting at the table. With zero hesitation, or care for the rank insignia he wore on his collar, Maddy launched herself at the Commanding Officer, a guttural grow emanating from her. He'd pushed the already angry woman way too far with his comment, and now the fuses she'd mentioned earlier were officially igniting into a raging inferno.

Despite having six inches and almost forty pounds on her, her surprise attack caught him off guard and his chair tipped backwards. He brought his arms up in front of him in a defensive X and pushed them both away and out from his body as the chair hit the floor, trying to get her off of him without hurting her. "Captain Weisz! Stand down!"

His attempt to get her off, combined with the chair falling, were enough to get the enraged Captain off of him. She rolled a few feet away and lifted her head, glaring at her superior officer. Maddy's breathing was labored, not just from exertion, but from the anger boiling inside of her. Slowly, the redhead rose to her feet, keeping her gaze locked on Michael for a moment before she began to circle him like a predator stalking a wounded animal just before going in for the kill. "Get up."

Michael came to his feet easily and turned to face her. "Think, Maddy," he urged her with his hands up in a defensive position. "Think about what Tom will think of this. Think about the personnel that look up to you. I'm sorry that I didn't contact you, but Tom didn't, either."

"You want me to think, Commodore?" Maddy asked through clenched teeth. She was still pissed no one told her about Tom, but this... it went beyond that now thanks to Michael and his very stupid comment only moments ago. What he said hurt, and now she wanted him to hurt. Her hands went to her collar, removing the four pips that rested there before placing them on the table. Next went her jacket, which was laid out next to her pips. And finally, the red tunic was removed to come to a rest on top of her jacket leaving her in a black tank top and her uniform pants. "I think you need to take your jacket off."

He had to admit that she was a very attractive woman and seeing the redhead angry was a turn on. However, he was also a married man and a Commodore and had to maintain some decorum. "This isn't going to help matters or Tom, Maddy," he said as he removed his jacket. "But if it makes you feel better, I'll let you have the first punch."

Oh, but it would definitely make her feel better. Maddy charged forward and threw a right hook right for his jaw. There was some force behind it, and would have had a lesser man falling on his backside, but she pulled the punch at the very last second. The blow would definitely cause some discomfort, but wouldn't displace the bone.

Michael turned his head with the blow and didn't try to stop it, but he had to admit that he felt it. He reached up and rubbed the spot, then looked at her with his green eyes. "Is this helping?" He asked her. "Or should I replicate some lotion for it?" He asked, clearly antagonizing her.

Blue eyes narrowed. Who wanted to fight someone that clearly didn't want to fight back? If he could antagonize her, Maddy could certainly return the favor. "I never took you for a cold fish, Michael," she said, her voice void of all emotion. "Is that why Spencer never smiles?"

"Oh, she smiles and laughs every night when I tell her how mad you get at me," he said, keeping his hands up. "She'll have a really good laugh tonight when I tell her how upset you are that you had to bring her into it. Maybe I should tell Tom, too. He'll be certain to get a laugh."

Maddy narrowed her eyes on him as something inside of her snapped. She let out an angry roar and lunged toward him, her shoulder aiming right at his midsection. If he wanted her even angrier, he'd definitely accomplished that. Of course, this was going to hurt her, too, but she didn't give a damn. If he wanted her in a rage she'd have to fight to come back from, then that's what was going to happen.

Michael grabbed her when she lunged at him, but they both still went down. Only now his arms were around the angry redhead and he grabbed one of his wrists behind her with his other hand and held on tight. "Maddy. Stop. Listen to me. This isn't helping Tom." He breathed, his breath hot on her face from inches away as they lay on the floor with her on top of him.

The redhead fought against the hold he had on her. Her breathing was still heavy, but she hadn't worked up any kind of sweat. "Let me go," she muttered through clenched teeth, trying to use her trapped arms as best she could to push herself away from him.

"Are you going to stop?" he asked as she tried to get away. He found it enticing in a way as she struggled and tried to keep in mind that she was in a relationship and he was married, but it wasn't easy.

"Yes," she said simply, ceasing in her struggling.

"I'm trusting you," Michael said as he released the lock on his wrist and moved his arms to let her get up. He was well aware that left him in a defenseless position, but he was going to trust her.

Maddy rolled off of him and got to her feet, putting as much distance between them as possible. Even the table the entire senior staff sat at together only moments before stood between them. She reached for her tunic and pulled it on over her head, then removed her hair from the collar. "Computer... activate EMH in the ready room," she ordered, picking up her jacket. "The Commodore needs to be looked over." With that, she made her way for the door, leaving the four pips on the table behind her.

"Belay that, Computer," he said as he came to his feet, then saw the pips on the table. "Not again. Maddy!"

