Would Smell As Sweet
Posted on Sat Jun 22nd, 2019 @ 2:36am by Commodore Jane Saulitis
Mission:
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Location: Various corridors
Timeline: MD 01- 1100 Hours
1249 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure
Bebe was glad to slip away from her daughter. She wanted the real tour of the ship, not the official boring one her daughter wanted to lead her on. She wanted to see the grinding of the metals in the engines, the sweat dripping off the brows of the workers. The plight of Starfleet crew members was what she was interested in!
She was so busy thinking about it that she nearly crashed into someone as she came around a corner and into another corridor. The humanoid male had to hop to stop his forward momentum. "Oh, hello." The bangles on her wrist clinked together and she brushed back her long red curly hair.
Lhaes turned to face the woman, smiling at her. “Greetings,” he answered formally, “are you alright?” He had left the children with the holo-nanny in the hope of having just a fraction of time to himself. “You seem to be in a rush, going somewhere special?” While he felt he should know this woman, and she did seem familiar, for some reason he had trouble placing her.
“No, nothing like that.” She said cheerfully, never likely to give away where she was really going. “Who are you again?” Maybe she’d met him before she couldn’t really remember.
“Lhaes Sommers ma’am, at your service,” the Romulan answered, while saluting politely, “these days, security chief. Are you sure you aren’t lost?”
“I’m positive. I’m right where I’m supposed to be.” She held out her hand. “Bebe.” She didn’t give any indication as to who she really belonged to. “I’m just on a little tour of the ship,” she said, feeling him out. “Maybe you have a few minutes to show me around?”
The Romulan hesitated; he hadn’t really planned on showing anyone around the ship. “I suppose I do ma’am,” he lied, offering her his arm. “Where would you like to you? I can show you most places except key places on the ship. I mean there are places that are off-limits to guests and non-essential personnel.”
Bebe frowned at this. Figures. “Can I see engineering? I really want to understand how a great ship like this runs. As far as I’m concerned it has a hamster in a giant wheel that you people keep feeding.” She smiled.
“Hamsters?” Lhaes arched a single eyebrow at her in clear amusement. “You know… you might actually be right there ma’am. Yes I can show you engineering but I’m afraid I can’t give you a tour of said facility. It’s too dangerous and I know next to nothing about it so I can’t tell you much anyway. I’m afraid my skills lie… elsewhere.”
“Well . . . all right, I suppose that’s acceptable.” Without asking she slipped her arm around his. She probably could have gotten the exact same tour from Jane but at least the company was a bit different. Not that she didn’t love her daughter, but she was kind of a stick in the mud, like her father.
“Just acceptable hm? Why do I have the feeling that I’m just a substitute for you to go somewhere other than where an officially guided tour would take you?” He grinned openly, even if there was a truth in his statement.
She looked completely surprised at him. “Are you telepathic? Very few people usually figure out my schemes. I must be getting old.” She sighed. “Yes, my daughter would only take me on the official tour, but I want to see more. I want to understand why these people work themselves to death and I want to know how things work. She has no patience to explain things.”
“Empathic and touch telepath though that takes a strenuous amount of effort on my part.” He smiled apologetically. He decided to be honest with the woman, now that he put two and two together. “My prior position on this vessel was chief of intelligence,” he admitted, “I’m well trained in deciphering people’s motivations. I don’t understand what you mean with work to death however. This vessel is very safe, no-one has died on this vessel that I’m aware of, while performing their day to day duties.”
‘Oh not literally. But you Starfleet types do work all the time, have very little time for yourselves or your families. You never have any fun! Just like my daughter, she’s just now married and she’s had the same boyfriend for 20 years. I’ve given up hope that I’ll get a grandchild out of this.”
“Never say never,” Lhaes chuckled as they walked. “Some people have children young, others wait a little longer until they feel ready. My oldest are now almost six years old, my youngest is almost three. I wasn’t ready then but fate had decided otherwise for me. Perhaps you daughter simply hasn’t felt ready for children yet, though I really would recommend not pushing for it. It’s my understanding that women don’t like to talk about it.”
“Aww, how lovely, you and your wife must be very happy.” Damn, all the good looking men were usually taken. Then again did she really want a man? Oh they were fun to be around for a while but like Alta, they got tired of her pretty quickly.
“I don’t have a wife ma’am. It’s just me and my children. I don’t know where their mother is, all I know is they don’t want to be found.” His statement was a clear indication that some of his children did not have the same mother. ‘But I can manage, so far. It’s just a matter of making sure to make time to spend with them. And well...staying alive.”
“No wife and raising three children by yourself?! Jane pretends but she really does like children, and they respond very well to her. I’m sure she’d be happy to babysit sometime for you.” Bebe made a clicking noise with her tongue. “It’s a shame you don’t have someone to help you raise them though.”
“I have a hologram I use when I am on duty, or they go to the ship’s daycare. I certainly can’t expect the captain of all people to babysit my children. She’s a very busy woman you see. And I do have help raising them. I have very loving parents who I visit whenever I can, and my sister who checks in from time to time. Granted I do that with her too because she’s recently gotten divorced and she’s just had a baby herself.” Lhaes shrugged. He really wasn’t looking for anyone to help and he loved spending what little time he had with his children. “I mean...how did you do it when the captain was young?”
“I had friends and family who would help me look after her. I believe in free range parenting. Sending the child off to discover things for themselves. Course my neighbors always had their eye on her. Her father was off saving the universe of course.” Bebe sighed. “We are dragging ourselves down here. What about that tour you promised me?”
“We’re almost there ma’am.” Lhaes gestured ahead. “Almost there,” he repeated.
Beatrice Benjamin (Bebe)
Mother of the Bride
LtC Lhaes Sommers
Chief of Security/Tactical
