Posted by Lieutenant Commander Valerie Ashford (Chief Science Officer) in Starbase One - A New Journey

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Zachary James Hartley (Chief Tactical Officer) in Starbase One - A New Journey

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Valerie Ashford (Chief Science Officer) in Starbase One - A New Journey
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Lt. Commander Zachary James Hartley had been back from the dead a little over three years, three years since he had been found by the crew of the McKinley, adrift in a blast-scarred shuttle from the USS Mansfield… his old ship, one that had been lost presumably with all hands following a run in with a Romulan commerce raider in June of ‘97. Until the moment the McKinley had confirmed his identity, then Lieutenant Hartley had been on the Federation’s list of Missing - Presumed Lost since that horrible day that had taken the lives of everyone he had worked with for over a year… and the life of his beloved Charlotte, the woman that had followed him to the Manny to start a life together. He would never forget her voice, the way she always smiled, and her beautiful laugh. But, try as he might, the last thing Zach could remember was dinner and the evening following with Charlotte the day of her birthday… June 7th, 2397. The following day and the incident that had taken over a thousand lives… including hers… was a blank.

Once Zach had been found, the poking and the proding back on Terra commenced. Countless meetings with shrinks, Fleet Intel, Command, and the Federation’s Office of Counterintelligence… that was fun! before they would even let his family know he was alive. His mom, Stefanie, and baby sister, Jane, had held him between them and cried till they physically couldn’t while Zach looked over their heads at his father… who just couldn’t believe his only son had been returned to him… just stood there, tears refusing to fall and shaking his head in disbelief. His first words to his son were “I had just about given up hope… I’m sorry son” before the mountain of a man wrapped his entire family in his arms and for the first time in Zach’s memory, Michael James Hartley cried.

It had taken over a year to finally get through the psych evals and security screenings to even being considered for a return to active duty and after that, Zach took the full 24 months of survivor’s leave before returning to the world he was now longing for. When Command reached out about the Atlantis, it was Jane that convinced him to take it.

Now, three weeks later, Zach Hartley sat in a window seat watching the massive hulk of Starbase One grow in the frame. She was right He thought. I missed this, more than anything… and as much as I miss Char’, she wouldn’t have wanted me to give up what I loved either!

As the shuttle docked, the newly minted Lieutenant Commander rose and tugged his tunic straight before grabbing his day bag and heading into a bustling environment that rivaled the very busiest of old Earth’s busiest pre-space airports.

Once he found the right gate, Zach strode over to the food court for a quick bite before the six-hour MAC flight out to Atlantis. Grabbing a sub sandwich and chips, he found a table near the gate and settled down to wait.

Hartley, CTO

A few tables down from Hartley, slowly eating through the last fries on her plate, a woman read the contents of a PaDD. There was nothing remarkable about her, nor was she someone who would draw anyone’s attention. Her dark hair was pulled back into a braid, revealing the same human features as any other member of the species, and her blue Starfleet uniform was not an unusual sight among the many people that traveled daily through starbase.

If someone was to look closer about the woman, however, they would find that the most curious thing about her was not herself but the contents of the PaDD she was reading — it was the personnel file of the man who was now eating a sandwich and chips a few tables away. Given the hustle and bustle in the food court area it would be impossible for anyone passing by to make that connection.

Swallowing the last fry, the woman licked the tips of her fingers and wiped them on her napkin before putting her PaDD away. She seemed pleased as she looked around for the replicators where she’d be able to recycle her tray, plate, and cutlery. Getting up, she slung her duffel bag over her shoulder carrying her tray with her available hand.

It wasn’t that her path would necessarily take her by the man’s table. It was that she chose to take the path that went by it. A well calculated ‘accidental’ hit of her foot on one of the back legs of his chair made her lose her balance and sent the tray careening into the table. It’s contents spilling onto his lunch with a loud crash.

Lt. Cmdr. Valerie Ashford, CSO

Hartley wasn’t exactly a cat, but his quick reflexes did save his attire from wearing both their lunches… though, when years later he retold the story, Hartley wouldn’t talk about the fact that those “reflexes” also resulted in dumping him unceremoniously onto the floor.

As Hartley started to come to his feet, he reached over to help the young woman up as well. “Are you alright Miss? That was quite a tumble.” Straightening his tunic, Zach returned fully to his feet and saw the wreckage of his lunch and, apparently, the others as well… and the steward looking exasperated as he walked toward the wreckage of the combined meals. “Wanna join me for lunch… after we replace ours, of course?” Zach asked the woman as he nodded apologetically to the steward before grabbing his bag and extending his hand.

