Discoveries

Posted on Sat Oct 11th, 2014 @ 7:25pm by Lieutenant Commander Rosaleen O'Donnell & Commander Andrew Matheson

Mission: Bloodpath
Location: On the Bay

As a Diplomatic Officer, on many occasions Andrew had seen high ranking officials who had luxurous personal crafts at their disposal. He had seen Ministers of State who had their own personal guard. And he had, on occasion, traveled with dignitaries who's transports rated having fighter escorts. When associating with the powers that ran the various governments of the world they held relations with, it honestly was not something out of the norm.

However, this was the first time he had ever experienced a simple Commodores Personal Aid rating all of them.

Andrew chuckled when he saw Rosaleen's guard. As they had walked down here, he had been thinking that the ability to go planetside on short notice without an armed security escort would be a distinct luxury, as in his previous postings he only ever went planetside for diplomatic functions, usually with the captain who always rated a security escort where the plans had been drawn up well in advance. There was never any positive spontaneity in those situations.

He looked over Rosaleen's ship with an appreciative eye. Granted, since he'd been on deep-space ship duty for what was rapidly beginning to feel like forever, most of his experience with smaller craft boiled down to shuttlecraft and the occasional captain's yacht. Rosaleen's ship looked like a spacefaring vessel rather than the utilitarian boxes he was used to traveling in.

He didn't have a clue how she'd come by the ship, or the personal guard. At this point, if Rosaleen merited this much protection, he had to imagine the commodore traveled with a platoon at all times. It was a mildly intimidating thought.

Andrew was directed to one of the many seats around the main cabin, while Rosaleen was assisted into a seat that was on a slightly raised platform. It was centered and against the aft cabin wall. Rosaleen could sence the various question that Andrew must have...she respected his privacy too much to pry without permission. Well, now that she was at least wearing clothing.

"It's an emergency capsule." She explained, pointing up to the doors above her. "They insist on putting me in it whenever we are going to be engaged in atmospheric operations." She was quiet for a moment while they checked her harness and the modules systems. "Let me guess...you are wondering why a minor Starfleet officer warrents all of this attention, correct?" She could remember her first trip to the planet with Pete, and how taken aback he had been with all of the precautions surrounding her.

Andrew got himself settled in and looked up to where the doors were neatly concealed in the ceiling. He'd heard of emergency systems like that before as a failsafe to back up forcefields, but he'd never heard of them in the passenger cabin. He'd seen them used to reinforce the flight deck to make sure the shuttle could be landed in case of emergency. "I've got a couple of theories about that. I haven't met the Commodore yet, but there would be precedent for her staff meriting this sort of attention if the commodore required even higher security measures. There's also the family in the Admiralty or family well-placed in a government angle, but you really don't exhibit the self-centered entitlement that usually goes along with that so I'm guessing that's not it."

When he sat and thought about it, it was blindingly obvious that Starfleet might want to make extra certain that anyone who had temporal manipulation powers was well-protected and well looked after. He had enough experience with security and honor details to know that keeping track of the location of the center of attention was sometimes even more important than keeping them upright and unperforated. It also became fairly obvious that he might want to mind his thoughts until he knew Rosaleen was the only one picking up on them. It wasn't something he could take for granted after the earlier events of the day.

Attempting to muster a feeble attempt at distraction, he smiled up at her. "Since the attention you're meriting has the added benefit of being rather convenient for me, I'm not complaining about it if you're not. Although I might be a little biased when I say that I don't consider lieutenant commanders to be minor Starfleet officers." He made a minor show of dusting his pips.

By the smile he received, he knew something was up. "Well, good sir...I do appreciate the compliments. Unfortunately, your record is going to take a bit of a blemish though. My father is Senior Councilman Deklan O'Donnell, Chair of the Federation Council Appropriations Committee. It's due to his position that I find myself being babysat quite a bit, especially under the current situation."

