The Torment That Is Coffee - Part 1

Posted on Wed Dec 20th, 2017 @ 6:08pm by Lieutenant Temperance Zachary
Edited on on Wed Dec 20th, 2017 @ 6:12pm

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/4
Location: Temperance's Quarters
Timeline: Current - Immediately after To New Beginnings (Part 2)

ON:

After they had transported back aboard the Wellington it had not taken long for them to arrive back at her quarters - no matter how slowly he had walked. As they stood in front of her door, Roberto was suddenly struck by a thought. "We never did get a chance to see the view from the station's observation lounge," he said slowly. "And I guess that was my fault. I was too busy enjoying the view I had all evening..."

Temperance leaned back against the bulkhead outside her door, as she looked up at him. "Sounds like a good excuse to do this again, before the Wellington leaves," she said quietly. "Do you want to come in... you know... just for coffee?" she asked, somewhat nervously.

Roberto's mind had been spinning, wondering how the evening would end. Would she end it with a handshake and 'good night'? Or possibly even a good night kiss? Or would it just be a simple good night and a closed door? These thoughts had been tumbling in his mind so it took a moment before her question registered to him. When it did, he realized that maybe the night wasn't ending - at least not just yet, anyway.

"What? Oh, ah...yes..." he stammered just a bit. "Yes, I'd like that very much."

With a smile she opened the door to her quarters and stepped inside. "It isn't much," she said quietly. "but this is it..." She walked across to the replicator, before turning back to face him. "I can only offer replicated, sorry... what would you like?"

If that wasn't a loaded question, he had never heard one. Biting back his first response which would have been completely inappropriate at this point, he hesitated a bit before saying "You trusted me to order for you at the restaurant, so why don't I return the favor? Surprise me..." he added with a grin.

Temp paused for a moment before ordering two hazelnut lattes from the replicator. As the tall frothy coffee drinks appeared in the replicator she picked them up and handed one to him before motioning for him to sit on the couch. Instead of sitting she took a few extra steps and leaned against the bulkhead next to the view port and looked it at the stars beyond. ‘This is my favourite part of the ship,’ she said softly. ‘The view port, the place I can look out st the stars beyond. If I could change one thing about my quarters it would be to have a huge window seat right here so I could just curl up with a drink and a blanket and stare at the stars.”

Roberto took the offered drink and made himself comfortable on her couch, then watched her as she gazed out at the great void. He had ony known her a few hours but he had a feeling about her. She was intriguing and a bit mysterious - and definitely someone he wanted to get to know better. If he was honest with himself, he had to admit that his first thought had been to get her in bed, but now it was more than that. He heard her wish concerning her quarters and realized that there might be something he could do to make her wish come true.

‘Do you ever look at the stars in just complete amazement?’ She asked, turning toward him. ‘They hold so much wonder, there is so much out there, space ships and worlds and so many races... so many secrets... so much that we could never even begin to hope to see it all in one life time...”

He nodded at her question. "I have thoughts like that every time I get into my fighter. Flying it and being surrounded by the blackness of deep space is absolutely awesome and it really makes me think about a lot of things. Its' vastness can make you feel very insignificant as a being, but it can also make you feel extremely appreciative of who we are and what we have accomplished over the last four hundred or so years. I mean, just think about it..." he said slowly. "Four hundred and thirty years ago on July 20th, 1969, humans walked on Earth's moon for the very first time, and just look how far we've come now. We're not just exploring new worlds - we're exploring the entire galaxy! And just think what we may accomplish in the next four hundred years. It's true that space is very vast and empty...but it's also very full at the same time. Full of wonder, adventure, and new things to discover."

Temperance smiled and moved away from the view port, lowering herself carefully onto the couch next to him, kicking off her boots and tucking one foot up under her bottom as she cradled the warm mug between her hands, blowing gently on the liquid. “Most people would just laugh at me if I said something like that,” she said quietly.

Thinking back to her wish, he said "I know someone in engineering who just might be able to make your wish for a window seat come true. If you'd like, I'll speak to them about it tomorrow."

