Posted by Lieutenant Commander Charles Tenkiller (Chief of Security) in Side Sim - The Good, the bad and the Dinner (Tenkiller)

Posted by Lieutenant Toveka Brine (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim - The Good, the bad and the Dinner (Tenkiller)

SNIP

As the visual on his end was off, all she heard was =^= Well… I can certainly say that I ain’t in uniform, that’s for sure. But yeah, dinner tonight works. Where and when? =^=

Tenkiller, CoS

“Ummm… how about nineteen hundred hours? That’s in two hours. Any objections to here? Or you prefer the mess?” She had a vague image of him out of uniform and she blushed slightly, turning her head down a bit hide it and wishing she hadn’t done vision on her end.

Toveka
CSO

=^= Two hours. Your place. See ya there. =^= and the comms went off.

Tenkiller, CoS

The comms went out and she was elated. That was, until she realized she hadn’t asked him what he would want for dinner. She went to her bedroom and showered and got ready.

An hour and a half later she was wearing a pair of deep red leggings and a short tunic dress in a split red top, black bottom color scheme. The bottom of her skirt barely covered her backside. She had on calf high boots and her hair was pulled back from her face by a large red barrette. The collar was v neck and opened to the bottom of her collarbone. She had on no jewelry or makeup. She was celebrating, after all. But didn’t want Tenkiller to feel pressured that it was overly formal since she didn’t indicate so on the comms.

She had a bottle of red wine and Romulan Ale, both true alcohols and not replicated synthahols, opened and breathing in decantors on the coffee table along with a small tray of glasses that included wine glasses and low profile heavy glasses. She had picked up the room so the padds were on her desk in a neat pile and the blanket was folded nearly over the back of one of the chairs. She then sat on the couch and stared out the window wondering just what she was doing. He had been the first person in her quarters for more than a few moments in many years. And here she had invited him to dinner. Her heart was racing as she awaited him.

Toveka
CSO

When he turned off the comms, he looked at the canvas before him. Greens of all shades lay in triangles and hexagons, starting at the center of a deep, vibrant yellow and cascading out in a spiral fashion… as if the shape were being flung from somewhere deep inside the point of yellow. He stood up and went to that bathroom and cleaned up, then he used the shower to thoroughly wash. He tied his long, black hair back from his face with a leather band where his head and neck joined. He then got dressed. Dark brown pants and a deep, bright blue shirt, open at the neck but with a series of draw strings crisscrossing the area between his collar bones. Light brown, soft leather shoes slipped on to his feet, and started to leave when he stopped. He turned and grabbed the painting he had just finished and went to the cabinet by the door to his bedroom. Retrieving a can and sprayed the paint, setting it. He threw a a cover over it and made his way to Toveka’s quarters. When he got there, he pressed the chime and waited, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Tenkiller, CoS

Grateful she hadn’t had her leg curled under her till her leg fell asleep this time, she rose up and moved towards the door as she called out, “Come in.”
When he came in, she was at the side of her desk with her hands clasped before her. “Thank you for coming. I admit, I didn’t want to drink alone to my own promotion this evening.” She motioned to the seating area where two chairs, one with a blanket tossed over the back, flanked a coffee table. There was a couch on the other side of the cluster.

Toveka
CSO

Tenkiller looked around and said “Love what you’ve done with the place.” and he smiled at her. “You… uh… you look… you look amazing. Really.” and he stared a bit longer than totally proper. “Oh! Oh yeah… this…” and he handed the covered painting to her, “… this is for you. As a congratulations on the promotion kind of thing.”

Tenkiller, CoS

She laughed at the comment about the room. “I’m calling it ‘guest clean’. I have to admit, I don’t have company often. So if you want something, please don’t hesitate to ask.” Her cheeks lit brighter at his compliment. “You look pretty good yourself, there.” Toveka took the canvas and turned slightly so he would see her face as she uncovered it. It took her a moment, but she looked at him with genuine pleasure on her face. “You did this? It’s amazing!” She said and looked back at it.

Toveka

“Yeah. Was working on it when you called. I’ve always had a thing for painting. Dont get to do it as much as I’d like, but I try’ta get some canvas covered up every week or so. One of my teachers in high school said my style was too ‘mathematical’… whatever that means.” he responded and looked around the room. Spying the drinks, he said “Want me to pour you a glass?” and he moved over to the low table.