"Excuse me...my Lady, we are ready for departure. Estimated transition time is 17 minutes. Our escort is waiting outside." The Steward excused himself and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

He saw the smile and immediately prepared to wind up with his foot in his mouth, not for the first time that evening. He did recognize her father's name but he honestly wouldn't have made the connection without assistance. "It's been my experience that the occasional blemish on the record can be a good thing, as long as you take the life lesson it gives you and apply it. That said, I'm probably aiming for another blemish when I ask what you're referring to by the 'current situation' if it's something other than your assignment to Starbase 80. My mail has been a little slow in catching up with me."

'He doesn't know. But to be honest it was no surprise...Andrew had been in transit at the time that everything had gone down. "Two days ago, an unknown force detonated a WMD on Taranok IV in the Center for Planetary Government. Information is very sketchy at this time...all communications with the planet and our resources there are almost non-existent...most likely due to ionizing radiation secondary to the blast." Rosaleen glanced out the windows on either side of their ship, quickly locating the 2 Raptor Fighters that were assigned escort duty for her. "Forces we dispatched there came under attack as well. At this time it is assumed that some type of invasion is ongoing. Additionally with the prospect of millions dead and even more injured, we are starting to coordinate a mass relief effort to respond. But unfortunately, the situation must be stabilized there before most of that can even begin, although we are going forward with a medical response."

Andrew felt the blood rush out of his face. He'd been involved in some bad business in the Borderlands while he was part of the negotiating team working on what would eventually be called the Treaty of 2370. More than once he'd had to make quick evacuations of diplomatic facilities because the facilities, or more often the surrounding population centers, were coming under attack. Weapons of mass destruction were terrifying, even when the attackers were limited to atomic weapons or absurdly large conventional explosives. Then the part about the invasion registered more completely with him, and the blood made itself nice and comfy down in his socks.

Invasion. Situation needing stabilization. Those sure sounded like terms he'd see in his orders right before the phrase "Your duty with regards to the restoration of normal activity in this area are as follows..." He took a deep breath, and then another. And then he took one more deep breath for good measure. "No, I hadn't heard anything of the sort. I suppose that once we return to the starbase, I should probably track down whoever is coordinating the diplomacy and make myself useful. I can't believe I didn't run into anyone on Deck 60 who would have mentioned any of that..." Eat, drink, and be merry, my dear Andrew. Because tomorrow at 0600 you're probably going to be swandiving from the frying pan into the fire. He sighed. The day had been going so well.

"Tomorrow you can set about getting your shop organized and up to speed. Tonight...relax. Enjoy yourself. I promise I won't bit...well, unless you ask nicely that is." The craft shook a bit as they made the transition to the planets atmosphere. They were coming in on the night side, and the planet below them mapped itself out quite nicely by the lights. "This isn't something that is going to be over in a day or two, so no need to over-stress at the beginning."

She was right, of course, and he knew it. Rushing into any situation from a cold start was only going to increase his chances of either burning out or missing something very obvious that would have ramifications later. Besides, if it was something he absolutely had to deal with right now, he probably would have had someone in the transporter room waiting to tell him that - or tell him anything, for that matter. All the same, he felt one of those knots in his back start twisting itself up right about the time the craft shook around. He knew the feeling well, but his eyes still flicked to the viewports in light of the recent conversation. "Well, I suppose that since you're choosing the restaurant, you'd have a better idea of what could be on the menu than I would. And since my last physical included comments that were just this side of an order to get more rest and relaxation into my daily routine, I suppose I'd better do that tonight so I have something to fall back on when my files catch up with me here." He paused. "And if it would be possible to meet your shopkeeper friend and acquire some actual tea to hold me over until I get the replicator tweaked, I'd appreciate that. Though given how good that tea was, I wouldn't blame you at all if you wanted to keep your sources secret."

"Well, she will be closed this late in the day. I have extra though. You are more than welcome to some. Try out a few of the blends and see what you think." She felt the craft suddenly flare. "Ahhh...here we are. Faster than expected."

