Tried, True and Trusted

Posted on Sat Apr 2nd, 2022 @ 9:11pm by Captain Abigail Laurens & Commander Ichiko Gail

As much as Abigail would have loved to have gone straight to her quarters to luxuriate in a nice hot shower, she instead opted to move straight to the bridge, or, more precisely, to her ready room, a smile forming on her lips as the doors parted to reveal Ichiko walking away from the replicator, holding one mug of tea and one mug of chai latte, a small plate of ginger snaps already sitting on the small table next to the couch they usually sat at together. "You know me so well," she said warmly to her First Officer and friend.

"You think I'd ever forget you? Forget this?" Ichiko offered with a smile in return. "Everyone was well behaved while you were away. Including our K Band shadow." she moved to let Abigail sit. "I figured you'd appreciate a warm welcome, the weather down there seemed less friendly than what the brochure promised."

"It definitely wasn't Risa," Abigail wrapped her hands around the mug, allowing the warmth of the hot liquid to seep into her skin. "I know the EV suits keep the cold out, but it didn't feel like it. I think the common sentiment on the planet was not sure if we'd ever feel warmth again." She paused, a sip of her chai, a soft sigh and then closed her eyes for a moment. "Speaking of warmth, we're only a couple of days from Tabula Rasa. What do you think of the idea of taking a small deviation and giving the crew some down time? I can't even begin to tell you how appealing the thought of warmth and sunshine are right now."

"I think that after everything we've all been through here, some downtime is not just welcome... I'd say it's required." the officer commented with a smirk, a sip of her own tea. "Tabula Rasa? That's an old Earth expression isn't it? Certainly an older language."

"I think some familiar settings and welcome ports would do the crew well."

"The USS Pennsylvania is on their way to Tabula Rasa to undertake some repairs on their ship," Abigail said with a small smile. "I thought some familiar faces might be nice as well." She savoured a sip of the hot chai latte. "And you're right, as always. Down time is definitely a requirement at this point. The crew have pushed themselves too hard."

Another pause, another sip. "What happened with our shadow? I assume they've since departed?"

"I stayed true to your path. No contact, no notice." Ichiko started, "I imagine they saw everything they needed to see, and left. Another test, another observation. That's simply the way of life on Ts'usu. Everything is an exam, sometimes even the exam itself." she offered with a smirk.

"If you want to catch up on some recovery I can handle the particulars of the course and the journey. You'll need your rest for all that rest." the rabbitess actually giggled.

Abigail laughed, unable to help herself before shaking her head and taking another sip of her chai. "We'll see... I have some things I need to take care of first. I want everyone who went down to the surface to be checked by medical, just to be on the safe side. I want everyone to take time off, we'll need to juggle some rostering, likely employ some skeleton staff shifts for a few days, give everyone a chance to just recover before we hit Tabula Rasa." She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head again. "There's a lot that needs to be done, I can't just dump it all on you."

"Abigail." Ichiko started with a soft smile, "If this were a house on a hill, overlooking the fields of your family... I'd essentially be your majordomo. The steward of your house. I'd be the one that makes sure the day to day runs smooth so that you can focus on the important things." she explained while holding that smile. "Here, in space, I'm your second in command. If you need to rest, I'm here to take the reins. If you need to recover, I'm here to cover."

She smirked, "And technically, I can order you to bed." she raised her tea cup.

Abigail laughed and shook her head. "And knowing you, you probably would too," she said warmly. "Until we reach Tabula Rasa, what do you think of the idea of having some holodeck programs running for the crew to access as they please? Maybe a nice beach scene. I have one I picked up just before we left Cestus. Two suns, the warmth is incredible!"

"You know I'd never do it out of malice." her long-eared friend confirmed, and then gave a soft smile. "Two suns, though. That DOES sound lovely. You know what..."

"Consider it an order." she smirked.