It Could Have Been An Email

Posted on Sat Feb 25th, 2023 @ 4:52am by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Lieutenant Sovas Nyseth
Edited on on Sat Feb 25th, 2023 @ 4:52am

Mission: In-Between (S1:E4-S1:E5)
Location: After 11
Timeline: Mission Day 1 at 1915
4074 words - 8.1 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Sovas had been keeping to himself mostly since the escape from the living nebula. There was a part of him that marveled at the complexity of life in the universe, though the did not conquer it, they had escaped. Survived. That was the important part.

Survival.

Survival.

That had been what was on his mind as of late and he'd been keeping to himself since their visit to the pleasure planet and getting fitted with his monitor. He been trying to find things to keep himself distracted from his passenger. He'd already organized everything in Ops and triple checked the manifest. He was also wrestling with hearing his memories instead of just having them brought back in flashes, it wasn't all the time but he was trying to find different ways to deal with this new occurrence. So it was that he'd decided to check in with Lieutenant Cassiel on the red matter weapons. He'd already checked at her office and he was firmly informed she wasn't there, so he'd brought himself to the lounge as that was where the computer indicated she was.

Lyra was sitting at one of the larger tables in the lounge surrounded by a number of security personnel. About half of them were out of uniform and the other half were still in uniform, though jackets had been unbuttoned or doffed completely in the name of comfort. Drinks were in front of each individual and in the middle of the table were several plates that were being picked at by the group. Lyra herself was one of the ones sitting in an unbuttoned uniform jacket. She had spent her time sparring with Brasken earlier and had put her uniform back on to attend this little meeting - it seemed to go over better in an "after work unwinding" capacity. She was currently the center of attention and seemed to be telling some sort of story Sovas wouldn’t be able to tell what it was, but after a moment the table erupted into laughter.

There was no particular joy in this for her, but one wouldn’t be able to tell by her grinning face and sparkling eyes. She seemed to be having fun with her people. Ever since she had offed Christoph and now that most were more comfortable with her, she had been trying to make a point to make the effort to be social with those in her direct line of command. So far, it had been very well received and had only served to make them more loyal to her which in the end was the goal.

She was surrounded by her subordinates,each of the watching her with muted, restrained lust. Especially from the men who saw a powerful woman as a challenge. A prize to be won. A peak to be conquered.

Though they were all mindful of whom she was with. Andrei wasn't a man to be trifled with and he was known for his willingness to engage in violence, especially over what he saw as his and Lyra was most certainly his given that they were the top gossip on the ship.

"A toast!" One of the armory officers cheered loudly as he poured them all fresh glasses of tequila. "A toast to the chief, hottest damn thing next to a blazing star "

"Fuentes you're a fucking idiot." Lyra shot back with ease but still took the shot of tequila. She was drinking slowly and carefully. She wasn't herself when she was drunk and at this point in her life, the only one who got to see her drunk was Andrei for reasons that had been very obvious to him - and very fun for him. She listened to the laughter of the men (and one other woman) in the group around at her response to his toast, but they all drank anyways. It was all in good fun.

"Eh, you only live once, chica." He laughed after downing his glass, pouring a little more for himself. "It's meant as genuine appreciation; if we can't appreciate the finer things, then we're no better than animals."

Another man, Sergio, shook his head and punched Fuentes in the shoulder. "Jesus, Fuentes, you are so full of shit sometimes man." He swiped the bottle before looking up as Sovas approached.

"Lieutenant Cassiel." The half-Vulcan greeted, nodding to the others at the table.

Lyra's head turned toward Sovas and her brows raised slightly. Her expression didn't betray any feeling toward Sovas outside of mild surprise at him being there. She did notice how tame he was around her now, and that fact did amuse her. She wondered if it was because of her threat about taking his eyes, Andrei's protectiveness toward her, or some combination of both.

"Lieutenant Nyseth, good evening." She greeted but didn't question him. His presence was ruining the mood of the table though.

"Either sit and drink or suck vape," The woman, Tonaa, growled from her place at the table as she looked up at Sovas; half her head was shaved while the rest of her dark brown hair was worn long on the sides while her pale gray cybernetic implants focused on the Vulcan. She wasn't the most personable of the group with those outside of security, and there were rumors about how she'd ended up with her implants, but no one ever asked her, and she ever gave an answer even if she was asked.

Sovas ignored the growling of the woman before he looked down and inspected the bottle before picking up one of the empty glass and pouring himself enough to wet his whistle. He downed it with no complaints before turning his attention back to Lyra. "I thought we might discuss something more explosive than your team's attitudes."

