Countering Moves

Posted on Thu Aug 5th, 2021 @ 7:53pm by Captain Bethsabée Leroux & Ensign Michael Sloan
Edited on on Thu Aug 5th, 2021 @ 7:59pm

Mission: Mission 4 - Eden
Location: Deck F - Weapons Locker
Timeline: Day 168 07:30
1541 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Beth looked across the armoury locker room as everyone suited up to head back to the ship and to inspect deck 23. Eden kept hinting at it like she wanted them to go there before moving almost rebooting so Beth had decided that now after the death of Aurelius and the fact everyone was accounted and alibied for. Beth looked at the armoury vest that Lieutenant Gerhard was insisting that she wore and frowned at the vast heavy thing. How was it meant to fit her? Could he have found her a smaller one or one that did not need as much adjusting? She muttered in French to herself standing in front of the mirror holding the vest against her.

“Expecting danger?” Michael’s voice asked from behind Beth. Giving an exaggerated look over her ill fitting tactical vest, the outcast added, “By the look of things, you’re expecting a lot of danger.” Ready to go o his first outing in some time, Michael indicated the clasps on his own vest and grabbed the adjustable straps. Giving a sharp pull, his vest went from poor to the proper fit. “One size fits all isn’t always the best design choice.”

Beth glanced up in the mirror and paled seeing Michael stood behind her. She turned and looked at him trying to read him but from his tone of voice that was easy to read, he did not seem mad about her leaving the previous day before he woke up.

“Well, there has been a murder and Gerhard is very sure that he does not want me to be the next victim.” She stumbled through quickly as she took in what he was saying. “I think he had the theory the bigger the armoury the bigger the area covered.” She shrugged tugging the thing over her head trying before trying to straighten out the ties.

Fitting his own kit for the task at hand, Micahel stated with a little surprised, "I still can't believe Aurelius is gone. I don't think I've ever heard of an actual murder on a Starfleet vessel. I think I could handle a spatial anomaly, or a contaminant, or some kind of accident a little better." Even in his most mentally lost moments of the last, he was not even sure how long anymore, Michael had never wanted to murder anyone. If he were completely honest, Michael was surprised that the ship's resident traitor was not the target.

“Me too. Murder is not normally how we lose people. It is a hard cold knock on the head reminding us that we are not in Kansas anymore.” Beth said sadly for a moment before she nodded. It made very little sense if she was honest but something had obviously gone wrong and Aurelias had met someone on the ship. He had seen something he was not meant to and someone had made sure he did not share it with anyone.

Already having the reputation of a traitor, Michael decided not to press for information. Instead, the Romulan in Human disguise nodded toward the room's exit. "I haven't been given a full briefing about the mission. What are we doing over there? Think the ship has some kind of device or," he paused looking for a the right word, "substance that could have cause Aurelius' death?"

Beth paused fumbling as she tried to tie her hair up out of her face and looked at him. Had his interview not told him the method of what had happened to the morale officer. "Aurelius was stabbed repeatedly," Beth explained slowly. "We are going over there to find out what is going on. Both ends of the ship have windows but nothing is on like the rest of the ship and scans hint at nothing behind walls but the space is huge so it cannot just be a vood. So one team is going to one end, another to the other end." It was not going to be simple but they needed answers, needed closure on what had happened - Beth included.

Got you, each team takes a side and we meet in the middle," Michael nodded. His years of experience getting involved in dangerous missions gave him a certain advantage of putting on his set of tactical gear. He had a few former shipmates aboard the Valiant would hold contests to see who could put it on first. Within a short time, he slid his phase pistol into its holster as the final touch,

Beth turned back to the mirror getting frustrated with the armour as she tugged it hard so it fitted against her slim frame in the mirror. She glanced in the mirror watching the man and a blush crept up her skin as she thought back forty-eight hours. “Um… I am sorry for skipping out on you.” She finally said turning to look at him properly.

Stepping toward the Captain, Michael instinctively unbuckled a few claps, connected them to the proper connecting pieces, and tightened a few straps. He then grabbed the material on each of Beth's shoulders and gave it a good alternating tug to check tightness. He nodded at her as if to say that her armor was now correctly in place. As he turned, the man hesitated before looking back. "It's alright. I'm sure it was awkward for you and you had a murder to deal with."

Beth let out a sharp intake of breath as it was pulled tight enough that she could barely breathe but it would obviously pass muster for Gerhard and his caution over allowing her to go back to the ship. "Thank you." The woman whispered before shaking her head. "It is not. That all came after." She reminded shaking her head. "Michael I should not have skipped out when you were sleeping but I woke up and panicked over what happened. I do not normally stay after...I had a good night." She shrugged.

"I did too," Michael replied back. In truth, it had hurt that she had left in the middle of the night. His Romulan hearing had picked her up, but he had chosen not to stir. With a sigh, he looked toward Beth while thinking about what to say. "For now, let's just pretend like we're friends and it never happened. But, if we decide that there might be a future and that night was the beginning of it, then we give it a try. Give it some time, and think about it." He tried to sound reassuring.

Well at least that was something, she quickly thought that they both had, had a good night. You did not just do something like that sober without something behind it especially when she had no idea how it started, it had been instantaneous. “I am not going to pretend it did not happen Michael but we are friends. Maybe all the tension was this…” she shrugged awkwardly and lent out putting her hand on his. “I will give it time and I will think though.” She promised keeping her gaze on his.

The words that she said were surprising to Michael. He had thought she was about to give him the regretful talk, so he had preempted it by giving her an out. Instead, she had gone a different direction, one that he did not expect. A slight smile crossed his face before he hid it. "I'll be waiting to hear what you decide," he replied, still shocked that Beth had actually not so much enjoy what happened but looked at a possible future. He had lived inside his own head for some time now, only realizing that he had gone completely still while lost in his thoughts. "They... probably are looking for you," he added.

"No, when you want to listen come and find me." Beth countered seeing the smile flicker across his face before he quickly hid it. She wanted to leave it in his court, let him have some control over something even if it was as complicated as whatever this was between them. He was right though that people were likely to be looking for her as usual. She paused listening to the soft noise of people talking out in the corridor and nodded, her name was being mentioned and if they should come in. "They are always looking for me." She added pulling her hand back with a squeeze.

"That's part of the job, sitting in the center chair," Michael replied, giving her hand a squeeze before she let go. Sloan stepped back a bit, his plan was to let her leave the armory first, count down a minute, then join the gathering away team. "Go on, we've got a mission to do."

Beth nodded. Normally she would have given him a witty response like I bet you are glad you did not do it now or wish you still had the centre chair but the venom or whatever it had been was burnt. Just leaving her vulnerable around him. The mission would always come first but she was determined to not lose herself completely to it. “Adieu” She said as her parting words and disappeared out to where people were waiting.

 

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