Tenkiller, CoS

She nodded. “Yes, please. Whatever you are having.” She looked at the painting and turned it upside right. A smile spread across her face. “I think I know why your instructor said that.” She moved to the console of her desk and tapped in a couple equations and smiled brighter.

Turning to face him, she held the canvas so he could see. “This is Euler’s Equation. It says that if you cut the surface of a sphere up into faces, edges and vertices, and let F be the number of faces, E the number of edges and V the number of vertices, you will always get V – E + F = 2,” she pointed to the various lines and colors. “If you apply that equation to this painting,” she turned and typed on her console once more and stood back. “Come see… this is what you painted.” On the screen was an amazing 3D rendering of what his picture would look like if it was turned in on itself and made into a sphere. The colors and angles were nearly perfect and the odd seven sided, partial square, partial triangle crystalline looking object looked incredible and almost unreal.

Toveka
CSO

Tenkiller looked at her as she spoke, and a smile spread across his face. “Lady, I ain’t got the faintest idea what you just said, but it was absolutely impressive.”and he laughed. He poured two glasses of the wine and brought one to her, holding onto the other for himself. He looked at the model displayed and nodded and said “I like it. Kinda what I saw as an end result of…” and he set the glass down and then tapped in a few commands. The model shifted, collapsing in on itself and then ‘exploding’ outwards, the shapes and parts spiraling out as the painting showed, before coalescing into the previous model. “I just thought about what would happen if a point of light exploded. That’s what I painted.” and he shrugged and walked over to the couch and took a seat.

Tenkiller, CoS

She took the wine with a murmured thanks and watched him manipulate the image. “Next time you paint something, we’ll take it to the computer and see what other sciences and mathematical strings you have running around in your head.” As he moved to the couch, she placed the canvas against the wall by the door.

She then moved to sit on the couch with him. “It’s amazing, honest. How was the rest of your day? I’m going the conversation with the Captain and I didn’t interrupt you too much.”

Toveka
CSO

He waved off the concern and said “Nope, no trouble a’tall.” and took a sip. “And I’ve got your Runabout and security detail set. They’ll be ready for you at 0500, but you can get there whenever ya want. They get paid the same no matter.” and he winked at her and smiled as he took another sip.

Tenkiller, CoS

“Thank you, I’ll be there. No point in making them just hang around. So I realized when we disconnected earlier, I didn’t ask what you wanted to eat for dinner.” She smiled, somewhat embarrassed. “What can I get for you? I’m sorry with the short notice we aren’t using the mess. I mean, if you want to we can schedule it for after dinner hours but I don’t want to keep you waiting that long to eat.” She buried her stammering in a sip of wine.

Toveka
CSO

He shrugged again and said “Actually, I’m kind of open. What do you like?” he asked. “And I’d like to stay, if ya dont mind too much. Food or not, the company’s pretty good.” and he smiled at her again.

Tenkiller, CoS

She smiled. “Sadly, there are a couple Romulan dishes I eat on occasion. But mostly it’s salad with Hlai. You’d fair better picking the menu, I assure you.” She laughed but realized that she was as simple as many spoke of her as.

Toveka
CSO

He smiled and said “Sounds great. You get that started, and I’ll refill the drinks.” and he took her glass and began to refill as if the discussion was finished.

Tenkiller, CoS

She looked down to realize she had finished her wine. Handing her glass to him, she rose to head for the replicator. “Then you pick dessert,” she called over her shoulder wish a slight laugh.

She ordered up the salad for each of them as well as a medium sized tray of meatrolls. A few moments later, she came back to the couch and set the tray on the table. Going back for silverware and smaller plates for them to put their rolls on, she returned to the couch. “You’ll have to forgive me,” she said as she sat down. Unzipping her boots, they were set on the far end of the couch. “I am not used to wearing them in my quarters. I am sorry.” She was embarrassed but the feel of them was more formality than she could handle.

Toveka
CSO

He watched take them off and smiled. “Your house. Your rules. If you dont like shoes, I can take mine off. I put on clean socks and everything.” and he laughed a bit and handed her glass to her.

Tenkiller, CoS

She smiled and took the glass. “Your choice. Not a rule, but any means. But that’s cause rules are for guests. And I don’t have them. You’re the first who’s been in here almost 2 years that wasn’t just dropping off or picking up something for the lab.” She shook her head. “And no, I don’t mind. I’m enjoying the company as well.” She smiled and curled a leg under her to face him on the couch. She was hemming and hawing about telling him and thought she’d just do it and get it out.