The craft landed and taxied to it's designated location without problem or delay. Rosaleen was releasing her harness before the ship stopped moving. "I'll be back in a moment." She said to Andrew as she exited through the forward door. Less than a minute later she returned. "There. We won't be bothered tonight. My guard will remain with the ship. Come...let's get you exploring." She walked over to the exit door on the Starboard side of the ship and accessed a small panel. The door opened silently and a ramp extended to allow them to disembark. To the side sat the pair of Raptors that had escorted them down.

He got up and popped his back while she was in the forward cabin. He'd probably pay for that in the morning, but the short term gratification always seemed to be worth it. When she returned, he followed Rosaleen down the ramp. One one hand, he couldn't say he minded an evening without an armed escort; on the other hand, since she clearly rated a protection detail and it was being left on the ship, he would need to make sure he kept at least one eye on their surroundings.

A soft whistle of admiration escaped him as he got a better look at the escort fighters. He knew his department had a pair of fighters and a yacht at their disposal; he would definitely have to go take a look at those in the morning over a cup of tea. He looked over at Rosaleen and realized that in the excitement, he had never managed to come across the name of the planet they had just landed on. Ah well - that would only make things more interesting. "I defer to your judgement as to where the exploration should commence." Just then, his stomach decided to chime in on the matter. "Though I think I'm about to disprove the premise of 'mind over matter'."

"This way...there is a vehicle waiting." Rosaleen pulled the cowl over her head as she headed for the terminal. They swiftly made there way through, not having to deal with any security or customs delays. Outside there was a very small and nondescript vehicle waiting for them, the driver already holding the back doors open. "I like things simple. No need to attract any extra attention." She said matter-a-factly as they entered the car. The driver, already aware of Rosaleen's itinerary, quickly got behind the wheel and started driving toward the restaurant. She peered at Andrew out of the cowl. It's about a ten minute drive, depending on traffic. I hope you like this place. The menu is seafood and local varieties of pasta. The sauces here are a bit spicier than Earth food...just a warning."

Andrew ducked his head as he got into the car and settled in. "I'm not particularly big on pomp and ceremony myself. That just tends to attract all kinds of trouble." He peered into the cowl. It was certainly doing a good job of obscuring her features. He was aware that was in fact the point of the garment, but it was an ingrained habit to read facial expressions in his line of work and the cowl threw some weird shadows into the mix.

"Seafood and pasta sounds fantastic. It's probably been five years since I had actual seafood at a meal. My last captain wasn't exactly keen on pulling into orbit just so we could do some fly-fishing. I do appreciate the spice alert, though. I can handle them reasonably well if I'm expecting them." He chuckled and looked out the window. "Just like most things, I suppose." He watched as the vehicle smoothly worked its way through traffic. He got a glimpse of the bay, which looked cool and inviting. If the restaurant had any kind of view over it, the evening was looking up.

As it turned out he was correct. The moonlit bay glistened, spreading out as far as they could see. The lights of numerous watercraft and navigational buoys were visible as well...these were a people who took full advantage of all of their natural resources. They entered the restaurant, which had a large open fire pit in the center which was at full blaze. She headed without word to any of the staff towards one of the private dining balcony's overlooking the bay. Once inside, she finally removed her cowl. "Much better. They will give us a few minutes before checking in for our order. Have a look at the menu. Anything you do not understand, I can explain for you. Oh...You should know. I cannot drink alcohol of any kind."

He made it a point to stay in her wake as she maneuvered through the restaurant to a private balcony. He couldn't for the life of him figure out how she had pre-arranged for a private table, but the view was spectacular. The view was further improved when the cowl came down. "I think I understand this, more or less. I'm looking for a baked whitefish with cheese, pasta, and vegetables, which might be... this?" He pointed to an item on the menu that seemed promising. "That and the local equivalent of lemonade would be fantastic. And thank you for telling me about the alcohol. I abstain by choice, myself, since I really dislike what it does to my telepathy - to say nothing of the hangovers."

