Posted by Civilian Michael ‘Big Mike’ McKenzie (Clan McKenzie Chief) in New Clan New Beginnings

Posted by Civilian Revna Freya McKenzie (Resident) in New Clan New Beginnings

Posted by Civilian Michael ‘Big Mike’ McKenzie (Clan McKenzie Chief) in New Clan New Beginnings
Posted by… suppressed (30) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Mike looked at her and just took a breath and said “Walking is overrated anyway.” and he grabbed the robe and threw it across the room, threw her over his shoulder and walked them both into the bathroom.

Early the next morning…

Mike stood by the docking hatch outside the luxury yacht Avion. He had a bag over his shoulder, two bags in his hands, and his guitar across his back. He looked back at Revna and said “You totally owe me a few hours sleep… and a massage. Where did you learn to tie knots in towels like that?”

Mike

Revna shrugged and then readjusted the bag on her shoulder. She had another in her hand. Everything else should be in the trunk on the yacht. “I was gone a total of 14 out of the last 18 months Mike. I had to do something to keep myself busy. And given your penchant for things with laces, it seemed a good idea to learn.” Her free hand reached up and began to rub gently at his neck, but in a way that only a woman who was lovingly intimate with her husband could do. “As soon as we are settled in our room, you can have both.”

The airlock hissed and then thanked as it began to open.

Revna

The hatch on the ship opened and the Captain stood inside. “Lord and Lady McKenzie. Welcome to the Avion. I am Captain Kris, and this is my ship. Myself and my crew are here to make your trip to Oed V as smooth and comfortable as possible. So if you have any questions or need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. Follow me and I will show you to your suite.” and he turned and walked into the vessel.

The ship itself was five decks tall. The top was an observation deck. The second held the bridge and, behind it, a well-appointed lounge and aft deck enclosed in transparent aluminum. The third deck was the Master Guest suite, sauna, and hot tub. The fourth deck held the crew’s quarters and kitchen, and the fifth the Engineering area including the engines and warp drive. Kris gave them a full tour and introduced them to the crew, a staff of seven and the Captain. “Now then-” Kris said as they found themselves in the lounge, “-your belongings are stowed and your bags are in your suite. We’ll be departing in about thirty minutes. You can access anywhere you like, but the observation and aft deck are sealed off when we transition through the wormhole for safety. We’ll serve breakfast after we go through. Now I’ll leave you to settle in while I get us moving.” He smiled and then went towards the bridge.

Mike looked at Revna and smiled. “Well… no turning back now. We are officially done with the Delta Quadrant. How’s it feel?”

Mike

Revna took a deep breath and when she let it out, a weight she had been trying to let go of since she came out here was gone. She smiled at him, “Exciting and a relief.” She took another really deep breath, reveling in the sensation. “It’s right, this is what I should be doing, without a doubt.” She slipped an arm around his waist so she was tucked under his arm, her head against his shoulder. “It feels like going home. As long as we are together.”

Revna

“Home is where ever we are from now on. No more seperate lives and months on end apart.” he said and kissed her. “And now its all over but the waiting.” The ship shuddered slightly as the engines powered up. Kris came out and said “Have a seat. We’ll undock in about five minutes and then we are off. Once we are through the wormhole, we’ll sit down and discuss stops and such, okay?” and they nodded once and went back to the bridge.

Right on cue, the docking clamps released and the yacht began a slow backwards maneuver while it swung to port. Once facing away from Event Horizon, it sped up and made it’s way to the staging point for the wormhole.

Mike took a seat and patted the couch next to him. “C’mere you. Let’s watch this last trip through together.”

Mike

Revna slipped on to the couch next to him. So very different from the first time she came through. The memory of that trip ached. She had come through thinking she would never see Mike again. That either he had refused to read her letter (which he still hadn’t read) or it hadn’t changed gis mind. Little had she known he was already on the station, waiting for her. It had all worked out in the end of course.

Revna leaned into his side, one arm wrapped around him, and stared out the window. The view lite up as the worm hole swirled and coalesced karger than life, reflecting off the surface of ships waiting to move through. They came separately but they were leaving together. “Never again, Mike.” She kissed his neck softly and then rested her head on his shoulder again, “We go together or not at all.” Yes she was being sentimental.

