Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Captain’s Quarters - Side Sim

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Zef Rollo (Counselor) in Captain’s Quarters - Side Sim

Cochrane scowled and his jaw clenched. “Is albinism that uncommon that your very own people would sell you into slavery to the rich and powerful? Why not just pay for the genetic modification?” The question was logical… the tone was barely suppressed anger. Few things immediately set off Alex’s temper… the practice of slavery was two of those things.

Cochrane, CO

“Yes, I’ve read some of the history that befell your Azj’don ta. They make up less than six thousandths of a percent in your species numbers. The Azj’don ta on Baj make up around 1.5 thousandths of a percent. We are rare and during certain feasts, even venerated—because we are thought to bring good luck to our surroundings. But those with no ethics wouldn’t think twice about making a small fortune by kidnapping us.” The dark thoughts were messing with the pleasant buzz from the wine. In an attempt to keep it going, she emptied her glass.

“Its so strange…I never thought this disturbing part of our history would touch me…” Zef held out her glass for a refill. Everyone had bad memories. She knew that. As she gazed at Alex, she wondered what terrible things he kept hidden from everyone, afraid to admit to them because it might give someone else power they wouldn’t otherwise have had over him.

Alex poured some more wine in her glass and said “Any culture’s history has a bad habit of reaching through time to effect its people. Universal truth.”

As he filled her glass, Zef shook her head. “I never expected to talk about this with anyone on the ship. I’m not in danger or anything…I mean, maybe from Kalig, but it isn’t something that hangs over my head all the time.”

—Zef

He smed a wry smile as he topped off his glass and leaned back. “Nothing a few photon torpedoes wouldn’t solve.” and he looked at her and grinned wickedly, but with no small amount of humor.

Cochrane, CO

She smiled and bit her bottom lip. The wine was having the desired effect on her, making things soft around the edges and letting private thoughts slip though sober barricades. “Awwwww, would you do that for me? Would you blow my ex brother in law to smithereens so I don’t ever have to worry about him again?” The smile traveled to her eyes as she teased him.

—Zef

Alex tossed his head back and laughed. “Oh, I would do it for you and myself as well. No offense to your extended family… but your brother-in-law is a d$#k.” and he smiled as he took a drink.

Looking at Rollo, he said “I was just about to make myself something to eat. Want to join me? Not to brag, but I’m not at all a bad cook.”

Cochrane

“Mmm hmm.” Had she eaten lunch? Access to her brain was just foggy enough with the alcohol in her bloodstream, that she really had to think about it before remembering a cup of coffee had been all she’d had. “I actually skipped lunch today, so the wine is making itself known—but it feels really good.” She wasn’t drunk and her speech wasn’t slurred, but she felt very relaxed and quite happy to be in Alex’s living room.

“Is there something I can do to help?” Not much of a cook, herself, she could take direction and be the sous chef during preparation.

—Zef

Alex smiled and said “No, no. Just sit. But I am bringing you some water. Had I known you hadn’t eaten, I wouldn’t have cracked open quite as potent a vintage as that one.” and he winked at hwr as he stood up and made his way to the replicator and returned with a glass of water and some bread and loghtly-herbed butter.

“Here, put something in your stomach. It will help keep you comfortable.” and he went back to the kitchen and began cooking. Soon, the smell of cooking meat and onions and seasoning wafted through the room.

Cochrane, CO

Zef gave him a look that said ‘Really, I’m fine’ before he left for the kitchen. She took a few bites of the bread, but skipped the water. She was feeling really relaxed and all over good at the moment and didn’t want to lose the feelings of warmth and emotion that were near the surface instead of buried deep under layers of protocol. Instead, she swallowed a couple more mouthfuls of wine and then padded to the kitchen on bare feet.

Seeing Alex in a domestic role was oddly satisfying. Walking over to where he stirred some wondrous smelling concoction in a pan, she stood very close. “It smells heavenly, Alex.” It was the first time she’d used his given name, but the timing felt right. Her gaze shifted from the food to his profile. “I like seeing you like this. I like even more, that I’m the one you’re cooking for.” It was honest. It was truly what she felt, but the alcohol made her brave enough to say it out loud.

—Zef

Without taking his eyes off of the skillet, he smiled slightly and said “You might want to hold onto that opinion until after you eat. You never know, I could be the worst cook ever. I mean, an Engineer I worked with taught me a lot about cooking. That should scare not just because he was an Engineer, but he was a Bolian Engineer.” and he laughed. He stirred some more and then poured in some kind of white, thick liquid which made the herbal-onion-meat smell become a rich, decadent aroma.

