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Day 03 [1200 hrs.] Spiked Coffee & Crew Gazing

Stardate: 57563.87
Date: 13-Mar-2381
Time: 1200 hrs.
[ Ens. Isel “Foxfire” Nix | Whetstone Lounge | Deck 13 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @patches
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Isel’s jaws spread in an expansive yawn as she stepped through the door of the Whetstone lounge, eyes half closed as the yawn dragged on. She nearly walked into a Bolian engineer as she let out a rather loud noise to accompany the involuntary gaping on her fanged mouth, only managing to dodge him at the last moment as she finished the yawn and forced her eyes all the way open. The Bolian chuckled at her, shaking his head slightly as he sidestepped to avoid the collision. He gave her a sympathetic look, noticing the Lone Wolves hoodie the Vulpinian wore and guessing she was still adjusting to the newly implemented patrol rotation. Isel gave the fellow an apologetic smile before he disappeared out the doors and into the corridor, then turned and made her way to the bar. The bartender, having seen the near-miss, looked at her with an amused expression as he waited for her order.

”Coffee. A big one.” Isel muttered, blinking several times in rapid succession in an attempt to wave off the fatigue. ”Please.” The barman began to turn away, pausing as she spoke again. ”Oh, and put some of that… uh… crap, what did Annika call it? Oh! Kahlua! Some of that in it, please.” The bartender smiled, nodded, and quickly returned with the requested beverage, placing an oversized mug on the counter in front of Isel. The scent of brewed arabica beans with the distinct tinge of alcohol reach Isel’s nose almost immediately, and she grinned lazily at the barman before taking up the mug and raising it to her lips, savouring the taste as she took a long pull of the caffeinated drink.

”Ah… fuck that’s good…” Isel murmured, nodding gratefully to the barman before turning and glancing around the lounge.

At first glance, the lounge seemed surprisingly busy, and Isel absently wondered just how long she had been sleeping. She’d finished her patrol at 06:00, and have crashed as soon as she’d made it back to her quarters. Donna had come by her quarters the night before to apologize for their little row, and that apology had left little time for sleep.

The patrol had seemed to last forever.

”What time is it?” Isel asked, glancing back at the barman with a befuddled expression plastered on her features. The barman gave her another amused grin before informing her that it was 12:04. She'd managed to catch around 5 hours of sleep.

”Huh, thanks.” Isel said, turning and moving off through the lounge in search of a place to sit. A moment later her eyes fell on a somewhat familiar face, a rarity since her arrival aboard the Theurgy. At first she couldn’t place the face, and it took a few moments before she truly recognized the woman as a fellow pilot from the Dauntless. Isel racked her brain trying to come up with a name to accompany the face. As she drew up at the table that the other pilot was seated at, a name finally came to her.

”Hey. It’s Walton, right? You’re Meerkat?” Isel asked, part of her fearing she’d gotten the name wrong. She remembered Meerkat’s voice on the comms during their defection and the subsequent fight, and hoped she’d gotten it right. ”You mind if I join you?”

Re: SD 57563.87: Spiked Coffee & Crew Gazing

Reply #1 –
[ CWO3 Liliana Walton | Whetstone Lounge | Deck 13 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy ] @Fife

Despite being cleared for flight duties (though she suspected the doctor that did it would not have normally cleared her this early) and having had a full night’s sleep, Liliana still felt a bit out of sorts. Her first full patrol went without any major incidents or incidents with any majors. It somehow felt too normal for a recent traitor to Starfleet to be flying without having to worry about the task force she was once a part of dropping on their heads. Her time on the Orcus and Dauntless was brief but it illuminated the sheer determination that imbued nearly every member of Starfleet on those ships, all of their daily efforts being focused on the USS Theurgy like a well-trained pack of bloodhounds.

Two days after making an admittedly rash, emotional decision to defect to the ship where her fellow test pilots had flitted to, the nearly 40 year old woman was now sipping coffee on the Federation’s most wanted starship currently docked in a cloaked Klingon shipyard. It should have felt more surreal than it did. She was going to have to program in the coffee recipe perfected while at the Lunar Shipyards, though. The stuff on the Theurgy did not fully suit her taste buds. At least the patterns for the black and purple casual clothes she preferred to wear (and was wearing now) were easy to find and replicate no matter where she went.