"What?" The redhead asked as she turned around to look at him. This was the part where he would tell her she was overreacting, but she didn't see it that way. "Me being your Executive Officer clearly isn't going to work, Michael."

"This has nothing to do with you being an officer," Michael said as he closed the distance between them. "You're letting personal feelings get in the way, for which I apologized. Then you attacked me and I haven't called Security to throw you in the brig. Now you're resigning your commission? Think on this decision, Maddy. How will Tom take it?"

Maddy walked back over to the table and scooped her pips up. She put her jacket down to pin them back onto her collar. "I don't know why you want to keep me as your XO, Michael. I'm a hot-headed woman, and nothing is going to change that," she said with a frown. In fact, the redhead was still a bit annoyed, but that was nothing compared to the raging anger she felt not too long ago. "You'd be doing yourself a great service if you'd just let me go."

He laid a hand on her shoulder and looked into her blue eyes, her heart shaped face, red lips and flaming red hair. The woman was beautiful, had a very sharp mind, fiery temper and...he suddenly found himself kissing her with his other hand going around her waist.

Her eyes went wide when he kissed her. That was the last thing Maddy ever expected from him, and had they been single, maybe the redhead might have returned it, but they weren't. She was with Tom, and he had her heart one hundred percent, and he was married. There was no hesitation on her part as she placed a hand against his chest and gently pushed herself back. "Michael," she said softly, all anger she felt moments ago vanishing completely. "A lot of lines were crossed today, but that's one that we can't step over."

"I...I'm sorry," Michael said as he backed up. "I...don't know what came over me, Captain."

Maddy shrugged her jacket on and zipped it up. "It's okay, Michael," she said, making sure her uniform was straight. Of all the things that happened between the two of them... throwing of mugs, cussing one another out, throwing pips, and so on... this was what was going to make things awkward between them. "We'll put it behind us and focus on the task at hand."

"Agreed," he said as he wiped his mouth. "Uh, we need to contact the planet that called for evacuation," he managed to get his mind back on track.

"Right... do you want me to return to the bridge, or contact the planet?" The redhead asked.

"Contact the planet," Michael said as he tried to keep his mind off what he had done. "We do know that freighter logs do recount a visit to Selluna II, carrying refugees away before the Borg strike, but that's all. There's missing freighters listed, too."

Maddy nodded her head, moving over to the terminal after putting on her uniform jacket once more. She put in her own authorization code and sent a hail to the planet. Thankfully, this would prove a great distraction for both her, and for Michael, and she was grateful for that. Now, she just needed to wait for a face to appear on the screen.

A male Bajoran appeared on the screen before her a minute later. "Can I help you, Captain?" he asked as he looked at the pips on her collar. "I'm First Minister Akorum Dant," he said.

"Minister Akorum," she acknowledged with a respectful nod once he appeared on her screen. "My name is Captain Madelina Weisz, Executive Officer of the Starfleet vessel USS Triumphant. We were under the impression your planet was evacuated. Did you stay behind?"

"What evacuation, Captain?" Akorum asked and looked confused.

Maddy looked just as confused as he did, but now, she wasn't thinking about what happened between her and Michael. The Captain was completely focused on what was going on here. "Our ship encountered some freighters in perfect condition, but there was no one on board those vessels. We were able to get a hold of the logs, and those logs stated that Selluna II was evacuated," she explained. "Clearly, that doesn't seem to be the case."

"What freighters and why was Selluna II supposed to have been evacuated?" Akorum asked. "Is this some plot by Starfleet to move us? The Federation Council will hear of this."

"Minister Akorum, I assure you this is no plot by Starfleet to move you or your people," the Captain said, hoping to alleviate some of the concerns the Bajoran man was having. "If you know nothing about the freighters, or the evacuation, then can I assume you weren't aware of the Borg Cube, either?"

"Borg? What are you talking about?" the Bajoran asked with more than a little annoyance.

The human woman took a deep breath, then began to explain. "...and then we found the Cube before it exploded."

"No such thing happened here," Akorum stated flatly. "And you aren't needed." With that, the transmission ended and the screen went black.

"What was that about?" Michael asked from where he had been getting a cup of coffee on the other side of the ready room.

"I... don't know," the redhead answered, blinking at the blank screen before her. Something wasn't right there, but what, she didn't know. "If you ask my opinion, I think he's hiding something down there. What, though, I haven't the slightest clue." Of course, there was also the possibility that nothing was going on, and the Captain was reading way too much into it. However, experience told her otherwise. "What do you think? Think we should send a team down to take a look?"

"We're going to have to, but let's get close enough to run full sensor sweeps before we do. Something is going on and we know there was an evacuation. We have the logs," the commanding officer said.

"Then, it looks like I'm heading to the bridge," she said, rising to her feet. Once she felt she looked a bit more presentable, the redhead nodded toward Michael and excused herself to give the order to move closer to the planet.