Communication Translation Part 2

Posted on Wed Jul 1st, 2020 @ 6:55am by Ensign Alexandra 'Lexi' O'Connery & Lieutenant JG Mattias Constantine

Mission: Mission 3 - 100
Location: Deck E - Officers Quarters
Timeline: Day 30, Month 2, Year 0 20:00
1700 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

His newly relaxed state gave him a fresh perspective, even without the magnifying . Mattias noticed an nearly imperceptible seam running lengthwise along the edge of the frame surrounding the device. The panel outlined by the seam yielded to pressure, springing back flush with the edge of the device as soon as Constantine relented. He cautiously pushed the panel in further until he felt and hear a faint click. A tray slid out from behind the newly revealed opening.

"Okay, this time. This has to be it," Matt grinned.

Lexi smiled as she felt his breathing even out and she thought for a moment he might fall asleep there and then before it was like the spell she cast fell apart and he woke up. She let him go with just a gentle squeeze to his shoulders where she returned to sitting on the bed looking through her own words. This was one of the reasons she enjoyed working with him and enjoyed his company outside of work work, the voices and chatter could be there one second but the comfortable silence another, it allowed her to be herself. "Go on then houndi." She encouraged.

Carefully, Constantine took the tray and placed it on the scanning platform attached to his PADD. The ring of lights at the base of scanner began to illuminate in a clockwise pattern, casting a soft blue illumination on the desk. PADD in hand, he got up from his seat and plopped down on the bed next to Lexi, eagerly awaiting the data from the scanner to start coming through. An agonizing amount of time passed as they both stared at the screen, only realizing that the display hadn't changed in over a minute or two.

"Ugh, stupid thing is frozen. I need a new PADD," Matt grumbled. As he tapped the bezel, the display flickered in defiance and flashed 1 % COMPLETE. "Oh. Guess we've got time to kill. Snacks?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Not going to be happening any time soon. PADD's are easily fixed. Ask your neighbour?" She wondered knowing his next-door neighbour was McManus. He had fixed plenty of random things for her over the last six months. "Plenty of time to kill definitely." She assured reaching over him and the device to get to a chocolate snack that she had been dreaming about for months.

"Ah, it can wait. Ol' Dunc probably has his hands full with this, that, and the other," Constantine replied, suddenly aware of Lexi's warmth and proximity as she retrieved a small piece of chocolate. "Ah, you know Lexi, I wanted to ask..." he started to speak, expecting to be anxious, but as he looked at her he felt nothing but assurance. It came from the way she would occasionally brush away a few stray strands of hair that had fallen in her face, or the way the corners of her mouth curled ever so slightly upward when she saw him. It was the fact that he could be authentic with her and not have to hide behind rank or a uniform. It was the fact that she could turn heads even in a simple t-shirt.

Even with fluency in a half-dozen languages and a conversational mastery of several more, words seemed insufficient in that moment. So, Mattias inched closer to her, bringing himself close enough that their foreheads were almost touching. He paused for a moment, asking his question without saying a thing while searching Lexi's face for the answer.

Lexi giggled at the way he said ol' Dun, obviously they had a good relationship with each other than allowed them to say things like that. The woman looked back at him silently, sometimes words were not needed like then. The connection between them had been building for months since their first meeting, since the way that he had stumbled into speaking French and she had answered in Portuguese just to test him. "I want to see where this goes." She finally said aloud knowing that one of them had to speak aloud as neither were telepathic.

"So do I." She was so intoxicatingly close now, it was everything he could do to remember to breathe. Every touch, every look, every scent crumbled the foundation of the emotional barrier that Mattias had hidden behind ever since they had been involuntarily projected halfway across the galaxy. He took one final breath and the walls came crashing down around him. For better or for worse, he had decided to let someone in. A line that, when crossed, was impossible to uncross.

