Starbase Meeting (1)

Posted on Sat Jul 25th, 2015 @ 2:33pm by Lieutenant JG Maryam Syed & Lieutenant JG Louis Hyde
Edited on on Fri Jul 31st, 2015 @ 1:18pm

928 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Of Gods and Men
Location: Whatever Starbase Calypso is Currently Docked At
Timeline: Present

Louis sat patiently watching the denizens and visitors alike of the Starbase's cafe order, drink, and chat in the bustling area.

He had arrived earlier as was his habit. He awaited the company of the others that were supposed to meet him in exactly 4 minutes and 22 seconds.

Nothing was laid out on the circular table before him, which drew a few weird stares as a grown man sitting down at a cafe with no datapad or beverage just sat there waiting.

The Andorian worker who manned the cafe walked up to Louis the first break in the barrage of customers that seemed endless, but received no complaints from the blue skinned alien.

"Excuse me sir," the Andorian said in a quieted voice smiling in the most friendly way he could, "I do have a policy if you're going to occupy one of my seats, you at least have to order something. I dislike telling customers this, but it's only fair to the customers who actually want to sit down and enjoy their beverage they've ordered."

"Of course. May I have some water please?" Louis asked trying to fulfill the owner's wishes.

The Andorian seemed surprised for a second as the smile turned to raised silver eyebrows before turning back into a smile. "Um, Well, I meant that you have to order something that you have to pay for. Water is free here."

In his mind Louis wanted to say "Well, then you should have specified that a monetary purchase was required, not just an order" but he held back as his behavioral inhibitors kicked in. "I do apologize. May I have some tea please?" He asked.

"What kind of tea?" The Andorian replied.

"Whatever you think I would like," Louis said.

"I shall do my best to satisfy your taste buds, sir." The Andorian smiled as he walked away back to the line of customers that had already started to form.

" So there you are," Maryam replied boldly as she arrived at Louis's table. She looked down at him with freshly cut hair. The ebony tresses that had trailed down her back now curled neatly, slightly past her shoulders, and the sides were pinned back. " For a moment I couldn't see you in here at all." Perhaps it had been wishful thinking - she was nervous about what she had to say, and if he hadn't been here she wouldn't have to speak. She only hoped Apollo would arrive soon, because she knew that on her own she would lose this battle. Even now, her mind was scrambling her thoughts.

"It is busy here today, Lieutenant." He immediately noticed the new hair style. "Your new haircut looks pretty," he complimented her.

" Thank you," she smiled, glad to be distracted for a moment. " It was beginning to weigh me down. I felt like I needed a fresh start - so here I am." She sat down and looked around, a little bit impatient. " No sign of Apollo I suppose."

"When have you ever known Mr. Auditore to be on time?" It was rare that Louis joked, but he did try to incorporate more of them into his social interactions to "fit in" as Apollo liked to remind him.

"My apologies in advance, but once you asked me to attend this meeting with Apollo and with the subject that will be discussed, I've been ordered by Commander Martin to inform him of our discussions, which he would like to join. As I am sure you understand, I had no choice but to comply."

Maryam's mouth parted in surprise, though she closed it quickly and nodded reluctantly. " I understand. Though I don't like it." Now she had another thing to consider...was it even worth it to discuss this with Louis and the Commander? If they opposed her actions, she would definitely be in trouble; if she left now, decided to find another way, they might be suspicious but her situation, what she had done, would not be so obvious to them.

She had Apollo, who knew the ways of espionage, but they needed Louis, who also knew the facts - the big picture, the connections. There was no one else she could turn to for this. So she would have to just steamroll onwards. She was beginning to feel as if she were flying a ship towards a black hole.

Louis eyed her carefully. He spent enough time with her over the years that he could read her pretty easily. Although, she wore her emotions on her sleeves so it probably wouldn't be a tough task for any perceptive individual. That was one of the things he liked about her, the transparency in conjunction with her kindness. He always felt he knew where he stood with her.

"I get the feeling there is a bit of apprehension with what I have just told you..."

Before Louis could finish, the Andorian brought his tea to the table. "Sorry to interrupt," he said as he laid the tea in front of Louis. "This is my wife's concoction back on Andoria in which she blended three types of Andorian tea to form a hybrid," he said jubilantly and with pride. "It's quite strong for a human, but you'll get used to it in no time, especially after your taste buds come into contact with it," he said gently patting Louis on the shoulder.

He turned his attention to Maryam, "Anything for you my fair lady?" He asked politely.

TBC


Lt. JG Maryam Syed
Assistant Chief Operations Officer

&

Lt. JG Louis Hyde
Intelligence Officer

 

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