“Hartley… Zach Hartley…” The tall, dark blonde in Tac Gold said with a smile.

Hartley, CTO

“I am so so sorry!” Came the apologetic response as she allowed Hartley to help her to her feet. She hadn’t expected him to fall off his chair, and while she would likely had been able to maintain her balance, his sudden movement caught her off guard, sending her already unstable body down to the ground with him. “I didn’t mean to…” She looked around trying to ‘understand’ what had been the object in which she had tripped, even though she knew perfectly well since she’d done it on purpose. To Hartley, however, the sentiment would seem genuine.

“Valerie Ashford, but friends call me Val.” Ashford said shaking the offered hand with a smile. Her Federation Standard was… standard. Almost too standard in fact, which was usually a good indicator of someone who had grown on a starship or a starbase, away from specific Earthly accents and instead drawing from all the different ones they were constantly exposed to.

“Once again… I am so deeply sorry.” Her face showed genuine concern. “I already finished mine… I was on my way to recycle my stuff. But please… let me at least get you a new one. It’s the least I can do.”

Lt. Cmdr. Valerie Ashford, CSO

“Valerie…” Zach said with a genuine smile… his tone warm and friendly. “… that’s a beautiful name.” Hartley then chuckled with a silent snort. “I personally always thought Zachary sounded a bit stuffy, hence Zach.” He paused for the briefest of moments before grinning widely and shaking his head ever so slightly. “It’s very nice to meet you Val… I’m glad to know we both aren’t having to replace a meal! But as my dad always tries to remind me… s*** happens!” After another brief pause, Zach smiled “As for my meal…” He motioned to the table where he had been sitting just moments before. “… only if you insist. It was just a burger & fries after all. Plus, I don’t want you to miss your flight over dealing with me.” Hartley motioned to the boarding gate with a shrug. “I’m just waiting on the Pioneer Fleet Rotator… heading to the Atlantis myself. So, if you need to be somewhere else… I can grab a to-go bag if necessary. I promise, no hard feelings at all!” There was that charming smile again. It was clear the Zach was obviously more embarrassed about the accident than Val.

Hartley, CTO

“Oh, I am headed to the Atlantis as well!” The surprise in her tone was unmistakeable. “What are the odds?” Valerie chuckled in amusement. There were no odds. The fact that she was headed to the Atlantis in the first place was because Hartley himself had been assigned there. Of course, he didn’t know this and Ashford had no intentions of making him privy of that information. “So that’s settled, then! Let me grab you a new one. Burger and fries you say? Anything in particular?”

Oh really now? Hartley thought as he suppressed a smirk. Since being trapped in a buffer for the better part of five years and surviving, Zach Hartley had a tendency to be a bit more devil-may-care in his attitude toward life. He had traveled more, tried to enjoy life more, and even spent a wild (and exhausting) weekend with an Academy friend before both decided friends was the right path for them both as they laughed over breakfast at the B&B the Sunday morning before they were to checkout and head home.

So, for Zach, the fact that the rather attractive prospect that had ever so recently practically fell into his lap… he was much more likely than not to (eventually) take his shot. For now, though, he’d see how things played out. It wasn’t like he’d have to rush things if they were both assigned to the Atlantis!

Once Valerie knew what Hartley had been eating, and after gathering the mess she had not-so-accidentally created, she left for the wall of replicators.

It didn’t take long for her to return, slightly out of breath. It was clear that she had been in a hurry, but also that she was carrying way more stuff than she should have been. She now set it all carefully on the table.

Hartley was already half out of his seat when he saw Val struggling and helped in unloading the tray. “You didn’t have to do all this and…” He motioned to the table. “… you must still be hungry, huh?!”

Hartley’s burger and fries were the first thing she pushed towards her new acquaintance, followed by a small assortment of different desserts — a slice of apple pie, a few flavors of ice cream, a box with a variety of different cookies, and another box filled to the brim with several miniatures of different pastries.

Zach eyed the table with a smile. He hadn’t really been that hungry before but now that all the e options were there for the picking, he actually felt his stomach growl. “You truly didn’t have to do all this, Val.” He said as he pulled out a chair next to him for her to sit down. “I’m not complaining, mind you.” He said as he sat down and nodded to the food. “But I’m just a lowly CTO, nothing special to deserve this kind of attention!”

“I’m sorry.” Valerie started, dropping her duffel bag on the chair next to her, and finally sitting down. “I thought maybe I should treat you to dessert to make it up to you, but I realized that I had no idea of what your preferences are so… I brought a bit of everything I could think of.” She smiled apologetically. “Don’t worry, I’ll finish whatever you can’t. Besides, I brought enough miniatures for the both of us.” Ashford smiled, motioning to the box with the pastries.

