Coffee Break from Reality

Posted on Sat Nov 24th, 2018 @ 12:25pm by Lieutenant Commander Shaille Levine & Warrant Officer Koh Otassu

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/5

Cradling the bucket sized mug of steaming hot coffee between her hands, Shaille moved carefully around the throng of bodies that seemed to be milling about everywhere in the mess hall before she finally sank into the first empty seat she found, glancing across at her now companion and offering a quick smile. "Sorry, hope you don't mind if I join you, it's a big crazy in here at the moment!"

Across from her sat the resident Blink Fighter pilot, Koh Otassu. He gave a smirk as she sat and motioned to the chair once she already sat, "By all means. Any port in a storm." he looked up from his tray of various noodles and meats to actually greet her. "Koh Otassu, ma'am. Fighter pilot, Ichiga class Blink Fighter. Callsign Ghost." he greeted officially. Ts'usugi eyes were weird, in that they didn't actually reflect light. His grey eyes almost looked like a matte painting. Almost dull, almost fake, but there was a depth in that lusterless void.

"Shaille Levine, Security," she said with an easy smile, holding out her hand, balancing the coffee precariously in one hand. "You don't need to call me Ma'am, I really don't do that whole pomp and ceremony thing." She paused for a moment, tipping her head to one side ever so slightly. "Ghost huh? I have to say, it's a fitting name."

He took her hand in his, "Nonsense. Ceremony runs through the veins of any Son or Daughter of Ts'usu." he said with a smirk, "Though, it'd be rude to go against your wishes, Shaille." he chuckled, and then let her retrieve her hand. "Earned it in our first encounter out against the Reh'nari." he recounted before taking another slurp of noodles and beef. "Security. Respectable." Koh complimented. "In the Ts'usu Navy we don't discriminate either. Men and Women are equally welcome. Glad to see that holds true out here in the Federation."

Sipping from her coffee, Shaille closed her eyes for a moment, sighing contentedly at the momentary taste of heaven. Opening her eyes, she looked back across at Koh and laughed. "Well, no, StarFleet doesn't discriminate, but there is still a lot of individuals that seem to have this ideal that a women are too soft to be security." She shrugged slightly. "I don't tend to care much, their ignorance is usually my advantage." She sipped her coffee again as she watched him. "So what's it like being a fighter pilot out there? That would have to be a whole different level of up close and personal with the enemy."

Koh actually scratched at the back of his head, somewhere behind his lengthy ears, "I've been tossed to the floor too many times to actually think of women as too soft for security." he added a chuckle at the end, "But don't worry, I won't cause any trouble. Honest."

"As for being a pilot, you'd be right. It's a whole different world. Up close, quite personal, and the first one to lose focus loses it all." he described. "I used to fly with Bishop wing, second detatchment from the ICF Nebula Flare. As part of a cultural exchange, I transferred here. I used to fly alongside Dalacari Drones, believe me I appreciate the conversation upgrade." he chuckled.

"But yeah, fighters are pretty much the space combat equivilent of getting into hand to hand combat. Lucky me, the standard Blink fighter has got *plenty* of tricks up her intakes."

Shaille laughed. "I really can't see why anyone would want to throw you to the ground, I mean, I know looks can be deceiving and all, but seriously, you look far too cute and cuddly to be menacing, at least in a hand to hand sense, though it sounds like you certainly know your stuff when it comes to being out there," she nodded slightly toward the view port along side them. "I've always found the ideal of fighters kind of intriguing, I don't know, maybe I just romanticize the idea because, well, I'll be blunt, piloting anything is NOT my strong point! But the idea of being about to zip around out there so freely, it would be amazing, at least when you're not getting shot to hell!"

Koh gave Shaille a smirk. A devilish, conniving smirk. "Who me? I'm harmless." his ears drooped to a low half-perk, though after a moment that smirk evolved into a full smile. "Though yeah, I was the Red Bishop in the previous wing. I think that's the equivalent to a wing commander here." he said, no small hint of pride. "But yeah, the Ts'usugi Navy introduced fighter tactics as more a harass and corral strategy. Force enemy ships into capital ship line of fire. The Dalacari, though, are experts in the fighter theory field. Though they cheat, and use drones." he shook his head, "It's weird flying with them."

"But, tell you what. When things settle down here, and we're all on quiet time, I'll take you up for a spin." he offered, "If you want. I understand that scheduling may be tough." the infamous Ts'usugi tactic of always offering a way out.

Shaille laughed, setting her coffee on the table in front of her and leaned back in her seat. "Oh, I'm sure I can find a time, just don't leave me in control and we'll possibly even come back alive," she said with a grin. "I'll even keep my hands to myself and not throw you to the floor."

"Sounds dangerously close to a plan." Koh said with a smirk, before swirling up and slurping a few more noodles and some more chunks of beef. "Mmmm, I have to say, Federation replicators are leaps and bounds past Insipp units. As far as taste goes, mind you." he seemed pleased at this. "Insipp rations always had that weird aftertaste, like the faint hint of licking a freshly polished doorknob." he chuckled.

"As for not throwing me around, no one appreciates that more then base Medical." he chuckled, those ears perking back up to full. "You know, you're alright in my book."

Picking up her bucket of coffee again, Shaille sipped at it, suppressing a laugh. "Well, I'm glad you approve," she replied easily. "Have you ever tried Federation ration packs? They taste largely like manky old boot leather that's been dried on Venus for a millenium before being packaged up and called 'food' except there is nothing edible about it! Even the water tastes like it's been swilled through the rest rooms repeatedly. I lived on them once for a week and I can honestly say I am really not in any kind of a hurry to repeat it!"

Koh chuckled, "Mmmmm, manky boot. Delicious." he took another chomp of beef before he continued, as though to remind himself what food actually tasted like. "Yeah, I remember having to survive on troop rations as part of my training. I guess it was to survive torture or being poisoned, but man did my stomach hate me during that." Koh chuckled. "Oh, it was torture. I'd sooner eat dirt then go through that again."

He took a swig of his drink, and laughed. "Oh, memories."

Shaille laughed. "Yeah, and most of them I'd rather forget." She shook her head quickly, her blonde hair moving about her shoulders. "At least the replicators are reliable, and a hell of a lot tastier than rations of any kind it seems."

"Oh I'm certain there's just enough alcohol out there to wipe those memories clean." Koh said with a chuckle. "And it seems that terrible rations are a universal truth." he chuckled, and then offered over his drink in a toast. "So, to friendship, and terrible memories about rations."

"To friendships," Shaille replied, holding her over sized coffee up. "And to all the memories we now get to share," she finished with a laugh. "To echo your on sentiments, Mr Koh, you're alright in my books too."



=/\=

Lieutenant Shaille Levine
Chief Security Officer
USS Wellington

Warrant Officer Koh Otassu
Fighter Pilot
USS Wellington