"Hey. It's Walton, right? You're Meerkat?" A somewhat familiar voice but unfamiliar figure approached her table. She looked at the small woman curiously as she came closer. "You mind if I join you?"

Liliana waved at the empty chairs at the table. It was a small one, but still apparently capable of seating three. The name she was looking for finally popped into her head, allowing her to respond.

“Of course! And yes, I’m Meerkat. Liliana Walton. Have a seat. You look like you really need that coffee.” She let out a little chuckle. “You must be Foxfire. Nix, right? I’m surprised to see a Vulpinian here. It’s a rare sight but a very welcome one.”

Re: SD 57563.87: Spiked Coffee & Crew Gazing

Reply #2 –
[ Ens. Isel “Foxfire” Nix | Spearhead Lounge | Deck 14 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @patches
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Isel placed her large coffee on the table before seating herself in one of the vacant chairs, letting out a tired sigh as she did so. Isel shifted slightly in the chair, adjusting herself so her tail hung off the chair to one side before leaning back and putting one foot up on the third, yet empty chair. Isel took up her cup and took a long sip, relishing the sense of freedom and comfort afforded by the loose black cotton pants she wore, a small hole in the seat allowing her tail to remain unrestricted. She was glad to be in something more comfortable than her flight suit after spending so much of the last few days in a cockpit.

She was also glad to have coffee. She couldn’t help but nod her agreement over the rim of the cup as Meerkat mentioned she looked like she needed it. Walton then went on to ask if she was Nix, and stated that it was a surprise to see a Vulpinian aboard. Isel finally lowered the mug, placing it on the table again and giving Meerkat a slight grin.

”Yup, Isel Nix. I think I remember seeing you aboard the Dauntless, though I don’t think we ever had a chance to speak.” The grin she wore broadened into a smile as she continued, ”You’re not the first one to be surprised seeing a Vulpinian aboard. I know there aren’t many of us kicking around in Starfleet. That’s a long story in itself. A few people have asked to pet my tail, which is kinda weird…” Isel had started to draw out the last few words, and broke off now as another oversized yawn forced it’s way past her jaws and into the open air. Once it had passed, she gave Meerkat an apologetic half-smile. ”Sorry, I’ve never been good at mornings.”

Isel picked up her cup again, taking a quick sip before cradling it against her chest, careful not to spill any of the dark, slightly alcoholic liquid on her new hoodie. ”So, bit of a shit-show lately, huh? I don’t know about you, but our plan to get to the Theurgy didn’t go quite as smoothly as we’d hoped.” Isel grinned, reflecting for a moment on what a monumental understatement that had been. ”Donna and I planned to slip off and try to get here before anyone noticed. Instead we ended up shot at by the Black Wolves, the Theurgy, the rest of TFA, the Borg, and I almost got kamikazed by some psycho fucking Klingons.” Isel chuckled, finding the events almost humorous now that she’d managed to survive them. ”So, I gotta ask. What made you decide to defect to the Theurgy?”

Re: SD 57563.87: Spiked Coffee & Crew Gazing

Reply #3 –
[ CWO3 Liliana Walton | Whetstone Lounge | Deck 13 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy ] @Fife

Lily beamed at Isel as the other pilot confirmed who she was and how rare Vulpinians were in the service. Walton had herself only seen a handful of them over her 20 plus years in Starfleet, with all but Nix, Renard, and one other actually wearing Starfleet uniforms. The rest had been part of the Vulpinian’s own military during joint exercises or meetings. The Theurgy having two Vulpinian pilots onboard made it a special ship. Isel noted the weirdness of people asking to pet her tail, which Lily nodded sympathetically at. She chuckled at Isel’s comment about mornings.

“That’s okay. I’m still getting used to my night shift. I prefer mornings.”

When Isel went on to describe her and Donna’s (Donna must be the other new Valkyrie pilot) defection to the Theurgy and subsequent events, Liliana could not help but join her in the chuckling over it. It was not exactly the humour of it but the sheer ridiculousness of the situation for her. She had not been under the illusion that defecting was going to be as simple and quiet as Isel apparently believed but it still escalated far higher than her wildest dreams.

I flew inside a fucking Borg Cube and survived!

“Why did I defect? That’s a really good question.” She mused with a raised eyebrow. “It is a bit … complicated.”