Revna

“Squishy. Gods, woman… you are such a softy. How did you ever succeed as a diplomat?” and he smiled as he squeezed her to him. “You better get more resilient if you’re gonna be my Lady.” and he held her right as Avion moved into position…

… and vanished from Delta Quadrant.

Mike

Revna chuckled as he held hee tighter, “Because I wasn’t in love with any of them. Have no worries Lord McKenzie only you get to see this part of me.” The lights swirled and undulated as the ship shot through the wormhole hole. It was a rougher ride than typical space flight, but it was over in moments. Then space returned to normal. Revna smiled, now they were absolutely done with the Delta Quadrant. “Now those are stars I recognize.”

Revna

Mike looked slightly queasy and said “Gimme a minute.” and he laid his head back and closed his eyes. “God I hate that part.” he said with a chuckle. “Its like an instantaneous hangover… without the fun of drinking.”

Mike

“This should help.” Revna took his hand and turned it so the inside of his wrist was facing up. She ran two fingers down from his wrist, just past the pulse point, and applied firm pressure to the nerves between the two major tendons with her thumb. She made 6 small circular motions before gently releasing the pressure and then repeated the process on his other wrist. “Better?”

Revna

He smiled slightly and said “No, but it felt good.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Opening his eyes, he said “Glad I’ll never have to do that again.” At that moment, the Captaim walked into the room. “Transition complete and all systems are green.” and he took a seat across from them, flicking his tail to the side and relaxing into the chair. “We have about an hour until traffic control finishes their inspections and we are allowed to jump to warp, so I thought now would be a good time to discuss itenerary.” He pulled out a PaDD and looked at it. “So total travel time is a little under three standard months. That is factoring in stops for fuel and fresh food. Now, we can save some time by omitting the fresh food and just replicating everything, but we would still have to stop for biomass, so I recommend staying with fresh. But that is up to you. There are also some unique spots to see between here and there, and if you want to make some detours we absolutely can. The ship is contracted to get you to Oed V. We weren’t given a time frame and the charter was very generous; so you really don’t need to worry about anything. Ita been covered. So? Do you want to make a vacation out of your time? Or do you just want us to get you there as quick as we can? Either way, you are in charge.”

Mike / Capt. Kris

Revna shook her head, “No, fresh is fine. I am sure we will all appreciate that over replicated.” She looked at Mike, “We should take the vacation while we can. Once we get to Oed there won’t be the opportunity. We still need to be there before the colony ship, but we can take some time.” Turning back to Kris, Revna was familiar with various places but Captains tended to have an inside knowledge of such things. “Anywhere you would recommend to start with?”

Revna

Kris thought for a moment and said “There are a few, yes. But why don’t we do this: You ho and settle into your stateroom. Breakfast will be served here, and Chef is already cooking. Why don’t we discuss it o er a meal?” Mike shrugged and said “Yeah, sure.” and he looked at Revna. “Sound good to you?”

Mike

“Sounds fine. Thank you, Cpt.” Revna stood in a smooth quiet swirl of skirts. The ship had a lift of course, but the lounge was connected to the stateroom by a staircase as well. It was in that direction that Revna headed and proceeded down the stairs. The living area took up a little over a third of the area. It was comfortable and luxurious. The highest quality fabrics on the furniture that was large and plush. Thick carpet, beautiful art pieces. A small work station that Revna had no intention of using at all. Well except to make calls to her sisters. The bedroom and large bath lay through another door. There was nothing she needed to do to ‘get settled’, no calls to make, no reports to study, no letters to draft, no appropriate attire to select. Revna sank onto one of the couches. The tension and stress of the last 18 months, well three months really, drained out of her. She was done and had absolutely nothing to do but wait for the knots to give way on their own.

Revna

Mike followed her and watched Revna fall into the embrace of the couch and he smiled and shook his head. “No no… you relax, wife. I’ll unpack all the bags and put everything away. I mean, its not like I packed and emptied the apartment while you slept or anything.” and he picked up all the bags and headed to the bedroom, laughing.

Mike

Revna groaned, “Oh no, you put those down and get your Scottish backside back out here. I am happy to do all the unpacking. You have done enough. But if we both go into that bedroom at the same time, you know what will happen. Then we will miss breakfast and our talk with Cpt Kris. That would be incredibly rude on the very first day aboard.” She walked to the door but didn’t enter, grinning at him through the doorway. “Besides I heard your plans to chat up your fans on board. Unpacking will give me something to do.”

