Posted by Lieutenant Belle Harper (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Belle’s Quarters – 2200 hours

Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Commanding Officer) in Belle’s Quarters – 2200 hours

Posted by Lieutenant Belle Harper (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Belle’s Quarters – 2200 hours
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The day had been uneventful, although Molly wouldn’t really know. Her mind had been all over the place and she had let Renveer take the reins in most tasks, preferring to be mostly absent. She was sure he had noticed something was off, but knowing the man and both his observation skills and his discretion, he had opted not to mention anything about it to her. It would probably come up in one of their counseling sessions further down the line, but for now, Molly was grateful he had allowed her the time she needed.

She had spend most of her day chasing loose crumbs of information through the Starfleet Intelligence database looking for something that could relate to the Monty, to the Borg, some new Borg species or experiments done in that regard, or even anything relative to the deceased Starfleet Officer, Belle Harper. From news reports, to the fluff articles, to a stray reference to the USS Draco, Holloway had found a little of everything, and yet, nothing seemed to relate in any meaningful way to the reality she had at hand. There was nothing left for her to do but wait for that evening to talk to Harper, hopefully without the two security officers that seemed to follow her around everywhere. Molly made a mental note to mention it to Forgrave so that he could put them to good use rather than just having them waste their time follow Belle around.

And so, five minutes to the agreed upon time, Molly was walking to the Intel Chief’s quarters – her old quarters. Belle, or whatever remained of her in this new version of her, would know that Molly was someone that would wear her uniform to any occasion. And this time, was no different.

At 2200 on the dot, Molly was standing outside of Belle’s door. Her red uniform was wrinkled in places, and the stray hairs in her ballerina bun had been hastily tucked in – a clear indication that Holloway had not even gone to her quarters yet, but rather had chosen to work until a few minutes before.

Pressing the chime, she waited.

Holloway, CO

Lt. Harper was also still in her uniform. She had no need for fashion anymore and never really changed unless the uniform became soiled, which it tended to do right around regeneration time. She was at the small table in the dinette of her quarters. In front of her was a gallon-sized cylindrical glass container. The container was filled with a murky brown liquid with what appeared to be organs and entrails floating around inside of it. Belle, reached a gray hand down into the disgusting concoction and pulled out a handful of the organ meat, and began to stuff it into her mouth. She chomped and chewed and slurped and munched much more quickly than was natural, spraying bits of the meat and drops of the liquid all over her uniform front. Finally, all the solid material was gone. Picking up the cylinder and bringing it to her lips she began to drink gulping swallows until the last of the liquid was ingested. She quickly slammed the cylinder on the table and wiped her mouth with her uniform sleeve. She could already feel the energy beginning to course through her veins.

The door chime to her quarters rang. She began to walk to the door when she realized the state of her uniform. “Just a moment,” she called out. Quickly she placed the cylinder and her soiled shirt into the reclamation bin. She replicated a new uniform shirt and slipped it on. As she wiped up the mess on the table she called out, “Come in!”

-Lt. Harper, CIO

Molly walked in the moment the doors opened, looking around curious as to what her old quarters looked like. She wasn’t sure whether to expect the Starfleet standard, given that Belle had just boarded the Dresden, and had certainly not had enough time to fully settle in, or the full on Borg experience, after what had transpired in their earlier meeting outside of the Transporter Room.

The quarters would look exactly like they had looked prior to Harper’s arrival. She found no need to embellish them in any way. Staflee standard, yes. Interesting? Not at all.

Walking in just enough to allow the doors to close behind her, Holloway remained at the door. She didn’t want to intrude, and part of her didn’t really know what to say. An awkward silence installed before she finally spoke.

“It’s weird to back here.” Molly said with a shy smile. She wasn’t one to be easily embarrassed, but small talk was one of the things she struggled with the most. “I take it your two new friends are not allowed in here?” It was a clear reference to the two security officers that had boarded with Harper and seemed insistent on following her around. Holloway clearly wanted to know exactly how private their meeting was going to be.

Holloway, CO

Momentarily caught off guard, Harper wasn’t sure what the captain had meant by her initial statement. Then she remembered that Holloway, as she was now called, was her predecessor. It only stood to reason that these had once been her quarters.

“My ‘companions’ do not quite have the stamina that I have. I believe they are sleeping in their shared quarters next door. Besides, I think they have already gotten on many people’s nerves, including the XO,” Harper explained, almost smiling. “Please have a seat, Captain,” she said waving to the standard seating area.

The hint of a smile showed on Molly’s lips. Getting on Holloway’s nerves was not a particularly hard achievement, and a lot of people had successfully accomplished it. However, it took a lot to get on the wrong side of Renveer. Molly herself had never seen it. But she couldn’t blame him, and the thought of the two Security Officers being shooed way by the Trill was amusing. She would like to have been a fly on the wall at that time, but alas, that was not the case. She made a mental note to ask the First Officer his thoughts on the Ensigns.

A flash of a memory came to her as the captain was taking the offered seat. One she hadn’t thought of in a very long time. The pair of them running, swimming, climbing, both striving to prove themselves yet instead forming a bond that would turn into a beautiful friendship. She wanted to tell the captain that she remembered all of it. That she remembered the friendship. Ultimately, it didn’t really matter. That part of her life was over. Instead, she said, “I’m sure you have many questions. I’ll do my best to answer what I can. What I can’t, I hope you will understand.”

-Lt. Harper, CIO

Sitting down, the smile that momentarily made its way to Molly’s features disappeared as quickly as it had come into being. Before speaking, she allowed herself a moment to look at Belle… or what remained of her. There was a hint of sadness behind her gaze, but she tried her best to conceal it. Many questions… Yes, one could say she had many questions, but Holloway couldn’t help but feel that was an understatement. She didn’t have many questions… rather, her mind was drowning in them.

Yet, she nodded. “To be honest… I don’t even know where to begin.” Molly admitted. “It’s been so long… so much had happened, it all seems pointless to ask. And yet, I keep holding on to the hopes that things will return to what they were.” She shrugged. “Maybe that’s just being Human…”

She paused again before continuing. What have they done to you? The question revolved over and over in her mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask it. Not yet, anyway. “Why did Intel send you with a Security detachment… and why do they seem so worried that you’ll run up and randomly assimilate members of the crew? Is there something I should know?” The question was more of a formality than anything else, and it was probably not one that Belle had expected. But Molly thought that a more standard conversation, might slowly organize her thoughts and ease herself into asking the questions she truly wanted to ask.

Holloway, CO