She took another sip of her coffee and set the cup down to free up both of her hands. Liliana had always been an expressive talker, her hands nearly as busy as her mouth.

“I have been a pilot for a smidge over twenty years, split between flying shuttles, runabouts, and now fighters. In that time, I’ve been able to familiarize myself with the way Starfleet and the Federation as a whole tackles issues ranging from minor energy fluctuations and bar fights to the stresses of the Dominion War. It’s not the fancy big picture look that senior officers get but being enlisted, especially as high up as I’ve gotten so far, means my finger is on the pulse of the crew itself.”

The chief warrant officer took a deep breath before continuing. This was the part that would be hardest to describe for her as it involved her emotional instincts.

“On the Orcus and Dauntless, the feel I get from the command staff and the crew is so different. The messaging from the top is radically aggressive, a drumbeat to war that cannot be ignored. It’s reminiscent of the Dominion War, but that was desperation mostly and a keen desire to restore things the way they were. On the Dauntless, the orders related to the Theurgy felt so out of place from what I’ve been trained to expect from Starfleet Command and its officers. It left me with this nagging feeling of something being out of place but I wasn’t sure what. I dismissed it at first, though.” She chucked darkly. “It was after Starbase 84 that I started taking it seriously. Half of the Valravns defected that day. Why? I wanted answers and when I heard Wraith was defecting, that solidified it. I’ve flown with these people for a year or more in some cases. My gut was telling me they wouldn’t be defecting because they liked Romulans. I needed to know more. And here I am.”

She smiled as she looked over at Isel for her reaction. “Besides,I figured worse case scenario is that I could link back up with my family and friends aboard the Rainbow’s End. I wouldn’t be the first to do that. It was part of why our routes took us more on the fringe of Federation space than the typical merchant marine ships. What about you? Why did you and Donna come?”

Re: Day 03 [1200 hs.] Spiked Coffee & Crew Gazing

Reply #4 –
[ Ens. Isel “Foxfire” Nix | Spearhead Lounge | Deck 14 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @patches
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Isel sipped her alcohol-laden coffee as Meerkat talked, explaining her reasoning for the recent defection. Isel couldn’t help but agree with her that the feeling aboard the Dauntless had been different from what a typical Starfleet vessel had felt like, though Isel hadn’t clued in to the fact at the time. Isel supposed she had been a bit preoccupied, what with the sudden transfer, being reunited with Donna and the subsequent blackmail which had brought her on this little adventure.

Meerkat went on to mention the other Valravn pilots defecting at Starbase 84, which had caused her to take the feeling that something was off seriously. Isel had heard about the defection of half the White Wolves, though she had been transferred to the Dauntless as a replacement pilot shortly after the battle at Starbase 84, and so had mostly just heard rumours and propaganda. Isel chuckled over the rim of her mug as Meerkat commented that she doubted the other pilots had defected because they liked Romulans, returning the other woman’s smile. That smile faded slightly as Meerket finished, asking the question as to why she and Donna had chosen to defect.

You should have seen that one coming… Isel chided herself, knowing she had opened up the avenue of question when she had asked her own.

”Why did we defect?” Isel asked, echoing Meerkat’s question. ”That… is a bit of a long story. But, you told me yours, I guess it’s only fair I tell you mine.” Isel took another long sip, swallowing the bitter and burning mixture before letting out a soft sigh. ”Donna and met at the Academy, and we used to be pretty close. At first I thought it was great when we both ended up being transferred to the Dauntless as replacement pilots, since I got to see her again. I always had a bit of a thing for her.” Isel gave Meerkat a lop-sided grin as she spoke the words, then continued. ”Turns out our little reunion wasn’t gonna go so great. She had a message she needed to deliver to Ives. She needed someone to watch her back. I was someone she could blackmail.” Isel chucked and shook her head, then glanced up at Meerkat. ”Typical Earth romance movie kinda stuff, you know?” Isel put her now empty cup down on the table and leaned back in her chair. She pulled the leg that wasn’t propped up on the third chair towards her so that her heel was perched on the seat, then wrapped her arms around her knee.

”To be honest, I never really noticed the weird vibe from the Dauntless or Starfleet until I was aboard the Theurgy and thinking back.” Isel confessed, leaning forward and resting her chin on her knee. ”I was just sort of swept up in the transfer, the new ship, seeing Donna again, and then trying not to fucking throttle her when she pulled her coercion shit on me. Looking back, it’s all a bit of a blur.” Isel shrugged, grinning at Walton. ”And here I am!” she finally concluded, using the same words Walton had used in her own conclusion.