“I have something I need to share with you. I’ve told the Captain, so he already knows. But I think you deserve it as well.” She looked down at her wine glass then back up at him. “When Duncan and I were out in the Fenrir, when it was destroyed, we had found something. A crystalline energy orb. It was on a derelict, half block up Romulan craft floating in the field. Unfortunately, it was destroyed when the enemy was and we were rescued. I went out a couple weeks later. And yes, I waited till I was cleared by Medical. But there was nothing let. No energy readings, no nothing. It was destroyed.” The disappointment was horrible on her face. Whatever she had hoped it was, was dashed with its destruction. “I just wanted you to know.” There was more. But it was biting at her whether to confess it or not.

She smiled like that was it and shifted back to the coffee table to settle the plates and bowls like proper settings. The trays went to the floor behind her, out of sight. She was sipping her wine and setting the table up so they could eat. “I’m sorry if I ruined the atmosphere. But you deserve to know. You did a lot for me today.”

Toveka
CSO

Tenkiller looked and listened, his brow furrowing. When she finished he looked at her and waited a moment. He then said “Ok… and? Look, you are obviously smart as all get out, but you got an absolute crap poker face. So what else is there? And ‘None of your damn business’ is a perfectly acceptable response, by the way.” and he chuckled.

Tenkiller, CoS

She sat there in almost pristine silence. Then she shook her head. “No, I don’t use that line.” She grit her teeth a moment them looked at him. “I don’t think the dwarf star is the reason Romulus blew up. At least, not the only factor.” There it was out, the hardest part was over. “There was too much that doesn’t add up. Like that there was just enough of the government off planet on a diplomatic mission when it happened? Or perhaps that when we reconstructed the debris, when we found the explosion came from inside, not from a wave of destruction power, when I discovered that orb, I was more certain of it. I’m the only one who thinks that down in the Science Lab. So I don’t broadcast my belief. And I’ve learned over the years, that there are ways to hide the tests I do from the staff. I have never put the station at risk, nor have I ever put my needs over the station.” She wasn’t sure how he’d take it and her breath was shallow. If she could have held it, she would have.

Toveka
CSO
He looked at her in silence for a long time, the furrow in his brown still there. Finally, after a minute or two in silence, he just said “Tell me about the orb.”

Tenkiller, CoS

She looked at him then poured herself more wine. “I didn’t get a chance to test it or anything. It was about this big,” she made a circle with her arms, then made it about 8 inches smaller as she overlapped her hands and part of her forearms. “It had a power signature that was off the charts. Nothing Duncan or I had ever seen before. It was hard to classify as orb or crystal. It lit from within and was slightly tingly to the touch. We had barely gotten back to the runabout when we were set upon. His first evasive maneuver sent me sprawling and I was knocked out. That was it. That was the last time I saw it.” She took a long draw of the wine as if trying to wipe out part of the memories.

Toveka
CSO

He looked at her for a long time again. When he spoke, he had a tone like he was a different person almost; more detective than dinner guest. “Orb. Power readings higher than you’ve ever seen. Contained in a small sphere on a derelict ship in the middle of the debris field of two planets shattered by a single… let’s call it ‘event’. You find it, you are immediately blown out of space. You are rescued in the nick of time by a Klingon who just happened to arrive in the nic of time to save you… but not the orb… even though a power signature of the level you describe would screw with transporter locks to no end… unless you compensate for it. But with the time you said you guys had, the Klingons wouldn’t have been able…” and his voice trailed off and he was silent for a bit.

“The Klingons took it.”

Tenkiller, CoS

She shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. There’s no way to hide that kind of power. We would have found it in the sweeps afterwards.” She said it, but she wasn’t stupid. Something in her voice gave away that she was doubting her own thoughts and words.

She stood up and moved away from the couch. “No… no … no we couldn’t have missed it. I mean, we did a sweep first thing after we were released from medical. It would have shown up.” She looked at him and something in her eyes made her breath hitch as she realized it herself… self doubt. She didn’t like the reasoning. It was sound. She couldn’t just dismiss it out of hand. But that would mean…

Her fists were clenched at her side.

Toveka
CSO