Cochrane moved to the replicator and in a few seconds two plates of wide egg noodles appeared. He set them by the cook top and spooned the concoction from the pan over the noodles. He glanced at Zef and said “Ok. Have a seat. Dinner is served.” and he picked up the plates and headed back to the sitting area, setting the plates on the carved demonic-faced table.

Cochrane, CO

It smelled delicious—her stomach thought so too as it growled with appreciation. Zef followed him back into the living area and took her place on the couch once again. “Back home we have something like noodles, but they aren’t quite the same as yours.” She twisted her fork around in the plate, winding pasta and sauce onto it like an expert. When the first bite hit her tongue, Zef smiled, delighted with the blend of flavors. “Mmmmm yummy. I guess that Bolian knew what he was doing.”

For a few minutes, the only sounds were the two of them taking advantage of the meal. When her initial hunger was sated, Rollo set her fork down, exchanging it for the untouched glass of water. “What do you think? Should I inform Kalig that I won’t be joining him, or do you want to make more of a statement about mercenaries and pirating and such?”

—Zef

Alex finished his last bite and said “Well as this, at its core, is a legal dispute between two of your people, I will let you break the news to him. After that, he and I will have a discussion about proper hailing protocol… and some advice on how not pissing off the Captain of a Star Fleet vessel may be in his best interest going forward. Sound good to you?” he asked as he sat back and sipped his wine.

Cochrane, CO

“Sure, that sounds alright.” She took another bite of the noodles and chewed slowly, a thoughtful look on her face. Following the food with a sip of wine, Zef caught his gaze with her own. “Sooo…did you have anything in mind for…dessert?” As much as she tried to steer clear of any thought that included Alex and her in bed, naked and breathless, they just kept popping into her mind. She wanted him—that was the bottom line. He’d made it clear that he didn’t want a long term relationship, at least not with her, but that didn’t do anything to suppress her desires. She could handle a one night stand without getting clingy, and she could keep things professional when others were around. But here they were, unexpectedly alone in his quarters, relaxed and sharing dinner. And Zef found herself wanting to test the waters.

—Zef

Alex looked at her and certain realization came through his eyes as he said “Zef… you do remember that we discussed this, right?” and he took a drink and his eyes stayed on hers as he sipped and then leaned forward and set the glass on the table. “Look. You are an amazing woman; smart, strong… exceedingly beautiful…” he said with a slight grin, “… but as I said, I am not looking for something with anyone right now.” and his eyes flashed and he smiled broadly. “Besides… you do realize that you are a little drunk, don’t you?” and he chuckled. His tone was non-judgemental, no hint of awkwardness or discomfort. Indeed, there was a part of him enjoying seeing the normally reserved Counselor being so… comfortably open.

Cochrane

So, that wasn’t a ‘no’—at least not yet. Zef licked her lips and rose to her feet. If he rebuffed her, she would let it die for good, but right now there was still a chance. Walking over to where he sat, she knelt in front of him and sat back on her heels. “I do remember our conversation. It was about long term romantic involvement. But that’s not what I’m interested in now.” The corners of her lips turned up in a secret kind of smile.

“I don’t need promises of lasting love.” Her pale hands settled on his knees. “For whatever reason, I still find myself extremely attracted to you.” Now her hands slid forward, caressing his thighs lightly. “I thought you might want to help me exercise that demon.”

—Zef

Alex looked down at her, his face thoughtful. Under her fingers, his muscles twitched. “Zef… I…” and he took a deep breath and set his hands on hers.

“I do not want to make things any more difficult between us then things already are. We always seem to miss our mark when we talk, and I don’t want to make that worse.” His voice was firm but not hostile, and he gave himself the slightest permission to let his eyes wander over her pale skin. He sighed again, both in frustration and in appreciation.

Cochrane

“Alex, things aren’t difficult between us. I like you and I’m comfortable with you.” As if to demonstrate her level of easiness with him, she rose and straddled him in the chair without letting go of his hands. “There’s no reason why a one night stand should change things. I’m not asking you to fall in love with me, or for a commitment of any kind.” This close to him, she was glad now that she’d taken time to add a touch of perfume on her neck. “Needing sexual release is part of who we are. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Now she released his hands and smoothed the material of his top over his chest. Baby steps, Zef…baby steps she thought to herself. They both had free will and the decision wasn’t only hers to make, but by the Gods she wanted him to give in.

Leaning forward, she placed her cheek against his and breathed into his ear. “I want you, right now. Here in this chair or on the floor or in the bedroom. Just once, and I’ll deny it ever happened if I’m ever asked about it.”

