Bearing Gifts

Posted on Thu Jul 7th, 2022 @ 10:16pm by Lieutenant Commander Yana Petrova

Mission: In-Between (S1:E2-S1:E3)
Location: Alexandria II, Vengeance Shuttlebay
Timeline: Mission Day 22 at 1130
1628 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Following her first senior staff briefing as a newly minted soldier of the Imperial Starfleet, Yana met with the two officers who were now to serve permanently on the Kazon Predators as their commanders. The meeting had been fruitful if not a bit strange for her. While she had acquired many of the skills necessary to perform at a high level in her job, she hadn't been to the Academy, nor had she lived the military life. This would be a stark adjustment for her, as being an Imperial Lady had its differences. But there was also a certain perspective she brought which seldom existed in Starfleet: the personal touch. She was used to being the officers wife, so she intended to bring that experience with her.

She entered the shuttlebay with purpose, wearing the female version of the Terran uniform, gloves and all. in her hands she carried a rather large container which she struggled to carry. Walking up to the outside hatch of the Alexandria II, she knocked with her free hand.

Micheal was currently on his back, waist-deep, inside the forward control console, replacing a few of the shorted out wiring harnesses that he had had to juryrig, before having access to an industrial replicator. Now that they were members of the Vengeance crew, he was going to take full advantage of the services available to them.

Hearing the knocking. He called out. "Babe! Would you get that? I'm a bit caught up in here at the moment!"

Kaleigh had been simply spending time on the shuttle so she put down the PADD she had been carrying and moved to the hatch. A check on the outside camera had her calling out "Rebecca, inform Micheal that it is Lady Petrova." And then she opened the hatch. She had been about to say 'MyLady' but seeing the uniform, she said "Ma'am" With a polite smile. She didn't ask if she wanted to come in, simply stepping to the side. "Please come in." She was glad the shuttle was neat and clean inside.

"Thank you, Kaleigh. You're so kind." Yana said with a grin as she stepped the rest of the way up the ramp and passed Kaleigh, struggling a bit with the basket she was carrying. She placed it on the table in the common area and then turned around to face the other woman. "I hope you three haven't eaten lunch yet? I've been meaning to come and check in on you but there hasn't been much time until now. I brought lunch...if you'd like?"

"That would be lovely Ma'am, as no we haven't. We are just finishing up putting the shuttle to rights before we move into guest quarters." Kaleigh said with the proper reverence. She may not have been raised among the upper echelons but her training at the Academy had taught her the right way to do things.

As Kaleigh and Yana started to enter the shuttle, Micheal was quickly trying to extricate himself from inside the crawlspace. In his rush, he banged the right side of his head, letting out a single curse as he felt a cut form on his forehead.

"As clumsy as I remember..." Yana said, looking at Micheal with a smile. No doubt, it would be a surprise for him to see her in a uniform.

Micheal stepped into the dining area, holding his head with his right hand, blood already trickling down the side of his face. "Yana?" He replied, surprised by hearing her voice. He then stopped cold and gave her an odd look when he saw her wearing a fleet uniform. "Uh...how long was I inside that console?"

Kae sighed and grabbed the medkit and a cloth. "Here" she said to him, "put this against while I get the regenerator prepped."

"Thank you, my love." He took his hand away from the wound, showing that, while not life-threatening, was a nasty little gash. He quickly placed the cloth upon the wound and pressed it against his head.

Kae deftly sealed the wound and wiped up the blood.

"Thank you," he repeated himself as Kaleigh finished, smiling as he looked into her beautiful face.

Yana watched them interact with a smile on her face. They seemed to really care for each other.

"You two are so in love...how beautiful." she said, and then placed a hand on Micheal's shoulder. "I'm so happy for you both."

She removed her hand and stepped toward the table again. Pressing a key, she opened the box to the spread she had prepared. Inside were two white boxes and a series of non-descript bags.

"Pizza and potato chips." Yana said, looking to them and grinning. "I bet its been quite a long time since you had that, hmm Daphne?"

