Outpost 42
Commander King Meets XO
Posted by Lieutenant Commander Jessica Vaughn (XO) in Commander King Meets XO While he reported to the Captain directly, it was still a good idea to have a good relationship with the Captains right hand, and in this case that meant meeting one Lieutenant Commander Jessica Vaughn. Her file said she was having an affair with Mr. Aedan Teller, CEO of OMAP, playboy, billionaire, Information Broker, Weapons dealer, and all around, not so nice man. As well the latest brief said that she was pregnant, it was not confirmed by medical as of yet, but the sources were good. That was a useful handle, but not one Wade was thinking he needed to use at the moment. Aedan would have his uses but that would come later on. First he had to make the nice, and play with the other boys and girls. It was an official duty day for Wade so that meant just the uniform, nothing more today. It was red as was ascribed to his department, it was well fitted but not overly tight. It hinted at instead of described everything that was beneath. He had three Solid pips of a Commander on the Collar, and that meant that generally no one bothered him as he move about a ship or station. Outpost 42 was turning out to be much the same as anywhere else. Commander was a good place, just enough power to be left alone by the Junior Officers most of the time, and not enough power to be paid attention to by those that thought they really had power. : : : : : : : : : : : : That was how the Commander found himself entering into the Operations Center on the station. He had clearance but was unknown to the people that were working there. Likely there was only one person on the station that could have described him, and would know him on sight, even though they had never met, and Wade did not see the mismatched set of eyes that designated that Master Gunnery Sargent Ransom was here. Moving through the Operations Center, Wade stopped before the door for the Executive Officer’s Office, and rang the chime. : : : : : : : : : : : : Commander Wade King, Strategic Operations Officer : : : : : : : : : : “Good God I am as big as a house,” Jessica said looking at her reflection in the mirror. She had spent the morning reading What to Expect When You Are Expecting because she was expecting and found she was not expecting many of the answers the book provided. Running one hand over her enormous belly she looked at the Padd in the other hand. “By the seventh month you may have issues bending over or putting your shoes on,” she read and then looked back at the mirror. “Well that isn’t going to happen to me.” : : : : : : : : : : Confident in her skills, Jessica tossed the PaDD to the floor and decided to prove the so-called author wrong. Leaning over she quickly realized that this task might be a bit more difficult than she anticipated. The straightforward lean did not work. Her belly prevented her from getting any farther than her knees. Letting out a groan she decided to lean to the left. Unfortunately, her weight distribution was not ideal and when she got any farther than the pose from the child’s song “I’m a Little Teapot” Jess realized she needed to stop leaning or would become Humpty Dumpty. Looking at the Padd on the floor, she began to problem solve as she heard the door chime. : : : : : : : : : : “Enter,” she said still more focused on the PaDD on the floor than the person entering the room. : : : : : : : : : : Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO : : : : : : : : The tall, brown haired man entered into the office at the call of enter. He had not expected To find the executive officer nearly tipping over. Wade was a Betazoid, not a full telepath just an empath. So he was not certain why he felt like whistling, let alone whistling I’m a little teapot. Wade watched her for a long moment with out speaking, then sipped his coffee. Witha shrug he moved towards the chairs. “Am I interrupting Commander Vaughn. Whomever Jessica had expected the voice belonged to no one she had spoken to before on the station. : : : : : : : “An exercise in futility yes but other than that no,” Jessica said with a smile straightening up. Once her eyes realized she did not recognize the face, Jessica let her gaze from to his neck. There were the pips that explained why the man had such a confident or was it cocky demeanor. Still, Jessica had no room to talk about attitude. She was just trying to accomplish something less than executive officerish and told him to waltz on in. Leaving the PaDD on the floor, Jessica walked over to her desk. : : : : : : : Wade glanced at the PaDD, ‘what to expect when your…’ Wade chalked it up to first baby nerves and stood behind the chair. While he was the ranking officer it was her office, and politeness said he stand, at least for a moment. Wade waited for her to notice him, realize she didn’t know him, recognize the uniform, and pips on his collar instead of proceeding, instead he took another sip of coffee. : : : : : : : : Commander Wade King, SOO : : : : : : “Sit please,” Jessica said attempting to sit down herself. Finding this task was going to be achieved with all the grace of a beached whale at low tide she let out a frustrated moan. “Just give me....one…second,” she replied deciding they would both be at retirement age before she actually achieved a seated position. Standing back up she reached under her shirt and pulled at a valve. Instantly her seventh-month baby bulge deflated returning her to her actual size. She was two months along and a hint of a baby bump was starting to show if you knew where to look. Extricating the now-deflated balloon and setting it on her desk she took a seat and crossed her hands in front of her. “And you are,” she asked looking at the man in her office. : : : : : : Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO : : : : Wade nodded and swung around the chair settling in to the chair. The deflating belly made him laugh softly. “Well at least my reports are not that inaccurate.” Wade took another sip of his coffee. Crossing his legs casually at the ankles, and flashed a smile. “I am Commander Wade King, the new Strategic Operations Officer, I am taking over for Gunny, hopefully he already knows, that man frightens me personally” Wade Shrugged, took another sip. “Higher up decided that an officer was needed for the slot, nothing to do with the job skills, or work he has done, but he refused to and I quote, “Put on those <explicitive deleted> Chicken Strips” so here I am” Wade stated. : : : : “Though I report to the Captain, courtesy says I see you first, and report my presence. And well I wanted a read on the crew, and Captain if you have time.” Wade asked. : : : : Commander Wade King, SOO : : “Courtesy,” Jessica said leaning back in her seat with a big grin. Her head told her this guy might be trouble. Her loyalty barometer was tinging in the danger zone now that she knew the man was replacing her one and only Gunny Ransom. Her excitement speedometer was redlining. This King was going to be a handful and Jessica was ready for a bit more fun with her crew than the weekly staff luncheons where each department droned on and on about efficiency rating and AWOLS. “Well if we are going to be minding our manners I guess I should offer some refreshments,” Jessica got up and walked to the replicator. “What’s your poison,” she looked at him. King was definitely not a water with a lemon kinda guy but did he have the balls to ask for a cold one or something on the rocks. : : Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO The facial expression was fleeting, and the transition was smooth, for anyone other than a trained operative, and a Betazoid the momentary consideration of dumping his body to protect her friend would have gone unnoticed. Wade did notice, and it was commendable loyalty, and useful. Now to make it work in his favor. “Coffee is the poison of choice, though I would not mind a bit of the Irish blend.” With a wink and a grin, “I brought my own Irish if we are running low.” Wade tapped the pocket that was under the tunic panel. Intel often had the alteration done to the uniforms for easy of carrying small items. Generally knives and what not. “For the record, Gunny and I are acquainted, and frankly the man is scary good at what he does. Strategic Operations Officer, is not what he does though. I have a feeling being able to step back into the shadows will suit him just fine.” Wade stated honestly. Commander Wade King, SOOJessica brought over the coffee and also a plate of sugar cookies. The cookies were the standard light yellow but sported a huge white circle of icing with different colored smiling happy faces on them in primary colors. “Oh Gunny stepping in the shadows is the worst thing for anyone. He needs a floodlight on him at all times but we are not here to talk about Gunny Ransom. We are here to talk about you Mr. King or may I call you Wade,” she asked. “And I would so take a nip of what you have in your pocket if Bump was bunking with me but come December when Bump gets their eviction notice I would love to share a drink with you. Instead, it will have to be a cookie for the time being. It is my grandmother’s recipe. Try one,” she said taking a sip of her decaf coffee.
Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO
Wade laughed, and looked at the cookies. He took the Coffee settled it on her desk and then reached for a cookie, he did not go for a specific color, just one that was convenient, but not the one on top or closest to him. Habits die hard, and when people have just as often been as comfortable with the idea of you as a corpse as they were with you breathing, one learned caution. Odds dictated none were poisoned, but less likely the entire batch instead of just a few, they might have to prove they were willing to eat a cookie too. So some had to be safe. Wade shook his head, and settled the cookie next to the coffee. Reaching into the tunic he removed a small flask, likely no more than 4 shots of alcohol could have been kept inside. Wade poured a measure into his coffee cup and winked. Then closed the flask and put it back in its hiding place. “Bump hmmm, and please call me Wade, Mr. King has been dead for a few years, and really never deserved the honorific.” Wade chuckled. His father had been a hard man, and it had been hardest on Wade as he attempted to make the unruly boy a man.
Commander Wade King, SOO
Jessica watched Wade select his cookie and fought not to grin. “I started my career as an intelligence officer,” Jessica selected her cookie. “I was on Outpost 23 monitoring rogue comets for three years. Earned me this promotion. Comets can be so fascinating,” she said taking a bite of her. “I think what I loved most about the intelligence field was the constant game of chess you play when you meet someone. Everyone can fight and everyone has a few tricks up their sleeves but what makes a good intelligence officer was the ability to read your opponent’s motives. I put out cookies and you took a long time selecting one. Logic dictates this is for one of several reasons. Number one is you are worried I suck as a baker. Number two is you have never met someone who was raised to show a bit of southern hospitality and have no idea what to do with a smiley-faced iced cookie,” Jessica let a thick Texas twang punctuate her words. “Number three is that the cookies are a test,” Jessica said taking a bite. “Tell Wade, which number do you think it is?”
Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO
