"Time to Party and Relax"
Posted on Mon Mar 11th, 2019 @ 5:04pm by Lieutenant Commander Shaille Levine & Ensign Felicie Rivero & Lieutenant JG Siobahn Fallon & Captain Michelle Bartlett & Commander Rostra Tang & Major Hailey Weston & Lieutenant Cor Cordale & Lieutenant Renee Salchin & 1st Lieutenant Patrick O'Shea & Chief Petty Officer Junior Santiago & Staff Sergeant Nyx'e'Trixe Valentine & Lieutenant JG Odelle Lin & Warrant Officer Koh Otassu & Chief Petty Officer Eries Capillon & Gunnery Sergeant Ami Rori & Petty Officer 2nd Class Shirley O'Neil
Mission:
Shore Leave
Location: Various
Timeline: Current
ON:
With the strange and crazy mission behind, it was time for the Wellington's crew to wind down and relax. For most of the crew it was time to relax and for others a time to reflect on the events of the past mission.
=====Sickbay=====
Janice was eternally glad that finally all her patients had been discharged. Once again the entire sickbay was quiet and empty. Finishing up her report, Janice pulled out a glass and her bottle of scotch and poured herself a stiff shot. "Well here's to a quiet and empty sickbay", she said to the empty arena, raising her glass to no one.
Having finalised the last of her reports and submitted them, made sure the bio beds were set to self clean mode, cleaned down the counter tops and recycled any residual rubbish as well as made sure all the necessary supplies were up to date, Siobahn finally too a breath, setting the PADD's she used for active treatment on the counter and walking across to the CMO's office. "I think we're all done out here Lieutenant, so if there's nothing else, we're all heading to the lounge for a drink or three. Did you want to join us?" she asked politely.
Having finished her first belt, "Why yes, I have the need to have a few drinks. I think we deserve a few right about now. I hope we don't go through that again. I may need to see the counselor after this", Janice said getting up.
"I zink I will remain here, madames." Eries was making sure nothing needed restocked, "Perhaps bring Aurore here to spend some time with her zo that you all can sit back and relax." She smiled softly at the doctors.
Spinning around, Siobahn rested her hand on Eries' forearm. "Nonsense. Go home, spend time with your little girl. She needs her Momma tonight. I will reroute the comms to my commbadge and come back if anyone needs help. Go on, get out of here! And that's an order!" Siobahn said with a laugh.
Eries raised her hands, "Oui, Madame, all right, all right, I zurrender!" She laughed, "But understand zat I will get my revenge on you, with a picture from Aurore if need be and she will have no mercy on you, I promise!"
"I welcome it," Siobahn replied with a laugh. "Now go on, get out of here, but the two of you can join us in the lounge later if you want? Come on Lieutenant, lets head down to the lounge."
=====Lounge=====
Walking into the lounge, Siobahn was slightly surprised at the sheer number of people that were already present. She couldn't recall immediately the last time there were so many people in the lounge, clearly the fact that they were enroute to New Earth had brought a new sense of relief to everyone on the ship.
Finding a seat and table was almost impossible but Janice spied one and took Ens. Fallon by the arm and almost dragged her over there. "Great....found a table....come and sit Ens. Fallon....I'm going for our drinks...what can I get you?", Janice said. Clearly Janice wanted to relax but more so to get drunk as it had been more than a year since the last time she partied.
Siobahn cringed inwardly at the use of her rank rather than her name but forced a smile on her face. "I'll have a long island iced tea," she said easily, turning her gaze to assess the others in the room, in particularly the blonde on the stage wearing a gold sequined number that was practically next to nothing, her eyes widening slightly with recognition as she realized it was Renee.
On the 'stage', there was a microphone and a comprehensive holographic 'set' where someone could sing karaoke or even have a small band set up there if there were someone that felt really ambitious. Up there, microphone in hand, Renee was obviously into it, dressed in a golden sequined short dress with two and a half inch heels and white earrings, her hair ungathered but still falling relatively elegantly, "Raised you better, gotta keep it together even when you fall apart, But this ain't my mama's broooooken heaaaaaart!" She finished the song, perfectly on key and eyes bright, loving every moment of it. She bowed at the slight titter of applause and replaced the microphone on the stand, beaming and waved at the mostly non-paying-attention mostly-full lounge and her eyes lit on Siobahn as her eyes swept across the room, "Siobahn!" She squealed in excitement, bouncing her way over towards the young doctor and her companion, "And Doctor um.....?" She was at a loss for words as she didn't recognize the other woman there with Siobahn, but at least had the grace to flush a slight red at the embarrassment of that fact.
Siobahn smiled gracefully, leaning sideways to half embrace her friend. "Doctor Soran, you may not have met Renee, she's one of the ships best engineers," Siobahn offered as an introduction to help her friend out.
Janice handed Siobahn her drink, " Ah a pleasure I am sure. Engineer eh well now that is a plus. Wonder why I never met an engineer with so much spunk", she said, sipping her drink.
"Renee 'Spunk' Salchin, that's my name!" Renee's eyes flashed brightly in excitement, "And it's good to meet ya' too!"
Shaille entered the lounge while Renee was singing. She glanced around the room quickly, taking in the gathering of people scattered throughout and cringed inwardly before heading across to the bar and ordering herself a glass of lemon soda with ice before contemplating which table to sit at. Her first instinct had been to go for a table in the back where she was least likely to wind up involved in one of Renee's ideas, like Karaoke, but then there was something to be said for safety in numbers. Heading across to the table already heavily occupied, she grabbed a chair from a nearby table and pulled it across. "Ensign, Lieutenant, Lieutenant," she glanced up as Ensign Rivero from Engineering joined them. "Ensign," she acknowledged again.
Janice leaned close to Siobahn, "Siobahn, I had no idea she could sing like that. She is quite good in my opinion, don't you think so?"
"Lieutenant, Ensign, Ensign, Lieutenant, Chair, Me!" Renee giggled, then leaned over and gave Shaille a hug, "It's almost done!" She whispered very quietly into the security officer's ear before planting a quick, friendly smooch on her cheek and releasing her.
The doors to the lounge swished open, allowing the binary form of Rostra Tang entry into the region. The pair were as cheerful as ever, offering smiles and waves to those around before making her way to the bar for a quick pair of drinks at the bar and joining the group. "Well hello everyone." she offered, and raised her drinks. "We made it."
"Nice to see you Commander," Shaille offered with a nod.
Siobahn jumped out of her seat quickly, grabbing another chair and pulling it up. "Here Ma'am, take these seats," she said quickly. "I think we need to pull in some more tables or something."
Rostra was about to ask her not to go through so much trouble, but the deed was done. "T... thank you. And thank you for being considerate of my nature." she offered with a smile before taking the offered seats.
Next through the doors was the resident chief engineer, Cordale. The form of the Thux was unmistakable, being his cobalt blue furred self and his prosthetic limb. The engineer made his way to the bar to snatch up a mug of birch beer and then he glanced about to find groups of folks to interact with, and then started to approach the gang. "Hey everyone." he hoisted his mug. "Ma'am." he gave a nod to Rostra, who just giggled, "Please, just Rostra. We're relaxing now."
Shaille raised an eyebrow at Cor. "No coffee?" she asked with a laugh. "I must say, I'm disappointed."
"Coffee is when I'm on duty. For everything else, there's birch beer." he smirked and took a swig, leaving a bit of froth on his muzzle. "Love the stuff."
"Hot cocoa is better than coffee anyways." Renee nudged Cor gently with her elbow, very careful not to spill his drink.
Cordale chuckled, and took another swig
The next pair through the door were the resident Ts'usugi of the ship. Valeria and Koh, who were talking about events back on their home moons while they walked in. Valeria made her way in first, and headed off to pick up something for herself to drink, while Koh had other things on his priority list. Those pale, lusterless eyes looked along the assembled crew to find a familiar face. A single familiar face.
Glancing up over the rim of her glass, she just happened to notice as Koh and Valeria entered together, his very presence bringing a smile to her face.
Setting her glass on the table, she stood up, walking across to him, her fingers brushing ever so slightly over the back of his hand as she fell in next to him in a very non-obvious show of affection. "Fancy meeting you here," she said with a slight smile as she cast a glance at him.
He gave her a smile, "It's nice here. Your people found a way to traverse the dark and fill it with so much light." he said, taking a moment to look out the window to the streaking stars of warp space. "On a Dark Ship, we close all the windows and view ports when we travel at speed. Looking outside during travel through the Dark wasn't well received by our first explorers, so it became something of a taboo."
"So how are you relaxing?" he asked, curious.
"I don't think I am yet," Shaille replied with a laugh. "But who knows, maybe that'll change now. I've been sitting with the others over there, do you want to join us?"
By now things were hopping in the lounge and most of the people there were still new faces to Janice. It was slightly evident that she was still reserved and quiet but with not drinking for a year, the drinks would soon loosen her tongue and her mind, but all in all she was enjoying herself.
"Certainly. Introduce me to your friends." Koh said with a smile.
And Renee was off to the races before Shaille could even open her mouth, "So, we've got LOTS of people here, as you can see, and starting with Commander Rostra Tang, oh bugger the whole rank thing, this isn't some sort of silly serious dinner in any case," She paused for less than a heartbeat to take a breath, "So that's Rostra over there, you already know Shaille, this is Janice, one of our docs, in fact the senior one on board, Cor here is the local Thux mecha-engineerin', Siobahn, the cutie right there is another of the doctors on board, Felicie is another of our engineers, and I'm Renee! Pleased to meetcha again!”She got out without having had to take as much as a single intervening breath, the last coming out more as a gasp before she had to stop and take a couple deep breathes to recover.
As Renee stopped to breath, Shaille shook her head slightly. "Well, I guess you've been introduced to everyone," she smirked. "And because Renee didn't get to it, this is Koh." She smiled at him as she briefly rested her hand on his forearm momentarily before picking up her glass of soda. "Well, here's to surviving yet another mission," she said with a laugh.
Janice chimed in, "Here is to those we lost, and those that we saved, and here is to the best damned crew I have had the fortune to meet!", she said raising her glass.
Koh raised a glass. A simple glass with a smooth drink in it. He said a word in the tongue of the Ts'usugi that didn't quite translate, but it sounded festive. Valeria joined the group, a smooth drink with a little paper umbrella in it, and at Koh's toast she raised her own glass and repeated the term.
T'Krya walked in with Patrick and retrieved some drinks and joined the party. Patrick went looking for Felicie and T'Krya went looking for her boss Jack Carver.
Siobahn laughed and echoed the toast that had been made, all the while keeping an eye on the door for Hailey who had promised her that she would actually show up, despite her loathing of these kinds of public events. "I can say with all honesty, I'd like a quiet mission or two now, it's been non stop since I've been on this ship, down time would be nice!" She cast a glance at Rostra. "What do you say Commander? Do you think you can make that happen?" She asked with a laugh.
"Actually..." Rostra started, a smile of her own forming. "I could see about a bit of leave on Dalacar." she offered. "If not the homeworld, at least one of the more pleasant worlds in the Republic."
Shaille glanced around the ever growing table. "I've heard Dalacari is an amazing place to see..."
"Think.....I'll just go home", Janice said, finishing another drink. "Go play with the grand kids, run in the fields, maybe climb a tree", she added.
Siobahn glanced at Renee and giggled slightly at the idea of Lieutenant Soran climbing a tree.
"You could always bring them, if you want to introduce them to an alien culture." Rostra offered to Janice. "We have trees too, just make extra certain to keep them..."
"... in the visitor sections. Dalacari enjoy slightly higher gravity than you Federation folk." she offered with a pair of smirks. "I've gotten used to being lighter on my paws."
"I think it would be fascinating to see any of the Dalacar homeworlds," Shaille replied. "Sounds rather idyllic actually."