They were both surviving, as much as they didn't want to admit it, so it was far from a perfect picture. His hands were calloused from volunteering to help with the constant repair work being done on the ship. As he gently ran her fingers through her hair, he saw the little imperfections left behind by whoever she had trusted with her last haircut. They were both bruised from running into walls and consoles whenever the Vrav intensified their attacks, but there wasn't a single thing that Matt would have changed. What mattered was that she was there.

Constantine took his left hand and gently caressed Lexi's cheek. He carefully tilted her head up towards his and met her lips with his in a gentle, but insistent way. He opened his eyes as he pulled away, eagerly awaiting the next move in the chess match they had played so expertly with one another.

Not once did she seem to resist, or to flinch, or to show any signs of apprehension to the kiss and the smile on her face as they pulled away showed that she was not unhappy in the slightest. The woman pulled back for a sudden in another kiss that was less hesitate but showed the depths of what she was wanting to tell him. "But I want to take things slowly. This situation... us...." She whispered putting her hand over his hand on her cheek.

Matt remained silent for what seemed like a long time, content to soak in the moment for as long as he could. He opened his eyes, half-wondering if his brain was imagining the entire thing just to cope with the stress. But Lexi was still there, still looking at him. He smiled, finally nodding in response to her proclamation. Convinced of her permanence, he allowed himself to close his eyes again and simply wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a reassuring embrace.

"I sort of forgot how much I miss the taste of chocolate," he finally spoke, a spark of mischief igniting in his eyes. He relaxed his hold slightly, groaning in dismay as he caught a glimpse of the display sitting on the table. It had just ticked over to show 2% COMPLETE. "We can take it slow. If there's anything we have a surplus of, it's time," he nodded. "You're welcome to stay if you want, Lexi, but there's little more we can do until the computer does its thing."

Lexi allowed herself to be pulled towards him and just smiled into his chest as she felt his beating heart under her chest and then the way he felt relaxed against her. The Communication Officer could not believe it was real, that it was happening, she was not imaging it at all as she wrapped an arm around him. It was nice to just enjoy the silence, the tension that had been around them months felt like it was gone which was relaxing.

Of all the things she thought he could have said he thought that and it made her snort with laughter. It was just like him to head back to being cheeky again. She slowly pulled back when she saw the communication download and translation was going to take hours and hours. “I should go.” She admitted wishing she did not have to be sensible but it was not the time or place to jump into anything. They were barely surviving but the hint of hope of something more was there just waiting for the right time and place.

The chronometer on the wall marked the passing of another minute. Snuggled up and most of the way to unconsciousness already, Constantine made a noise somewhere between a groan and a grumble, giving Lexi one final squeeze before relaxing his hold. He knew she was right. Untangling his arms from around her, he reluctantly stood up and smiled back at her, offering her a hand up to her feet. "I'll send you a message if anything comes up with the translator. Do you need any help with carrying anything or do you have it all?"

Lexi used his hand to pull herself to her feet and smiled stroking his stubble cheek. "Better do. I want to know everything about our project." She told him knowing that without a doubt he would keep her informed, she just liked reminding him. "I think I have it all." There was less to carry and anything else could be grabbed to take make to science or engineering tomorrow.

"I'll get that door for you. Open sesame," Mattias grinned as he added some flourish to what ultimately ended up being the press of a single button. The door swished open as commanded to a mostly empty corridor, leaving only the goodbyes. "Until tomorrow, Ensign O'Connery."

"Goodbye Ensign Constantine" Lexi said with a hint of mischief as she stood there for a second waiting as someone passed them in the corridor.

Matt watched the door close behind her and softly butted his head against the wall. He knew he was in trouble, but that fact didn't diminish the magnitude of the grin he wore on his face as he walked back to his bed and collapsed into it. Without having to look, he reached around the corner of the wall and dimmed the lights from memory. The only remaining light source in the room taunted him.

3% COMPLETE

OFF::

Ensign Mattias Constantine
Communications Officer
NX-05 Atlantis

Ensign Alexandra 'Lexi' O'Connery
Comms Operator
NX-05 Atlantis
(PNPC Leroux)