Posted by Commander Daniel “DaVinci” Colter (Executive Officer/CIO) in 10 Forward

Posted by Lieutenant Sheleah Ruby (Diplomatic Officer / CNS) in 10 Forward

Posted by Commander Daniel “DaVinci” Colter (Executive Officer/CIO) in 10 Forward
Posted by… suppressed (9) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Sheleah flipped the covers back and set what she had been working at on her night stand. Gettingout of bed she headed straight for the shower and called out to the replicator to start everybody’s lunch.

Afterwards she sat down and went over things one more time. Smiling, she set things aside, satisfied, and sent the following message…

---

Commander Colter, I see you have a bit of free time in your posted schedule this evening. If that’s still true, would you like to get together for a drink? I have something I’d like to show you.

Counselor Ruby

• Sheleah

DaVinci opened the message from the counselor. One eyebrow rose in a Vulcan like manner when he reached the part of joining her for a drink. The XO/CIO was never one to turn down a drink shared with a pretty lady, but right now the only pretty lady he wanted to have drinks with was on duty in sickbay.

Still, what could it hurt? He was off duty and could use a drink. He wasn’t real familiar yet with the ship’s latest counselor, so this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. As the captain’s right hand and top two advisors, the two of them would often be working closely. Plus, the last part of her message made it sound somewhat professional, so why not?

He sent a reply message. Of course, Lt. I’ll meet you in 10 Forward in 10 minutes? I’m looking forward to it.

Colter (XO/CIO)

Sheleah had sent Rex on a play date so she entered 10 Forward alone and found a corner seat. She had no idea if the XO was the type of man to arrive late or not so, she ordered a glass of wine and waited. Hopefully he didn’t think this was a professional call.

• Sheleah

DaVinci walked ito the lounge and noticed Sheleah tight away, already with a drink in her hand. He moved to the bar and asked for a bottle of Miller High Life from his private stock. None of that synthahol crap for the XO, only real beer, straight from the early 21st century. Thank Dionysus for time travel, he thought.

He moved to the table the counselor was sitting at. “Good evening, Counselor. To what do I owe the pleasure of this evenings invite?”

Colter (XO/CIO)

Sheleah smiled and put down her glass. She was dressed evening casual in a short sleeved black blouse, that fit her slender figure nicely, and relaxed fit jeans.

“Since we had our first staff meeting together, I’ve been working on a little project and I’ve decided it’s finally time to show it to you.”

As she spoke, a waiter approached with a half full bottle of what looked to be real red wine and a salad. Glancing at Colter, the waiter raised an eyebrow.

“Anything for you sir?” he asked.

• Sheleah

Noting the waiters quizzical look, DaVinci replied with a simple, “No, thank you. I’m good for now. But keep your eyes open, depending on how this conversation goes, I may need another.”

Taking a good strong swallow of his beer, DaVinci returned his attention to the counselor. In the light of 10 Forward, he just now noticed the attractiveness of Sheleah. The blonde woman was definitely pleasing to the eyes. What she was wearing added to to her presence. Have recently come off duty, DaVinci was still in his uniform.

“with a mischievous grin, the XO asked, “What is it exactly you’d like to show me, Counselor?”

Colter (XO/CIO)

Sheleah pushed her salad aside and eyed his bottle of beer. She’d never seen that particular brand before and wondered if it was one of the things he had mentioned in that staff meeting.

Indicating the beer, he held it up for her to see. “This,” he began, “is straight from the 21st century. I was able to snag a warehouse full when we went back to 2025. Tastes as good as it did in ‘96.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to turn this into dinner but, I have an absolutely crazy schedule and you really don’t want to see me when I haven’t eaten in ten hours or more. I really wish I could show this to you in private actually but, I couldn’t get a holodeck so, here you go.” she said sliding the PaDD across to him.

• Sheleah

“Holodeck? I’ve got a feeling a video isn’t going to do your presentation any justice.”

He took the PADD and hit ‘play’. A moment into the video and his eyebrows shot up and a grin began to form on his lips.

“Ummm, what exactly am I looking at here, Counselor?” A moment later his jaw dropped.