Lt. Cmdr. Valerie Ashford, CSO

“They look delicious!” Hartley said with a wide smile. “Which one is your favorite?” After taking a bite, he asked. “Where ya from Val?”

LCDR Hartley, CTO

Hartley seemed much more talkative now that the embarrassment seemed to have washed off his face, Valerie realized with amusement.

“Honestly… anything with strawberries on top.” She chuckled. “I’m especially a sucker for those.” Eyeing the box closer, Valerie pointed at what seemed to be a small tartlet with a few strawberries sitting on a whipped cream filling. “Which is why I got a few extra ones.” She said taking the pastry and biting into it with a smile.

“Ah!” He laughed. “At least your honest! My sister would just shrug and say I shoulda been quicker as she eat everything in front of me.”

“Well, good thing I’m not your sister, then.” Valerie said with a playful wink. The remainder of the pastry disappearing through her lips.

“As for where I’m from… a bit of anywhere and everywhere, I suppose. Grew up on a starship.” She said nonchalantly in between licking the tips of her fingers and promptly taking another pastry from the box. “What about you? Hartley right?” She squinted slightly. “I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but I can’t get it out of my head since it occurred to me while in line for the replicators.” She offered an apologetic smile, but quickly continued. “A few months ago, I bought an issue of the Federation Weekly, and its cover story was about a man that had been trapped inside a transporter buffer for five years… Quite a fascinating story, if you ask me.” She chuckled, her cheeks blushing slightly. “And uh… you have a lot of similarities with the man in the pictures. Are you… by any chance… related?”

Lt. Cmdr. Valerie Ashford, CSO

Zach was just closing his teeth on his burger when Val asked the question. Pausing almost imperceptibly, his hazel eyes finding hers as he began to chew slowly, Zach took a moment to think… processing how best to respond to a question asked far too many times since that stupid frackin’ article was published. On the bright side, Hartley couldn’t help but notice how cute she was when she blushed and as he finished chewing his bite, he swallowed thinking oh to hell with it! before nodding ever so slightly.

“Yup, that was me.” He shrugged with a sigh, blushing a bit himself. “I can’t tell you how freaking much I hated that they made me wear my damn dress tunic… like I was some goddamn war hero! Fleet PA insisted, saying it was good optics.” Hartley used air quotes for the last two words before he ran a hand through his hair and took another bite, clearly embarrassed but not trying to hide that the story was about him. “I might regret asking this but… why did you wanna know?” The last of his words were flat, not aggressive nor mean, just curious.

LCDR Hartley, CTO

The question caught Valerie off guard. She had expected a lot of things, but that hadn’t been one. “Can’t a gal want to know more about her new acquaintance?” The tone was still playful, but there was no wink this time. Instead, she reached for the box of pastries once again.

Well Frack! Hartley thought as Ashford’s tone shifted slightly. He wasn’t trying to come off as a prick but by the way she reacted, he knew that he damn well had.

There was a pause as Valerie took a bite of yet another tartlet and struggled not to let half of it fall on the table. As the remaining half of the small pastry regained its balance on her hand, Ashford looked at Hartley again.

“There was no particular reason why I ‘wanted to know’.” She added air quotes with her free hand. “I thought you looked familiar. Nothing more. I’m sorry if it was insensitive of me to ask. I can’t imagine what you must have gone through.” Though the words sounded apologetic, there was no regret in her tone. For a moment, Valerie’s gaze returned to the food in her hand. “That was a nice dress tunic though.”

Lt. Cmdr. Valerie Ashford, CSO

“I’m really sorry Val… seriously.” Hartley began with a clearly apologetic smile. “I’ve been asked about that whole mess multiple times a day for the past three years.” He sighed and shrugged once more. “If I were to be honest, the only reason I agreed to do the damn interview was to get folks off my ass about it!” Another sigh. “Turns out it just made it worse. Questions increased by a ridiculous magnitude, the requests poured in for followup interviews before the damn thing was even published!”

Zachary paused, blushing alarmingly bright for a moment, his eyes moving from Ashford to the table. “Then came the fan mail… the… inappropriate holos, and of course… more than two hundred offers for either dating or straight up marriage!” Hartley threw up his hands in obvious disgust. “That’s the reason I finally took my sister up on her push for me to return to active duty… to get back on a starship and away from the nonsense.”

It was then that Hartley reached over and patted Val’s hand. “I really wasn’t trying to be rude Valerie, I guess its just been a wild six weeks since the damn story went public.

LCDR Hartley, CTO