Daphne shook her head and stared at the food.

Micheal smiled as he looked over at Daphne's reaction to the food. "Actually, Yana, I don't think she has ever heard of pizza. Let alone your famous pizza!" He chuckled softly, remembering that pizza was something that Yana enjoyed making herself.

“We’ll then, we get to amaze her.” Yana said, grinning at the little girl. “I’m about to change your life.”

Daphne gave Yana a bright happy smile. "Which one is your favorite Mrs Petrova?" She asked her manners very on point.

"Well I think mushrooms are the best, but I doubt you'll think so." Yana said, sitting down at the table and looking at the rest of them. She would wait until they were settled and then she would pose her official question. For now, it was pleasantries. "Have the pair of you started moving in to your quarters or are you still very much comfortable here?"

"We have started moving in" Kaleigh said softly. "And we should be in there tonight, its just this has been home for a bit for us, we are just taking our time."

"Well, it will still be our home," Micheal spoke up. "Of course, while on the Vengeance, we will use the quarters that have provided."

"Of course. I don't mean to pressure you," Yana said, pulling a slice of pizza onto her plate, "it's just important for me to understand your priorities, considering. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm in uniform."

Micheal chuckled softly. "You really think I didn't notice?" He shook his head ruefully. "I'm am so looking forward to hearing this story."

Daphne sat politely eating what Kaleigh and Yana had placed before her.

"With the addition of Klandell and Lovarr, the Captain has decided to christen the 'Shadow Fleet' and to commission me at the rank of Lieutenant Commander to serve as Deputy Commander of the Fleet." She paused, looking up at them with a demure expression. "Why Ivan thinks I'm the right woman for the job is beyond me. But, whatever his reasons may be, I have a job to fill out and manage the fleet. This brings me to the topic of Micheal Robertson and the Alexandria II."

Yana took a bite of the pizza and chewed, a look of neutral acceptance flowing over he face. It wasn't clear if she even liked pizza, but she looked up at them and smiled nonetheless.

"I want you to serve as fleet scout and, ideally, to accept an officer's commission at the rank of Lieutenant JG."

Micheal stopped eating and looked over at her. "A provisional rank...or is Ivan granting me a field commission?"

“The Captain hasn’t been bothering with provisionals. He is the military authority in the quadrant, so he is handing out commissions.” Yana said, looking rather pleased at that. Her role in all of this was unsung, but her high rank and sudden extreme bump in status might suggest to some that she was heavily involved.

Micheal looked over at Kaleigh briefly, then back at Yana. "I would be more than happy to act as the scout. However, if I'm being offered a rank again, respectfully, I would prefer my former rank of Warrant Officer Three. I worked very hard to get there, with the goal of becoming a Chief Warrant Officer."

“Consider it done.” Yana said, then popped a chip in her mouth and chewed. “Of course, your shuttle can stay docked here when it isn’t in use and will, of course, remain your private property. You will report to me in all matters of military and personnel. I’ll make sure you are consulted before decisions concerning the resources of your ship are discussed…to keep things continually cordial.”

Micheal looked from Yana, to his wife and their daughter, smiling softly at them both. It was clear to any outside observer that he loved them both dearly.

Kae watched the pair talk. She knew that keeping things cordial was key.

Looking back to Yana, Micheal finally nodded. "Very well, Yana. I think we have an accord." He paused slightly, a grin forming at the corners of his mouth. "Guess this means that I now have to refer to you as Ma'am."

Yana’s smile intensified, a certain unreadable quality growing in them. They had know each other for years. Yana was kind and always interested in the details of his life, but always seemed to play hers closer to the chest. She was private that way, it seemed, and too humble to really want to talk about herself at length.

“I guess so, especially in front of the troops.” She said, winking at him. “This is all very new for me.”

Kae smiled and slowly relaxed. Maybe they would be able to make this work after all....

The group continued enjoying their meal, as they started to speak about topics other than military service.

~OFF~