Posted by Lieutenant Commander Zef Rollo (Counselor) in Event Horizon - Dinner and Announcements

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Event Horizon - Dinner and Announcements

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Zef Rollo (Counselor) in Event Horizon - Dinner and Announcements
Knowing the ship was going to travel back to the Event Horizon after their current mission ended, Zef took stock of her personal inventories and sent in an order to be filled. She would pick it up when they docked for repair and resupply.

Since the night Alex confessed his love to her, nearly a month ago, she’d been working on a special gift for him. But the most important piece of it was in the order she was there to get. He was going to accompany her on the outing today and she was really looking forward to them having some time away from the ship.

In jeans and a pink t-shirt that declared: ‘I’m just a girl standing in front of a salad, asking it to be a donut.’, Zef stood outside Alex’s quarters at the agreed upon time and rang the chime.

—Zef

The door slid open and Alex was walking out of the bedroom. He smiled and his eyes fell on her shirt and he chuckled. “Nice. I like it.” He was in jeans and a t-shirt that had a negative expose picture of Beethoven on it. He walked up to her and smiled, then lowered his lips to hers and gave her a kiss.

Since that night, Alex had only told her he loved her once. It had been the next morning when they were leaving for their day’s work. His demeanor hadn’t shifted though; he just wasn’t pressuring her.

“Shall we?” and stepped out into the passageway.

Alex

Linking her hand in his, they fell into step with each other. “Now you know I can spend the entire day shopping, but the only thing I have to do is pick up my supplies. Is there anything you wanted to do or explore on the station today?” She thought they might get lunch while they were out, but he might have other ideas.

As they passed other members of the crew in the corridors, they made no attempt to hide their joined hands. Both of them had gotten comfortable with the idea of others knowing they were a couple.

—Zef

“I wanted to see if you’d like to try our hand at dinner again, actually? The have a new restaurant on the bottom of the station. Transparent floor with an internal radiation film that allows you to see the wormhole when it opens. Unique view, good food…” and he nodded to the Security officers at the hatch who came to attention at his approach, “… and the most wonderful company any man could ask for. What better way to spend an evening…” and he grinned, “… at least in public.”

Cochrane, CO

Zef laughed and blushed despite herself. “I hope they didn’t hear you…” A head nod back towards the security guards told him who she meant. “About dinner, can you really watch the wormhole activate? That sounds intriguing. But who knows when the next ship will want to travel through it?” As they walked she looked around taking notice of shops and offices aboard the station. The place they were looking for was Canlo’s Cargo, a private company that had locations throughout the Alpha Quadrant.

—Zef

“The joys of a new station, love. Everybody wants to see it. Ships are coming and going pretty regularly. I’d be willing to bet that we could see at least one go through or come out.” he said as he took her arm and draped it over his.

Walking slowly through the station, Alex people watched. It was always exciting for him when he arrived at a new station after so long away.

Alex

As they walked, she felt so relaxed and comfortable, that she let her head rest on Alex’s shoulder for a minute. It was a perfect moment…She was where she wanted to be and with the person she wanted to be with. Ahead of her was a task she was looking forward to—making a piece of jewelry for him that would have special meaning and the supplies she needed were in the small crate they were going to pick up.

Her sigh was audible and if he looked down at her he would see a very contented smile.

—Zef

He did indeed look down, and the sight of her smile gave him cause to pause. He stopped walking and turned and put his arms around her. He looked down at her and smiled and said “I really do love you, Zef. More than anything.” and he kissed her. He hadn’t said those words to her again since that night. He didn’t want to pressure her or make her feel guilty for not being at the same point he was. After all, it wasn’t like she said she didn’t… she just said she needed time. And that was fine. But here, now, he couldn’t keep them back.

He pulled back and took her hand, putting his fingers through hers and holding her gently, and began walking with a very similar contented smile.

Alex

And there it was again. He loved her. He hadn’t said it since the very first night when they’d dressed for a dinner they never had. Zef knew she had strong feelings for Alex, but was her definition of love and his the same thing? As they walked, she thought about her home world and what their relationship might mean there. If he asked her to be mated to him, she would say yes, but was that what he considered marriage or was it more an exclusive dating agreement?