Mike

Mike dropped the bags inside the door and then turned and said “FIne. But I get the sid eof the bed closest to the bathroom.” and he walked over to her and smiled. “That way you have to crawl over me to get there.” and he gave her a quick peck.

Mike

“You remember that when I wake you up…a lot just because I can.” Revna cupped his cheek with her hand and kissed the other. “I do have an idea for a stop though.” Revna moved back towards the living area. “Aldebaran is along the way, and they have great breweries and distilleries.”

Revna

“Nice. I could go for a beer or six.” Mike said and laughed. “Might find a new brew for the new bar, too. Oh hey! Can we stop at Misek? It’s near Aldebaran and my old drummer from Government Kills lives there. Haven’t seen him in ages.”

Mike

Revna walked over to the console and pulled up the flight itenary and looked, “That should be doable. The two are relatively close. We can certainly ask Kris about it. Let’s hold there, and see what he says, and where else we will stop to resupply. Then maybe we can add more.” She stared at the screen, “Oh, I have another idea, but I want it to be a surprise.”

Revna

“Surprises are good. I like surprises. But I also like breakfast, so let’s go back upstairs… unless you wanna surprise me now, that is.” Mike said with a wicked grin..

Mike

Revna laughed and backed up, “Oh no…no surprises yet. That was the whole reason for not going in the bedroom.” She turned and hurried up the stairs. Her laughter and the color of her cheeks gave the crew the impression of a hint of what might have been going on. Revna wasn’t inclined to disillusion them.

Revna

As they settled into the living area, Captain Kris came in and took a seat as well. “Breakfast is almost ready, and we can warp in about fifty minutes. So… any stops you think you want to make? Or are we going to burn out the warp core to get there yesterday?” and he laughed. Mike smiled and said “We have a few stops we’d like to make, if possible. Lady Revna wants to go to Aldebaran, and maybe stay over a few days. I want to go to Misek. The drummer from Government Kills lives there, Leischter Gray, and I thought you and your crew may want to meet him. That work for you?” Kris slapped a knee and his tail twitched with excitement. “Well YEAH, that works for us! That’d be amazing. Oh, and I just so happen to know a great bar on Aldebaran. Make their own whiskey and ales. I’ll take you both for dinner. Anywhere else you have in mind?”

Mike

Revna handed a PaDD to Kris. He had a slightly puzzled look until she gave him a conspiratorial smile, “A woman needs secrets every so often, and this is a bit of a honeymoon for us.” The captain smirked and nodded as he looked at the PaDD. Revna leaned back in her chair, “I was thinking 5 days to a week if possible. It would be a nice layover for your crew as well, my treat. I can make all the arrangements.” The captain smiled hugely. “Yes I think we can manage that. That will be a treat, thank you Lady McKenzie.”

“Revna, please. I deal with that enough.”

Revna

Mike shook his head and made a tsk-tsk sound. “Secrets… thats how you know a marriage is doomed, Kris. They start keeping secrets.” Kris laughed and said “As a happily married individual for over twenty years, I can say that everyone has a secret or two. The trick is to make sure that they are fun ones.” and he laughed again. “But I will say that I may not tell my mate about this particular trip, though. She has an autographed Government Kills poster hanging in her office. I think she may be a little mad that she doesn’t get to be here.”

Mike / Kris

Revna looked at Mike, and laughed softly. It was the same looks she gave him in the stage of the Eclipse Bar and she had teased him, asking how she would ever compete with his fans. She also knew Mike was either going to record a song, send some type of memorabilia, or offer Kris to have his wife come on board at one of their stops. She got up and walked to a sideboard and poured herself a drink. Quite thankful they knew Mike but managed to not be aware of the video of them that had made the media rounds.

Revna

Mike laughed and said “Not many of those running around any more. Well, when you talk to her next I insist on saying hello. Least I can do for a fan.” and he smiled. Kris nodded and said “Well since you insist.” and he chuckled. He looked at Revna and said “So do you have any stories of fans doing outrageous things to try and get to your husband La-, er, Revna?”

