NAZGUL: Playing Escort

Posted on Tue Mar 4th, 2025 @ 7:34pm by Lieutenant Griffon Resch

Mission: THE LAST CRY FOR HELP
Location: USS NAZGUL
Timeline: Current

ON:

Lieutenant Griffon Resch moved at a casual pace, crossing the airlock bridge to the NX Malta. Gold shirt, black pants tucked unto regulation mid-calf boots, and an equipment belt around his waist with a phaser pistol in a tactical holster on his right thigh. He was on duty, and on assignment, so the weapon was necessary for his current directive. Stopping at a three person group of fellow crew with various colored shirts, Resch asked a question. "Where can I find Lt. Commander Rachel Cavender?"

One of the ensigns, a Human woman in a blue shirt, made a lazy wave down a corridor. "In engineering, Lieutenant. She's being difficult with our work teams."

"Really?" Griffon found that news disconcerting. "Not anything physical I hope?"

"No, no." Answered another younger man wearing a gold shirt. "Nothing like that. Just being loud and asking why we're on her ship and tearing everything apart."

Griffon gave a crooked grin. "I see. I'll see to it, thank you." With that said he moved on, his pace quickened with the new information in mind. He found the main doors for Main Engineering and as they slid open and he stepped inside, one female voice could be heard over all the other chatter.

"What the hell? You gotta take the whole damn thing apart? Where'd you learn engineering, ensign, was it a prize in a gift bag?" Cavender was watching all these strangers opening panels and tearing out old equipment to be replaced by brand new equipment. Same era, same tech, just brand new.

"Commander Rachel Cavender!" Resch raised his voice to be heard, the whole compartment coming to a standstill as he did so. The woman looked his way, blowing a loose strand of hair away from her right eye.

"What?" She asked in a perturbed tone.

"I need you to come with me, Commander. Please." Resch had his hands behind his back in a casual stance, his face passive.

Cavender looked the man up and down, not minding the eye candy but seeing he was a serious individual. "Who are you?" She looked all over his uniform before spotting the two, small gold pips along the collar line on his right collarbone. The gold shirt and form fitting slacks with boots they were bloused into was quite a good look, she thought. Everyone from Nazgul could be easily recognized by their uniform items.

"Lieutenant Griffon Resch, Commander. Security Chief, USS Nazgul." Once said, Resch repeated his earlier request. "Now that that is established, please come with me, Commander."

"Am I under arrest, Lieutenant?"

"Not yet," he answered. But, not wanting to drag out this back and forth, Griffon decided to add some finality to it. "However, you don't get moving I will have no choice. I can beam you directly to the brig, or you can walk with me. Your choice."

Rachel gave a frustrated sigh, her gaze going around the chamber as everyone started to get back to work. She was ready to say something else and her mouth opened slightly as if to begin.

"Commander!" Resch had stepped into his voice of authority. He saw her look his way and he simply shook his head, his eyes denoting that this was not up for further negotiation. "Let's go. Now!"

Knowing she had no choice when confronted by Security, Cavender growled under her breath and got in beside him as they stepped into the corridor. "You don't mess around, do you, Mister Resch?"

Resch kept his eyes forward as he responded. "Nope. I have a task and I will get it done. This could have gone far more polite but you decided to push your luck." He glanced over at her, giving her a wry eye briefly.

"My apologies, then." Cavender said. "It's just...I took care of this ship for over a hundred years. Hard to watch others tear into her."

"Understandable, Commander." Now, as they moved, he would glance over at her occasionally as they went. "Just know that Malta is a simple task for our people. Sure, it's a learning process to actually work on such outdated tech, but they maintain the Nazgul, and you are in for a surprise once aboard. You'll see."

Rachel thought on that for a few moments. "I thought Captain Loewen wanted to keep me from seeing too much of the future."

Resch gave a nod. "He still does. But, a walk through the corridors is not going to reveal too much in the way of technology. Your VIP suite, however, will. It has been set so that you can only access certain things. Light panels, the replicator, that sort of thing. You will have no access to tech manuals and the like." They got to a lift, with Griffon motioning for ladies first, then stepped in behind her. He spun around beside her, speaking to the ceiling. "Deck five." The lift began to move.

"Voice activated?" Cavender's eyes got wider as she looked around at all the technology that was far more advanced than she had even imagined. No buttons, just touch key LCARS. "That's amazing."

The doors opened, and again Resch gave her motion to go first. Not only because he was a gentleman, but also because he was Security. It kept her ahead of him and not behind him, if even only slightly. They began to walk the hallway. Several officers passed by, giving Cavender a once over at her coverall uniform, each of them having seen the pics of that style from Academy history classes.

"Seems I draw a lot of curious attention." Rachel said.

"Can you blame them?" Resch grinned at her. "I find it fascinating, myself. Here I am escorting an officer who is nearly 200 years old. From an era I have only read about." He came to a stop at a door for some quarters. "Here we are." Reaching to the panel he tapped in a code quicker than she could keep up, the doors sliding open. She motioned for her to step in with him. "Lights," he said as they came to a stop.

