Post #45 Escort Pt.4

Posted on Sat Jun 10th, 2023 @ 7:45pm by Captain Jamie O'Connell

Mission: Mission 10. Move to the Lagoon Nebula.
Location: USS Peel
Timeline: End Of Day

::ON::

{Deck5}

Captain O'Connell arrived at the Lounge shortly before eighteen hundred and secured a table for two by a Viewport awaiting the arrival of his dinner guest while keeping an eye on the entrance for her.

As with any good C.O. Edwards arrive right on time. Scanning the room she soon found Jamie and proceeded to walk over to his table, being a little nervous about the dinner invitation given the circumstances of her presence aboard Ship. "Good evening Captain O'Connell" she commented seeing the Viewport "Nice view."

Being the gentleman that he was, Jamie stood "Good evening, and since we're both off duty please....it's Jamie. Make yourself comfortable" he commented with a smile.

Edwards smiled back "Hello Jamie and please it's Lisa" she replied as she sat "Thank you for the dinner invitation, it was very thoughtful of you."

"You're welcome...plus I won't have to eat alone" he answered with a light chuckle. The two Captains ordered their respective dinners along with an adult beverage. Shortly their meal arrived and they continued chatting while enjoying the food.

After awhile there was a few minutes of silence when Jamie wanted to inquire "Lisa I realize we don't really know each other very well, but I have to ask" then he paused for a moment wanting to choose the right words "You seem....well....distracted.....like your mind is miles away....is everything alright."

Then letting out a sigh "Let me see how to put this.....my husband isn't doing too well at the moment' she stated not giving any specifics. She really wasn't lying; her husband was being held by a faction and if she didn't do as they asked then he would not be around any longer. Then a thought came to her "Maybe if I come clean the Captain can help.....he does seem rather caring" but she soon dismissed the idea thinking "Why would he want to get involved in my problems."

Jamie smiled "I'm very sorry to hear that....I hope he gets better soon" he replied with compassion in his voice.

"Thank you Jamie, that's very kind of you. I'm sure he'll be fine before long" Lisa answered hoping her husband would be released when they found out she had accomplished what was asked of her. Now she desperately wanted to change the topic "So tell me more about this Ship of yours" Lisa commented with her smile returning.

Jamie explained some of the technical aspects of the Peel "And we have a Crew compliment of sixty which includes an eight person squad of Marines; that works out nicely since they also help with Security which gives Lieutenant SanChez more bodies to run Tactical."

"Yes I met the Lieutenant earlier....she seems very down to earth" Lisa commented with a grin.

"Well that's one way to put it. Maria is a no nonsense kind of Officer and gets the job done very well; just don't piss her off" Jamie replied with a chuckle.

"Yes I can see that" Lisa replied with a grin "What's with your Engineering Lieutenant....he seems rather unique...to say the least."

"That would be Lieutenant Kalva Ren; he's a Mek-Purr.....a type of feline humanoid. Sadly he was involved in a bad accident as a teen and had the left side of his body rebuilt with cybernetics. Kalva is however extremely intelligent and is technically much more advanced than anyone I've ever met before. As Chief of Engineering, so far he has kept this Ship running at peak performance" Jamie explained with some pride in his Chief.

"I thought there was something special about your Lieutenant....I mean I've never seen anyone able to work with a Station Screen and not touch the controls while doing it" Lisa replied with surprise in her voice.

"I know I was surprised the first time I saw Kalva doing that; he uses telepathy to control the screen input" Jamie replied with a grin.

"I have to hand it to you Jamie.....I couldn't imagine Commanding a Ship with such a small Crew" Lisa commented being quite curious.

Jamie just grinned "Actually it's a lot easier than you may think. Every member of the Crew has not only Primary duties, but Secondary as well. The interesting part is everyone is willing to help others without being asked; and that is a rare thing for a Crew" he explained "Otherwise our jobs would be a whole lot more difficult."

"Even though I've only been aboard one day, I can tell this Crew has great admiration for their Captain and would most likely do anything for you" Lisa stated "And that Jamie is a rare thing."

Jamie was a little lost for words for a moment, before commenting "Yes I suppose it is and I have seen just the opposite on previous Ships I have served on in the past. So what about you Lisa.....how goes your Command."

"Not bad but I do have a much larger Crew to work with on a daily basis; although I'm not sure if that's good or bad" she commented with a grin "But it is nice to have the extra bodies around when they're needed. Of course there's quite a bit less pressure being strictly a Diplomatic Ship as opposed to say someone like yourself who can have multiple assignments."

Jamie had to laugh "You know I've really haven't given that much thought, and after serving on really large Ships over the years a smaller Crew is actually a nice change; at least for now" he replied. The two Captains chatted for the next couple of hours about different things until Lisa realized it was getting rather late "Oh my....look at the time....I should be going....tomorrow is going to be a busy day for me." as she stood with a smile.

Jamie stood as well "Yes of course....I didn't mean to keep you out so late" he answered "We should be arrive at the Planet about zero ten hundred, so you could sleep in a little."

"Yes I suppose you're right" Lisa stated "Thank you again for a lovely evening and some great conversation. So I'll report to the Bridge in the morning before we beam down to the planet."

"You're welcome and thank you for keeping me company.....it was a nice evening. Sleep well Lisa" Jamie commented with a smile. Lisa nodded, turned to make her way back to her quarters.

Jamie sat and finished his drink thinking "She really seems like a good Captain.....I just wish I didn't have this nagging feeling that something is not right." Standing Jamie went back to his Quarters hoping to find some answers to the nagging questions.

Tbc

::OFF::

Captain Jamie O'Connell
Commanding Officer
USS Peel
NCC-17015