Posted by Lieutenant Commander Jessica Teller (XO) in XO’s Office

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Nikki Brako (Chief of Operations) in XO’s Office

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Nikki Brako (Chief of Operations) in XO’s Office
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
snip

“I only drink the replicated stuff in dire emergencies. I had a coffee maker here before the baby but,” Jessica pursed her lips almost in an expression of a little kid confessing she had stolen a candy bar. There was no reason to lie. The man would see soon enough that the jokes about Jessica hooked up to a coffee IV wasn’t far off the mark. “Let’s just say you can work anything to death with enough usage and the CMO is one lady hell-bent on keeping her crew healthy even if you really do think her methods might kill you,” she shrugged it off. Paige was the best CMO Jessica had ever seen and one of the feistiest. “When the doc said to cut back on the coffee what she really meant was Jessica I am going to help you. Have the baby and in nine months you get it back.” The conversation might have been more imagination then reality Jessica would admit but the point was clear. Twelve to fifteen cups of coffee a day was way past what one should have when you were pregnant so the coffee machine had a sudden death and to this day Jessica never knew why or who.

Nikki made a dismissive gesture when the mention of the CMO came up. He’d not yet met her yet but forewarned is forearmed. And any simple coffee machine could be replicated, or, if need be, fixed. He took a moment to try to fathom what she said. Go off coffee? That’s a fate worse than a lot of things. Again, replicated coffee would not do any damage through that time. “Was it a dire emergency then te replicate coffee fer that time?” What did constitute an ‘emergency’ for her and coffee? It might be a good thing to know.

“No secret and you will find out in due time but I run on coffee. Between the pots, Evie, and replicators” Jessica shuddered a bit, “I am on roughly a 10-12 cup diet and no,” she held up a finger, “it doesn’t make me hyper. Bloodthirsty definitely when I don’t get it but never hyper. If you want something signed and me not know what it is really about, give it to me before my first cup of coffee,” she joked.

Nikki wondered how much that was actually joking, and, curiously, how much slipped past her in these less ‘caffienated’ times. It was something to remember, and Nikki did remember. “You have any room for food, boss?” he asked. After that much liquid he would be sloshing and exerting tidal forces and not hungry for anything. Well, maybe not everything. “What are yer favorite beans?” he asked. Never hurt to suck up to the boss. Sure that was a Ferengi rule of acquisition, but it was true at times.

“You mean something I chew,” she laughed. “Yes from time to time I eat but mostly at Evie’s. The woman is like everyone’s mom in a sense. There is always food at the ready and after you are there once or twice she remembers exactly what you love. “For me it’s her grilled cheese sandwiches. I have no idea what she does to them but it’s a buttery masterpiece that has a hint of garlic in the bread and a cheese filling that resembles pizza cheese when you pull them apart. As to my coffee I haven’t met a bean I didn’t like. Sure a few of them are like hot dates that leave you wanting five minutes after you say hi or in this case take a sip but in a pinch I’m not that fussy. “Why you planning to buy up my favorite brands to butter me up when your department sends me its monthly requisition request or plan to torture me by not giving me any?” Her comment was light hearted and teasing.

Nikki had had them, grilled cheese. Normally they were more gourmet, though some that he had had in the slammer were unrecognizable in comparison that even drenched in ketchup couldn’t fix. Resorting to such an accompaniment out of necessity was something Nikki detested. “A finely made dish is a delight to sample,” he commented, reprising his consideration of the little brewery that apparently could. Either that or the boss’ taste buds were knackered. Equating a coffee bean with a hot date was revealing; something told him that she could be quite the party dame with some booze in her. He smiled, both at that thought and at her closing comment. “If I include a request of coffee beans in with stem bolts it might be approved the more readily.”

Snip
“So you are a....resourceful man,” Jessica leaned back in her chair with a small smirk. The few years she was arm candy for missions in the intelligence field had taught her the art of creative conversations. Oh I am going to hate myself for liking you this much Jessica thought. Nothing about the man scared her but he did have a certain charm that piqued her interest. Biting her she let out a half laugh. “Word association time. Airlock,” she said and tried to hide the amusement on her face with the coffee cup. She had never met a Lotian before but knew of the race. They were smart, witty, and very loyal to those they valued as a friend. If you weren’t a friend and on their bad side she had heard it was best to sleep with one eye open during sleep overs and one hand on a phaser under your pillow.

Lt. Commander Jessica Teller XO

Resourceful. That was true, he knew. “I’m a fixer, lass,” he said. “I take care of .. problems.” He watched her lean back in her chair and knew she was thinking something. He could wait. Silence tended to bring things out of people. Whatever she was thinking she sure was enjoying it. Was she picturing him without his trousers? He took a sip of his coffee, then another. Black coffee brought on the full taste of it. Many considered it just bitter; many had not had rakdajino or Cardassian capuccino’s. They called it other things but they seemed to distill theirs into an oozing oily concoction. A pregnant pause between ‘time’ and ‘airlock’ had him wondering what it might be. His lips curled up into a smile. “Problem solved,” he replied a moment later. He admitted he was having fun, and however she took the answer it was a peek through the door of his past.
- Nikki

Jessica took a slow sip of her coffee and didn’t care if he saw the smirk on her face. Nikko was trouble and the fact he didn’t hide it made her think of her old friend Gunny. Gunny was more reserved but the hootspah was definitely there and not lurking under the surface. Her mind drifted to his file and tried to match it to the man before her. Nothing jumped out such as prison time or demotions yet this guy did not play on the straight and narrow. She also knew Nikko was the type that already knew as much about her as was available. It wasn’t hard with the tabloids but her gut said he had learned more that she liked to vacation at the beach and hosted a charity event every two weeks. “Aedan Teller,” she threw out the next word. His response would tell her a lot about Nikko.