She nodded at his choice to verify that he had indeed picked out what he wanted...more or less. The waiter appeared just then as well, which was fine as she already knew what she wanted. She took the small order pad and keyed in both of their orders. The waiter departed...never having spoken a single word. On Stratkas IV that was meant as a sign of deep respect. "Now we wait. Everything is cooked fresh so it takes a bit longer than one might expect, but definitely worth it."

He nodded. "If it were easy, we'd have more fresh meals on ships and starbases than we currently do. I've suggested that they need to add the freshly prepared state dinners to the recruiting material for the Diplomatic Corps. They always think I'm joking for some reason or other." He took another look out over the bay and then at Rosaleen. "Besides, it's a lovely night with wonderful company, and I have a first day at work to look forward to tomorrow. I'm not exactly in a rush to get out of here."

'Just wait til you see the kitchen and banquet facilities in your section.' Rosaleen thought as she took a sip of water. Not quite cold enough...an instant later she had taken care of that. "Well, so far you haven't run away from me screaming into the night. That's a positive sign. Of course, you don't know the worst part."

Andrew laughed. "I suspect running away screaming would attract attention, which I think we both agree is a pointless annoyance. Besides, if the worst part is that you're expecting me to pay for dinner, I think I'll survive."

Rosaleen laughed. "Dinner is already taken care of." She turned her head to look out over the bay. "It's beautiful, isn't it? So quiet and peaceful...and the water feels incredible flowing across ones skin...almost electric."

He looked out over the bay as well. It really did remind him of a couple of the beaches near where he grew up, although the city here was far larger than any of the analogues in his memory. "It really is something. I didn't grow up near any warm-water beaches, so I never really could tell if the sensations I was feeling were electric or imminent hypothermia." He smiled. "Quiet and peaceful are definitely good qualities. Definitely a good start to the exploration."

That damn sly smile again. "Actually, for some reason lately the water is always the perfect temperature for me." Before either could make any further comment, the wait staff returned with their meal...all four carts worth. The staff quickly set the table and made their escape in seemingly record time. The maitre d' stepped forward as they left and bowed at the waist to Rosaleen. "Is there anything else that you require, my Lady?"

Rosaleen nodded at the gentleman. "That will be all, good sir. Tá do seirbhíse, mar i gcónaí, gan comhionann. Go raibh maith agat." He bowed again, then quickly exited the room.

Andrew looked across the spread with a look of surprise that he was rapidly getting used to. Everything looked and smelled fantastic, and the portion sizes appeared to be very generous indeed. "That's the second time I've heard you referred to as 'my lady' tonight. It sort of makes sense here, but I wouldn't have thought a Starfleet crew would use that sort of title." He took a sip of the lemonade analogue and wound up puckering reflexively, as it was a bit more acidic than he was expecting. It would go wonderfully with the fish.

For the first time since he had met her, Rosaleen's face flushed with color. "Yes...about that." She sat quietly for a moment, her mind racing as how to answer Andrew's question. It was inevitable...she had hope that it would take a bit longer though.

'Then why did you ask him to dinner. You knew what would happen.'

She sat her silverware down and stood, walking to stand before him. She held her hand out to Andrew as she spoke. "I am the Lady Galeahle Sionnach Tir na O'Rosaleen Etain Ní O'Donnell, Countess de Maige Tuired, Cosantóir de Tuatha de Danaan."

Andrew rose from his chair, bowed respectfully, took the outstreched hand and kissed the back of it. "This evening just seems to be packed with surprises, doesn't it?" He straightened back up with a wince; that knot in his back was going to have to be looked at tomorrow. "I heard two titles go by that I think I recognize the scope of, but I have to admit to not understanding the Cosantóir." He got the accent flawlessly; even if he didn't understand the language in question, he had an ear for dialects that helped him immensely once he picked it up.

