Posted by Lieutenant Commander Charles Tenkiller (Chief of Security) in Side Sim - You’ve Never Seen A Dance Like This (Tag CSO)

Posted by Lieutenant Toveka Brine (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim - You’ve Never Seen A Dance Like This (Tag CSO)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Charles Tenkiller (Chief of Security) in Side Sim - You’ve Never Seen A Dance Like This (Tag CSO)

SNIP

.Toveka walked with him till the man and woman came upon them. She stopped, a few steps before Tenkiller did. She smiled seeing the exchange and a tug at her own heart at hearing the mother and father titles from his lips.

When the man looked her direction and ask if she was ‘her’, she straightened slightly and clasped her hands before her. Her Science Chief persona slipping down to bolster her spine.

Toveka

Tenkiller said “Yep. Mom, Dad… this is Lieutant Toveka Brine. Toveka, my parents… Donna and Cecil Tenkiller.” and he looked past them at the crowd of smiling faces and shy waves. “And that looks to be about the whole town of Pawhuska.” and he laughed and looked at his mom. “You make black berry cobbler or somthin’?” and he smiled.

“Hush, you.” his mother said and went to Toveka. She looked at her long and hard, and then said “Welcome, Ms. Brine. We offer you food and drink, and a place at the table. May you bring peace in with you, and leave with more than you entered with.” The older man walked up and put his hand around his wife. “You’re a Romulan, is that right?” he asked, a slight edge to his voice.

Tenkiller

She was finding it hard to breathe and her heart was racing as the woman came up to her. As the woman offered her peace and warmth, she nodded with a slight bend in respect. “Jolan Tru,” she responded. “It means, basically, ‘find peace’. And I thank you for the greeting in kind. You have a large and warm family. I can see where Ten… where Charles gets his great attributes from.”

As the man approached, she inclined her head once more. “I am, Sir.” She wasn’t sure what the edge was for, but she bit her lip mentally and waited to see where it went.

Toveka

He looked at her a long time before speaking. When he did, his voice caught in his throat. He stepped forward and placed his hands on her cheeks and bowed his forehead to hers. “You bless us here with your spirit. The loss of your worlds was a tragedy. Know that you and your people will always be remembered here with us. We, too, know what it is like to face oblivion. But we remain. Your people will remain as well. Life is sacred. Life endures.” and he released her and stepped back. Without looking at Charles, he said “Boy. Fetch drinks and food. Your mother and I want to get to know your lady-friend better.” and he said to Toveka “I cant feel it, but I understand you can. Take my arm, and let me introduce you around.” and he turned towards the crowd and extended his elbow to her. Donna moved to the other side of her and shooed Charkes away. “GO! Do what your Pa said. And I want strawberry lemonade. We’ll be over in the shade.” Tenkiller looked at Toveka and mouthed ‘I’m sorry!’ as he was almost immediately mobbed by people who were vying for his attention.

Cecil led them to a large blanket under the only tree in the field. “Please, sit.” he said. “The boy will be a bit. The strawberry lemonade hasnt been made yet.” and he chuckled. Donna and Cecil both sat down on the blanket and looked at Toveka. “So how’d you and my boy meet?” Donna asked.

Tenkiller

As the man reached for her, she didn’t give it a second thought. He was light years away. But then she felt his touch. The holodeck was giving her a true holo experience. So while the man couldn’t feel her, she could feel ‘him’. Her eyes grew wild as the pressure of his touch pressed upon her cheeks. And her throat choked with a tear as he blessed her and reminded her that they had similar pasts. “Life is sacred…” she whispered back.

When the mom stepped up on the other side of her, Toveka was lost on ways to escape. She gave Ten an almost imperceptable nod that she would be ok as she tried to apologize. But she knew, like her, she would never go against her parents had roles been reversed. She followed the couple to the blanket, waited till Donna sat then followed suit. As she asked how they met, Toveka looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. “I crossed him, Ma’am.” She smiled slightly and looked at them both. “I had returned to the ship after an absence and returned to old habits. I was, however, unaware of the change in security leadership and as I was firing up the shuttle I planned to take out, it was ordered to be turned off and for me to report to his office.” She remembered with almost crystal clarity the first time she saw Tenkiller. Even then, looking back, she realized she was impressed and intrigued by the man. And that was almost to a distraction level. Realizing she was slipping, she blinked and smiled once more. “We spent some time exchanging words and ended up before the Captain trying to find ways to get what we both wanted without defying the other. With the Captain’s help, we came to an agreement. He’s championed me at least one other time as well, though it’s not my tale to tell. And we have worked well together since.” She didn’t feel comfortable telling more. They had asked, she had answered.

