Stardate: 60327:1600
Title: Fireworks
Author: Executive Officer Abigail Winters
Time: After "For Those About To Rock (Part 2)"
Scene: USS Relentless


The cold water slapped her face hard and her cheeks turned pink as she rigorously rubbed the towel back and forth. Undoing the clip holding her hair back Abby dragged the hairbrush through her curls straightening it into some sort of order before retying it. She smoothed some of the creases out of her uniform and securely attached her phaser. With one last look in the mirror the XO let out a long pent up breath.

The corridors were ominously quiet as Abby made her way to the Captain's ready room and the crew that moved past her suddenly became engrossed in the carpet pattern. This meeting was going to be tough. Abby could empathize with the crew they were being asked to rely on a Captain and Executive Officer that they barely knew. Abby hoped that their past service history would give the crew the confidence to stand with them. However, they had greater problems than winning the crew over. As soon as the meeting ended any diversionary tactics that the Horizon had been providing would be useless if the crew decided that they couldn't stay on the Relentless and that they felt it right to inform Starbase 9 security where Captain Khavok could be located.

Abby entered the Captain's ready room and found the Captain already sitting at the head of the table. He nodded at the XO and she slipped into a chair next to his. The meeting had been called for ten minutes time. A long silence stretched between them.

"I don't like fire works." Abby wasn't quite sure why she said that or even why it was relevant but it seemed important to show the Captain that she trusted him.

"Why?" The Captains question seemed strange; as Abby had never questioned why she didn't like fireworks she just didn't like them.

"Well I don't really know. I guess it's because they are so unpredictable and potentially dangerous." Those two words seemed to relate to their current situation.

"I promise not to light any fireworks in any literal sense on the Relentless." Alex smiled at his quirky Executive Officer and Abby was sure the Captain was wondering why she had chosen to share something so personal.

Abby looked at the Captain he really was a very good looking man and in Abby's mind that made him very dangerous. It was as she was looking at him that she started to smile.

"Something amusing Abigail?" The Captain's blue eyes had regained some of their usual sparkle and Abby wondered how much of that was due to the drugs. The XO reach over and plucked a cat hair off his shoulder.

"Loula has a habit of getting everywhere." The Captain took the hair out of Abby's hand.

"Where did you get Loula?" He twirled the hair between his fingers.

"I was injured in hospital and one night Loula appeared. She refused to be removed by anyone and her presence gave me hope. She has been with me ever since."

The Captain studied Abby for a moment and was about to continue his line of questioning when the door opened and in walked Maxine Jenna.

"Lieutenant Maxine Jenna Reporting for duty Sir." Maxine's Hazel eyes had an inquisitive look in them.

"Thank you Lieutenant please take a seat." The Captain said and gestured to the chair opposite the XO. Abby glanced at her watch and then looked to the door. With just a few minutes till the allotted time, the rest of the crew was cutting it close.

"What's the crew compliment like?" Enquired Maxine.

"At the moment we are working with a skeleton crew. The schedule was that a few of the crew would join us at the Starbase and the rest of the other crew would join us on our voyage. Currently we are short on tactical officers especially with the incapacitated Darius Kell. We don't have a Chief of Engineering but we do have an experienced officer filling in. We currently have a Doctor on loan from the USS Horizon." Abby replied and Maxine nodded. The three of them sat in silence as they contemplated what was to come.


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Lt. Commander Abigail Winters
Executive Officer
USS Relentless
NCC-11966
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