By now the drinks Janice had consumed, started to hit home and her speech started to show it. "Wellll...how aboutttt somee enterrr....ainment? Ren....nee si...ngggg ussss....a son....g", Janice managed to say.
Lin looked over at the doc, a little buzzed herself but she had lifetimes of experience in holding it.. "How many did you have?" she asked Janice.
"Wellll...I lo....st count affff...ter 5. Remmmmm....emberrrr I haven't hadddd......ddrink......for oveerrrrrrr a yearrr.....", she replied.
Siobahn leaned across to Janice, a look of concern on her face. "Ma'am, how about I walk you back to your quarters? Maybe get you a strong coffee and a cold shower?" she asked quietly.
Janice looked at Siobahn, "Me.....gooo to myyyy....quar.....ters?", she said. Getting up, the room swayed and so did Janice. She took one step and fell flat on her face. Janice had gotten so drunk she had no idea how bad she looked on the floor of the lounge. Embarassing yes but at the moment she didn't care.
Valeria and Koh took a glance over at Janice, before sharing a look between themselves. Koh mentioned a word in the rather pleasant-to-listen to tongue of the Ts'usu, to which Valeria seemed to agree with. Cordale, to his credit, stopped chugging birch beer long enough to at least go offer Janice a hand getting up off the floor.
Rostra, technically being the responsible adult in the room, just shook her heads, before she turned to address Siobahn, "Would you mind terribly escorting our overly ambitious friend here to her quarters? I'll make sure there's still a get together to get back together with..."
"... when you come back." she offered.
“Of course Commander,” Siobahn said with a smile as she slid out of her seat, crouching down next to her boss. “Come on Lieutenant, let’s get you up onto your feet.”
Shaille stood up as well, moving around the table. “I’ll give you a hand,” she said, helping to heave Janice to her feet. “Do you know where her quarters are?” She asked as they half dragged her out of the lounge.
"Huh? Wherrrree we......going?", Janice tried to say. With her head swimming, her legs like rubber, she did try to make the effort to walk.
"Taking you back to your quarters, giving you an analgesic, a bottle of water and putting you to bed," Siobahn replied gently before the doors closed behind them.
It was nearly a full twenty minutes later before Shaille and Siobahn both returned to the lounge, laughing as they walked through the doors.
Siobahn headed straight to the bar, grabbing drinks for both herself and Shaille before going back to the table, sliding into the seat she had previously occupied next to Rostra.
With Siobahn getting their drinks, Shaille returned directly to the table, sitting back in her seat, her hand reaching out for Koh's. "Well, that was entertaining," she said with a laugh. "I think the poor Lieutenant is going to have a bit of a headache in the morning."
Koh took Shaille's hand as it was offered. "Okay, so the first law of intraspecies cooperation is never get involved in Dalacari drinking games. Second law is never be the first one sent home inebriated. So, she wasn't blackout so we can't concoct fantastic stories..."
"We can." Valeria offered, "They just have to be fantastic the other way. We were having a quiet sit down, relaxing and just trying to collect..." Valeria started.
"Then she comes in with like, six drinks. Slams them down faster than Klingon Interpretive Dance telling the weather." Cordale adds with a chuckle.
Koh took a look at Shaille, then back at the others. "I love this crew already."
"They have their moments," Shaille replied with a laugh. "Some more so than others, but yes, this is pretty awesome." She leaned toward him ever so slightly before turning a steady gaze back toward Cor. "So what does a Klingon Interprative Dance actually look like?" she asked with a grin. "Care to demonstrate?"
Junior Santiago wandered through the lounge and seeing his boss with others decided to introduce himself. Walking over to where they were gathered, "Hello ladies, Junior Santiago, Engineering officer", he said as he took Siobahn's hand and kissed the back of it. Looking at the other ladies, he repeated the same thing kissing each woman's hand. "How are we enjoying the festivities?", he asked, winking to his boss.
