Talking Ship
Posted on Tue Mar 7th, 2023 @ 2:09am by Lieutenant Charlotte E. "Charlie" Yeager & Lieutenant Akira Kogami
Edited on on Tue Mar 7th, 2023 @ 2:09am
1,258 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Auld Lang Syne
Location: Camp Khitomer
Timeline: December 31, 2399
A ginger woman stepped up to the bar in the main event space and placed an arm on the counter as she waited for the bartender. The two rank pips on her uniform suggested that she was a Lieutenant. The woman was accompanied by three children of varying sizes. Fortunately, the Lieutenant didn't have to wait long, as the bartender noticed her and made his way over.
"And what can I get for you tonight?"
"Two Shirley Temples and a water for the youngins, and a Margarita for this gal." She pointed to herself. "On the rocks, of course."
"Okay, coming right up."
"Two Shirley Temples and a Margarita; classy, I can tell," the gold-shirted officer sitting next to her remarked.
"Hey, don't forget the water for the little one." The woman responded. "He's still just a bit too young to be having Shirley Temples."
"Oh, poor kid; he doesn't know what he's missing..." the gold shirt smirked.
The woman turned to the gold shirt and extended her right hand.
"I'm Charlie Yeager, by the way. Pleasure making acquaintance." She introduced herself.
the gold shirt raised an eybrow. "As in American test pilot Charlie Yeager?"
"Nope." Charlie responded. "Just Federation flight control officer Charlie Yeager."
"Huh; could've sworn there was a relation," The gold shirt shrugged before returning the handshake. "Akira Kogami; also Federation, if the uniform didn't give that away already."
"Nice to meet you, Kogami." Charlie said, quickly returning her attention to the bartender whom had prepared Charlie's drinks.
"Susie, Dusty, there are your Shirley Temples..." She said, handing the two beverages to the two older children accompany her. "Mickey, your water... And here's the mama juice!"
Charlie took a swig of the margarita before turning back to Akira.
"Anyhow, I'm supposed to be looking for somebody here. Have you by any chance heard of Patricia... Cookie, I believe her name was? Apparently, she's my new commanding officer, and I've yet to find her."
"Oh, you mean Patty?" Akira chuckled. "Yeah, the two of us go waaay back..."
"Oh, do you now?" Charlie responded.
"We were part of the same security tract in the Academy," Akira explained. "Girl's heart was in the right place, but she could be a... oh, how do I put this politely?- handful at the worst of times."
"Huh," Charlie responded, taking another swig of her margarita. "Well, I wonder if that's because she's living with the shame of her family name being that of a delicious dessert item..."
"Wha- Oh, no, it's just pronounced "cook"," Lieutenant Kogami laughed. "The 'e' at the end is silent."
"Huh..." Charlie remarked, raising a curious brow. "Perhaps I'm getting to the age where I need glasses, then. But, it's good to know before I meet her that I was getting her last name wrong."
"My pleasure," Akira replied, shifting her attention over to the three children peering curiously around their mother. "So, I take it the kiddos are eager for a change of scenery?"
"More like a change of parent." The pubescent girl spoke up. "Dusty and I have spent the past few years with our father, so it's nice that we'll be on assignment with our mother and little siblings. What would you say, Don? It's been like what? Three years since we've last seen mom outside the occasional shoreleave?"
The boy the girl was referring to nodded in agreement. "I think the last time we really spent time with her was around the time Sharon was born."
"Yeah, sometimes I wish mom and dad would just get the same assignment so we could be a big happy family together, and spare Mickey and Sharon what Dusty and I have had to go through." The girl sighed. "What with bouncing between the two parents and all..."
"D'aaaw... that's so sweet!" Akira cooed, before shifting her attention back to Charlie. "Perhaps you may want to consider asking Patty to make some accommodations for Daddy? I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
"You don't think I've tried that?" Charlie asked, sipping her margarita with a sigh. "Starfleet isn't interested in having my husband and I together. Hell, I've been lobbying captains pretty much since Susie Mae here was born to have my husband assigned to the same ship I was, and the responses have all been the same; 'I'll see what I can do,' and then they never follow through. So, what makes you so sure that Commander Cooke is going to be any different?"
"Trust me, Patty's the kinda girl who goes the extra mile for her subordinates," Akira assured her. "Word of mouth is that she had this one charge of hers who requested bereavement, and not only did Patty express her sympathies, she showed up at the funeral!"
"Oh, how sweet." Charlie said. "Perhaps... Er, Patty, did you say? really will be different from the rest... You wouldn't happen to know how long she's been a command officer, do you?"
"What, you mean as how much Command experience she has under her belt?" Akira replied. "I honestly can't say; last I spoke with her four years ago, she was still an assistant Chief of Security aboard the Fort Wayne. But it's not like she's hopeless, if that's what you're concerned about; I'd like to think she wouldn't be flying us straight into an asteroid, anyhow..."
"So, to sum up what you just said, I'll be under a rookie captain? Well, I suppose that's why Starfleet was quick to accept my application..." Charlie muttered. "Though hopefully the ship's a different story from the captain: I hear the new Bellerophon is pretty quick, and it could give an Armitage a serious run for its money."
"So I've heard," Akira replied, having another sip of her drink. "I read one article somewhere saying that the Bellerophon program was analyzing the logistics of possibly implementing Nadeon Detonators into their torpeodoes, but I'm not sure how far back in the development process that was."
"She is a technological marvel." Charlie sighed, taking a sip of her margarita. "Anyhow, I must be getting to finding Patricia. If you see the USS Missouri turn up in the news during her trials later this month, you can say you've met one of the folks who will be at her helm."
"Do I want to know why we'll be making the news?" Akira smirked.
"Oh, I don't know; it seems like they're making a big deal out of this new Missouri." Charlie began. "Wait a minute; we? Are you insinuating that you're going to be assigned to the Missouri, too?"
Akira threw her head back and laughed. "I thought I was giving away some pretty obvious hints there, but seeing as you didn't pick up on them, yes, I'm in Security."
"Well, hot damn; here I was thinking I was just chatting up one of those randos you meet at a party and then never see again." Charlie chuckled. "But I suppose we'll be seeing each other a lot more often."
"Likewise," Akira grinned as she bade Charlie and the kids farewell.
Posting By (In Order of Appearance):
Lieutenant Charlote Yeager
Assistant Chief Flight Control officer, USS Missouri (NCC-78316)
Susan Yeager-Dickhouse
Civilian
Donald Dickhouse
Civilian
Michael Dickhouse
Civilian
Lieutenant Akira Kogami
Chief Security officer, USS Missouri (NCC-78316)
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