She indicated for him to re-take his seat as she returned to hers, a bit more embarrassed by his actions. She had never been comfortable with her title...another present from her mother. "It means guardian, or protector. 'Guardian of the Children of Danu'. It comes from ancient Ireland and is held by the first daughter in my line upon the death of the previous bearer." 'That could be interesting now...'

He mentally kicked himself. With an Irish accent, she probably wouldn't have been been speaking Spanish just then, now would she? "Ah, the joys of matriarchies. Betazoid society has some aspects of that, so I can sort of relate. My condolences on your mother's passing, and my apologies if I embarrassed you just now. You don't seem totally comfortable about something..."

Rosaleen rested her chin into her right palm, staring at Andrew. "My mother did not pass. The title is reserved for her first daughter from every marriage." And with that she stopped, seeing if he caught on to what she was trying to say.

Andrew got the distinct feeling that he really either needed to stop polishing his shoes or find a better tasting shoe polish, what with all the time his feet were spending in his mouth lately - and particularly tonight. "My apologies. I think I've just proven I make a better diplomat than a genealogist, though after that display my diplomacy skills may be in doubt too." He thought about it again, and took the best stand he could come up with. "My apologies if I'm of the mark again and my condolences if I'm not, but the only other interpretation I'm seeing is you've lost at least one older sister?"

She bit her lower lip. "Yes...about 200 years ago."

He took a sip of his drink to buy him a moment. "Exceptional longevity is hardly something to be uncomfortable about. And I wouldn't have put you at a day over 35, if that's what you were worrying about." Internally, though, he wasn't sure that was the entire story. He had never met a woman who wasn't at least slightly insecure about her age - but there still seemed to be something more under the surface. "Was this the 'worst part' you alluded to earlier, by any chance?"

"No, that was my title. I hate it to be honest, but it always comes up at the most inconvenient times." A first hint of a smile. "And I'll accept your estimation of my age. However, you are not far off. All of the daughters of Aoibheann O'Donnell have lived a normal, human lifespan." More lip biting. "However, it appears that it will be a very long time before another inherits my title."

He smiled back. "As I understand it, for someone to inherit your title, you would have to be married, have a daughter, and then die yourself. Without passing judgement on the first two items on that checklist, allow me to toast your continued good health." He tipped his glass in her direction and took a sip.

An exasperated sigh. "Your not...why is this so hard." Then again it hadn't exactly been easy discussing all of this with her mother. "From the best estimate that she can make, my mother arrived on Earth approximately in the year 1897." Another long and unsure pause. "BC."

Andrew took a deep breath and reinforced his emotional shields. It wouldn't do him any good to get swept away in Rosaleen's moods; he was already having a hard enough time sussing out the source of her agitation. "I'd figured your mother had exceptional longevity as well. I'll admit I hadn't thought it could be more than four millennia. Unless you're trying to tell me you think you might have inherited that trait where none of her other daughters have, I'm completely lost."

"Not inherited...awakened." She saw the immediate look that spread across his features. "It's confirmed. It's a long story that I am not supposed to ever tell. In fact, I have told you way too much as it is."

He took another sip of his drink. "I'm sorry if I was prying where I shouldn't have. You can rest assured that I won't spread the information any farther. And it hasn't changed my previous observations about you." He smiled. "I'm afraid my recent arrival to the sector has me at a bit of a disadvantage; I can't use the time-honored trick of inquiring about the local sporting team or recent trends in the weather in a transparent and hopefully amusing effort to change the topic."

"Well I could always change back into a towel, if that would help." Rosaleen's current attire was in complete contrast to the way she answered the door. The dress she wore pretty much covered her from head to toe.

"Part of me is intrigued as to where you would get the towel, but the rational part of me realizes that I'd probably need a few minutes before I attempted intelligent conversation and probably a few minutes more to manage it in that case."

"You flatter me." Rosaleen finally started eating again, happy to have shifted the subject away from...well, her. Here she was in the company of somebody she had just met, and she was spilling all of the secrets she was sworn to keep to him. What the hell was she doing...

