[USS Charon – Eris Deck]
Brent was inside Eris Deck nursing a little drink as he awaited for the return of the waiter. He hadn't gotten to take the time to relax and enjoy his promotion yet... Now however, he had managed to put a dent into his paperwork and had decided to take a break, giving his men some breathing room away from the officer as he had himself a nice relaxing dinner. He set the beer down on the table and took a look outside. Normally he was almost a bit nervous looking outside because it always reminded him of how he and his men were so fragile here and dependent on others. Now though it seemed to almost be more comforting to look outside of the ship. Maybe he just needed more beers. That's what his buddies back at Basic had always said.
Brent's thoughts of beer, the universe, and his duties as an officer were suddenly interrupted as he felt a ball bump against his foot. At first he didn't know what it was till he looked down and saw the fuzzy blue looking ball. He didn't think that too many of the people around would have a ball so he decided to look at a lower altitude for a culprit until he found one probable candidate. The subject in question was a small half what was probably human and what was probably either vulcan or romulan. Brent tilted his head slightly at the child before he motioned down at the ball. "You lose something," he asked the child.
Nnoil glanced up at the rugged looking fellow- he giggled and pointed at Warren "Gaishan!" He reached up and grabbed the fuzzy thing "Gaishan!" he giggled again.
Brent's Romulan was incredibly rusty. He tilted his head for a moment before he realized what the child was saying and managed a chuckle. He tossed the ball to the child as he reached for it. "Close enough kid. Marine," he said wondering if this was one of the Captain's two children or if some of their guests had brought a long family. He didn't remember hearing that the Romulans normally did that...
"Mister Warren is something wrong?" Shiarrael had left the table for a moment to grab a plate of food for Nnoil, next to her holding her hand tightly was Ael, the little girl stared at the Marine with a menacing scowl- obviously practicing her mother's mannerisms. Shiarrael was out of uniform wearing an ankle length purple dress elegantly decorated by gold embroidered vermillion- it was not uncommon for her to relax off duty and she tended to dress casually.
"Captain," Brent said as he stood up seeing her return. "No ma'am. Nothing's wrong. Someone lost his ball is all," he said looking down at Nnoil with a slight smile. "I was just tossing it back to him." Brent said. As the captain sat the plate down and looked away from him, Brent made ever so brief eye contact with the little girl and stuck his tongue out at her. He considered saying that if she kept on making that face that it might stick that way, but didn't.
Ael returned the gesture but put both thumbs into her ears and wriggled her fingers at him. Shiarrael turned just in time to catch the end of the girl's act "Ael! Kla mnek'nra!" She frowned and grabbed the child's shoulder "forgive her mister Warren- she is without manners today." She gave Ael a warning filled glare and set the child into one of the seats "join us please." She motioned to the empty chairs across from them.
Brent thought about it for half a moment before nodding. "Yes ma'am," he said and picked up his beer before moving over to the table where the captain and her family was sitting. He sat down at the table. He smiled at the two kids before speaking up. "So what are your names," he said asking the two children.
"Ael." Ael shot first, Nnoil on the other hand bounced his ball on the table ignoring the Marine. Shiarrael tapped a fork on Nnoil's plate "irrhae." When the child set his ball down and began to drag small greens into his mouth Shiarrael looked at Warren "you are finding your new role satisfactory Lieutenant?" She asked, her eyes randomly glancing at the children to make sure they were eating.
"Yes ma'am," he said with a nod and took a drink from his beer. "Everything seems to be going along smoothly. It took a little use to going from the man they are supposed to rely on to someone who has to distance myself from them." He shrugged. "It's a part of the duty. I'll get used to it, and so will they." Brent saw that his meal had arrived and thanked the man who brought it. "How is everything up top on the bridge?"
"The bridge?" Normally, to a Gai'Shian, she would have simply answered that it was 'none of his concern' but in the Federation the Gai'Shian held a different level of respect. Although they were still a bit brutish they were not the undertrained whelps the Gai'Shian tended to be. With a thoughtful half smile she answered "as well as I would expect such things to be here." She eyed the first lieutenant "you are good with children?"
[To be continued…]
Captain Shiarrael Rehu
Commanding Officer
USS Charon
1st Lieutenant Brent Warren
Acting Marine Commander
USS Charon
