Posted by Captain Chris Taggart (Captain) in Pre sim - Movie Date Night #3 (CO)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Brigette Marshall (Chief Engineer (CE)) in Pre sim - Movie Date Night #3 (CO)

It had been a hectic week. She had dealt with wayward, accident prone crewmen… butted heads with Kane, and subsequently had a working dinner with him… and had managed to get one of the consoles in the engineering bay to finally work properly.

Now they were heading to some planet that had little to no tech and her away outfit was something she wasn’t happy with.

She showed up at the Captain’s door just before second shift was over. She was in a matching set of green tonight that framed her pale skin and auburn hair. The bottoms were a deep jewel emerald green with gold vine stitches chasing up her left leg. The design continued up the left side of her matching top and its respective sleeve. Her hair was pulled back into a loose hunter’s knot. A pair of deep crimson chop sticks were holding it in place. And in her hand was a fresh bottle of whiskey she had managed to procure on their last stopover. She had been saving it. But since she had had so much the last time she was there, it was only fair to replace it.

Her black ankle boots made no noise on the deck as she came up on the Captain’s suite and palmed the chime.

Lt JG Bridgette Marshall
Chief Engineer

Chris was wearing a black polo shirt that was a little tight around his arms. He wore tight light tan kakis that he forgot made himself noticeable in certain situations but liked they way they felt so forgot. He opened the door and smiled. This time he didn’t look around. “Hello dear. Welcome. I have a treat for you tonight! Please come in and make yourself comfortable. I am almost done cooking.” The quarters smelled really good with the smell of meat and pastries being cooked.

Chris

She smiled and held up the bottle of whiskey. “I come bearing a replacement. I seemed to have helped deplete a bottle earlier this week if I recall.” She laughed and set it on the table. “Smells amazing.” She moved closer trying to see what he was making.

Bridie

‘Ohh! Thank you! and thank you for the compliment. I am making meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy and creamed corn and a pumpkin pie for dessert.” He looked her up and down. “And if I may be as so bold to say Bridie. You look even more beautiful every time I see you.” He then went over to the oven and turned it off and took out the meatloaf and put it on the heating tray in the center aisle. Then he stirred the mashed potatoes and cream corn and turned them off. Reaching up he opened the cabinet and took out two large plates and made one up for the both of them and brought it over to the table and sat them down. “Here you go my lady.”

Chris

She blushed at his compliment. “Thank you. I like your look tonight as well,” she smiled and took the offered plate. “One of my favorite. You sure you aren’t peaking at my replicator logs?” She laughed and moved to sit on the couch, her leg tucked under her, boots kicked off by the door as she had come in. “So what movie are we watching tonight?” She took a mouthful and smiled. “It’s really good. Nice job.” She took another bite and smiled.

Bridie

“You are most welcome Bridie. I have my moments.” He smiled and chuckled. “The movie we are going to watch is my all time favorite movie! Big Trouble in Little China! And you will be pleased to know that it is actually a comedy and not a horror movie. But we will eat first and chat before the movie if that is ok with you?” He stared at her feet and wanted to rub them then looked back at her. “So. How was your day?”

Chris

She laughed. “A comedy would be nice.” As he asked about her day, she shrugged. “Ok I guess. Got that last console in Engineering to work all day without a glitch. Think we finally have it fixed. And I worked on the plasma glove after work for a bit. I think I should have something to actually test by end of next week.” It didn’t occur to her that she hadn’t mentioned the glove to him prior to this.

Taking a bite of her potatoes, she nodded to him. “How about you? Good day on the bridge, Captain?” She smiled and gave a short laugh.

Bridie

“I had good time. Had a meeting with an Admiral, did a bunch of reports, sat on my butt, made some jokes, high fived my relief and came here. But what about this glove? I did not know you were doing a project?” His captains face and voice was on now. He ate while he waited for an answer.

Chris

“Oh!” She gasped in surprise. “I thought I had told you, I’m sorry.” She finished her mouthful and set her half done plate in her lap. “So earlier this week, NE Jodders burned himself with plasma again while fixing a junction without proper gear,” she raised her hand to stop him. “No worries. It’s been recorded in his record as his third safety accident. One more and he’s off the ship and remediated in rank and training back to the Academy.”