Her thoughts were interrupted when her blue-gray gaze saw the name Canlo’s Cargo in red letters above the door to a shop. “There it is.” One, short but manicured nail pointed further down the corridor. “I hope they were able to fill everything in my order.” She wasn’t aware that her steps now moved a little faster as they for the storefront.

—Zef

“Well… the only way to find out is to check, right? And maybe after we can wander the station, see what they’ve done since our last visit.” and as they reached the door and it opened, he put his hand gently on the small of her back and ushered her inside. As she walked past him, he whispered “By the way… you look beautiful today.” and smiled at her.

Alex

When they entered, they were greeted by a Ferengi behind the counter and a large Klingon who was posted by the door. They were both dressed in civilian clothing. The Klingon said nothing. He paid attention to what was going on and looked intimidating, which Zef figured was his job. But the Ferengi immediately approached.

“Welcome, how may I be of assistance today?”

Zef stepped forward. “I have an order. I was notified it arrived three days ago and I would like it sent to my ship, please.”

“Of course, of course. Do you have your bill of lading for the shipment?” He walked over to a case that housed beautiful, raw stones and small jewelry items, lifted a handheld scanner from the top of it and looked at her expectantly.

She dug a metallic card from the pocket of her jeans and handed it to him. He tapped it to the device and a chime sounded. “Is this information correct? LtCmdr Zef Rollo, USS Manhattan, Counselor?”

“Yes, that’s right. The ship will be berthed here for the next ten days. How soon can the crate be delivered?”

The Ferengi smiled, showing an array of sharp teeth. “I can have it there by 1900 hours this evening if that is acceptable?”

Zef smiled too. This was the most charming Ferengi she’d ever met and she was a bit intrigued. “That would be fine, thank you. Has the order been checked for accuracy? Is everything there?”

He glanced back down at the scanner. “Actually, I checked the shipment myself and noted that it was complete, so yes, everything is there.”

She looked back at Alex, raising brows as if to say, ‘can you believe this guy?’

The shipment had already been paid for during the ordering process, but the counselor, who really appreciated the professionalism of the company and its workers, laid a credit chip on the counter. “Thank you for your time. I shall be using Canlo’s Cargo again.”

Without ever taking his eyes from her, the Ferengi’s hand palmed the credit chip and it disappeared into a pocket.

“Thank you, Cmdr Rollo, we appreciate your business.”

And that was all there was to it. Slipping her hand back into Alex’s, the two headed for the door, passing the large Klingon on their way out.

When they were back in the busy corridor, she started laughing. “Do you think he was really Ferengi?”

—Zef

Alex grinned and said “Did you see how he took that chip without even looking? Oh yes… definitely Ferengi.” and he laughed. He turned then back towards the docks and looked at Zef.

“Have dinner with me tonight. Here on the station. Yes, I know I asked you before. But you didn’t really say ‘yes’, so now I am being more adamant. Besides, I have a surprise for you. So… dinner? Say… 1900? I promise to not distract you from the meal until at least after the appetizers.” and he leaned in and kissed her as they walked slowly back to the ship.

Alex

They were going to try dinner again? Well, on the station in a restaurant it would have to work, right? They couldn’t suddenly get excited and head to the kitchen for a quickie.

“Okay, dinner, 1700 hours.” She disengaged their hands and slipped her arm around his waist. “Funny that you have a surprise for me. I have something I need to talk to you about too.” Was there a hint of concern behind her eyes? Since she was looking ahead of them, Alex couldn’t see it.

“So what’s the dress code for tonight?”

—Zef

As they approached the ship’s docking port, the Security officer came to attention. Cochrane said “Duren. Relax, Ensign. If I’m not in uniform, don’t stress about ceremony. How’s your boy?” Duren relaxed slightly and said “Doing well, sir. Thank you.”

The hatch unsealed and Alex and Zef stepped inside. “Sorry… tonight will be semi-formal. And at 1900, not 1700.” and he smiled at her. Something was on her mind, it wasn’t like her to miss a detail like that. He stopped her before the turbolift doors and looked at her, a smile of love and adoration on his face. “Zef, I… well… you know.” and he kissed her gently and took a small step back. “I have to go make some arrangements, but I will see you at 1900 at The View, all right?”