"Oh well you see, it goes a little something like this." and Cordale stood, setting his drink down. Not to be undone by a little thing like social anxiety, Cordale started to stomp and swing his arms, then he stopped and started into what might go down in universal history as the worst ballet impression in history. Then he started to chuckle.
"It's like that, but not terrible." he gave a good laugh, reclaiming his birch beer.
Shaille laughed, unable to help herself. "You know, I'm totally going to have to get that footage from the internal security systems now and save it for prosperity right?" she teased.
Santiago's greeting was met with a mixed bag, mostly positive. While Rostra enjoyed the treatment, Valeria went through the motions strictly due to protocol. Though, the rabbitess gave a soft smirk, "So far, the festivities are fantastic. A welcome gathering, with welcoming friends." she offered as she gave Santiago a glance over. Those alien eyes, reflectionless and lusterless, were like blue pools. Someone could drown in those pools.
"Engineering can be a cold place. You should come up somewhere warm from time to time." she said with a wink, teasing the poor Ensign.
"Oh don't encourage him!" Felicie piped up, shaking her head quickly. "He already considers himself a right Cassanova! If he were any smoother he'd about be an oil slick!"
Siobahn managed to suppress her giggle by picking up her glass and drinking the bright blue liquid within.
Turning her attention back toward Koh and Valeria, Shaille raised an eyebrow questioningly. "So are there any other rules to Dalacari drinking games that we should be aware of? Or do y'all just sit back now and wait for the next victim?"
Koh gave a chuckle, "There's three rules to drinking against a Dalacari. One, neutral party. Have someone else pour the drinks to ensure one of the forms isn't drinking something non-alcoholic." and Rostra giggled in stereo.
"Hm....an oil slick......well I did slick my hair will gel but oil.....I can think of better things to grease other than hair", he chuckled and winked at the ladies. "So, have you ladies seen New Earth?", Junior asked.
Renee, who had just returned from yet another performance on stage, this time the classic 'My Heart Will Go On', took a drink from her glass of wine, "New Earth? Been there, done that. Good beach, but really needs more of a place to shop. I know it's still relatively new, but seriously? There are only a handful of dress shops and three of them have the exact same things!"
"I'll vouch for that," Siobahn interjected. "Not that I really care, I mean, I can't afford to shop that much anyway, but last time we were on New Earth Renee dragged me through sooooooo many shops and it was all just the same stuff over and over!"
"Wow, so maybe one or two of you ladies would like to....um...escort me on a shopping spree when we get there?", Junior quiped. "Who knows maybe they have new and different things now".
"Perhaps, perhaps..." Renee said quietly, looking him up and down, eyes glittering, "So... What size bra do you wear? And do you prefer granny panties, or a nice thong? Find they fit well?"
Junior bust out laughing. "Renee you are very funny. I mean men's clothing Ha Ha Ha", he said laughing.
"Well, it would have been interesting!" Renee giggled, "But I really don't wear men's clothes, so it wouldn't do me much good. Hey Boss, you should take the new guy shopping!"
Shaille paused, glancing between Cor and Junior... the large, alarmingly blue Thux and the smaller, paler Human. "Because, yes, they're so similar, I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong..." she said with a shake of her head.
"Meh, they're both guys!" Renee pointed out, "Good 'nuff!"
Cordale gave a chuckle, "Eh, go easy on the guy. Tell you what, yeah, we can hit the shops. Grab some new shirts, check out the local bars, maybe hit the gym. You know, bro stuff." Now, Cordale had a physique to him that was all the work of a lifetime of hard physical labor, so he tended to keep it in good shape. The Thux might have liked to goof off from time to time, but when it came to his body he maintained a schedule, and the schedule produced results. Cordale had a miner's physique. He wasn't rippling with muscle, but he was solid and powerful of frame. Only his thick, cobalt-blue fur disguised the fact. He smirked, and took a swig of his birch beer.
Valeria, though, hadn't finished her fun. "Tails interfere with anything that isn't produced by a species with tails. Sorry Renee, but until I can get ahold of a shop with someone that has a tail... on the question of panties, the answer is no." which caused Cordale to nearly choke on his drink.
