Fetch

Posted on Fri Aug 12th, 2022 @ 1:50pm by Caeda & Endia
Edited on on Wed Aug 9th, 2023 @ 10:02pm

Mission: Adventures of the ISS Terror
Location: ISS Terror
Timeline: Date 2371-5-22 at 1500
3723 words - 7.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Niall made his way with purpose to the Discipline Inspection offices. The Admiral had sent him off to collect reports which really translated to she wanted him to be out of her hair for a little while. It was mildly irritating to say the least, because if something did happen to her it would be his head. Sighing, he shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He did not keep it cropped as most officers did, it was longer and hid the offensive point of his ears quite well. He considered himself lucky to look as Terran as he did, given most Vulcan half bloods had more signs of their mixed heritage than just the ears - it usually carried in their faces too. As always, his uniform was immaculate and the lack of sleeves showed off his astonishingly chiseled arms. He was young at twenty-three, but he was built like an absolute unit.

He made a turn and walked a few doors down to the offices proper, deciding to hit the chime instead of just walking in. It paid to be polite, after all.

The door opened and a short Bolian man stood in the door. He frowned.

"You don't have to press the chime, boy. It's a lobby." he said in a nasal voice. "Come in."

The man rolled his eyes and walked into the room without a second thought. The room was quite cozy with subdued lighting, warm wooden flooring and tables, and comfortable seating. The Terror itself was comfortable for a starship, but this area felt like a planet-side office. The Bolian sat behind his desk at the other end of the room. Two potted plants sat on the desk in front of him, each on either side. He waved the man over quickly.

"Come on over, Corporal. These fine people are just waiting for Ensign Keller and Lieutenant Noriega." he said, eyeing the two crewmember waiting separate in chairs by the left wall. "What officer do you have an appointment with?"

"Sorry, I've never been here to know and I'd rather err on the side of caution given the nature of the work done here." Niall apologized dryly, his eyes boring into the back of the Bolian's head as he walked away but gentled into neutrality by the time he turned around and sat. "I'm here to see Lieutenant Idrani. Just making a quick stop to pick something up for Admiral Granger."

"Oh, yes." the man said, nodding with a less-than-interested expression. "That sounds important enough to be worth her time. She's got no one in right now, so I can page her."

He pressed a button on a nearby screen and then said nothing at all for several moments, seeming to have moved on to other work.

"You can sit down wherever you like," the blue man said without any eye contact.

Niall moved off but didn't sit down. Instead he just stood off to the side and looked around the room with a passing curiosity. He wasn't really thinking about anything in particular outside noting how different the atmosphere in this place was versus most other offices in the ship, but that was about it. He was after all good at minding his own business.

A dark haired woman with dark features and a timeless beauty emerged from the nearby hallway. She was wearing a loose dark-olive dress that complimented her warm tan complexion and, though it was lose, was made of thin enough fabric that the contour of her enviable body could be seen. The dress came down to the middle of her muscular thighs and she wore flat open-toe butterrum shoes. Her perfume was light and sweet like a flower, and was strong enough to project into the room just a bit as she entered.

“Niall Bolton.” She said softly, her gentle voice coming out almost like a song. Her dark eyes found him without hesitation. Marines we’re quite obvious in the Fleet, and he was built like a marine with the uniform to match. “I’m ready for you.”

Niall turned to her and while he was disciplined, he was a young man and had the interested reaction of any young man when confronted with a beautiful woman. Even so, he was respectful in his gaze and demeanor and gave a polite nod. "Hello, lieutenant." He greeted and stepped forward. Even at his age, he had a rather imposing presence about him. "Lead the way. I don't wish to intrude on your day."

“You’re not an intrusion, Nial. You’re welcome here.” She said with an incredibly warm smile, keeping her eyes on his as he stepped up to her. “Follow me and we can get started.”

Without waiting for confirmation, Chief Discipline Inspector Raina Idrani turned on her heel and glided down the hall a ways to the first door on her right. She stepped into the space and turned to wait for him. The room was dimly lit and decorated with warm colors. It was interior, so there were no windows, but the far wall was a wall to floor painting of a grassy-hilled field in sunset. The room matched the painting in oranges, and blues and golds. There were many couches and chairs and, in the corner, there was a desk, but she headed toward the middle of the room where two extremely plushy large chairs sat facing each other, a glass coffee table between them. The room had the same subtle flowery scent that emanated from Raina, perhaps pumped into the air through the ventilation system.

