In an office chair on M'Raa...

[Hexx]

I'm holding out for the "surprise twist" where Kayleen and Tr'rin
turn out to be Kroma and J'inn.
Assuming (and hoping) they don't though, I think it's
been a while since the last jello wrestling scene.

..And of course if it's in space, and to the death then Bonk will
he happy as well.
(He's a bit of a sick puppy...)

[KAT MRess]

Oh there will be intrigue... that's what I'm building toward.

and yes (although it was going to be a surprise) there is a battle and violence involved. And maybe another trip to Kroma's...




M’Ress arrived a full 15 minutes early for dinner. He was so nervous that he paced outside for 5 minutes and was still early. Tr’rin had pulled off a minor miracle and not only had his casual uniform cleaned and pressed but she had managed to conjure a suitable afterscent. (Ever known a Kzin to shave?)

The maitre’d was just inside the door and immediately stiffened at the site of the uniform.

“Reservashun?” the maitre’d asked in a snooty overtone that was unmistakeable. His heart sank, in all his blundering he had forgotten all about reservations. And this maitre’d didn’t look like the friendly accommodating type.

In reality the maitre’d hated the appearance of military types. They were usually pushy and threw their weight around, trying to force their way in without a reservation. This officer didn’t look so sure of himself, however, and actually looked nervous.

“I… uhhh, don’t have… one.” M’ress faltered. “How long… ahme… until a table could be… uhhh… ready?”

If the host was surprised, he hid it well. (In fact he was totally shocked. This officer was actually being polite.) He was very experienced and accustomed to handle such situations. With a great exaggerated sigh, he took his time perusing the non-existent waiting list.

“I might hav somzink for joo in a ‘our.” If his heart sank before, it downright bottomed now. The maitre’d  took out his pen. “Namuh please.”

“M’ress.”

The maitre’d froze. There was no mistaking the hesitation this time. Something alarmed him.

“Cum agin?” Even the look of disbelief couldn’t be concealed.

“M’ress.” He repeated. The maitre’d muttered something that sounded like Damn. then he looked up and said,

“Rright ‘zis way. Your table iz waitink.”

[Laflin]

KAT Mess?  Chuut how'd you manage to dredge up this fossil? 

[KAT MRess]

Fossil?

FOSSIL?!?!

Hey I resemble that <breaks wind> that... uh... remark.

[KAT Chuut-Ritt]

You gonna fly with us for Klingon Civil War Goose?

No droners, but we got Gook, Furocious, and J'inn returning for this one flying under the House S'uhn'ih banner, as well as other assorted old timers from other races, just bring your own walker as the loaners are already checked out, I think Sandman got the last one.

Let me know.

[KAT MRess]

<sprays air freshener>
<holds sound horn up to his ear>

Eh?

I'll need more info. Like when and what updates i need.
I'm so out of practise I might accidentaly shoot J'inn...

It's also VERY dependant on my schedule. One of many things that has happened during my absense was a change in jobs. I do shift work now. When I'm on rotation I literally dissappear for days.

And now...




Table iz waitink?!?!

The maitre’d fumbled for a second behind the screen for a brief moment. Then he lead the way into the restaurant.

M’Ress didn’t follow, it was his turn to be stunned. After a moment the Maitre’d reappeared and cleared his throat. M’ress started to follow slowly.

With his warrior senses alerted he became very aware of everyone and everything in the dining area. From the stiff backed waiters taking orders, to the overdone busboys cleaning empty tables (there were too many empty tables to have a “waiting list”), to the clink and rattle from the kitchen, even to the soft  live musicians off to one side playing an old but favourite song (what was it again? “Isn’t it romantic…”, hmph too bad the feds butchered it with that screeching they called singing). Above all that he noticed that most of the males, the ones that weren’t with mates, all seemed to be trying to inconspicuously oogle in the same direction.

It wasn’t until he was halfway across the restaurant that he realized the maitre’d was leading him in the direction they were staring wistfully. He rounded a rather large decorative, and fake, plant and saw what they were staring at.

It was her.

[KAT MRess]

It was as if he had gone back in time twenty years. He recognized her immediately as she had hardly changed at all.