No need to tell her I wasn’t Starfleet’s #1 fan before I defected form the Orion Syndicate… Isel thought to herself, If she’s a career Starfleeter I doubt that little tidbit would go over too well…

”There’s just one part of what you’ve said that I don’t get…” Isel pressed on, eyes narrowing at Walton in an almost accusing manner, ”how the hell can you be a morning person?” Isel’s accusatory glare broke down as the Vulpinian giggled, lifting her head from her knee and leaning back once more. ”I hate mornings. Beds are comfy, I’m lazy, and I’m useless without coffee. I don’t get you morning people. It’s like you’re from another planet or something!” Isel gave Walton an idiotic, toothy grin before raising her hand and waving to the barman to get his attention, then pointed at Walton’s cup as well as her own to ask for a refill. After seeing the barman nod his acknowledgement, Isel turned back to Walton, half expecting the other woman to be rolling her eyes at Isel's silly comment.

Re: Day 03 [1200 hs.] Spiked Coffee & Crew Gazing

Reply #5 –
[ CWO3 Liliana Walton | Whetstone Lounge | Deck 13 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy ] @Fife

Liliana listened carefully to Isel’s answer, nodding as each point of it registered. There was a moment of disapproval and shock at the mention of Donna blackmailing the Vulpininan through their relationship. Lily had had such relationships before and she knew the cost such blackmail could incur on one. Perhaps theirs could survive it, though, assuming it did not get to be abusive. She had seen that too, though thankfully not in her own past relationships. She took a big gulp of her coffee as Isel’s response wound down. It made sense that Nix did not notice the mood on the Dauntless and Walton suspected most of the crew had the same reaction. It was easy to get swept up in the tempo set by the admiral’s intensity as he directed the search for the Theurgy, his demands trickling down through the ranks.

Shit rolls downhill, as the old saying goes. Even in paradisiacal Starfleet.

The veteran pilot perked up at Isel’s question and laughed. How could she be a morning person indeed? She shrugged with one arm bent with her palm facing up.

“Honestly? I don’t know how it happened. I just know I function a bit better when I get the early shifts. You’d think being on a ship would make that irrelevant, right? No sunlight.”

She smiled politely as one of the holographic waiters refilled their cups, raising the now full cup in a silent toast to the foxy lady across from her.

“I was born and raised on one of those old tramp ships you see on border patrols. We did a lot of trading between colonies and a few of the more developed worlds and for some reason, growing up, I just drew the morning shift a lot.” She shrugged again. “Twenty-odd years later, I still perk up when I see it’s early in the ship’s day still. Night shift has its perks, though. Quieter, for one. Gives me more time to people-watch if I'm not flying.”

Re: Day 03 [1200 hs.] Spiked Coffee & Crew Gazing

Reply #6 –
[ Ens. Isel “Foxfire” Nix | Spearhead Lounge | Deck 14 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @patches
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Isel cringed inwardly at the idea of actually being excited about day shifts, knowing that most of her own day shifts were possible only under the excessive influence of caffeine. It had long been a problem for her even back at the Academy, where she had been chastised numerous times by instructors for falling asleep during her early morning classes. In her old life, the majority of her business had been conducted in the evenings, and she had never really broken the habit of staying up all night and rising late. She couldn’t fault the other pilot for her preferences, however, and didn’t comment on the matter further. But when Walton mentioned that the night shift gave more time for people-watching, Isel found herself intrigued by the idea.

”People-watching, huh?” Isel began after a sip of her fresh cup of spiked coffee. ”I suppose being on a new ship provides ample opportunity for that as well. I don’t really know anyone aboard Theurgy.” Isel leaned back in her chair and cast a glance around the lounge, seeing a multitude of faces that she didn’t recognize. ”Ok, Walton,” she said, turning her attention back to the Human for a moment with an intrigued smile, ”so which people were you watching before I came and distracted you?”

