1 CHAPTER 1;
1.1 A FRESH NEW FACE
This was the second day in a row he had worked a double shift, and it was starting to get to him… if only a little. His eyes weren't serving him as well as they used to, and his motor functions were slowing. He had been asked by the Captain to take a day off, and he was doing just that.
Right after he finished these diagnostics.
His team would think him weird, walking around in a shirt and jeans in Engineering… but this place was more than just a job to him… it was more like part of his personal space, and all these people just had daily invitations.
He was running a diagnostic on t he warp core, and so far… his baby was looking just fine. She was running like clockwork.
"Sir?" came a voice from behind him, and he turned to face Crewman Elizabeth Matheson… a young attractive woman, about the age of twenty- three.
He grinned. "Hi. Can I help you, Crewman?"
He loved being a Commander sometimes.
"Um… I was just wondering what you were, um… oh, I know I wouldn't be able to do this!" She blushed, quite a lot. Her face was the shade of a cherry almost. Her pretty green eyes were alight with youth and curiousity. Her smile was infectious. Her short auburn hair was bobbing about her beautiful face ever so gracefully.
Why didn't I notice her before?
He leaned back against the section of warp core he had been analysing, careful not to press any buttons. "What are you trying to say?"
He couldn't help but smile at her sweet attempts to say something that was obviously giving her a lot of trouble.
She exhaled loudly, and stood up tall and straight. "I was wondering, Commander, if you were doing anything this evening. There… I said it."
He smiled his most charming smile, and replied. "No, Crewman… I believe I'm off-duty this evening. Did you have something in mind?"
She nodded. "I was thinking… we could have dinner together?"
Dinner in the mess hall with a young attractive crewman? He didn't see anything bad about that scenario. He hadn't had dinner with anyone besides the Captain in a long while… unless you counted one Vulcan woman… and he didn't.
"Well, shall we say, about nineteen-hundred?" she asked, cocking her head slightly to one side.
"Suits me perfectly."
She smiled. "Great. See you tonight then, sir."
He nodded. "See ya' later."
With that, she walked away from him, and back to her duties.
Why had he never looked at Matheson that way before? She was sweet, sincere, brave -apparently- and hard working. She was also a very attractive young woman.
He decided the diagnostics could wait a while.
He decided to get back to his quarters as soon as possible, and think about the night that he had just arranged.
He made his way towards the door, smiling quietly to himself as he did so.
Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker had something to look forward to.
Crewman Elizabeth Matheson walked back over to the station she had been working at, and sat down quietly, thinking to herself.
She had actually plucked up enough courage to do what she had been thinking of doing for nearly two weeks.
She had watched Commander Tucker walk around Engineering, looking so handsome, and had actually left it this long to ask him to dinner. How she had been able to resist him this long was an enigma, to even her… but she would have to leave thinking about that until later.
She was so wrapped up in thinking about her date that she didn't even see the large shadow come up behind her.
It grabbed her from behind before she could even scream.
No one even noticed.
1.1 A FRESH NEW FACE
This was the second day in a row he had worked a double shift, and it was starting to get to him… if only a little. His eyes weren't serving him as well as they used to, and his motor functions were slowing. He had been asked by the Captain to take a day off, and he was doing just that.
Right after he finished these diagnostics.
His team would think him weird, walking around in a shirt and jeans in Engineering… but this place was more than just a job to him… it was more like part of his personal space, and all these people just had daily invitations.
He was running a diagnostic on t he warp core, and so far… his baby was looking just fine. She was running like clockwork.
"Sir?" came a voice from behind him, and he turned to face Crewman Elizabeth Matheson… a young attractive woman, about the age of twenty- three.
He grinned. "Hi. Can I help you, Crewman?"
He loved being a Commander sometimes.
"Um… I was just wondering what you were, um… oh, I know I wouldn't be able to do this!" She blushed, quite a lot. Her face was the shade of a cherry almost. Her pretty green eyes were alight with youth and curiousity. Her smile was infectious. Her short auburn hair was bobbing about her beautiful face ever so gracefully.
Why didn't I notice her before?
He leaned back against the section of warp core he had been analysing, careful not to press any buttons. "What are you trying to say?"
He couldn't help but smile at her sweet attempts to say something that was obviously giving her a lot of trouble.
She exhaled loudly, and stood up tall and straight. "I was wondering, Commander, if you were doing anything this evening. There… I said it."
He smiled his most charming smile, and replied. "No, Crewman… I believe I'm off-duty this evening. Did you have something in mind?"
She nodded. "I was thinking… we could have dinner together?"
Dinner in the mess hall with a young attractive crewman? He didn't see anything bad about that scenario. He hadn't had dinner with anyone besides the Captain in a long while… unless you counted one Vulcan woman… and he didn't.
"Well, shall we say, about nineteen-hundred?" she asked, cocking her head slightly to one side.
"Suits me perfectly."
She smiled. "Great. See you tonight then, sir."
He nodded. "See ya' later."
With that, she walked away from him, and back to her duties.
Why had he never looked at Matheson that way before? She was sweet, sincere, brave -apparently- and hard working. She was also a very attractive young woman.
He decided the diagnostics could wait a while.
He decided to get back to his quarters as soon as possible, and think about the night that he had just arranged.
He made his way towards the door, smiling quietly to himself as he did so.
Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker had something to look forward to.
Crewman Elizabeth Matheson walked back over to the station she had been working at, and sat down quietly, thinking to herself.
She had actually plucked up enough courage to do what she had been thinking of doing for nearly two weeks.
She had watched Commander Tucker walk around Engineering, looking so handsome, and had actually left it this long to ask him to dinner. How she had been able to resist him this long was an enigma, to even her… but she would have to leave thinking about that until later.
She was so wrapped up in thinking about her date that she didn't even see the large shadow come up behind her.
It grabbed her from behind before she could even scream.
No one even noticed.