New Friends...

Posted on Fri Oct 15th, 2021 @ 7:51am by Lieutenant Samaire MacBride-Reece [Lalor] & Commander Kyle Reece

Mission: Season 5: Episode 3: CAPETOWN
Location: USS Elysium, various corridors
Timeline: MD 0 / 0540 (local)
2974 words - 5.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Kyle had been up for almost an hour now,doing his daily exercise regimen. He had already done his calisthenics and muscle toning, now he was finishing up with his two kilometer run. At this early hour, the ship's corridors were mostly empty, so he was able to use them instead of the holodeck.

Samaire was trying to clear her head, after the attacks and chose to go for a run. Dressed in work out gear from her first time through the academy in 2254, she tied her hair up and set out on her run.

She was not really paying attention as she ran around the deck, her mind busy with other things.

Kyle was in his own head, only partially paying attention to the path in front of him. His thoughts were on the mission they just completed, and those that were lost. His was so lost in thought that he nearly collided with a woman, who seemed to be exercising as well by going for a run. Right before they collided, he spun to his right, barley grazing her left shoulder as his bulk carried him into the bulkhead. "Oh! Excuse me! Are you alright?" He asked as he reached out for her.

Sam had stopped and she looked up with a polite smile. "Oh! I am so sorry, that was my fault, I should have looked around the corner before I came through. Are you ok, Sir?"

Kyle gave the very attractive woman a charming lop-sided grin. "Please, call me Kyle. No uniform, no rank. I'm fine, thank you. I've only been back on Ely for a short time, so there are still many people that I don't know. You, for example. Your name is...?"

"Samaire McBride" She held out her hand to shake his. "Operations"

Kyle moved closer and gently took her hand. It was soft, yet held an inner strength and warmth. "As I said, Kyle Reece, formerly Strategic Operations, now, shifting to be an instructor at the academy here. I just need to speak to the CO and Academy."

"Ah yes, new Captain Lovejoy." She nodded sagely. "He seems to be the alright sort."

Kyle nodded slowly. "We shall see, won't we?" He then gave her a warm grin. "Say, I just had a thought, would you care to have a drink or something, with me, sometime? As I said, I just returned to the ship and don't know much of anyone?" He blushed, embarrassed slightly. "I'm sorry. I probably sound like an idiot."

"No, that's a nice idea. It will have to be after 21h00 sometime."

A new smile crossed his face as he looked up at her, he said, "Okay. Um, how about tomorrow night? We could meet at one of the resturants up on the promenade? Do you have a favorite?"

"I like the Indian place" She admitted.

Kyle nodded and smiled again. "Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow night, at the Indian restaurant, at say..2130?"

"Sure, I will see you then." Samaire with a smile replied.

Kyle nodded and smiled. He then watched the young woman for a few beats as she continued her run in the opposite direction. He then turned and continued on his own direction.

===2130 Hours, the next day===

Kyle was waiting in the resturant at a quiet table in the middle of the room, waiting nervously for Samaire to arrive.

Samaire was running slightly late as the babysitter had been late getting to her cabin. But now she entered the restaurant dressed casually and looked around. She spotted him and smiled and moved to take the seat opposite him. "Good evening."

Kyle smiled as he stood up and moved to pull out her chair. "Good evening," he replied happily. "You look great!"

She blushed "Thanks, It's basically mom wear," she said with a smile. Her black slacks and dark red tunic top was neat and casual.

After helping push in her seat, Kyle moved around and sat across from her. "How old is you child? Boy or girl?"

"My niece, she is 5, give or take a century or so." Samaire replied. "And is a constant challenge."

A confused look crossed Kyles face. "Give or take a century? Are you El Aurian?" He had and easy grin on his face as he spoke.

"No" She laughed softly. "Human, Temporally displaced is the term Starfleet uses."

"Oh," Kyle replied softly. "I'm sorry. I can't image how that all must've felt, especially coming back to a time that was unfamiliar. I hope you and your niece are settling in comfortably?"

"Yes, Its been a bit over a year since we were found, and I have been through retraining and such. The Elysium is my first posting since that time." She paused as a waiter came up to take their order. After he had taken their order she turned back to him. "So you said you had returned to the Elysium?"

Kyle smiled softly. "Yes, I'm a plank owner of Ely. I was a member of her initial crew when she launched. Started out as the Chief Tactical Officer, later promoted to Chief Strategic Operations Officer. I came back as a babysitter for the scientists for the mission we just went through. Now, I'm transitioning to be a Tactical Operations Instructor at the Academy here."

"And is that something you wish to do? Or are you being assigned it?" Sam asked with a smile.

He thought about it for a few beats. "Ya know? No one has asked me that." He chuckled softly. "It's something I am feeling drawn to do. I have seen so much bloodshed during my career, I...I need something quiet." He had to take a moment to collect himself, as he thought of Liz.