"So is everything to your satisfaction?"

Andrew nodded. "The food is exceptional, the locale is beautiful, and the company is charming. It's honestly difficult to ask anything more of the situation. Is everything to your satisfaction?"

"Yes, but we must take a walk on the beach before returning to the station. It may be a while before any of us get to take some time to relax. Actually I wish I would have taken time to pack a bag with a swimsuit...a quick dip would be a nice. But the sand is warm and the surf calm. Not a total write-off."

"A walk on a moonlit beach does sound like a good addition to the evening. I'm not sure I could swim anytime soon after this meal, though." Andrew looked down the front of his uniform. His last physical had mentioned that his metabolism was starting to slow down a little. The extra time in his exercise program would be worth it for this special occasion, though.

As they wrapped up dinner, one of the wait staff re-entered carrying a silvery covered serving dish. Sitting it down, the smile on Rosaleen's face lit up the room. "It's a local spice cake. It is one of the most wondrous things I have ever eaten in my life."

He looked at the spice cake. "It looks - and smells - fantastic. Mom has a recipe for carrot cake that's pretty much my go-to guilty pleasure comfort food." He watched her eat the cake, happy to see her mood seemed to be improving.

After finishing dessert, Rosaleen stood and indicated that Andrew should follow. As they made their way back through the restaurant, A couple of the staff nodded their heads at Rosaleen...a sign more of friendship than anything. She came here quite often. Once outside, she guided him towards a set of stairs leading down to the beach. Once they made it down (without incident...always a plus), they started on a northerly course. "The beach at our facility is about five-hundred yards ahead. A bit of protocol that you need to be aware of. Per Kathleen, there is no rank on the beach. Only friends."

He followed Rosaleen through the restaurant and down to the beach. The tang of the salt in the air reminded him of his Academy days, and the moonlight playing off the water was entrancing. At Rosaleen's comment, he looked around trying to get his bearings to the facility. "That sounds like an excellent piece of protocol for a decidedly off-duty location. It will definitely take some getting used to actually having multiple facilities and amenities again. Is there a transporter link between the starbase and the facility, or is it all shuttle transit?"

"Shuttle transit only. There is a regular run every hour, twenty-four hours a day. Of course, you rate your own private transportation anytime that you wish. Perks of the position." As she spoke, a pair of shadows approached them for the waters edge. The shadows slowly morphed into a pair of young ladies, a tall brunette with hair as long as Rosaleen's, and a much shorter blonde with equally short hair. Both of them sported a warm smile...

And that was all the had on. The brunette waved as they approached. "Evening, Rose. Come down for an evening dip?"

Rosaleen stopped as the pair approached, but gave both a warm hug once the two groups came together. "No, I just flew down for a bite. Water looks inviting, though." The two girls looked at Andrew. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm sorry...don't know where my manners are tonight. Beth, Lieza this is Andrew. He just arrived today to take over the diplomatic duties for the station."

The tall brunette...Beth...shifted towards Andrew and held out her hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

Andrew noticed the women approaching and stayed quiet as the friends greeted each other. The idea of sending more time down here was definitely appealing, especially with what he was expecting to greet him in the morning when his mail caught up with him. As Beth held out her hand, he sidled in her direction and took her hand for a handshake. "A pleasure to meet you as well." He nodded to Lieza in an attempt to directly include her in the conversation. "Rosaleen was kind enough to offer to show me some of the sights planetside."

Now it was Beth's turn to put on a mischievous smile. "And what do you think of the sights so far?" She turned and winked at Rosaleen.

Andrew didn't miss the wink or the implied subtext. "I certainly haven't found anything to complain about yet. It actually reminds me of some of the smaller villages up the coast from the Academy back on Earth. Do you have any sights you'd recommend to a newcomer?"

"Other than Rose?" Beth replied, with a hint of humor. "Nothing that stand up to that. But...The hot springs in the Turodes Mountains are wonderful. Good climbing there as well. Here in town, City Center Plaza is an art's lovers paradise. Music, dance, visual arts...anything that you desire."