She took a deep breath. “Anyway… so it got me thinking. I needed something easy to cover exposed arms while doing a simple task that wouldn’t require 20 minutes to suit up in a hazmat suit. So I came up with an idea and Kane helped me fine tune it. It’s a heavy non rippable outside with a breathable inside and an innert gas between the layers.” She was excited as her hands moved, occasionally moving the plate back into balance as she shifted. “The top is heat and arc resistant. And if it does rip, the gas released at the same spot renders the plasma harmless so the hand can be jerked back.” She was so animated, her eyes shining as she explained it. “Kane was amazing! He came up with a way to make it more movable and the gas and..” she shook her head. “I couldn’t have come up with that in a quadrant of off days.”

She shivered and laughed realizing she had rambled on. “Sorry, it’s just that this will make things so much easier and maybe help keep things like Jodders did, from happening. A glove is easy to pull on. And Kane things it’s possible for me to design a glove and full arm version for the haz suits. Something easily removed and much more dexterity friendly than the suit’s current gloves.”

Bridie

“I am surprised that you and Kane did that! It is wonderful but with the conversation we had earlier in the week I thought he wouldn’t talk to you if his life depended on it. Do not get me wrong. I am happy and this will be very useful, but what made him change his mind?” He realized he forgot the drinks and sat the plate down on the coffin table and went to the kitchen and opened a bottle of wine and poured a couple glasses and brought the bottle and glasses over and handed one to Bridie. “Sorry about that.”

Chris

She laughed. “I guess we both got tired of kicking.” She shrugged, because in hindsight, she wasn’t actually sure hat had changed his mind to actually help and not just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ her ideas. “He’s probably just doing it to keep folks out of Medical.” She took the glass. “Thank you, I forgot as well.” She took a sip and set it on the table.

She quickly changed the subject and shifted to lean on the back of the couch so she could watch the viewer. “We should start the movie.” She smiled and took another bite of her dinner.

Bridie

Chris looked at her intently for a couple seconds. “I guess you’re right dear. I’m happy and would like to be there for the tests if that’s ok?”

He watched her lean back into the couch and looked at her face and realizing how lucky he was to have a second chance. “Oh! Of course. Sorry. Didn’t know you were in a hurry.” He pressed play and the movie started on the viewer. He continued to eat silently.

Chris

“Umm… yeah, of course,” she turned to smile to him. Inside her gut wrenched. Her… Chris… and Kane in the same room. How was that going to go? She wondered. When he apologized about the movie, she smiled. “Not in a hurry, I guess.” She turned to him. “I didn’t mean to rush it…” she reached over and tapped the console and paused the movie just as the opening was beginning. “Are you all right? Busy day?” She knew she was conflicted and her mind was mush… but the fact she still felt his unease meant there was more there than just the movie.

Bridie

“I’m ok. I just thought....oh never mind. No. I am interested in the glove and the theory behind it. Nothing more. If you don’t want me there, then I won’t. I was just curious is all. You are having weird reactions tonight. Is everything ok with you and between us? Because I’m doing my best to be a good boyfriend if that’s what I am.” He looked away and lowered his head a little.

Chris

She smiled and set her plate on the table to scoot closer. She took Chris’ hand and smiled. “First off, I hadn’t realized I hadn’t told you about the glove. So I was a little off balance when you asked.” She shook her head. “Second, I don’t mind you there when we test it. Honest. You are the Captain. And with the applications, we need to convince you it’s a good thing before we ask R&D to look into a practical manufacturing ability.” She let go of his hand and reached for both glasses, handing him one.

“And lastly…” Bridie touched her glass to his, “You are doing fine. We are here, about to watch a movie I probably won’t understand and you make me forget the outside world every time I am here. Let’s see if we can manage to keep things as they are before we push it too deep… for either of us.” She sighed and nodded to him. “You work a lot and we already had to cancel once in the three weeks since this started. I don’t want you to stress about titles. Ok? Just enjoy that I’m here. All right?” She held her glass to him hoping he would agree and toast back.

Bridie