Her long dark fur was teasingly brushed over to one side, partly covering one of a pair of large bright blue eyes. Her ears were smallish (or was it a trick of the fur styling) with rounded tips. Since she was sat sideways at the table he could her figure and legs fully. He stopped. It was almost a sure bet that even twenty years later, she could still wear her high school modelling clothes. In fact he thought he could vaguely remember seeing this particular dress before. He looked closer. Yes, one could not forget the way it slit partway up the thigh.

Kayleen was fussing with the napkin from the table and not paying attention. Obviously she was nervous too. So nervous that she seemed completely oblivious to all the stares she was attracting and to his approach.

It suddenly struck him how awkward he felt. Even though his uniform was pressed, he was freshly cleaned and had used his breath freshener, he still felt very awkward. She had never seen the uniform, or the eyepatch or the scars that adorned various visible areas. How would she react?


* * * * *


As far as M’Ress was concerned, the rest of the evening was a disaster. It was his turn to be as nervous as Tr’rin was during her interview. He even had a glass of water shoot out of his hand and almost into Kayleens’ lap. However, he did feel much better when she did the same thing immediately after when she jumped to avoid the projectile water.

That seemed to break the ice a bit, but the rest of the evening was still strained. Despite the candid conversation like old times and a welcome familiarity, there was still an underlying sense he could not shake.

Fear, from both of them.

[GDA-Agave]

I'm so out of practise I might accidentaly shoot J'inn...

No worries.   Hell, I might shoot J'inn just to get in some practice.

Where is that old flee bag these days anyway?   He sure did entertain me.   I think I might actually miss him.  <pause>   Nah!  That couldn't be it.   Could it?


<to M'Ress, more story please>

[KAT MRess]

The next 4 days were busy. Organized, but very busy. Tr’rins itinerary held up rock solid under the pressure of constant updates, revisions and scrutiny.

As promised the first day was reading and resting. Progress reports on the war and homeworld security were all waiting for him in chronological order. They alone took most of the day just to read. The evening was consumed in answering or evaluating. Sleep came easy that night.

Day Two were all the high ranking meetings. He hated these meetings. They were so mindnumbingly boring that they sapped everything right out of you. Most of the information contained within these meetings he already knew. He was just there as a formality to verify how things were operating. If it were possible he would have painted an eye on his lid to fake paying attention while he slept.

It was during this lull that his mind wandered to his dinner date.

When the waiter reached the table, he stood beside her for a moment and then cleared his throat. Kayleen had been staring at the napkin and hadn’t noticed his approach. She looked up from under her eyebrows, and if she hadn’t been so nervous, it would have been very fetching. When she looked over to him her eyes widened as they roved over the uniform and came to rest on the patch.

M’ress could stare down the most hardened of Warriors. But the minute her eyes fell on him he became very self-aware of the patch and unconsciously turned his head to block the view. Sensing his apprehension she looked away and offered her hand in greeting.

Awkward was a very generous word to describe the situation. She too was recently divorced and struggling to rediscover herself. She had heard he’d entered the military, but admitted she didn’t understand the insignia. When he explained, she was incredulous. When he described how he got the patch, speechless.

The talked for a long time, well into the night. While he found himself enjoying it immensely (especially after the spilled drinks), there was still the underlying tension.

“What do you think Sire?”

The question snapped him back to the present. Fortunately he had heard enough of the conversation to provide and answer that didn’t make it look like he was daydreaming.

Day Three was certainly easier as it was all briefings, so he started on updating orders. Including a flight path to Stars End. This was where his plans for Tr’rin started to take shape.

[KAT MRess]

Sorry about the incredibely long delay in this one. I was waiting for the actual story to happen so i could write about it, it just took over a year to play out.

Shall we pick up where we left off?





The best part about working for the Patriarch was that she could set her own hours. Not that she would skimp and cut them short. But if she needed to adjust for a day due to an appointment, it was easily accommodated.

However, when he was in the office, it was the busiest time she’d ever known, so many people coming and going and so much paperwork. The different races astounded her, she’d read about them and heard rumors, but never actually seen any of them.

The Hydrans were still a mystery. Due to their environment suits she still hadn’t actually seen one. But they were polite enough.

She could not believe the Romulans though. Even when they stood right on front of her, they still denied they were even there.

Humans were interesting. Their ways were completely baffling to her and what was with that smiling all the time? On M’Raa,  a challenge like that could get you killed.

The biggest surprise were the Gorns. Did they really all wear those gaudy Tutus?