"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I lost someone very dear to me during one of those bloodshedding missions. My fiancé, Elizabeth Malone. She was a Marine Corporal and a sniper. Damn good one too. She was killed saving a bunch of kids."

"How long ago?" Sam asked gently.

He took in a breath and slowly released it. "Two years, six months and three days ago." He paused before adding, "This..eh..this is the first date I've been on since..." he shrugged slightly.

Samaire nodded "And.. this is a date?" she asked curiously with a smile.

Kyle suddenly realized he may have put his foot in his mouth. Blushing slightly, "I...uh..I mean...yes?" He blushed even more, hoping that Samaire didnt throw her drink in his face and storm out.

"Okay," she said as their food was brought to their table. Once they were 'alone' again she said, "Do you often ask women out when they almost crash into you?"

This caused Kyle to chuckle softly and grin. "No, heh. You are the first woman I've asked out since Elizabeth." He paused briefly before continuing. "I, uh, I haven't been in a situation like this, alone with a woman, in about four years."

"That makes us similar. I have not been on a date since 2258, a good two years before I was temporally displaced in 2260. So, dating is not big on my to do list." Samaire admitted ruefully.

"So..maybe we try this together?" He asked hopefully.

"Sounds like an idea." Samaire replied with a small smile.

Kyle's features warmed a bit as he smiled. "Thank you." He replied honestly. "So, shall we start fresh? Treat this as our first date?"

Samaire nodded. "Agreed" And she smiled back at him.

"Well then," Kyle responded. "Hi. My name is Kyle Reece and I am a new instructor at the Academy here, on the Elysium."

"Hello, my name is Samaire McBride, I am an Operations Officer here on the USS Elysium," She responded back with a smile.

"It's so very nice to meet you, Samaire," Kyle responded with a grin. "So, what do you like to do for fun?

"Oh running in halls, bumping into people" She replied with a sly smile and airy wave of her hand. "After I finish chasing my niece around the ship when she skips school. And you?"

Kyle chuckled warmly. "Well, when I'm not acting as a wall for attractive runners to bounce into, I like to read old naval manuels or do physical activities, like orbital skydiving and mountain climbing."

"Ah, orbital Skydiving. That was just taking off as a sport when I was in the Academy the first time." Samaire smiled. "One of my classmates wanted to do it over Vulcan."

Nodding, Kyle grinned. "Yeah, the thermal updrafts there can be interesting. Though, if want a drop with a gorgeous view, I'd suggest Earth, Risa or Pacifica."

"What other planets have you done?"

Kyle took a moment to remember. "Let's see.. Andoria, Ceti Alpha Five, Pluto, Qo'nos, Tellerite Prime, and Ferenginar. Though that last one was more difficult, due to the constant rain."

"So many new planets since the 2250's, it must be great to be able to visit them."

Smiling, he replied. "Yeah, especially with the advanced warp drive systems, and now QSD as well? Those worlds are even closer. If you'd like, I've got each jump saved into the holodeck. I could show you what its like?"

"That sounds like a nice idea. One day I hope to be able to visit these new planets."

Kyle smiled softly. "When the time comes, I'd like to take you to see them."

Samaire smiled at that. "The life of a starfleet officer will probably send us to the majority,"

Nodding, Kyle grinned. "Without a doubt." He took a sip of his drink. "So... what else will you tell me about this very intelligent, extremely attractive time travelling woman? What's your niece's name?"

"Her name is Skylah and she is my sister's daughter. My father, if he were alive would call her my half sister, because there was some issue over her legitimacy but to me and our brother, she is our sister and thus, Skylah is my niece."

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Kyle nodded slowly. "Sounds like a difficult situation. Is Skylah temporally displaced as well?"

"yes, she was with me and Seraph, my cat, on the Arcadia, my sister passed about 8 months before the incident."

Kyle's face fell at that news. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I can only imagine that pain, and hope I never have to experience it. I have an identical twin brother, Nicholas, a younger brother, Liam, and a baby sister, Alexandria. I never want to experience life without them in it.

Samaire gave a rueful smile. "It is hard, but I promised Skye that I would look after Skylah and I intend to."

"That's very honorable of you," Kyle stated honestly, finding more to respect and be interested in, in this woman. "I mean, family is family, but still. Very honorable indeed. Do you have any descendents of your family line in this time?"

Samaire nodded "Yes, and they are not happy about it. Seems that legally, my brother left the family estate to me. They are rather... worried about that."

Kyle seemed concerned. "How so? If it's legally yours, what right do they have to it." He paused briefly, then contonued. "Wait...they've been living in it, thinking the two of you were long dead, so what did it matter that the will was never changed. And now, that you and Skylah are back, they worry that you'll swoop in, toss them out and claim it all, legally, for yourself. Is that about the gist of it?"

"Yes." She shrugged "I can see their point, and they did give us a place to stay while we recovered. We have a house in Monterey, California. They keep asking me to sign papers to give up my heritage. I am not doing that. Maybe when things are more settled I will deal with them."

