After Hours: Part 1

Posted on Mon Oct 23rd, 2023 @ 10:30pm by Commander Chalan Kendri

1,598 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Campor III - Resupply
Location: Deck 10: ICE Lounge
Timeline: MD C7 2000 hours

"We've got to get that girl to take a break," Kendri commented as she pressed the control open the door to the Chief Operations Officer's office.

Paisley nodded. Kendri had picked her up on her way from the Bridge-the Engineering office wasn't too far from Ops. "I agree. Even Sar gets more action," the woman exclaimed. She'd explained to Jason that they were having a girls' night. He mentioned something about poker with the guys. Perfect.
"Hey, Rachel. Come out with us," the tall Carjoran said.

When Kendri had mentioned getting Paisley onboard for this, Paisley had made sure to pack herself an outfit-spangly pink dress with a bow across the bust, the same pink heels she'd worn at her first date with Jason, and not much else. She had painted her fingernails pink to match, and carried a little night purse.

Kendri was dressed more modestly, in form fitting dark pants. She almost always wore dark pants, and a loose fitting silver top. "It's time for you to take a break. You've been working non-stop since you arrived. The proper care and feeding of your senior staff requires a night out every once in a while."

Paisley snorted. "She's not a cat, Kendri."

Rachel meanwhile sat at her desk in her primarily green and gold uniform that almost looked like a jumpsuit, PADDs stacked all around with diagnostics and various reports that had been backlogged since she got on board the ship. She'd been playing catch up from day one and was finally nearly caught up. The other women she'd exchanged passing words with when necessary but for the most part had spent her time out working with her teams and doing what was needed to keep the ship in top shape. Plus having engagement with her personnel meant they were more likely to be receptive of her orders in the future, so while young for her position, she was doing her best to lead from the front which could certainly be a detriment at times.

Looking up from her screen her hair was a mess and she had a grease smudge on her right cheek. "Do you see all this? Unless you can promise me booze, and I mean real booze, I don't think there's any other way you can drag e out of here. Although I do have a few dresses that would certainly compliment the look we'd appear to be going for...."

"I was keeping an eye on your junior staff while we waited for you arrival. No Ops emergencies have occurred... well yet. Starfleet can wait on the paperwork. You aren't a machine. And even if you were even they need to take a break every now and then," Kendri assured her.

Kendri took a look at Paisley and back to Rachel. "As for booze, I can see you really haven't been out at all if you have to ask that question. Most of the bars and lounges on board have it to order, and will keep serving it for as long as you can hold it. We try to avoid trips to Sickbay."

"Plenty of booze. I know what it's like, though. I do get out, but being a department head is tough. You look like I did about fifteen minutes ago. We'll give you a minute to freshen up," she said. It was true. Paisley was also often covered in grease, dust, bugs, etc. It was just part of the job. That is why she dressed so stereotypically feminine when she wasn't at work. It was a nice change from being schmaltzy all the time. "There's plenty of booze, and men. Or women, if that's your thing. Maybe we can find one for Kendri here, too, since she likes to pretend that she's definitely, one hundred percent, NOT into Kobi Tomm," she said.

Kendri rolled her eyes. "Don't mind Paisley. She's just in love, and thinks everyone else should be too. She forgets that everyone here is under my command," Kendri chided. "Now when the Mendocino gets here..." Kendri wasn't serious, but it was fun to tease.

"We'll transport him over so you two can get over it already," she interjected. "Literally no one cares who is in command. It's not like you two are going to be making out on the Bridge," she said. "Besides, there ARE some civilians, Kendri," she quipped.

"15 minutes is plenty, I have a white and green dress I think will be perfect. And you'll have to tell me about this love and how you have time for it with everything else going on around here. Plus being a department head cuts down the pool of men I can pick from considerably so I need some pointers." Turning off her console she stood up and grinned. So far her interaction with the other 2 ladies had been fleeting and in regard to work at best while she'd gotten settled in. She expected as much however because Rachel knew there was a lot to get up to speed on upon receiving her new assignment.

Paisley chuckled. "It's not LOVE, jeez," she said. "It is nice, though. We just see each other when we can. It takes a lot of compromise," she explained. "But it's nice. It's been a lot for both of us, and we definitely agree that work comes first. I am not looking for marriage or children. He was married once already, so. It's nice and slow," she said. "Let's see this dress," she finished.

"Forward, Ice, or Deck 19?" Kendri asked after Rachel was dressed and ready to go. Ice was Deck 10's aft lounge, and was ran and staffed by mostly Andorians, and its name was appropriate as almost everything in the bar either was or appeared to be made from ice. Deck 19 had a variety of smaller venues to choose from. A little something for everyone.

"Ice sounds fun" Rachel said. "I haven't been there yet and the Andorians do run quite a show. Besides I love ice. Warm drinks just aren't quite my thing. Unless there's some wild restaurant either of you would recommend." He hair was curled on either side and draped over her shoulders, her dress tapered around the waist but freely sat on her frame. It was nice to be in something much less restricting than her uniforms.

"I am fine with Ice, but Deck 19 has some good places, too. I could go for an Andorian Sunset. Or three," she said. Truthfully, the Engineer wasn't a big drinker, and after three drinks, she felt PRETTY good, if she were honest. Any more than that, and she got a bit sloppy and cried. It wasn't pretty.
"Oh, you look nice! Jason didn't say where their dumb poker game was, so. If we run into the guys, it's not my fault this time!"

"Ice seems a little upscale for poker, not to mention you could probably see the reflection of the cards in the tables," Kendri pointed out. "Ice it is," Kendri declared, leading the way. Paisley kept trying to put her and Commander Tomm in the same room together, and it was starting to get a bit awkward.

Paisley nodded. "You're probably right," Paisley said. "Let's do it." Tonight, she wasn't going to purposely try to do anything awkward. It really WAS lady's night. She didn't want to see Jason, either, for at least a few hours until she had a couple of Andorian sunsets in her system. She followed the other two ladies out and to the turbolift. "This is going to be fun!! I haven't gotten Kendri out in awhile," she said.

Kendri shook her head laughing at Paisley. "I get out, I promise. So, Rachel, how do you like it here so far?" Kendri asked.

The woman gave a nod "Yes she's quite a beautiful ship. A lot of room and space, I mean the bridge is massive. You could throw a party in half of that thing during a red alert and no one would know. As for most of my staff, they're good. We just have to learn each others mannerisms. But a downside here is the amount of work needed to keep things running, sometimes I feel is worse than the starbase. However my quarters are absolutely gorgeous so I am quite thankful for that. But so far I've just been in them alone."

Paisley chuckled. "At least you have a couple of female officers. I would trade you just so the guys can *meet* a girl," she said. "My two female teammates are both Enlisted. Very good at their jobs. Anyway, let me know if you need help. Sarah bet Ira does best with clear, concise instructions to start out with, and then from there, she's mostly a self-starter. My assistant is a guy called Turner. He's actually married to the teacher," she said. Soon, they were in the bar, and Paisley smiled. This was her element.

Looking around, Rachel smiled. It was a bit cool but nothing unbearable. A few goosebumps on her arms but the theme and the glasses made of ice that she saw were quite intriguing. She saw a set of couches around a table that were empty that she felt were calling their name. "How about over there?" On the far side was a set of windows that made the setting even more inviting.

"Looks good," Kendri said, leading the way toward the couches.

Commander Chalan Kendri
First Officer
USS Columbia

Lt. Commander Paisley F'Rar
Chief Engineer
USS Columbia

Lieutenant Rachel Soros
Chief of Operations
USS Columbia

RSS Feed