"You fucking mutt." Tonaa hissed as Fuentes reached out to keep her in her seat.

"Hey, Tonaa, was he talking to you?" Lyra challenged the other woman, turning her own cold, dark gaze onto Celeste.

"I..." The woman frowned, she didn't want to cross Lyra. Not after what she'd heard she'd done with Christoph but bit her tongue instead as she downed her drink.

"No ma'am."

"Yeah, didn't think so. Take a walk, you're obviously in a mood and you're ruining our mood." Lyra dismissed her with a wave of her hand and once Tonaa left, she looked to Sovas and indicated the woman's chair. "Seat just opened up, care to join us? Or were you hoping for a private audience?"

"Depends," He slid into the vacated seat, picked up one of the empty glasses, and poured himself some tequila, holding up a hand to get a waiter to order some lime and chili. He turned his attention back to Lyra but still didn't smile while considering his words carefully. "Are you comfortable discussing red matter with your team?"

"I suppose that depends on what you are wanting to discuss exactly." She shrugged slightly and settled her eyes on him while the table began to pick up their own discussions to each other and largely ignored Sovas since he was speaking to Lyra.

"I thought we might discuss the red matter and what the plan for it might be in the future since we've already field-tested it to make our escape from the living nebula," He paused as the waiter brought the lime and chili to him, adding a splash of it to his drink and swirled it before finally taking a drink. "Its always good to stay informed in Operations."

"The plan is whatever the captain decides, Sovas. I just made the weapons, I don't get to decide when to use them." Sadly. She took a drink out of the glass of water in front of her and then settled her dark gaze on him, searching him for the intent behind his questions.

Sovas nodded and sipped his drink again as she watched him, seeming to ferret him out. "I'm more concerned with their storage, what's going to happen with volatile devices if they aren't ever used, as outlandish as that might be, its still a possibility I like to plan for."

“Gods.” Lyra rolled her eyes slightly and stood suddenly. “Sorry, boys and girls, the adults have to go and have a chat. Behave yourselves.”

Sovas finished his drink, standing to let Lyra lead the way since he was curious what this discussion might yield in private.

"You know we will chief, we always behave." Fuentes replied back with a chuckle before pouring some more drinks.

Without any further thought to her officers, she grabbed her water from the table and moved with Sovas over to one of the open two top tables. She sat down without pomp, wearing the casual face and attitude she had perfected as Madeline. It was still useful to her after all, people loved a noble willing to get down on the level of the common people while still being able to rise above them in any situation.

“Do you even know how my weapons work, Sovas?”

"As a practical application? No. From a technical perspective, I can make conclusions off the equipment and their applications," He took a seat across from Lyra, ordering another tequila with lime and chili.

"I could ramble off the equipment specs, but from watching and reviewing the sensor readings - scant as they were - points to the creation of a singularity, which given the concept of addition and subtraction, would lead me to speculate that you could create as big or small of a reaction that you wanted."

He waited as his drink was delivered before continuing. "Granted that's a very layman's understanding I'm sure but I've had a little time on my hands to study."

“Yes, now with everything you know about red matter, do you think I leave loaded red matter torpedos just… sitting around waiting to be used?” She asked and quirked a brow at him, though didn’t let him try to save face. “Of course I don’t. The torpedos are set up with everything necessary except the red matter and it is only on their use that it is loaded into the weapons themselves. This isn’t like a photon, Sovas, they require thought and planning to use. We don’t just fire them into the abyss for fun. As long as you are storing the red matter properly, there’s no need to concern yourself with the storage of the torpedos anymore than you would be concerned with the warheads we came out here with.”

"Hence why I wanted to speak with you about them; it's always important to take one's surviv-." He caught himself before saying the word survival, taking a drink to hide the slip-up hopefully.

"It's important to be well informed about any potentially hazardous materials being transported, and while the safety of the red matter is your concern, transport is mine."

"And you are doing a fantastic job of transporting it, Sovas. I hope I've cleared things up for you now?" She asked and quirked a brow at him. Too bad for that revolting Vulcan blood in him, he'd have been quite handsome otherwise.

"I suppose so." He replied dryly while sipping on more of his drink, now that his pretense of gathering information was gone, he didn't really know what to do. The half-Vulcan was trying not to start at Lyra, not because of her threat, but because he didn't want to encourage his passenger with anything. Though his eyes did drift back to her and she truly was a singular woman, certainly the kind of woman that would have every man of any blood competing for her attentions and every man of noble birth competing for her hand and the power that would come with her family name.