Mike / Kris

Revna looked at Mike as she considered. “Hmmm…well there was Lt Kylerree. While I was on the Manhattan, Mike would send me recordings every week. Lt Kylerree hears it playing outside my office door, and decided that Mike must have come onboard. He electrocuted himself trying to bypass the lock on the door. Oh and then there was Krissy. She kept coming by at strange hours to ‘drop off’ packages and papers that I am pretty sure she had for hours. But Mike happened to answer the door in a robe one time when she legitimately had to come by middle of the night.” Revna laughed, “But my absolute favorite, and this happened before I met Mike, was finding out that at a concert on Alpha Centari my sister, my twin actually, tossed a leopard print bra at him and with uncanny accuracy landed draped across the neck of his guitar.” She turned to Kris with a very amused expression, “That explains why she spent ALL her off duty time in Mike’s bar and also why she never ever, not once, asked me to go to the bar with her.”

Revna

Mike laughed and said “I actually still have that bra. Its in a crate with a bunch of ‘souveniers’ from back in the day. Runa’s getting it for a ‘Welcome to Oed’ present.” And he laughed loudly again. “I can only imagine the look on Capall’s face!”

Mike

Revna chuckled, “Poor Capall. He is stuck with Runa for eternity. But before going and giving that back, I should warn you, if it’s the bra I think it is…Runa ‘borrowed’,” Revna made little air quotes, “from me. She will be quite quick to tell everyone you gave her husband, my bra.” She looked at Kris and the gathering crew as the food arrived, “Sisters are a pain in my arse.”

Revna

Mike chuckled and said “Then I’ll just be returning it so she can return what doesn’t belong to her.” He looked at the gathering crew and said “Hey everyone.” Kris had introduced them on the tour, but it was in passing as they prepared for the trip. But to Mike’s credit, he remembered each name and made small talk in a way that was natural and put everyone at ease.

Mike

Revna watched him manage the conversation and build instant connection with the crew. She leaned toward the captain, “And they call me the diplomat,” and she grinned. Mike did have a way with people. He connected with them in genuine honest ways. Considering everything he had been through, it was a bit awe inspiring. It made him an amazing person, and an amazing chief. She was blessed bybthe gods to have him as her husband.

Revna had a way with people as well. She remembered them all and small details about them or their work that even in those brief seconds of meeting them most would not notice. People were drawn to confide in her, have long deep conversations with a complete stranger that they never would have dared anywhere else. Once a counselor always a counselor, and then add that to her genuine want to know and help people, Revna made friends easily. It was quite something to see them both in a group together.

Revna

Mike spoke to the crew for a few minutes and then a chime sounded. A section if the bulkhead slid open and the aroma of herbs and citrus wafted into the room. The crew grabbed trays and began setting up breakfast. Soon there was a selection of breads, cheeses, eggs, vegetables, and fruit laid out; along with plates and eating utensils. Kris said to Mike and Revna “Please, after you.” Mike said “C’mon, chica.” He stood and held out a hand to help her up and then gestured for her to start.

Revna took his hand and let him help her up. She couldn’t stop smiling, she was incredibly happy and she really didn’t care who knew it. She grabbed a plate and began to fill it.

After Revna began to set up her plate Mike did the same, stacking his plate with an assortment of various offerings and a large glass of juice. Sitting back down he said to Kris and the chef who had just come in “”This looks and smells amazing. Thank you “

Mike

“Yes it does, thank you.” The food was excellent, and there was plenty. Despite being a private ship and they could, if they wanted, stay secluded from the crew, Revna liked sitting down with them as a group. One of the things she had missed while on the Manhattan. She knew though that was partially her own fault.

Revna enjoyed talking to the pilot and swapping stories, but the table was mostly quiet. The crew did have work to return to.

Revna

Mike chit-chatted with the crew while they ate and soon everyone was done eating. A small chirp sounded on Kris’ wrist communicator and he said “Alright everyone, let’s get ready to go. Bring the engines online and set course for Hadru.” He looked at the McKenzies. “We’ll fully supply there, Event Horizon had a bunch of stuff but we aren’t allowed to transport it through the wormhole. Should arrive in about three days.” He stood and nodded and made his way to the bridge.

Mike looked at Revna with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Well… I guess we should go and unpack. Make sure we can get comfortable. After all, we’re here for a while.”

Mike

Revna’s eyes semi rolled with amusement and she laughed. She finished her drink and stood, heading for the stairs. In the suite she paused to kiss him. “I love you, Mike. Now how about you take care of the music and as promised, I will unpack.” She looked over her shoulder at him as she walked away, hips swaying. “Unless there is something else you want to do?”

Revna