Lt.Commander Jessica Teller XO

His face froze momentarily, then it twisted around as though he had just tasted something bad. He looked at the dame and wondered what she was getting at with that name. Yes he was aware of the fact that she was married to the man. When he found that out he felt that the dame had been taken for a ride and that Teller was using her to glean information from as part of his business. Perhaps he got her hooked on coffee with some clever manipulation of the formula in the beans. He wasn’t going to lie to her, but he was sure it would get her back up. If so, good. He would see more of her.

“Babyface. Unprincipled. Mercenary.” There was a lot more he could say but stopped there. That summed up his opinion of the man. He had no respect for one like him who acted inherently selfish and still did. His rise to fame could not be in what was public knowledge only. He was too young to have what he did by only what was known. Nobody was that lucky, or good.
- Nikki

“So I shouldn’t put you on the Friends of OMAP charity board,” she said in a sarcastic but teasing tone. “And for the record I tend to ask everyone a form of question about my husband. See there are two types of people. The ones that answer honestly and the ones that answer the way they think I want. I am glad you chose the former,” Jessica said sincerely in a neutral tone.

Nikki listened. It was one of his gifts. And he felt that good stuff was coming. Why was the dame so interested in what people thought of the louse? Sure she was hitched to him but he was not fleet and outside of certain circles few would care. Now he plays the playboy philanthropist tossing money about as though that would erase his past and exonnerate him for all the damage he did before. The news might eat that up but nobody changes their spots that fervently.

“Aedan’s past is,” she paused for a second searching for the correct word, “colorful,” she stated rhetorically. “I know he had some shady dealing in the past or at least the rumors and innuendo were of him being a less than straight and narrow type guy. That’s the thing about a past. Good or bad it’s always stuck to you like a shadow.” Jessica time was neutral as if she was talking about any topic other than something so personal. A year ago she would have been far more emotional but scores of people have professed undying love or absolute anger over Aedan Teller to her causing her to take whatever praise or criticism in stride.

That sounded like the party line as though she were convincing herself that he was straight now.

“You know the drill,” Jessica shrugged with half a smirk. “Murder, espionage, bribery, coercion or is it retirement, business dealings, internal motivation, or persuasion. It’s all just definitions. Is Orion a fun vacation or a second office to work out of? Are the historical sites really that fascinating or were you there for another purpose? Was that weapons or relief supplies your company donated during the Dominion War? Your family has immense wealth Nikki. With money comes rumors. I find the best thing to do is just get to know the person.”

Jessica liked Nikko a lot. The man was funny and very witty. She was also not some blonde bumpkin just off the hay wagon. The rumors surrounding Brakko were almost as fanciful and truth based as they were with Aedan. It was the art of sifting through all of it. She was willing to give Brakko the benefit of the doubt but she was also going to keep half an eye on him just like she did with Aedan.

“Aye, and in myth there is the seed of truth,” he replied. Which he knew included both parties.

“So are you close you your family,” she said in an upbeat tone. She had gotten the point across diplomatically. She also wasn’t naive enough enough to think a more detail conversation would occur later.

Lt commander. Jessica Teller. XO

“Aye,” he answered. “One of me sisters is distant from the business, but family is family and are close. Aye too that what recriminations came against me strained things but family is family. There is always a black sheep.” That was the thing with Babyface. His ‘work’ was like rockets shooting out without care to where they landed or who he damaged. That made him dangerous. Were Iotians much different in general? Yes, because they did it for a purpose to benefit the family or gang. It wasn’t for self serving entrepreneurs who were only out for themselves. And because of that the nature of the ‘job’, while overlapping in places, hits were surgical. No, Aiden was a weapon of mass destruction, and, in Nikki’s thinking, still was. Nikki’s description of the family was a little rosy. Everything that had happened had put a strain on everyone and had crashed his last marriage. But things were healin and he had been working for the family the last two years that had brought things back to near norm. But everything had a purpose, including this, Nikki believed.
- Nikki

“So is Ferengar as bleak as the rumors say? I have been to Orion on the odd occasion and it isn’t actually as bad as people claim. Sure there are the sections you avoid but every planet has that.” Jessica had known from the news and Starfleet reports both the Ferengi and Klingons had wanted to host Mr. Brakko on their worlds. Host was the polite southern was of throwing him into prison and losing the key but Jessica wasn’t sure how forthcoming Nikki would be. A lot of it was public knowledge and a bit more was in his Starfleet file but no one ever knew the whole story about things unless they were present at the time things happened.

Lt. Commander Jessica Teller XO

There were prisons and there were ‘prisons’. There were the ‘Hilton’ style prisons that make the news. And then there were the ones that nobody wanted in the news. The latter was rumored to be rife with leeches and more. “Well lass, really it only rained a couple of times when I was there. One rain lasted 19 days and the other 22. Ye bring up an interesting thing. Ferengi as a people live by their rules of acquisition. Orions don’t have any. And both is a trap te fall into.” It was one thing navigating the lanes of unwritten rules and those written amongst the Ionian gangs. But then you venture out and there are more and more groups with their own. It was a minefield to navigate to be successful. And still live.

That was what he didn’t like about ‘Babyface’. He didn’t play by any rules. He simply sold information to anyone, then, before it was getting too hot, he sold out and cashed in. And few cared to try to do anything because he knew things. Information was key to so much. Nikki knew that. He was convicted of that. What was always the mystery was just what anyone did know. And how to get it. But not just that - know what to do with it. He didn’t think that the lass’s beau really knew that. He was in it for the cash. “What was a nice lass like you doin in a place like Orion?” He asked.
- Nikki