Kyle listened intently, completely interested in what she was saying. "Well, Sam..."he paused, realizing that he had shortened her name. Blushing slightly, he corrected himself. "Sorry, Samaire...If you want, I know an excellent lawyer, you could speak with her, have her look over the will and current situation. Even if you don't choose to hire her, she'd give you an honest opinion of the situation?"

"Thank you for the offer" she smiled. "I have a lawyer who is working quietly behind the scenes so not to ruffle feathers."

Kyle returned the smile. "Of course. If there is anything I xan do to help you and your niece, please let me know."

The waiter finally brought their food and after placing their plates down, he smiled and left them to enjoy their food.

"So," Kyle began. "What more would you like to know about me?"

"Do you have any family?" Samaire asked curiously

Kyle grew quiet. He then shook his head sadly. "No," his voice was quiet. "I was engaged once, as I said. But she was killed in battle, protecting a group of children."

"So no siblings?" Samaire asked softly.

This question made him smile. "Sorry," he blushed, skightly embarassed by his stupidity. "Yes, I do. Three actually. There's Nicholas, my identical twin brother, though I'm a few minutes older." He chuckled softly. "He's in Starfleet Intel, does a lot of hush hush missions, if you get my meaning."

"I do" Samaire nodded with a smile.

"Then there's Liam, our younger brother. He's a sergeant in the Starfleet Marines. He's currently stationed at Camp Falkirk. We don't see him much but, he seems happy out there on the frontier."

"As long as you love what you do, it does not matter where you are." Sam replied with a smile.

"And then there's the baby, Alexandria. Tougher and smarter than all of three of us combined." He chuckled at that. "She's currently studying at Oxford, in her senior year. She's studying to become an ambassador. Mark my words, in about ten years, I wouldn't be surprised if she was elected President of the whole UFP." He laughed softly. It was clear that he was very proud of each of his siblings.

"You are very lucky with your siblings, and they are lucky in their brother."

Kyle grinned happily. "Yeah, we are a pretty lucky group of goofballs. Whenever we get together, Nick and I are always trying to get the drop on the other, through some prank or another."

Sam grinned at that "I bet it would be fun to watch"

Smiling and giggling slightly, Kyle replied. "Yeah, last time, I got him good. I reprogrammed his PADD to blast the Overture of 1812 two hours after he fell asleep. took him three days to fix the issue." Kyle was smiling like a cheshire cat as he relived the memory.

"And his revenge?"

Kyle shrugged. "Dunno. He hasn't extracted it yet." He chuckled good-humoredly.

"Sounds ominous. I shall monitor incoming personnel just in case." Sam smirked.

Kyle nodded and chuckled. "I appreciate that. Nico can be pretty devious when he puts his mind to it." He paused a beat and then asked, "What about you? Aside from your niece, any other family that doesnt think you're out to take from them?"

"Not that we have found" Samaire gave a shrug. "But Skylah and I are fine with that. We know we cannot go back, and are looking forward."

Kyle nodded sadly. It must be rough, being without familial support. "Well, should you or Skylah ever need a friend or a soft place to land, I hope I could be of service."

Samaire inclined her head at him. "Thank you for the offer." she was honest in her reply.

= hour or so later=

They walked side by side along the promenade and Samaire looked around as they did so. She was not sure what was going on but she knew what she felt She paused by a bench "Kyle?" she said calmly.

"Hmm?" He asked as he looked down at her. Tonight had been a wonderful evening. The dinner had been delicioys, the company and dialog had been interesting and invigoration. Samaire was a lovely young woman.

And yet....something just wasn't causing the zing to shoot down his spine, as it had with Elizabeth.

She held out her hand "Friends?" she asked with a smile. It was not one filled with desire or lust.

Looking down at her extended hand, he chuckled and smiled warmly. "Definitely." He gently grasped her hand. After he shook it gently, he released it and sat down on the bench they were near. "You didn't feel the zing either, did you?" He asked, a soft grin on his face.

"No, I didn't." She grinned back at him. "I think friends is best."She sat beside him.

Nodding sagely, Kyle sat back. "Well, at least it's mutual." He smiled softly. "Glad we can be friends though. You do seem like a very intriguing young woman, Sam."

"And you an intriguing gentleman. I am sure somewhere on this ship, is a lady who will make you feel the zing."

Smiling hopefully, Kyle shrugged. We shall see, I guess." He turned his head and looked at Samaire. "I am glad we met, all the same. It's nice to have a new friend."

"Indeed" She replied. She glanced at a nearby chrono. "And with that said friend, I need to go. The babysitter is going to need to get home" she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for Dinner Kyle."

Kyle smiled warmly and nodded. "Anytime. And remember, I meant what I said. You or Skylah ever need anything, call me."

"Same goes" Samaire stood shot him another smile and headed off towards the nearest turbolift.

Kyle watched her leave, a soft smile on his lips. He stayed on the bench for a little while longer, then stood and headed back to his quarters.

OFF