First Impressions

Posted on Wed Aug 21st, 2013 @ 5:02am by Warrant Officer Sterling Kamala IV & Senior Chief Petty Officer Helga (Hel) Lowe

2,311 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Tabula Rasa
Location: Stering's Quarters?
Timeline: TBD

They made their way out of the lounged without much incident. As soon as they were in the hallway Sterling released her hand. "I'm sorry," he said with a shepish grin, I was just trying to get us out of there, I really wasn't trying to be forward with you. I'm not that kind of guy. Would you like to go some place, you know quieter? Someplace we could talk without getting punched."

"It's quite all right," Helga assured him. "Thank you for extracting me from the fight. I much prefer helping people get better to hitting them over the head with bottles."

Now that they were in the corridor, she took a moment to look at his face. Faces -- and especially eyes -- gave her a good idea of a person's character. "Yes, I would like to go somewhere quiet and talk." Sterling seemed like a nice man and she would not mind spending time with him.

He gave her a smile. "How about sickbay?" he suggested, "It's public enough so we won't raise any eyebrows, but private enough so we can talk without being interrupted., "But if you have a better idea I'm willing to go whereever."

"I'm afraid sickbay is anything but quiet right now. Too many people who can't sleep." Helga shook her head. "I think the only way we'll raise eyebrows is if we had a picnic by the warp core. So anywhere else should be fine." She stepped aside as someone went into the lounge.

"Then perhaps my cabin, I think I still have some real, non-replicated chocolate chip cookies we could have if you're hungry."

A smile spread across Helga's face. "It's been a very long time since I had non-replicated cookies."

"Well I guest we are both in the same shuttlecraft. It's been a long time since I had a beautiful woman in my cabin.... I hope hat doesn't count as one of those lame pick up lines I promised not to use."

Helga blushed. "No, I don't take it as a pickup line." She ghanced up at him for a brief moment, then looked away. "Although I'm surprised you don't have more ... company."


Now it was his turn to blush, "It is complicated," he told her. "Having a casual relationship for me is impossible. Not just philosophically, but physically as well. I'll tell you about it over our snack if you don't think it would be boring."

"On the contrary, I would love to learn more about you," she assured him. "Although I see nothing wrong with avoiding casual relationships." She slipped her hand through his arm and let him lead her to his quarters.

It felt good to have her hand in his arm. Good but dangerous. "For most people casual relationships are fine, but I'm not most people. It's not that I object to having a casual relationship, its just that I'm not even sure I can have a casual relationship."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I am an empathic metamorph. It means that the more physically intimate I am the more I become attached to them. I become the perfect mate if you will. Everything that the other person likes emoitnally, sexually I will become.

One of the reasons I joined Star Fleet is because my parents were going to put me into an arranged marriage with another man. My best friend growing up actually. Even though I am not attracted to men in that way, not that there is anything wrong wtih that, I would have...adapted.

So I haven't ever really....." His voice trailed off as he let her fill in the blanks.

She rubbed her hand along his arm in sympathy. "I'm sorry your parents didn't allow you to choose your own mate." She paused for a moment and asked. "But now that you're on your own, you should be able to choose your own partner -- and choose if and how you wish to be intimate with them."


"I know, but its not just my parents, it is like I said, I don't know if I can just sleep with someone without becoming permanently emotionally attached to them."

"With most species bonding takes longer than that," Helga said. "Don't you have a general guideline from your species as to what is required for this permanent attachment?" She felt sorry for the Warrant Officer. It would be lonely to never be able to grow attached to anyone because he was afraid of losing himself if he did so. She gave his arm a hug, wishing there was something she could do to help him.


He accepted the hug and returned it with gratitude. "It's really hard to judge. It really depends on how much I am naturally attracted to them and which comes first, the emotional or the physical attachment. I don't know if I am ready to have that kind of relationship, plus despite my age. "He paused about to drop the subject but then he remembered he was talking with a nurse, "I am probably fairly safe until I go through Finis'ral, Sort of the final stages of what Humans call puberty, though it is alos similar to the Vulcan pon farr. Once I am past that then things might be much more difficult."

Helga nodded. "Quite likely. But there's really no rush, is there? You're not forced to take a mate, so you should be able to relax and just enjoy making friends until such time as you decide you're ready for something more."


Yes, that is true up to a point and I should really live that way. But remember, I have no control over Finis'ral anymore than a Vulcan has over pon farr. Like you said though there is no reason in the meantime I can't make friends as you say. Just as long as I don't allow myself to get too emotionally attached to someone unless I'm sure they're the one."

"Exactly," Helga said, smiling happily.

"Okay, not that I've dropped the maudlin luggage in the baggage check, let's have some fun and just see where the evenig takes us," Sterling offered as he opened the door to his cabin. Two fresh cookies coming up."

"After that fight in the lounge, I'm all for having a little fun," Helga said. She looked around his quarters to get a better idea of what type of person Sterling was and then took a seat on the couch to wait for him.

Sterling's room was smaller than an officer's but it was still spacious enough for a single man. There was a desk, made of some kind of dark hardwood with a rolling top or lid. It looked quite old, but aside from a few chips appeared to be in good shape.

