Posted by Commander Amelia Manning (Executive Officer) in Trouble in Paradise

Posted by Colonel Calvin Harris (Commanding Officer) in Trouble in Paradise
His fists bounced repeatedly off the sealed doors of the Intel Chiefs Quarters as the Marine’s booming voice echoed out in all directions. “What the actual frack is wrong with you!? Open this goddamn door right now Molly! How dare you override MY fracking Access Codes! I said…” BANG “…open…” BANG “… this…” BANG “… fracking…” BANG “… DOOR!” The last strike to the door, still firmly sealed, was much louder and slightly lower on the entry. As Harris’ right foot kicked the metal followed by the pained cry from the Dresden’s CO. “Goddamn it!” With that, the Marine limped away from the door toward the nearest Turbolift to carry him back to his Quarters.

Harris, CO

The day had been mostly uneventful and mostly routine. She had done her regular Bridge shift hours, followed by her usual hours spent reading DH reports in her office, a drink in 8-Forward, a long bath, and a long needed call with Pete. Just seeing his smile made her day a whole lot brighter. Not to mention, after his short stay on board the Dresden, she knew he was as eager as her for him to return, and talking about it always made her feel better.

That was until a rather unwelcome voice made its way to her ears.

“What the actual frack is wrong with you!? Open this goddamn door right now Molly! How dare you override MY fracking Access Codes! I said…” BANG “…open…” BANG “… this…” BANG “… fracking…” BANG “… DOOR!” A last much louder bang echoed through the deck followed by a clear cry of pain. “Goddamn it!”

“What was that!?” A slight Southern California accent tainted Pete’s Received Pronunciation disbelief.

Amelia stared silently into her husband’s wide blue eyes, before her brain was even capable of forming a reply. Her own eyes as wide open as his. “Harris.” She finally said shaking her head.

“Is he still harassing that poor girl?” Came Peter’s words on the other side of the terminal screen. “You would think that she would have left him by now…!”

Amelia chuckled. “It’s not as easy as it may seem… They’re both quite…” She pondered for a moment before finishing the sentence. “… dysfunctional…” She sighed. “But believe me. There’s nothing ‘poor’ about her. If Holloway wanted him away from her, she would have had him gone for a long time. The last mission was… rough. I’m just glad you were not here when it happened.” A pained expression crossed Amelia’s face.

It was Peter’s time to smile. “No point thinking about what-ifs. I’m okay, and more importantly you’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

Amelia smiled sadly. “I know, I know.” She paused for a moment. “I should probably go see what’s happening. So I won’t get my own ship tomorrow morning after our CO’s found dead in a Jefferies tube.” She chuckled. “Same time tomorrow?”

Pete laughed before nodding. “Same time tomorrow. Although I mean… Captain Manning has a nice ring to it.” He said with a wink.

“Shush.” She winked back. “I love you Pete.”

“I love you, Ami. Have a good night.”

“Good night.”

A final blown kiss left her lips before she hang up the call. Standing up and tying her silk robe around her waist, Manning left her quarters towards Harris’s door.

It didn’t take long for a limping Calvin Harris to show up, as Amelia leaned against the door frame blocking the Dresden’s CO from accessing his quarters.

Crossing her arms, Manning cleared her throat in a scolding tone. “So… now that the whole ship has heard the headline, can I have the full length scoop?”

Lt. Cmdr. Manning, XO

Rumors of the incident spread quickly, especially among the security officers. Being on-duty at the time, Wiles heard the whispers and the accompanying reluctance of other officers to get involved in the colonel’s personal business. But some part of Ensign Osten worried about the Chief Intelligence Officer.

Despite his jurisdiction being the lower decks of the ship, Wiles took the turbolift to deck five. He hesitated for just a moment before he reached out and pressed the chime to Captain Holloway’s quarters with one gulp of apprehension.

(Ensign Osten, Security Division Three Officer)