Rostra simply rolled her eyes, and leaned over towards Shaille and Koh, "Second rule of drinking with a Dalacari, match them shot for shot. Dalacari have one mind between two bodies. Don't inebriate the body, aim to ..."
"... compromise the mind." she pointed to her temple, each body in tandem. She then motioned to the group teasing Santiago, "Which leads to the third rule."
Koh smirked, "Know when to quit."
Shaille grinned, leaning toward Koh slightly. "Does that mean this is a good time to quit, make our excuses and leave?" she asked quietly.
Lin had been sitting, quietly drinking and observing... It had been an interesting night. "How many of you am I seeing in sickbay tomorrow with hyposprays for the hangover?" she said with a chuckle as she sipped her springwine.
"Not me!" Renee trilled happily, then gave Siobahn a very, very inquisitive look, "Siobahn, darlin', what's your favorite music?" She asked.
Looking across at Renee, Siobahn smiled. "How about At Last? Think you can do it justice?" she asked hopefully.
Renee's eyes glittered as she stood again, "Can I do it justice?" she queried rhetorically, "Just you wait and hear!" And she was off again to the stage.
"Me either", said Junior, laughing. Finishing his drink, Junior headed for the bar, "Can I get you ladies something else?", he asked.
Koh gave Shaille a smirk, "I was unaware you spoke Ts'usubito." he commented, mostly on her understanding of subtlety and undertone.
Valeria gave Lin a smirk, "I'm well trained in how to handle and hold my drink. I assure you, I'll be helping carry people in tomorrow, but I won't be gracing your table." then she offered Junior a smirk, "Now, your table on the other hand..." she held up her fruity cocktail, umbrella nearly lost as the drink was about halfway done. "I'm still working on mine, but I do appreciate the offer."
Rostra gave the goings on a smirk. As a social creature, this many people all having fun together was the best experience in the world. "Oh don't you worry, I learned my limit years ago." she turned to the doc. "I promise, I'll behave. Have to set a good example for the troops, right?" Cordale then gave a chuckle, "Well, that's at least two responsible adults in the room. Ma'am..." the Thux turned to the doctor, "I'll reserve a seat in your after-bar now if you don't mind. A Thux liver is a powerful thing, but when it's had enough, it hits hard."
Siobahn glanced around the group with an expression of amusement on her face. "You can all reserve bio beds in sickbay for tomorrow morning, that's fine, shall I grab a PaDD and start making a list? But be warned, because I'm the one on duty, I think I'm suddenly developing quite a taste for rather loud Klingon Opera," she said cheekily. "Oh, and I believe the replicator may be malfunctioning, something about not able to simulate caffeine?"
"Caffeine can be programed easily, do you need your replicator fixed so it can dispens caffeine as long as it is coffee", Junior said laughing.
"It's also poor form to restrict caffeine from the folks who keep the lights on and the gravity running." Cordale gave Siobahn a smirk, "But I like your moxie, so I'll stay level headed tonight. Plus, it's bad to get blitzed in front of the boss." he made a not-at-all subtle motion towards Rostra, who just blinked, "When did I make Captain?" she asked, and then giggled.
"Vitamin C, protein and carbs are much more effective at dealing with a hangover than coffee," Siobahn replied with a laugh. "It's like one of the very first things you ever learn in medical school, usually during the first week. The morning after party would much better be served in the lounge with an all you can eat buffet."
"Now that's a novel idea! An all you can eat buffet for the morning after!", Junior smirked.
"Ooooooooo, breakfast foods! Pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, umm.... What else?" Renee asked, half-breathless as she returned from her rendition of Siobahn's request.
"French toast, waffles, maple syrup, beans, mushrooms, hash browns... and lots of coffee," she said with a smile aimed at Cor.
"Damn all of you, now I want bacon and eggs! See talking about food has made me bloody hungry", Junior laughed.
"Please. Y'all had me at 'Bacon'." the Thux chuckled.
=/\=