There was a computer on the desk and a neatly placed stack of PADDs beside it. The door to the bedroom was closed so she could not see what was in there, but what she could see was unuaully neat and tidy. The only thing out of the ordinary is a small stove and oven along with the standard replicator.

She also noticed a tiered wine rack with 12 or so bottles of wine.

"What would you like to drink with our snack?" he asked.

"What do you recommend?" she asked. From the look of his wine rack he had a better knowledge of drinks than she did.

"Well I am partial to a White Merlot. I first found it when I was at the Academy and I try to pick up a few bottles whenever I'm back on Earth."

Helga smiled warmly at Sterling. "Then let's try that. I think it should go well enough with cookies."

"You can have a seat on the counch there if you like."he told her as he walked over to the rack and and selected a wine. He walked back to the counter. He opened the wine, poured some into two glasses and brought the glasses over handing one to her and sitting the other on a table. Then he went and retrieved the cookies.

"Here you go," he told her. "I hope you enjoy them."

Helga took a bite of cookie and smiled. "They're much better than replicated ones." Then she took a sip of her wine. "I don't think I've had this before. It's quite nice."

For the first time in a long time, Sterling relaxed, "Thank you for the compliment," he said. I enjoy pairng wines with food. It's just a little unusual for the food to be cookies. I'll have to fix you dinner sometime, but I'm a better baker than a regular cook and I really need fresh ingredients for it to turn out well.

Do you like Andorian Blues?"

"It's a little difficult to get fresh ingredients on a starship," Helga said, nodding in agreement. "I don't think I've heard Andorian Blues."


He went over to a panel and pressed a couple of buttons. A soft melodious sound began emanating from unseen speakers. It sounded similar to a Terran saxaphone, just slightly deeper in tone.

"Yes which is why I stock up whenever I can." He came back and finished the cookie. "When your done with yours, would you like to dance?"

Helga finished her cookie and wiped the crumbs off her finger with a napkin. "I would love to dance," she said, holding up a hand for him to help her up.

He reached out to her without hesitation as if the gesture was automatic and helped her to her feet. "Perhaps we could start out with a Waltz."he suggested.

"I think that sounds lovely," she said, putting her left hand on Sterling's shoulder.

He played with a conrol rod and switched to a Terran big band selection, then took her right hand with his left and put his other hand on her back and began to dance.

"This music I'm familiar with," Helga said. "Historically it was a good time for nurses in the military. They played a large part in the second World War on Earth." She smiled up at Sterling. "I'm afraid that I do tend to relate things to nursing. There's much that can be learned from studying old procedures and techniques.

"I like history," he said in a sotto voice as they moved together across the floor. It wasn't perfect unity, they barely knew each other and had never danced together, but still they were both good dancers, "I just picked the music because I like. Tell me about your history, I'd like to hear more about it."

"I'm from Earth. Sweden," she said. "I come from a long line of doctors and nurses. What about you?"


"Well I am Kirosian, the whole perfect spouse thing you already know about. I am a member of royalty I'll have you know. Of course so is a substantial minorty of the whole planet. And in any event, my parents were to say tle least not happy with my decision to join Star Fleet. That coupled with the fact I'm like 174th in succession means I could have stayed out of the limelight lived a pretty nice life. But it just wasn't for me. I HAD to get away.

Then when my girl friend, the one that I was going to elope with died rather mysteriously and not real investigation was done I knew what field I wanted to go into."

"That's a little more interesting than my life, but I don't think I'd want to live like that. Even though I'm in the medical field, it's my choice. I have my parents' full support."

"Yes well I am probably written out of the will by now and its not their Christmas list I'm on the top of."

"Did you ever figure out how your girlfriend died?" she asked.

"I think I have it narrowed down to one of the three families. Mine, hers, or the guy I was promised to. The trail was pretty convoluted. I'm still checking things out."

Helga leaned back to look Sterling in the eye for several moments. "How terrible. I'm so sorry."

He looked over at her and said, "You know you're the only on I've talked to about this? I never even told Star-Fleet."

"Why not? I know there's little Starfleet can do to help you, but talking to someone could help you deal with the situation in your own mind; help you work through the loss and the betrayal," she said. She was concerned that he was putting himself through undue pain when there were people ready to help him if needed. She smiled up at him to show that her words were out of concern for him.

"I guess because you're the only one that I've felt safe enough to talk with about it.' he admitted.

Helga smiled brightly. She gave him a quick hug. "I'm flattered that you trust me enough to share that with me."

He returned the smile, "Thanks, I guess I have to start somewhere."

"Yes, you do," she said in her firm nurse voice. Then she relaxed into a warm smile. "It is a very good start."

He was tempted to kiss her, but that was moving too fast for him and no doubt for her as well. "I'm glad you think so. As a follow-up, why don't you meet me for dinner tomorrow night?"

Helge considered for a moment. "I would like that."

Sterling gave her a nervous grin, "Okay, great. I will see you about 1800 if that works for you. I'll fix something simple."

"That sounds fine," she said. "Then I will see you tomorrow at 1800 hours." She gave him a hug before leaving.

He smiled as he watched her leave.

OFF

Warrant Officer Sterling Kamala IV
Security Investigations

Senior Chief Petty Officer Helga Lowe
Nurse

 

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