[Round 7] NPC's and Cmdr. Tel-ar

[Tal Tel-ar]

((Gym, 0239 hours Gamma shift, USS Challenger-A))

::Tal continued to hit, block, roll and kick at the automated attack drones. His pale blue skin glistened with sweat. His steel blue eyes were in constant motion as were his antenna.::

::Suddenly Tal spun and lashed out with a kick. He followed that up with an elbow strike to the drone that had slipped up behind him and then lunged forward to deliver a metal smashing punch that rendered another drone inert.::

::It lost power and dropped, collapsing into a pile of high tech junk. A couple seconds later the last unit joined it. Sparks exploding in a pyrotechnic shower before it to died.::

::Tal froze. Senses alert as he surveyed the area. Finally sure they were all disabled he stood and walked over towards where he had left a towel. As he did he could see a young human female standing not that far away. From her uniform she was an Ensign.::

::As he picked up his towel and was about to start wiping the sweat from his face Tal realized who she was. The gamma shift communications officer. If she was here then she must have a message for him.::

***********

((15 minutes earlier on the Bridge, 0224 hours))

::Ensign Kelly Bright yawned, then blinked her eyes. She had just joined the crew the day before and this was her first Gamma shift ever.::

Malik: Tired already? ::Asked the senior officer on the bridge from where he sat in the Captains chair.::

Bright: Sorry Lt. ::She replied as she turned to look back at him.:: I did not have much warning that I was going to be working the graveyard shift.

Malik: That’s Ok. It takes time to get use to it.

::Suddenly a couple lights started to blink on her panel and she turned back to see what was going on. It only took a second to see that a signal was coming in from the station.::

Bright: Incoming signal from DS-24 control.

Malik: Put it on the screen.

::She did as she was ordered and was surprised to see a purple skinned individual with bright orange spikes sticking up out of their head on the screen. Then she was really surprised when it spoke. The voice was deep, with a thrumming quality that forced her to concentrate to understand what was being said.::

Control: USS Challenger-A. All repairs have been completed. Resupply and crew replacements are all accounted for. You have permission to depart at your convenience.

Malik: Thank you. We appreciate the extra work needed to finish every thing this early.

Control: Yeah well thank your Captain for that.

Malik: I heard. Who would have thought he had it in him.

Control: Yeah well I lost over 200 credits. Never thought he would be able to beat the maintenance Chief like that.

Malik: How is he?

Control: Docs say he should be out of sickbay in a couple days.

Malik: Wish I’d been there. I heard it was something else.

Control: It was. Safe Voyage Challenger. DS-24 out.

::Just like that the signal was cut and the screen turned blank.::

Malik: Ensign Bright. Contact the Captain and let him know we can leave anytime he wants.

Bright: yes sir. ::She replied as she turned back to her station and started working the controls. As she had expected he was not wearing his comms badge. She started to open a channel to his quarters.:: Paging the Captain in his quarters.

Malik: NO! Heavens no. ::The watch officer exclaimed.::

::She reacted instantly and cancelled the command before the channel had been opened.::

Malik: Please tell me you did not page his quarters? ::He asked with a slight bit of desperation creeping through.::

Bright: No. I stopped before the channel was open. ::She said as she turned to look at the man behind her.::

Malik: Thank the gods. ::he replied, obviously relieved.::

Bright: Did I do something wrong?

Malik: No. The Captain is married to the Chief of Operations. They have 3 babies and the paging system always wakes them all up.

Bright: Oh… ::Suddenly she had a vision of her sister and the twins. She had spent a long night just before shipping out for this posting looking after them so that she and her husband could have a nice child free romantic night. It had been the worst night of her life.:: Sorry.

Malik: As long as you did not wake the kids it’s ok. ::He replied. Then seeing her confused look he decided to take pity on her.:: This time of the night you will find the Captain in the gym working out.

Bright: Ok. ::She started to stand, then glanced back at her comms station, unsure if she should page him or go down and deliver the message in person.::

Malik: You might as well go down and make sure he gets the message. Beside the walk with do you good. ::As he said it he had a slight smile on his face. His look seemed to say he had seen it all before.::

Bright: Understood Lt. ::With that she smiled back. Then she left the bridge.::

((Gym, 0238 hours))

::Kelly walked into the gym and was a little startled to hear strange clanging sounds coming from the back corner. Following the sounds she suddenly came to a full stop at the sight of a nearly naked blue skinned Andorian fighting a couple Rigellian hand to hand automated combat drones.::

::They were the same kind that they used at the Academy. Extremely adaptive and programmable with numerous combat styles and techniques. In fact the [...] things learned from each encounter. Still she had never seen anyone take on more than 2 at a time and they had all been wearing protective gear.::

::Not this guy. She winced as he punched one of them. That looked like it hurt a lot. He had dented the outer shell with his fist and suddenly the drone just dropped. Obviously damaged and out of the fight.::

::It was only then that she spotted the other drones lying inert on the training mat around him. Just then the last one collapsed in a shower of sparks that made her jump.::

::For a few seconds after that the man did not move. He looked almost like one of those statues she had seen in a museum as a kid. When he did move his athletic body had a startling grace that she would never have expected in someone as big as him as he finally stood and walked towards her.::

::It was only as he got closer that she realized just how big he was. Not just tall, but big. He had wide shoulders and a deep chest and if she had to guess she would have said he was 6’6”.::

::He was breathing almost normal yet covered in a thin sheen of perspiration. Yet it was his face that caught her attention the most. It seemed like it was carved from pale blue marble. Handsome in an aloof manner. Then he looked at her and she felt a tremor run through her. His eyes were steel gray. Hard and cold at the same time.::

Tel-ar: Can I help you Ensign? ::Tal asked as he started to dry off his face.::

Bright: Yes sir. ::She replied automatically. His voice was as hard and cold as his eyes.:: I’m looking for the Captain.

::Tal finished wiping off his face and dropped towel back down onto the bench before he answered.::

Tel-ar: That would be me Ensign.

::Kelly felt her face go beet red. He was the Captain. She just wanted to vanish, right here, right now. What a way to make a first impression, although she had to admit the impression he projected was something else again. It would be a long time before she could get the memory of this near naked man out of her thoughts.::

Bright: Sorry sir. DS-24 just informed us we could leave when ever you were ready.

Tel-ar: I see. :: Tal replied. Then he reached down and picked his comm. badge up off the bench, activating it as he did.:: =/\= Cmdr. Tel-ar to Lt. Malik =/\=

Malik: =/\= Malik here. Go ahead Captain. =/\=

Tel-ar: =/\= Release the docking clamps and engage the engines. As soon as we are far enough from the station to go to warp I want warp fact 7.9. =/\=

Malik: =/\= Understood sir. Will do. =/\=

Tel-ar: =/\= Proceed Lt. Tel-ar out. =/\= ::Finished he dropped the device onto the towel. When he looked up the young woman was still there staring at him.:: Was there anything else Ensign?

::Kelly blushed again when she realised she was still staring at him and he had caught her doing it.::

Bright: No sir. I better get back to the bridge. ::With that she turned and rushed off.::

::Tal watched her go. As she did a ghost of a smile drifted across his face. For a few moments it lightened his features, making then seem less stone like.::

::He could remember another human female who had blushed just as red the first time she had accidentally seen him naked. Now she was his wife. Strange how things work out he thought as he reached down grabbed the towel and his comms badge before heading off to shower.::

*************

NPC - Ensign Kelly Bright

Communications officer

&

NPC - Lt. Malik

Gamma shift bridge officer

simmed by

Cmdr. Tal Tel-ar

Acting Captain

USS Challenger-A