“I asked about it once before and I was told it couldn’t be done, something about structural integrity or something, I don’t know, it was too technical for me to understand.” She watched him in silence for a moment as she sipped at her drink, savouring the milky nutty coffee taste. “You have surprised me tonight,” she finally spoke. “You haven’t at all turned out to be what I expected... either that, or you are even slicker than I anticipated...”

"If anyone can do it, it would be our chief engineer, Commander Mo'Bri. She's a hardheaded Klingon who absolutely refuses to take 'no' for an answer, so it might be worth a try anyway. And how have I surprised you?" he asked. "Is this good or bad - or do I really want to know?" Roberto grinned at her.

"I will let you know when I make up my mind," she said with a laugh. "There is still time for it to go either way." She sipped at her latte again, continuing to watch him as she did. "So what else is there that I need to know about you Roberto?" she questioned. "If I was to ask your last girlfriend, what would she tell me?"

He wrinkled his forehead in thought for a moment before answering. "My last serious girlfriend was about a year and a half ago. She was also a pilot on the Pathfinder. She was transferred to another ship and we agreed that a long-term relationship just wasn't workable at the time, so we parted on good terms. I think she would tell you that I'm loyal to the person I'm in a relationship with. I don't believe in cheating on your partner - ever. I think she would also say that I'm attentive - maybe sometimes too much so. She once accused me of being too romantic at times because of my Italian heritage. Other than that..." he shrugged. "I don't know."

Temperance grinned. "I see..." she said, her voice taking on a somewhat teasing tone. "So you're too romantic? That's an interesting connundrum..."

"Now if I might ask you - I was noticing the photos on your mantel and I'm guessing that some are your parents, but I noticed one in particular. The one of you and a young man. I know you said you have no siblings so I'm figuring he was a boyfriend at some point? So what would he tell me about you?" He then sat back a bit and waited for her answer.

Drawing in a sharp breath, Temperance sighed softly and turned to look at the photos. She knew these conversations were going to have to start happening sooner or later, she just wasn't sure she wanted it to be quite so much with the 'sooner'. "Well, the first photo is my parents, it was taken on Earth," she said quietly. "The second photo is my Aunt Zephora and my Uncle Theophilus... and the last... well.. that's Dom... he would tell you that I was the best friend he ever had, and his girlfriend resented our friendship, it was why they broke up at least twice. He died in my first year at the academy, that photo was taken a few days before he died, it was the last photo we got together." She smiled sadly as she turned back to Roberto. "I'm afraid I don't really have a string of broken hearted boyfriends behind me to kiss and tell."

"I'm sorry if I re-opened an old wound," he said, seeing her pained expression. "I just assumed that he was a boyfriend. Guess that's why the tell us at the Academy that you should never assume anything..." his voice trailed off in thought. 'Smooth move, jerk...' Then, in an attempt to recover, he said "I haven't had that many girlfriends. In fact Janaye was the only one in the past several years. And since then I just haven't found the right one." He looked at her for a long moment before continuing. "I'm sure you've heard the stories about of how pilots are nothing but skirt-chasers and how we have a girl at every star base? That may be true for some, but - that's not me."

Temp laughed. "Yes, I'm all to aware of how most pilots are slimy pond scum, I have actually come across one or two in my time." She shook her head and set her cup on one of the side tables and folded her hands in her lap. "Those same one or two might also now be singing soprano."

"I would certainly not want that sort of treatment," Roberto chuckled. "I can't sing, anyway." Then, thinking back to what she had said earlier about stargazing, he said "If you want a really awesome view of the stars, maybe one day you should go with me in my fighter - just a short trip when I'm flying escort for the Wellington. It's an entirely different perspective than just looking out of a port."

To be continued...

OFF:

Lieutenant Roberto "Stallion" del Palo
Flight Leader/Fighter Pilot
USS Wellington

Lieutenant Temperance Zachary
Chief Strategic Operations Officer
USS Wellington