"You suppose so?" Lyra waved one of the waiters over to get herself an actual drink to nurse. She wouldn't be going back for more shots with her men. They were being extra obnoxious tonight, and she supposed in the end part of her was actually somewhat grateful Sovas had shown up and given her a good excuse to leave them.

"Yes, I suppose given that we haven't had any containment breaches and the one time it was deployed there were no hiccups with retrieval." He pointed out gently, his attention being drawn to the table of security officer as they started chanting before downing shots.

"Rowdy bunch."

"Children usually are." Lyra replied calmly despite the fact that the vast majority of the officers under her command were older than her. She didn't care and if the others did, they were - for the moment - intelligent enough to say nothing. She had taken hold of the reins in security quite easily and brought the department back to order in quick time. She would see them to excellence.

Sovas quirked brow at her statement but didn't make a comment beyond that as he sipped his drink. "It also seems that you've at least corralled the infamous Andrei Petrov quite handily as well, a major upset for those leaning on Commander Petrov's past behavior."

At this statement, Lyra managed to keep the annoyance off of her face. She was well aware of the lamentations of Andrei's former toys and she was quite tired of this narrative that she had somehow corralled, coerced, or lured him into their relationship. It would only serve to hurt them in the long run if it didn't stop soon.

"Is that what you've heard? That I've 'corralled' him?"

"That is what the rumor mill is running with, yes." He confirmed for her while another drink and a glass of water were brought out for him. "Though I think corralled is a word that's going to cause more trouble for the people who use it freely than they think it will, I like to think you've both found someone who compliments the other,"

"Matching set, if you want to use a euphemism."

“I had no idea my personal life was such a hot topic on this ship.” Lyra mused dryly. It was a lie of course, she wasn’t stupid. Her relationship with Andrei was still the favorite topic of the rumor mill. It hadn’t even been a month yet, and for just a moment she let herself chew on that fact. Not even a month since she had ended Christoph, not even a month since shedding her identity as Madeline… not even a month with Andrei but they had become so interwoven over the last few weeks that it seemed like they had been together much longer.

Perhaps some people really were just made to be together.

"That I seriously doubt." He countered gently while sipping his drink. "You don't strike me as the type who goes about the day ignorant to the goings on around them."

“Aren’t you a smart cookie.” Lyra smirked and rolled her half empty glass around on its bottom edge. “Truthfully, mostly I find it strange how many people find it surprising. Boys usually grow up eventually, and given my rank and status, we are a natural match.”

"Boys do eventually grow up, though children of power are rarely afforded the opportunity for such growth unless circumstance forces it upon them." He replied, watching her and trying to get a feel for the woman.

"Rank and status are societal expectations placed on you both; even when you try to be discreet, it's evident that there is chemistry between the two if you that is rarely found in such superficial unions."

"In the end I suppose the question is if we are quite ready to grow up or not." She smirked and lifted her glass. "I'm surprised you have such an interest though, Sovas. Is that little thing in your head jealous of Andrei?"

"I," He stopped and wondered why he was so interested in the situation between Andrei, was it because of the guest in his head? He resisted the urge to furrow his brow.

Lyra was a gorgeous woman, any man with blood in their veins would wonder what it'd be like to bed her. Sovas included, but he at least wanted to respect the bond Andrei and Lyra had.

Not to mention Andrei's possessiveness over what he saw as his.

"I honestly don't know how to exactly answer that," He admitted, this thing was a mystery as it seemed to enjoy experiencing sensations through him. "I like to stay informed on what's going on the ship, since it's important to be able to anticipate the needs of the crew ahead of time."

"So shall I count on you to keep stock of fresh ice cream for me in case he breaks my heart?" She challenged with an amused smile, though her icy dark eyes continued to search him.

"Might be a little more challenging given our circumstances, but if that's what you'd need or want." He smirked a bit at her challenge, he liked his position in Operations, the challenge of making sure that everything was kept running smoothly and with needs anticipated.

"Though he'd be an idiot if he was to do that to you."

Lyra didn’t answer that. She simply lifted her brows. He would have been an idiot to do it, but the question would simply be if Andrei was still a boy chasing skirts and playing women against each other, or if he was ready to be a man and turn his attention to true power.

"How are you finding working with his former mistress?" She finally asked.

"She's found her rhythm in Ops, handles her duties with no reason for complaint, though she's far from satisfied with her current position," Sovas shared and shrugged before taking a sip of his drink. "Though given the loss of her previous position, I'm sure there's bound to be some longing for the easy life."

"I'm sure once she adjusts to the new reality she will move on and perhaps you can have your own little pet." Lyra pointed out, a brow lifting as she watched for his reaction to that prospect.