Looking up, she hoped the lemonade would be made swiftly. Surely there were things that needed to be done before the holo time ran out.

.... Wasn’t there?

Toveka

Donna chuckled and Cecil said “Tales are meant to be shared. So tell me… us… how our son played ‘champion’. We know little of his work, it would be nice to hear what he does from someone with a fresh prespective.”

Tenkiller

Toveka frowned. “Actually, he helped me get permission from the Captain to do what I need to to find out why my planet blew up. But I have to admit. The first time we truly met, I wasn’t aware of who he was. He barged into the science lab and demanded… something I had. Claimed I wasn’t capable of protecting it. We went toe to toe and it wasn’t pretty.” She looked down at her hands and shook her head. “I fear, in the beginning I didn’t like him, not him me.” She looked back up at them. “Since then we have come to realize there is a compatibility between us, if you will.”

She sighed. “And he stood up for me when another called me out as something, well… something not so nice. You raised a good man. Both of you.” She looked at them both and smiled.

Toveka
CSO

They looked at each other and smiled, then turned back to her. “Is he good at what he does? Does he… um… do you think it fulfills him?” Donna asked softly.

Tenkiller

She looked across the expanse where she could occasionally catch a glimpse of him. She thought for a moment, then nodded. “He is very good at what he does. He cares for the ship and its crew. He’d give his life for them if it came to it.” She lookedat them. “My planet was lost to a celestial event. At least, that’s what we’ve been lead to believe. I didn’t believe that. And I have been working on trying to figure out the true reason for what happened. And he has been amazing with seeing to it that I not only have that opportunity, but also that I am safe while doing it.” She looked Ten’s direction and nodded. “As to fulfillment… I believe it does.”

Toveka

Donna looked at Toveka and smiled wickedly. “So… how long have you and my son been a couple, Toveka? Long enough to think about the future, hmm?” she asked with feigned innocence. “Donna!” Cecil admonished. “Leave the girl be.” and he reached over and patted her leg. “Dont mind her, she’s just in a rush for grandkids.” he said with slight smile.

To his credit, Tenkiller wasnt fairing much better. A full gaggle of Osage youth had corralled him and were asking rapid fire questions about space, Star Fleet, aliens, space stations, and every weird pre-and- adolescent question that they could. Orion females were a particularly popular subject. Charles answered as honestly and quickly as he could, steering away from the last topic entirely. And then came the question: “Hey Mr. Tenkiller! You gonna marry that there alien woman?” Charles stopped and said “Aw, c’mon now… my mom tell you to ask me that, Gideon Goodeagle? This is our second date. Save that talk for a year, will ya?”

Tenkiller

Toveka blanched. Thankfully her coloring kept her from ghosting white like more humans. “Um… no ma’am. Not long enough to discuss the future. Actually other than a couple professional meetings, Ten and I have only had one date.” She looked embarrassed to confess it and hoped that bringing a stranger to a family function wasn’t something they frowned upon. Toveka wasn’t sure the occasion, but the fact that more than one person was dressed in tribe regalia made her think this wasn’t a simple family picnic just to see Tenkiller.

The reassurance from the Dad helped a bit and she nodded. “I can understand her desire to know. But I cannot give answers where I have none.” She tried to smile at them both. “I am sorry.” Moving to take to her feet, she nodded. “Perhaps I should help with the lemonade?”

Toveka
CSO (escapee?)

“Sit down, girl. He’s a grown man… he can fetch a glass of lemonade.” Donna said with a grin and actually yanked her back down. Cecil shook his head and said “Toveka, why dont you tell us a bit about yourself. We have a bit till the ceremony starts; and we’d love to get to know you better. After all, we cant remember the last time we had an off-worlder at one of the dances.”

Tenkiller

Toveka actually grunted as she was tugged off balance and landed back on the blanket. She frowned a moment and looked over at Ten. He had a large cluster of people around him and she was realizing that they were perhaps both in the same predicament. She almost felt sorry for him.

As she resettled herself, she shook her head. “I’m not sure what there is to tell, to be honest, Sir. I was born on Romulous, which has since been destroyed. I was in the Academy when it happened.” She took a deep breath and steeled herself. “My father was part of the local Council. My mother, the perfect wife. I actually went to the Academy to do Security.” She looked towards Ten once more. He would have been her supervisor. Would things have been different then?

She glanced back at the two with her. “When Romulous was destroyed, I switched to science to give me the skills I need to try and figure out what happened.” She fell silent and wondered what else there was of her to even tell. She sat with her mind silent for a moment. She suddenly realized she was boring in comparison to many she knew. She knew what she saw in Ten… what did he see in her?

Toveka
CSO