Colter (XO/CIO)

Sheleah sat back and merely smiled for a few moments. What COmmander Colter was looking at was a fully rendered depiction of the ready room as if it had been turned into a strip club just like he had suggested in the staff meeting. There were large beanbag chairs thrown about haphazardly, a bar was on one side, and the ubiquitous stripper pole was displayed prominently. Sheleah didn’t know very many of the women, aboard the Saracen, well enough, or feel comfortable enough, to put them on the pole so she had had to use herself as the model. The routine she had set was only about 90 seconds long and it still left a bit to the imagination. Gold sparkles covered everything, she was certain Colter knew what was underneath.

“So I can’t get the lighting right and I’m really not certain what to call it. Any thoughts?” she asked casually, “Wait, how did you get to 1996 or 2025? I’m so confused.”

• Sheleah

When the 90 seconds was up, all he could do was look at the screen where the video stopped on a very inviting picture of the Counselor. “Wow!!! You are one hell of a dancer, Sheleah. . . and pretty flexible too. Looks like you’ve got a back-up career if the counseling thing doesn’t work out for you.”

Colter slid the Padd back across the table. Feeling suddenly very thirsty, he finished off his beer in one long chug, then motioned for the waiter to bring him another. “Ruby’s Fun House would be a good name, though I don’t think Dr. Knight would be real happy with the conference room being turned into that, unless there was male entertainment for the ladies as well,” he added while waiting for his beer.

He took another drink as it arrived, then answered her other question. “I left Earth in 1996, at the close of the Eugenics War. Khan had escaped Earth on the Botany Bay and I led a team of volunteers on a similar sleeper ship to stop him from ever making it back to Earth. We got knocked off course and Kirk and the Enterprise found him before we did. My ship was found by a Federation ship and they revived me. Damage to my ship was too extensive and I was the only survivor. . . and that’s how I’m here today.”

“As for 2025, on a recent mission we went back in time to stop someone from killing Col. Green to keep our timeline from being changed. Before we came back to the present, I was able to use the cargo transporter to load a whole warehouse of Miller High Life into the cargo hold. It’s not like I stole it though. I replicated some to place in the warehouse. No one back then who drank it was probably never able to tell the difference. I can tell.”

Colter (XO/CIO)

Sheleah sat listening to his story in utter awe and disbelief. She believed him because, from her perspective, he had no reason to lie. What made her almost burst out laughing was the fact that he had taken a warehouse full of beer of all things. Perhaps that was just in his character but, there had been so many other things that could have been much more useful.

He noticed her look and explained. “I know what your thinking. Why a warehouse full of beer? Surely, there was something else I could’ve high-jacked that would have been more useful. I’ve tried and tried and tried to replicate this Miller beer and the replicators just can’t do it, maybe because it’s real alcohol, but it . . .just . . isn’t. . .right. Improvise, Adapt and Overcome-and that’s what I did.”

Shaking her head she finally allowed herself to smile. In her mind she could hear her father, Colin, telling her not to be so judgy.

“Male entertainers. Yes, well… Perhaps I should have put you on the pole with me?”

• Sheleah

“Ummmmm, as tempting as an offer as that sounds, maybe you should experience that, and that,” he said pointing to the Padd, “with someone you’re more intimate with?”

“Besides, you really don’t want to see me dance. I am definitely no Denny Terrio.”

Colter (XO/CIO)

Sheleah frowned and shrugged making a mental note to look up this Terrio person.

“Well, as far as your choice of what to replicate, I guess, if I were in your exact situation, whatever I would have chosen might have garnered me the same look from someone else.

As Sheleah began speaking, another part of the program began which had DaVinci walking out onto the stage dressed in an elegant man’s robe from head to toe. A slinky Sheleah, still covered in semi-transparent strategically placed sparkles, approached as if to open the front of his robe. Shifting slightly, the sparkles parted to reveal a tattoo on her upper right thigh just below the butt. It was brightly colored with alien symbolism that might have to be explained. Something about the movement on the PaDD caught Sheleah’s eye and she looked down. Horrified, she snatch it up and turned off the program hoping he hadn’t seen the last frame of the video.

“And I’ll be getting rid of that program. Luckily that’s where it ends.”

• Sheleah