What's the Sitch?

Posted on Tue Feb 11th, 2020 @ 2:01am by Lieutenant Commander Mara Ricci & Stephen Spires

Mission: S0E0: What Came Before
Location: Spires's Quarters
Timeline: MD 2 | 1638

After returning to the station and making her report to Ingram, Mara made a Beeline for Spires's quarters. Ingram hadn't said anything about keeping any of this quiet, so she intended to tell him enough to keep him from poking around. She wasn't totally sure why she was doing it- perhaps because she cared about him and wanted him to do well in his work, or perhaps because she was hoping to keep him from getting himself into trouble- but whatever the reason, here she was.

She walked right into his quarters- he had given her access almost at the same time she'd given him access to her own quarters- and glanced around. "Spires?" she called.

"Shit!"

Stephen had just ran back from the docking bay to his quarters for a quick shower and cleanup. As in, he was still peeling his sweaty clothes off. This visit from Mara was neither expected nor welcome. Hoping not to get caught, he turned on the showerhead and jumped in half clothed.

"I'm, uh, in here!" he called out as he went for the last stubborn articles of clothing.

Mara heard the shower start up and smirked. “Do I get to join you?” she asked, already unzipping her uniform jacket as she headed towards the bathroom.

"Uh... sure!" The sound of wet clothes slapping the floor was the only hint that he had been up to something unusual. When Stephen saw her mid-state of undress, he couldn't help but grin. Hopefully this meant she was too preoccupied by things to come to wonder why he'd jumped into the shower with clothes on or why said clothes were uncharacteristically soiled. "You know you have a standing invitation."

Mara, of course, had long since stopped wondering why Spires did the things he did. The tone of his voice, however, gave her pause. “You don’t sound sure,” she said, kicking off her boots all the same. “What’s up?”

"Work stuff," Stephen said truthfully. The best way to lie to a woman was to start off honest. "Followed up on some leads, got some more to do. Might make a story out of it yet."

“Oh, great,” replied Mara sarcastically, stifling a giggle. “I’m second to work now.” She finally she’d the least of her clothing and stepped into the shower. “I might have another story for you,” she said after kissing him deeply.

Now he had to pretend he didn't know exactly what she was going to say. "Oh yeah? Let's hear it, ma chérie."

And so she began telling him about their trip to the surface, leaving out some bits like taking the Carcosian ship there or the eye pieces they’d had to wear. She wasn’t sure if she was allowed to tell him about those as they weren’t Federation technology, so leaving them out was a safer option. “And then the tower opened up and it actually screamed!” she finished. “And shot some lights out. But they weren’t lights. You know how lights make you see spots when they go away? Yeah, none of that. It was weird. Anyway we got out of there quick.”

"Thank God for those goggles, right? That all sounds crazy," Stephen said with a laugh. "Don't suppose I could quote you, could I?"

“Do you want an actual quote or just to site me?” she asked. “Because I’m not... sure... hang on,” she added, something clicking in her mind. “I never mentioned the goggles. Did you put one of those cameras on that shuttle?”

"No! Why would I do that when the tower makes our technology shut down?" Stephen knew he had slipped up and needed to choose his words very carefully from here on out.

That was true; the tower would have killed his camera. But he still somehow knew about the goggles. He must have already talked to someone else. Unless...

“You hid on the ship, didn’t you?” she said. “Spires! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”

"That's crazy talk," he said, not technically lying.

“How else did you know about the goggles?” she demanded, glaring at him.

"Because... you mentioned bright light... I mean, why else aren't you blinded? It's not like the Carcosians would deploy a bomb without any sort of protection." And there it was. Stephen knew he'd stepped in it that time.

Mara mentally facepalmed, but outwardly, only sighed and gave him a significant look. “I don’t know how you managed it,” she told him calmly, “but don’t do that sort of thing! It’s dangerous! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you down there? Those goggles helped us see anything dangerous coming at us and you didn’t have them! The tower completely vaporized one of the guards! That could have been you!” Even as she said it, she realized how significant the statement was to her. She could have lost him and never knew what had become of him. All at once, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. “Don’t ever do that again!” she wailed.

The wailing woman in his arms gave Stephen pause. He wanted to argue with her, but what could he say? "I'm sorry I worried you," he said at length. He couldn't bring himself to apologize for anything else.

Mara had always been good at stilling herself and with a couple of deep breaths, she was calm. “I should report you,” she said without any real conviction.

"And then what?" Stephen asked. "I'll suddenly stop doing my job?"

"Oh, don't be absurd," she replied, pulling away to look him in the eyes. "But seriously. Don't put yourself in danger like that. Or at least never let me find out about it. I can't take it."

Stephen looked down at her. "Hypocrite," he said, half teasing and half serious. "Don't ask me to promise things I no intention of honoring."

"Fine," she relented. "Just make sure I don't find out, okay?"

"You weren't supposed to find out this time," Stephen said. "Maybe you can meet me half way and chill out."

She laughed weakly. "I'll try," she promised. "Ugh. Is this what it's like to date a Starfleet Officer? Always worried about them getting hurt or killed?"

"Maybe," Stephen said with a shrug. "There's a reason most journalists never marry, though, and it seems like you just discovered it."

“You’d think I would be used to it,” she said. “Having dated two Starfleet officers. I guess I just think of you differently, being a civilian and all. Maybe I just need to think of you as an extremely nosy officer.”

Stephen shook his head. "Nah. I'm too smart for that." He teased her with a wink.

With a watery laugh, she playfully punched him in the shoulder. "I'm getting all wrinkly," she said, noticing the state of her fingers. "It must be time to get out."

"Not yet." A subtle shift came over Stephen's face. He pivoted her around, took her by the waist from behind, and whispered in her ear, "What if I like you wrinkly?"

She laughed. "Then I suppose I don't have to worry about you finding me unattractive when I hit ninety," she replied.

Nibbling at her ear, he said, "You'll probably have all new parts by then."

"You could be making love to the bionic woman in 52 years," she giggled. "Does that thought stir you?"

"Puts a whole new spin on cyber sex," he joked back.

Laughing yet again, she turned to face him. “Seriously, though,” she said, leaning against him slightly. “Let’s get out of here.” And she stretched up on tip toe to press her lips to his.

"Yes, ma'am!"