Isel cast a quick glance around the room again, though as she thought about it her smile faded. Isel turned her attention back to Walton with a slightly worried expression. ”It wasn’t me, was it? Isel asked, her voice hesitant, ”because if you were watching the zombie Vulpinian shuffle groggily through the lounge in search of coffee, that would be more than a little embarrassing…” Isel couldn’t help but chuckle as she spoke, shaking her head and imagining how pathetic she would have looked, eyes barely open and walking into people.

Re: Day 03 [1200 hs.] Spiked Coffee & Crew Gazing

Reply #7 –
[ CWO3 Liliana Walton | Whetstone Lounge | Deck 13 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy ] @Fife

Liliana smiled broadly at being asked who she was watching before Isel sat down, chuckling at the statement after.

“You did catch my eye for a moment,” she admitted, “but only when I saw you coming this way.”

She looked back at the throng filling the Spearhead Lounge. It was mostly officers, she realized, but it was a safe assumption that there were plenty of enlisted as well as there was plenty of space. Those were probably congregating in a different area or simply harder to spot in a sea of pips. She singled out a table about 15 meters away from them.

“Those two. I saw the guy with brown hair talking to the chief down in the fighter bay earlier. The other one is also Ops, looks like.” The pilot took another sip of her coffee before continuing. “The blond one is cute, but the way they’re holding hands, it makes me think those two are a couple.”

Lily looked over at Isel for her reaction before nodding to an Aurelian about 10 meters away.

“Aurelians are rarer than your own people, from what I’ve seen. That one is only the third I’ve seen in my career, but I hear they’re more common in the sciences so I might simply be on the wrong ships. I have often wondered what it would be like to have my own pair of wings.”

Re: Day 03 [1200 hs.] Spiked Coffee & Crew Gazing

Reply #8 –
[ Ens. Isel “Foxfire” Nix | Spearhead Lounge | Deck 14 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @patches
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Isel felt a wash of relief as Meerkat informed her that Isel had not been the object of any of her people watching. The last thing the Vulpinian needed was a reputation for wandering around the ship like a zombie after having just woken up.

Isel followed Walton’s gaze as the Human pointed out a pair at a table not far away, commenting that one of the two was attractive, though the fact that they were holding hands told Walton that they were likely a couple. Isel studied the two for a moment, taking a long pull form her mug. ”You’re right. Definitely a couple. They’re making those googly eyes at each other.” Isel agreed, chuckling softly as the pair they were scrutinizing leaned in closer to one another.

Her gaze shifted to another patron of the lounge as Meerkat pointed them out, and Aurelian. As Meerkat made mention of the rarity of seeing one on a Starfleet vessel, adding that she often wondered what it would be like to have wings, Isel turned her attention back to her table companion and grinned. ”If having wings is anything like a tail, then I imagine it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” Isel confided softly, giving Walton a grin. ”I’ve had mine closed in a door more than once, and Starfleet uniforms aren't generally designed for extra appendages. Plus, people keep asking to touch it and always feel the need to comment on it. It gets old fast.” Isel fell silent for a moment, imagining herself with wing. One of the first images to pop into her head was of her taking flight, only to knock her head on the ceiling or crash into a bulkhead. Isel was hardly the most coordinated of creatures. ”No thank you…” She murmured before taking another sip of her alcoholic coffee.

As she savoured the taste of the spiked beverage, Isel let her mismatched eyes travel over the lounge’s clientele, the blue and green orbs eventually settling on a trio sitting at a table located behind Walton. ”About 15 meters behind you. Table of three.” Isel said, peering over Walton’s shoulder at the table’s occupants. ”I think they’re all Human?” The two males certainly looked it, and the female as well. The female and one of the males were blonde, the other male a redhead. ”Two of them look to be an item, or very close at any rate, guessing by their proximity. Though the other male keeps stealing glances at the female when the other two aren’t looking.” Isel observed, dropping her eyes as the third wheel of the group glanced towards the table she and Walton occupied. She took a long sip of her coffee, then stole another glance at the trio. ”Seems like our mopey male is a bit of a third wheel, and none too happy with the fact, don’t you think?” Isel let out a slight giggle, shifting her eyes further abroad in search of other persons of interest. ”Ooh, what about the Vulcan over in the corner? Your 4 o’clock, twenty meters.” The Vulcan in question was sitting alone, her short-cropped hair and pointed ears seeming to bob up and down as she divided her gaze between the PADD she held in front of her and the room at large. ”What do you think her story is?”

- FIN

OOC: Closed at patches' request.
 
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