"I'm sure, sooner rather than later since its best to not let such things fester." Sovas answered and pondered the implication of picking up Andrei's castoffs, then again it wasn't like that could be avoided given his past behavior. Though he wasn't sure he was keen on the idea of having his own bed bunny at his beck and call, definitely not at the moment. "I feel like there'd be more than a few caveats involved there."

Lyra just gave a knowing but all the same amused chuckle. Despite her being cast off, people were still afraid of Andrei. How sad for Eritrea. Though in the back of her mind she did find herself wondering how possessive he would still be over those he had forsaken in favor of her. She hoped she wouldn’t have to find out.

"It's like we are in the jungle, everything is calm, the apex predator is sated and that allows the other creatures, both prey and other predators, a moment to explore, see if the change is here to stay as everything finds its equilibrium again." Sovas offered up in a philosophical way.

This time Lyra couldn’t help but laugh at that. Andrei would have laughed too, but he also would have been quite pleased to know that Sovas viewed him as the proverbial apex predator and king of their little jungle. How easily just a little bit of fear could control others.

“And which are you, Sovas?”

"Predator, but oftentimes it's merely a matter of circumstances that determine if you are predator or prey." He smirked, sipping his water before letting out a deep breath.

"And you? Which are you?"

“If you have to ask that, then you haven’t been paying attention.” The mirth that had been displayed on her face grew darker, dangerous, more sadistic than it had been. Everyone was so focused on Andrei still, that she could walk in his shadow unnoticed, it was a good position but not without its risks. She was choosing to have faith in him though; to trust that he was ready for the next part of his life’s journey.

"Others perceptions differ from the truth we carry." He quoted a philosopher he couldn't remember the name of but it had been one that his father had used ad nauseam.

"Though honestly, I think you'd play the prey to let you get the drop and make the kill."

“You really haven’t been paying attention.” She chuckled again, this one darker, verging on mocking but not quite. “But the question is… is it you, or your little friend?” She tapped the side of her head with her finger.

Sovas chose not to answer that since he wasn't certain himself since he'd experienced moments of missing time with no memory of what had happened during it but there didn't seem to be any records or any overnight guests or anyone approaching him about a mystery evening spent with them. "So where will you go from here?"

“From here? Probably back to my boyfriend’s quarters to get railed just how I like it.” Lyra knew that wasn’t what he was asking, but that was the answer she was giving and she watched for his reaction. While he was no longer blatantly staring at her like a piece of meat… he still liked to look.

Sovas remembered the last time he'd blatantly stared at her like a piece of meat.

A prime, choicest cut piece, but a piece of meat all the same.

He finally let a smirk form on his lips as he looked back at her. "One of the benefits of having a significant other is being able to be railed on the nightly just how you want it,"

Was it what he wanted to say or ask? Probably not but it was the wisest and he did already have imaginings of what it might be like to be the one railing her just how she wanted. Even if it was his own silent fantasy.

“Oh yes, it is. Sometimes more than nightly.” Lyra smirked knowingly and finished her drink. It really was one of their most favorite pastimes after all. “There’s something wonderful in having someone you are truly connected to delighting all of your fantasies for you.”

Sovas smirked and couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her statement and he certainly couldn't argue that with that sentiment and a part of him was more than a little curious about what they did get up to inside of the bedroom and if he was being honest.

"It sounds truly fulfilling and deeply satisfying, so few people find such a connection or are able to build one."

“It also keeps one from falling into bed with the wrong person.” Her statement was mildly more pointed and her dark eyes flicked to him briefly, then she looked away.

“Was there anything else you wanted, Sovas? Or did you really come find me just so I could tell you something you could have easily looked up on your own?”

"No, just wanting to touch base; I'll take my leave so you can get back to Andrei; I hope you have a good evening." Sovas finished his water before excusing himself from the table and leaving Lyra alone. He was still cautious about his thoughts and let them wander since he didn't trust his mind even to let them off the leash. The conversation had been pleasant enough even though he got the sense that she wasn't putting more into it than she needed; then again, they hadn't exactly been discussing deep philosophical conundrums.

Though he couldn't deny that his blood had gotten a bit heated considering the topic of discussion and her forthrightness about things as his mind did wander a bit to what it might be like to bed Lyra. A fantasy that would never come true and something best left in the bin to be discarded. Honestly, he'd only been trusting his hand to keep himself company, so maybe it wouldn’t be discarded too hastily. Still, he'd gone out and socialized, and it had yet to end in a total disaster.

END