New tech and maybe new love?

Posted on Wed Jun 10th, 2020 @ 8:58am by
Edited on on Wed Jun 10th, 2020 @ 9:07am

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Engineering, all around the ship
1532 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Tallia, with nothing really to do in medical during this point in the mission, had decided to slide down into engineering and have a look at the new wonder drive. She wondered if she would run into Kara, or if Kara would be home enjoying her fiance and child, she knew what she would be doing if it was her. At first she didn't see anyone, which surprised her, you'd have thought a piece of new tech like that would have an Avengers movie line to see it.

Smith was working on a terminal, the chief was still on the bridge, when he saw a lieutenant...an attractive lieutenant, from medical enter main engineering. He wondered if someone got hurt, but no one informed him of any accident. So he walked over. "Can I help you, lieutenant.....?'

"Uh, yeah, hi." Tallia answered, noticing she was across the way from an engineering Lieutenant, probably one of the higher officers in the department these days, "I was just wondering if it was possible to see the QSD? I mean, if it's not, cool, I understand, but if I can, I would love to."

"No a problem, follow me." Smith led her towards the QSD. I'm Carter Smith." They entered the secured room that held the QSD.

"Oh, this is amazing." Tallia said breathlessly, letting her hair out of it's bun to fall on her shoulders like a black, silk sheet, "So that's how we got to DS9 in under fifteen minutes, huh?"

Smith noticed that she let her hair down. "Yep, this is the beauty that got us here in 15 minutes. Quite a piece of work, isn't it?" He was surprised that he was able to speak to her, a stranger, but something about her made him comfortable.

"It's an amazing piece of technology." Tallia said with an impressed whistle, "My best friend's dad, basically my second dad, he's an Admiral at Utopia Planetia, he used to love to take us all to see the new things they were working on, once they were able to be seen by civilians."

"What admiral was that?"

"That would be Rear Admiral Jacob Brett, though back then he was a Commander." Tallia remembered, "We'd beam up to bring him lunch and he'd find something cool to show us. Great times."

"I've heard about the admiral. Seems everyone always had something nice to say about him." He looked at her. He was trying to get his nerves up to ask if she wanted to go to the mess for a cup of coffee, but she probably has something to do already....anyway, she's probably dating someone on the ship, so he'd probably wouldn't have a chance with someone like her. "Is there anything else you'd like to know about the engine?"

"Yeah, when are we going to be doing this again?" Tallia asked with a smile, she wanted to see it from the bridge next time.

"I assume when ever we get to the Gamma Quadrant. The new drive takes a lot of power, so it shouldn't be used very often, otherwise, we could get stranded, far from home." He answered with a smile.

"Yeah, I can live without being Janewayed." Tallia said, laughing while she shuddered at the thought, "I do not want to go through that."

Carter responded. "I think being stranded so far from home would be exciting. Meeting unheard of alien species. Getting to know your crewmates better....maybe even falling in love with an alien you just met."

"Ugh! Perish the thought!" Tallia groaned, she'd had enough heartbreak with falling in love with her best friend, much less falling in love with some unknown species from a far flung galaxy, "Be my luck I'd either get rejected or get some weird alien STD."

"I don't think anyone would reject you." Once he said it, he wanted to take it back. So unlike him to say something like that.

Tallia giggled, he was sweet, though she'd never even considered the company of a man, or anyone not Anje for that matter, "Get to know me, you'll understand."

"I'd like to get to know you." he blurted out, without thinking about what she would said or even think about the suggestion.

"Okay." Tallia smiled, flipping her hair and laughing, "But don't say you weren't warned."

"I'm going off duty. Would you like to get some coffee in the lounge?" Smith asked.

"You can get some coffee, I'm a tea drinker, but I'll be glad to keep you company." Tallia replied with a smile, "Let's go."

Carter walked with her out of engineering. "I don't drink coffee...I'm a tea drinker also." He liked the way she smiled.

"For some reason people have always thought Doctors love coffee." Tallia laughed, "Dr. Sthilg does, makes some stuff strong enough to power a shuttle, but I've never been a big fan."

They entered the lounge, and headed towards an empty table. When they arrived, he pulled her seat out for her, and waited until she sat to help push the chair forward.

Tallia sat and smiled as he pushed her chair in, ~Hope he doesn't hurt his back pushing my fat ass.~

When Carter sat, opposite her, he signaled a waiter, who came to the table. "What can I get you?" the waiter asked.
Carter looked at Tallia. "What would you like?"

"Hot Darjeeling tea, please." Tallia requested.

"I'll have a hot green tea, please." He watched the waiter leave. "So...tell me the story of Tallia Strode."

"Not much to tell, daughter of a doctor, grew up around Starfleet, entered Starfleet and became a doctor." Tallia laughed, realizing for the first time exactly how little there was to tell in her so called story.

"Married? Divorced? Any children?" He looked at her. "If these questions are too personal, please let me know."

"Nope. None of the above." Tallia shrugged, "Not even a cat."

"Don't like cats myself, always thought of myself as a dog person." He looked at her. "Anything you want to know about me?"

"What brought you here? How did you decide on engineering?" Tallia asked, "And what do you enjoy?"

"I've always been fascinated with how things work and I always liked to work with my hands. I got here because this ship needed an engineer, and I was able to get the posting." Carter leaned back. "I like to tinker with things, I like to read and I like having tea with attractive women."

Tallia blushed a little at his last line, though she had never considered herself all that attractive, "Thank you." She smiled, almost unsure what this guy was thinking, her, attractive?

Smith sipped his tea. "Was there any other part of engineering you wanted to see? I'd be glad to continue the tour."

"I really don't know." Tallia admitted sheepishly, "I haven't really kept up with the new technologies since we stopped going with Dad to the shipyards."

"Well then, we should start on one end and work our way through the ship....the grand tour."

"That sounds nice." Tallia said with a bright smile, as she drained her tea, "Let's go."

Carter stood, and walked over and was ready to pull her chair out when she stood. "We can start aft....the hanger bay...from there, cargo bays."

"The hangar bay?" Tallia raised an eyebrow, "We might run into Milla there, she's engaged to a fighter pilot."

Carter was puzzled. "Is there a reason you don't want to run into her?"

"Milla's like my little sister, I would love to run into her." Tallia laughed, "She's the sweetest, cutest thing ever. Seriously, she's like an angel or something. I love Milla."

"If you care for her that much, wouldn't you want to see her.....unless when you say you love her, you mean you love her." He looked at her. "You prefer women to men?"

"I do, though to be honest, it's mainly one particular woman I prefer to all other people alive." Tallia admitted sheepishly, "But she's got a perfect girlfriend who I can't compete with, as ever, so I'm pretty much struggling to find my way."

"I'm surprised. That this woman would choose someone over you. You're intelligent and beautful. I think she's getting the wrong part of the deal." He looked down at his feet. "If you want to postpone this tour, I would understand. I'm not exactly what women look for in a man."

"I wouldn't say that." Tallia giggled, though the unspoken truth was she didn't know what women looked for in a man, having never looked at one before, "Seem pretty good from here. And, no, no need to postpone, let's go."

Two hours later and Carter had escorted Tallia back to her quarters with a warm goodnight kiss, and she let herself into her room, leaned against the door and sighed, nobody had ever given her that much attention before, it felt great, she figured this is how Anje and Milla, especially Milla, felt all the time. She went and laid on her couch and turned on her viewer, wondering where this would all lead.