“You can pick one of those chairs in the middle.” She said, her black eyes meeting his again. “Can I get you some tea or water?”

“No, thank you.” He paused and looked at the chairs then back to Raina. One brow arched slightly. “Is there a problem, Lieutenant? Are the reports for the Admiral not quite ready? I can come back another time.” He was only here to get the reports so he wasn’t sure why she was asking him to sit down and offering him a drink. He found it rather off putting.

"No, nothing's wrong. The reports are ready." she said, moving to one of the chairs and sitting down herself. She folded one fit thy over the other, her head turned back slightly to look at him. "I just want to talk to you for a while. Is that alright?"

She felt his mild annoyance and discomfort, but she just offered a warm smile, gesturing to the chair and offering dinner plate eyes. She knew he was half Vulcan; she could tell. But his emotions were still on the surface of his mind. He was young, and seemed to be trained in masking his face more than his heart.

"Why?" He asked, now suspicious and crossed his large arms over his chest. He had a job to do. Had Granger asked this woman to keep him occupied down in the offices? He frowned at the thought and wondered why the woman had to be so difficult so often.

"I could give you orders, but...let's just say I prefer to keep things personal." Raina said, still looking over her shoulder. Everything about her was feminine, and she batted her eyes in the same way as well. "I won't bite, I really just want to talk with you. It's not so unusual for someone in my position to want something like that, is it?"

"A Discipline Inspector asking me to sit down and talk to her in her office? No, but it is usually nothing good for the person being spoken to." Niall replied dryly and remained standing and just looking at her. She was lovely, but he couldn't exactly be an effective bodyguard if any pair of doe eyes and long eyelashes could lower his guard.

She knew how explaining oneself diminished authority when being challenged, but she suspected he could still be compliant without being told directly what he must do. She sighed though, and the smile subsided, replaced by a slightly pouty frown. With some it would have been an affectation, but with her it was completely legitimate.

"I sit down with people regularly, and most of the time its just to talk, get to know them, or help them with a problem they're having." she said, honestly. "Those unfortunate conversations are reserved for the disloyal, and that isn't you, is it?"

"No." Niall was not a man of many words. Less so when he was irritated by something and trying to maintain his discipline. He saw that she was not going to be dissuaded and would likely throw her authority around if pushed to, so he moved and sat down stiffly in one of the chairs. This was an absolute waste of time and likely the Admiral’s doing.

“Gods, you are built like a machine.” She stated as he sat across from her, her eyes moving over his arms and uniformed body in a mostly professional manner, though she didn’t fight to hide her attraction. Betazoid women weren’t known for hiding their feelings. She placed her hands, with finger nails painted warm brown, on her extremely inviting and shapely thighs, one crossed over the other at the knees. She watched him, her soft eyes blinking, but never turning away. “Is that all for protecting the Admiral or do you have a bit of that fascinating Terran vanity in you?”

"I take my job seriously." Niall responded with a surprisingly gruff voice for a twenty-three year old man. He was very obviously trying to figure her out and kept his eyes firmly planted on her face, though she would be able to feel he was fighting an extreme temptation to look at her in a much less professional manner now that they were sitting even closer together. "Why do you ask?"

“I love asking questions, Niall. And I love learning all about new people.” She said, offering a measured smile. You’re incredibly tense in a room that couldn’t be more relaxing. Doesn’t that seem odd to you?”

As she asked the question, a new song began to play faintly in the background. It was Betazoid flute music of a very sweet kind. It was emotional music, but barely audible.

"No, it doesn't. Especially since not everyone finds such a place relaxing." He pointed out, still sitting there like a statue. "I prefer the beach." It was dry... but maybe an attempt at humor?

Raina smiled and laughed immediately, though it was slight. Her body jiggled a bit as she laughed and her white teeth showed.

“Do you really like the beach, Niall?” She asked, the smile still there. It was normal that people were nervous in her room at first. Despite all her dressing up, she had a certain power over people that couldn’t be masked by smiles and paintings and music and sweet smells. For many, nice legs and intensely interested eyes didn’t do it either, though they were very rare. “I might consider it for my next wall painting.”