"Don't forget all the shops in founders square." Lieza added. "Not just the square but for blocks around. Just be warned, though...it's temptation beyond belief."

"That's were the shop is I buy my tea from." Rosaleen added.

"Rose mentioned some hot springs earlier, I will definitely need to check those out. The plaza sounds promising, and after the last couple missions I could definitely stand for some temptation." There were definite advantages to starbase duty, he decided. Sure, he was probably trading off the variety and freedom that came with a starship posting, but being able to breathe planetary air, get fresh tea, and take in a concert every now and again seemed to be more than a fair trade. Throw in the perk of not being limited to a few hundred people's quirks in a warp-nine tin can, and it was no contest. "Do the two of you work planetside or did you come down from the starbase?"

Lieza answered first. "I work in Logistics and Materials." A smile and a wink. "Sorry Beth, I didn't want to follow you."

Beth chuckled as she responded. "Oh poor, poor you...not my fault you like to move boxes around." She turned her head back to Andrew. "I run the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Operations Center in Combat Ops."

Andrew laughed. "Wars have been threatened over misplaced boxes - particularly when they contain an admiral's special supply of coffee beans or Saurian brandy. Then again, wars have been threatened over intelligence missions or the data that comes out of them. It's all relative. Peace is good for business."

"Maybe so, but unfortunately we will probably never truly know." Beth replied. "Like the business at hand now. That's why we are down hire. Figured we better get a relaxing swim in while we can. The Boss is big on all staff taking breaks from duty time no-matter what the circumstances, but...well you never know."

"Yeah, I definitely suspect things are going to get rather hectic very quickly, if they haven't already. I'm expecting my briefing on that in the morning. Until then, it was suggested I remain willfully unaware of the circumstances and I'm considering it really good advice right now." Andrew smiled. "Not quite 'eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die', but still."

Rosaleen was about to answer, but any response she might have made was cut of by a large blast across the bay from them. The blast wave was enough to knock everybody down...everybody except Rosaleen. "What the hell..." =A= 'O'Donnell to O'Shea, something just happened down here.'=A=

'Stand by...we're looking at it as well.'

Andrew picked himself up off the beach and dusted himself off, looking across the bay and trying to figure out what just happened. "Ok. I'm NEVER using that line again. Ever." He looked at the women. "Is everyone all right?"

Lieza was already getting up, but Beth held up an arm for Andrew to help her up. "Yeah. I'm fine." She looked at Rosaleen standing there. "Showoff."

He pulled Beth up to her feet and looked over at Rosaleen. It didn't look like the blast had knocked her down or even mussed her hair. That really didn't surprise him at this point. He looked over towards the facility, half-expecting a shuttle or two to be flying over to survey the scene.

Sirens from numerous directions were starting to rapidly converge on the scene. Large columns of flames pushed themselves up a hundred feet into the air, silhouetting several other ships that were not involved at that point. It appeared as if the blast had been isolated to a single vessel. Lieza had retrieved the two women's uniforms, and the were both dressing rapidly.

Rosaleen continued to silently study the scene across thy bay from them. It appeared to be a simple accident...

Andrew kept one eye on the growing conflagration and the other eye on Rosaleen. She was certainly more versed in the local protocols than he was, so as long as he kept near her he probably wouldn't be making the situation worse. He looked across the bay. He probably wasn't close enough here to let his telepathy do any good.

Rosaleen turned to Andrew. "Established protocol requires that we contact the local government to see if they require any additional resources to handle a given situation. We can't just jump into the frey uninvited. If they need us, trust me...they will not hesitate to ask." As she spoke, the fires were already starting to darken as the city's fire crews began their initial attack.

Andrew nodded. "That makes sense. It looks like they have a pretty good response going on their own, fortunately. Just a little too used to explosions meaning I had to sprint to the nearest emergency station." Yeah, he had definitely spent too many years on starships.