—Zef

Cochrane looked at her in silence for a long time. He watched her face, her eyes… her every movement. His body under her reacted as one would expect a man’s body to in that particular sitaution. Finally, he spoke.

“Zef… I would like nothing more than to pick you up, remove every stitch of clothing that separates us, lay you down on this table and do whatever our minds can come up with… but I can’t. Not… not right now.” He reached up and brushed a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. “But if you will give me some time I will make sure that you… and I… and this table… and maybe even the kitchen counter -” and he smiled at her and chuckled, “- will give your demon all the exercise it needs. How does that sound?” he asked, a slight hesitation in his voice as if he was concerned he would hurt her or make her uncomfortable.

Cochrane

So, it really was a ‘no’ for now. Something in her body language changed—an acceptance that she hadn’t won the conquest as she’d hoped. She sat up and sighed, her desires not one bit weaker than they’d been a minute before he’d spoken. One, white brow rose with some confusion before she leaned back in and kissed him, pressing her lips to his in a lingering but chaste kiss and letting her body rest against his as she did so. One kiss was all she took, then she worked herself out of the chair and went to stand by the viewport, facing out to the blackness beyond.

“I hope you mean that, because I don’t understand why you’re refusing me now if you intend to see it through in the future.” The fuzzy, comfy feeling from the wine had completely dissipated now thanks to adrenaline and she was feeling a little foolish. Was he just putting her off to get her out of his quarters? Could be.

Finally, Zef turned towards Alex and slipped her feet into the sandals by the ornate table. “You’ll need to let me know when you’re ready. You know how I feel and that I have no intentions of rejecting you if you finally come around.” She walked to his chair, just behind one corner and let the fingers of one hand trail inside the collar of his shirt. “Thank you for dinner, Alex. I enjoyed myself very much. Too bad about the fireworks being cancelled though…”

—Zef

Alex’s moves were smooth, fluid… and very quick. As her fingers slid inside the collar of his shirt his hand moved up and grasped her wrist firmly and, using her position and her weight, he pulled forward and shifted her as she came over and around the chair; landing in a sitting fashion on his lap, her legs draped over the arm of the chair. Alex pressed his lips to hers, a kiss not nearly as chaste as the one she gave him, and he held it there for several long moments.

There was the sound of a surprised gasp when Zef found herself tumbling into his lap, but her response was immediate and delighted. She allowed herself to relax into the embrace and answered Alex’s passion with her own.

Breaking the seal of their lips, he looked at her and said “Anticipation is a wonderful thing, dont you think?” His hand slid up her leg, his fingers sliding ever so lightly on her bare skin. He looked at her and laughed softly. “Now. Once we have your… legal matter… addressed, we will see just how strong the furniture in here is… but not before then. I don’t want anything complicating that issue.” His hand slid further up her leg and then stopped halfway past her knee. “That make sense to you?”

Cochrane

“I want to say ‘no’, but if I look at the situation from your perspective I can see how it might be impactful.” As the Captain, his actions could be questioned by Star Fleet at any time. If Kalig wanted to accuse Alex of being biased in his dealings with him because he was already involved with Zef, he could. And Star Fleet would have to look into it. If, however, she and Alex waited until Kalig had been informed of her findings and her decision before they joined, his accusations wouldn’t hold water.

Zef smiled, “You should know I plan on getting up early to inform Kalig Marrov of my decision, and that will be the end of my contact with him and his family. So, the sooner you have your ‘talk’ with him, the sooner we can…realize the fruits of our anticipation.”

—Zef

Alex nodded and said “We will have that discussion in person. Again, the three of us. You tell him, then I’ll give him my ‘advice. He goes away, and we are done. If he gives us any back talk, I’m impounding his ship under Federation law. He’s in possession of illegal tech, after all. But hopefully he drops the issue. Agreed?”

Cochrane

Zef laughed wickedly at the thought of the Kestra being taken from Kalig with nothing he could do about it. That man and his family, had been a thorn in her side for years, and a chance to put him in his place for once was appealing. However, if Alex did impound the ship, that meant the Bajeen would be a guest on the Manhattan until they could deliver him to a place where he could catch a transport home. She didn’t want that. She wanted him out of her life once and for all with no worries about the future.

“Agreed. But you need to know that I don’t want him around and if you take his ship, then he and his crew will be here on the Manhattan. That will only lead to trouble, Alex—trouble for me, for you and for the crew. You don’t know him, but I do and he’s got a reputation for being vengeful.” She lifted a hand and traced the shape of his lips with the pad of her index finger. “My life is finally settling down thanks to you and the people I’ve met on board. I don’t want Kalig or his crew to be given a chance to taint that.”

—Zef