"Do you change it often?" He asked, looking over to the large mural and she could tell that this time he was actually curious and seemed interested in the art. He was still tense, but now a bit more distracted than he was previously with his cold, hard stare.

“This is the first one, but that’s my plan.” She answered, looking over at the wall. It was very good and highly detailed. “A girl needs hobbies…and beauty. I love beautiful things.” Her dark eyes moved back to him, lingering silently, her face comfortable and pleasant. “Do you like beautiful things, Niall? Or are you too much of a soldier for soft things?”

This question made him uncomfortable and he shifted a bit in his seat. He turned to look back at her and quirked a brow. "I suppose I do like anyone else would." He replied noncommittally to the question.

“Like the beach?” She asked, leaving the question there. She waited, noting his walls going up again. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything. There’s no point in being thirsty when drinks are being offered, Niall.”

"I'm not thirsty." He replied honestly. A perk of the Vulcan DNA, he imagined, he didn't need to drink nearly as much as the average person. "Yes, the beach is nice."

He was stonewalling. Being brief, and controlling information. They were classic responses to a situation like this and he was tougher minded then most on the ship. He was telling her, non-verbally, that she would get nothing out of him which would be useful until he knew why he was there. She decided to shift tactics, and instead of responding to his statement, she just stared at him. She offered him a look of total contentment, one which was eerily still and, after a while, he would notice she wasn't even blinking except probably once every thirty seconds.

Niall watched her, after about a minute, his brow quirked, then after another it lowered. He leaned toward her then, finally putting his arms down and his hands on his knees. He brought himself down directly eye level with her. "Does that actually work on people?"

"Silence is extraordinarily stress-inducing in situations like this for most people." she said, the look of contentment fading. "But you display higher-than-average impulse control and low emotional response, partially do to your heritage, no doubt. So, really, would I expect you to crack under the silent treatment?"

She picked up a PADD which had been sat at her side on the chair and started to type on it silently for several moments. She said nothing while that was happening, but when she was done, she turned it off and quickly returned it to her side.

Sorry...a necessary part of the trade. It's a bit rude though." she said, leaning back in a relaxed manner and sighing, pursing her lips which were colored the same as her finger nails. "Why do you think you're in here right now? Besides the files, of course. You know that anyone could have picked those up; the Admiral's yeoman or any of the eight staff in their department for example. The Admiral sent you. Why?"

"The most likely reason? She just wants to be alone right now and knows that I'm not afraid to remind her that it is a dangerous idea for a person in her position." Niall shook his head and actually seemed... disappointed that he had been seemingly validated that there was more to this.

She sensed his disappointment, but didn't comment on it. She quirked a brow instead.

"Are you with the Admiral at all hours? You never leave her alone?"

"No, not at all hours. I do need rest and, apparently, a social life." He shrugged his large shoulders. "She is alone when it is safe for her to be alone. If it isn't safe, then she is not." It was a cryptic answer, but he would not give a direct answer to that kind of question. That was asking for disaster.

"What kind of situations make the Admiral unsafe in her quarters or her office, for example." Raina asked, blinking easily. "I've seen your duty assignment logs. You're with her long after her shift, when she's alone and, I would imagine, quite safe."

Niall just looked at the woman a long moment and then spoke evenly. "Do you really think she is alone in her quarters all the time?" He asked with mild challenge.

"I wouldn't' possibly know." Raina answered, shaking her head. "Is she? Or is it just you and her?"

"I attend the Admiral when she is in need of protection." Niall replied stubbornly and crossed his arms again, his eyes settling on her face.

"What about when the Admiral needs other things?" Raina asked, smiling again. This time she leaned forward. "Come on, Niall, I know you have feelings in there somewhere...needs, like any man. The Admiral is an attractive woman. No one would blame you if you lingered for some fun...or to watch her have fun."

Her eyes moved to those arms again. They looked like they were carved out of stone. The glance was par for the course considering the topic. She uncrossed her legs and left them open, revealing that she was wearing no panties, as indicated by her delicate unshaven private parts. She smiled a dangerous smile, watching his eyes and, secretly, hoping to feel those subtle feelings she already knew he had wash over her mind.