"Well I'd say the parties over." Beth said as she pulled her boots on. "And it was just getting interesting."

"O'Shea to O'Donnell, only request we received was for medivac assist. Dispatching aid now. You can stand down. O'Shea out."

Rosaleen closed the channel without comment. Subconsciously, she reached over and wrapped her arm around Andrews as she continued to stare at the conflagration. Her touch was ice cold.

Andrew tensed slightly at the unexpected chill, but didn't make any move to pull away. His subconscious was turning over different angles to what had just happened. Looking around the beach, he reached out with his telepathy trying to find any other minds nearby - particularly any minds that he couldn't put a body with. The conflagration did happen to be a rather large distraction, should anyone be so inclined to take advantage of it.

They heard it before they saw it. Then suddenly the entire area was lit up like daytime. Looking up, they saw Rosaleen's transport descending rapidly as the pair of Raptors assumed a covering pattern. The ramp was extending even as the craft landed. As soon as it was down, the door opened and several of the black armored figures quickly disembarked and formed a protective circle around the group. There was no arguing to be had...all four were quickly whisked aboard and secured, the craft becoming airborne once again in less than a minute.

Fifteen minutes later, they were back on board Starbase 80. Beth and Lieza took their leave and headed back to their respective quarters. Rosaleen turned to Andrew and spoke for the first time since they had been pulled off the planet. "Well...so much for a quiet walk on the beach."

Andrew nodded. "At the risk of making a horrible joke in present company, sometimes it's the thought that counts." It was odd how that comment had sounded funnier in his own head. "Assuming our upcoming schedules permit it, I wouldn't mind trying to arrange another one. It definitely seems like there's more to see in the city."

As they made their way out of the hangerbay, Rosaleen suddenly stopped and turned to face Andrew. She placed a warm hand on one cheek, then stretched up to kiss him on the other. The effect was...well, indescribable. Everything he had experienced that evening with Rosaleen combined was nothing compared to the effect of that one simple kiss. He felt as if he had fallen through a hole in time and space. She stepped back but kept her gaze locked onto his. "Thank you for being a most wonderful companion this evening, and thank you for letting me be myself."

Andrew suddenly had to focus intently to find the part of his brain that dealt with language. He certainly wasn't expecting... whatever that was that just happened. It wasn't unpleasant, by any means. "You're quite welcome on both counts. I certainly enjoyed myself tonight." His brain started whirring back up to speed, albeit a bit slowly. "Like I said, assuming things don't go straight to crazy around here, I wouldn't mind another go-round of this evening."

His words were met with a demure smile. "I would be most honored." She placed a hand on his chest. "Go and get some rest. I will drop by and see how you are getting acclimated to your new shop tomorrow."

He smiled back. "That sounds like a good plan. If you hear a scream through the bulkheads at about 0600 tomorrow that sounds like it comes from Deck 60, it's probably just me opening the latest diplomatic package. No need to alert Security or anything." He took her hand for a moment. "You go get some rest too."

Her smile transformed, taking on a much more impish quality. "It will be so wonderful to get out of these clothes."

He chuckled at that. "Yeah, getting into something with less sand in them sounds good to me too."

"At least you had good company down there." She chuckled. Beth had practically landed right on top of him before she rolled off.

"Indeed. I never got the chance to congratulate her on her aim. That landing was impressive, given the circumstances." To be completely honest, he'd been too preoccupied with making sure Rosaleen was safe to notice much else about the situation.

She released his hand, and gave him one last smile. 'Goodnight, my friend.' Was her simple farewell, heard only inside of his head, as she turned and made her way toward the lift.

He tilted his head towards her as she walked away. And a good night to you too, my friend. With that, he headed off in the opposite direction for the lift that would get him back to his quarters.

-------------------------

Lieutenant Commander Rosaleen O'Donnell
Commodores Personal Assistant

&

Lieutenant Commander Andrew Matheson
Chief Diplomatic Officer