The illumination went to standard, bathing the quarters in enough light to see to every corner. Rachel had her mouth agape. The room was big, roomy, and comfy by the looks of the furnishings and basic decorations. "Wow! This is what staterooms look like these days?"

Resch could not help but smile at her exuberance. "This is it. Though, these rooms are a bit nicer since it is a VIP suite. Bedroom and bathroom are that door to the right of this room. The left door is an extra, smaller sleeping room/office style. The bathroom has a shower, and a jacuzzi tub, should you care to take a dip in relaxation." He gave her a wry look. Later, of course. We still have to get going soon. The Captain wanted me to ask if you would like a uniform more befitting our time, so as not to cause all the unnecessary gawking."

"That would be nice, for sure." Cavender had said that, then watched as Resch went to a computer bank built into the wall, with a small shelf within it. He tapped a key and the panel lit up as active.

Pulling his tricorder free and unfolding it, he then turned enough to aim the scan at her. Once done, quick as could be, he folded it back up and holstered it on his belt.

"Was that a tricorder?"

"It was." Griffon said, grinning at her perplexed expression. "As I said, Commander, a lot has changed since your time. Most phasers look like hand held shop vacs. Nazgul has sidearms that look like sidearms. If there is a reason to have weapons then they should be identified as such by outsiders." With the data input into the replicator, he tapped another key and within moments what looked to be some kind of transporter shimmer provided a folded up uniform and a pair of boots. Resch scooped up the folded uniform with one hand and clasped the boots by their straps in the other. He set them aside on a chair in the lounge area. "I'll let you create your own skivvies, Commander. No need for me to see what you're wearing under the outer layer."

Cavender gave a giggling smile. "Don't need a preview? Fair enough. Also, the name's Rachel. The rank and what not works fine in a business setting, but between us just talking, my name works fine."

"Noted," Resch said with a grin. "As I said," he chinned a direction. "The bedroom is that way when you change. Come here." Getting in next to him he ran her through the replicator and how it worked. It was far more advanced than the protein resequencer, but the premise was still the same. "If all else fails with the tapping of keys, just tell it what you want. Or, talk to the computer and ask for whatever you need. As I said, your replicator is at limited function, for now." He angled his face upwards slightly, speaking out loud to the ceiling. "Computer, two plain iced teas, 16oz." The computer acknowledged and a whirring sound occurred even as the shimmer happened and two pints of iced tea, with a lemon wedge each, appeared. Griffon lifted them both and handed her one. He clanked them together, gave a raised glass salute to her, then took a sip. She did the same.

"Nice." Cavender said, liking the ease with which one could indulge in a snack without going to the crew mess hall. "I take it there isn't a chef on board, anymore?"

"Not per se, no." Griffon watched as she took up the folded and stacked shirt and pants, then went to grab the boots but stopped short as she looked over at him. "Problem?"

Rachel held up a bit of shirt fabric. "It's gold, Griffon. I'm an engineer, it should be red."

"Ah, yes, that little discrepancy." Resch again grinned. "Over time the division colors changed. Command Division is now red, Operations Division gold. Hence, why I am wearing a gold shirt. I could wear red, being a department head, but I don't feel it necessary to do so with my people. They know who I am."

"Oh, well, forget I said anything. Gimme a few to change." Cavender went to the bedroom and the door slid open, she immediately turned and he could see her looking at the control panel. "Uhmmm, which key locks the door--nevermind, found it." The familiar bleep of a key was hit, the bedroom door locking open as she stepped aside from view to change. As she did so she began to ask minor questions about minor things, which he was glad to answer. She came out and stood before him, giving a dramatic model pose with arms out like a diva. "Ta-da. Do I look modern?"

Resch chuckled at the display. She was quite the extrovert. "Well, sorta."

"Sorta," her brow contorted in confusion. "Didn't you say this is the uniform of the day?" Rachel asked.

"It is, but it is a modern version of a uniform that was dropped back in the 2270's. It only recently became standardized, and a choice for captains to make if their entire crew agreed. All crew had to look the same, or it was the tunic and slacks variant that is the actual uniform of the day. Captain Bjorgo, our previous CO, had a vote and we all said we liked this variant. Easier, more comfortable, and not as many layers. Utilitarian, in other words."

"Well, since I don't know the difference, I like it. Far more comfy than those bloody coveralls." Cavender went and downed her iced tea as quick as she could without getting brain freeze, Griffon doing the same. "Potty, then we go." She headed back into the bedroom.

~I feel like the waiting husband~ he thought. Resch stood patiently, but he did not have long to wait. She came back out in a short few minutes. "Alright, time to head to Sickbay. Please, don't try to deviate into any areas. Just come along. After your check-up, then we can talk to the Captain about a tour. Deal?"

"Deal."

Getting them moving, Resch escorted his charge through the ship.

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