"You do like women, don't you?" she asked, daring him to look with her eyes.

Niall's jaw clenched at her maneuver and she would see those chiseled arms suddenly become much more defined as he tensed up in response to her little maneuver. Granger had chosen her guard well, because despite the desire very clearly in his mind to look at what she had exposed, he resolutely held her gaze. "I serve the Admiral as her bodyguard and nothing more."

Raina crossed her legs again, raising her eyebrows in an impressed expression. She smiled an amused smile, her eyes shifted as she seemed to realize something.

"I can't believe her..." she said, shaking her head. "I've finally figured out what you're really doing here. She's amazing.."

There was a sudden surge of curiosity that almost violently rushed off of him and this even more than her little display almost got him to crack. He licked his lips and his arms flexed. "Would you like me to let her know you said so?" He asked, his voice slightly slower and more measured.

"No, it's not that. I just can't believe her nerve. The second she gets you thinking she's quiet and unassuming, she hatches a plot like this." Raina said with sparkling dark eyes. She realized she needed to explain so she licked her lips in turn and started to talk. "The Admiral is a former inspector, so we hit it off right away...just as friends, of course. She's been encouraging me to get out of my office and to do something fun; to get a social life. Ironic, because she's the most buttoned up person on the ship right now. I laughed, normally, and blew her off. I prefer to stay in here and paint, normally. Preferably drunk. Preferably in my pajamas."

She smiled, but moved on, knowing she was on a tangent.

"A few days ago, she started confiding in me that she didn't know if she could trust you. She said you had become unusually attached to her and she wasn't sure if you were becoming obsessed. Like an idiot, I believed her and offered to inspect you...get a read on your character. When I saw you in the lobby and...honestly, noticed how attractive you are, I suspected she was full of crap. Now I know she is."

She stopped then and looked at him with a curious smile, trying to see if he understood.

Now he was confused, but she could feel the gears turning as he tried to figure it out. Marines weren't known for being particularly bright, but Niall had a good head on his shoulders. Usually. A thought entered his mind but was quickly dismissed out of hand, but he kept circling back around to it until he found it to be a logical guess if however unlikely. He slowly sat back in his chair again and just looked at her. Did she send him here to... to sleep with this woman?

"Well, you can tell Granger I appreciate the consideration, but I don't roll around with any old man sent my way." she said, no trace of discomfort or anger in her voice. "No matter how handsome or how...massive the biceps." She stole another glance, longer this time. "Sorry to have wasted your time, Niall."

"Ah... that's... alright." He said now feeling extremely awkward in regards to this entire situation. He hadn't known what was going on, and when he figured it out he was instantly rejected by a very beautiful woman whom even though he had expressed little more than a passing interest in well... she was a beautiful woman, he was a young man. It hurt the pride. Clearing his throat, he shifted to stand. "Do you have those reports for me then, Lieutenant?" He asked formally.

"I do." she said, standing and moving to her desk in the corner of the room. She grabbed the PADD sitting neatly on top of a small pile of her belongings. She turned around and kept her eyes on her as she walked back. After she handed it to him, she looked at him clearly again, her dark eyes admiring her face and sliding down disobediently to those arms again. Nadine was smarter than she thought.

"Strange question and, feel free to say now, but...would you mind if I felt your arm." she said slowly. "Like in a non-sexual way. I'm a medical professional after all."

Niall took the PADD with one hand and immediately quirked an eyebrow at her request. He did however decide to humor her since he had, in the end, had his curiosity sated. It only made sense she could have the same satisfaction. He held his arm out to her, but said nothing.

Gingerly at first, she touched his fair skin, then more roughly. She moved her hand along the surface of his muscles up and down the arm. Her lips parted. She knew what she would be thinking about later.

"Oh.." she said, and then released the arm. She looked up at him, giving him a delightfully innocent smile complete with a bit of blushing. "I'm sure I'll see you around, Corporal. You can tell the Admiral she's wise beyond her years, but a girl's got to have boundaries."

She turned then and stepped quietly over to the replicator, removing herself from the conversation, an amused grin still on her face. She was going to get her back.

"I'll be sure to let her know." Niall replied dryly and left without another word.

Women.

END