Alex

1900 hours! She thought 1700 hours was a little early for dinner, but it told her that her thoughts were having an effect. Telling herself to relax, she squeezed Alex’s hands and entered the ship. Semi formal…well it would give her something else to focus on for a little while.

Heading back to her quarters, she got a glass of wine from the replicator and started looking through the ship’s catalog. If she’d known earlier, they could have shopped for evening wear on the station, but perhaps this was better in the long run. Flipping through the catalog, she was confused. What did one wear for the kind of thing she was going to tell him?

An hour and two glasses of wine later, she’d made her choice and started putting the rest of the outfit together before a shower.

At 1830 hours, Zef was showered and perfumed, her hair had been swept up in a chignon and small diamond earrings shown through a few wispy curls strategically placed around her face. The pink lace dress hugged her figure from the waist up and gave her pale skin a healthy glow. She helped herself to another glass of wine while she awaited Alex’s arrival.

—Zef

The chime sounded and Alex stood at the door. He was dressed in a smart three piece suit, dark blue (because he knew that was her favorite color) with a white shirt and matching blue tie. As the door slid open, he smiled at Zef and said “Oh… my… you look exquisite. Truly.” and he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek, lightly, and whispered in her ear “Tonight is already amazing. You are a vision.” and then he stood back and took her hand.

“Shall we?”

Alex

“You look so handsome!” She reached for his hand with a smile, and the two set off for the station. “I like having somewhere to go with you off the ship. It’s like we are a real couple and not just officers on the same ship.” Realizing that didn’t sound exactly as she meant it to, Zef elaborated. “You know what I mean, don’t you?” She looked over at him. “I mean, no matter where we go on the ship, you’re still Captain Cochrane and everyone knows that. Going to a place on the station gives us a chance to just just be Alex and Zef.”

Alex smiled at her and said “I know what you mean.” but part of his brain was analyzing the statement. … like a real couple… just officers on the same ship… Part of him began to understand that this evening may not go as planned.

The officers on the ship that they passed as they made their way to the disembarking security gate, looked at them and smiled or nodded. Everyone recognized Alex and most knew she was the counselor because of having been in her office at least once. It was exactly as she’d told him. But when they crossed the security line and were on the station, they were just another couple. She liked the anonymity.

—Zef

They walked through the station for a few moments in silence, Zef’s hand in Alex’s. They got onto the dedicated lift that took them all the way to the lowest level of the station. As the doors opened, their first step was into the nothingness of space…

Zef clutched at his arm, the vertigo a surprise. She hadn’t known what she expected, but it wasn’t to step off the lift into space. Her footing was already compromised in the sleek heels she wore. With a nervous laugh, she recovered and blushed.

Except it wasn’t. A faint grid existed where the slabs of transparent aluminium were joined together The stars shone brightly below and all around them. The Maitre’d looked at them and said “May I help you?” Alex said “Yes. Cochrane. We have a reservation.” The Maitre’d smiled and said “Ah yes. Captain Cochrane and Lieutenant Commander Rollo. Right this way.” and he led them through the restaurant to a secluded alcove with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the vista of the space around the station. A bottle of champagne was chilling and there were fresh flowers in a small vase on the table. “Do enjoy.” he said as he took his leave. Alex pulled Zef’s chair out for her and then pushed her in as she sat. He then took his seat. A server came and opened the champagne and poured their glasses half full and then left.

Alex raised his glass to her and said “To us… and anonymity.”

Cochrane, CO

The champagne was delicious and the bubbles actually tickled her nose. She’d heard about that before but never experienced it. “This is amazing, Alex.” Zef’s eyes were big with wonder as she looked around them. It was as if they were seated at a table in the space outside the station. She could see through the walls, ceiling and floor and although it was a bit disorienting, it was also a marvel.

“Did you already set up the meal or is there a menu coming?”

—Zef

“The meal is planned,and the wine will be here with the appetizers. Until then… it is just you, me…” and he looked out at the Vista, “… and everything.”

A glass or two of champagne later, a server arrived with small plates of meats and cheeses arrived… along with a bottle of red wine which they poured. Alex thanked them and the server left, this time pulling a screen closed and giving them some privacy.

Alex looked at Zef and said “So… surprises. Yours or mine first?” and his eyes twinkled with anticipation.

Alex