[KAT MRess]

Day 4 was a welcome change of pace. No more meetings and sitting around in stuffy offices pouring over data. This was field work.

The first order of business was to oversee the repairs and upgrades to the Katnip LIV. He headed into the office, it would only be a brief stopover to pick up necessary info. Tr’rin was already there. She had just returned from the cafeteria with coffee, when he stuck his head in the door.

“Good morning.” He’d caught her in mid-yawn.

“Good morning, sire.” She replied with a hand in front of her mouth nad started to get up.

“No need,” he held up his hand, “Just picking up the reqs before I head to the dock.”
He paused for a second. “Have you ever been to a spacedock?”

“No. I’ve haven’t even been near one before.”

Perfect   he thought.

“Well then, if you haven’t got anything else on schedule for today, why don’t you join me and we’ll get you some experience around a military ship then?”

[KAT MRess]

<looks at reader count...>

Hmmmm, someone is paying attention.



Her eyes opened very wide. He couldn’t immediately tell if it was alarm or excitement. He headed down the hall and after a brief review of the list of parts and procedures requisitions, he stuffed the PADD into a large pocket.

When he got back to the reception, Tr’rin wasn’t there. He looked around and listened. She was in the bathroom down the hall. So he stood just inside the door and waited. After a few seconds she blew in through the door toward the desk and started typing furiously on the keyboard. Once the message was done she clicked the send started around the desk.

And almost jumped back over the desk when she saw him.

She is rather athletic  he thought.

“You do realize you shouldn’t tell your friends about everything you do here?”

Her ears folded back and her tail twitched in a mix of embarrassment and fear.

“It’s ok for now,” he soothed, “I’m still in dock on leave so it’s no big secret. But don’t let it continue.” The tail stopped and the ears folded out again.

He would definitely have to keep a close eye on her, especially after the last two assistants he had. After all he wasn’t entirely sure who that message went to.

[KAT MRess]

The trip to the docks was uneventful in as far as nothing out of the ordinary happened. But he could tell that Tr’rin had a lot of questions. However, he made the mistake of telling her to feel free to ask him anything she wanted and the resulting barrage of questions were starting to grate on his nerves. Mental note on hiring non-military types, do not open the door to questions.

The refit was proceeding on schedule. The repairs were complete, supplies were being loaded, new crew members were being interred and pre-launch tests were initiated. M’Ress inadvertently directed a Yo’man to Tr’rin for some requisitions and found himself temporarily relieved of her questions. After that he directed all questions through her.

When he got to the Drone Launcher deck, he approached the Gunnery Master to make an inquiry. The sergeant had only been with him a short time as the prior one had retired. Something about “Excessive Drone use.”

“Would you have your list of eligible gunners mates on you?” The Sergeant whipped out a P.A.D.D. and presented it.

“Roight ‘ere sir!” M’Ress scanned the list for a name.

“Would you by any chance have any available spaces for a young enlisted warrior?”

“Are you kiddin’,” the guttural accent was thick from years of NCO duty, “The waitin’ list to serve on the Patriarc’s ship is months long.”

“In that case I have a favour to ask.” One of the eyebrows arched up. M’Ress added a name to the list. “I hear he is in need of some hard training.”

The sergeant looked at the name and then back to M’Ress, who nodded slowly.

“I think a spot jest open’d up sir. Rack numbah 7, I believe.”

Number 7? That was almost too good to be true. That young warrior was about to pay for the insult to his sister.

[KAT MRess]

What? No ratings?

I can't werk under zese conditions...




Ro’gr was shocked.

Not only did his transfer to the Patriarchs ship not get refused, it was accepted!

While he never doubted that he would be accepted, he didn’t expect that it would be so soon. Maybe the waiting list wasn’t as long as he thought. More than likely they saw his credentials and knew immediately that he was needed on this crew. That would make sense, he’d always had an easy time in training. The only reason others finished ahead of him in class was because the teachers didn’t want to offend their influential sires. The shock eased into mild surprise, of course they wanrted him!

So what would it be? Commander? Lieutenant? That way he could bring his influence to the crew on a personal level. On the other hand, they might resent a superior slipping into the crew so easily. It would be better to appear modest. That in itself would be the challenge, handling a crew would be easy. Ensign would suffice.

That Kzinrette would rue the day she turned him away. No one ever did that to him. After all what was there about him not to like?

[KAT MRess]

Since some of you are reading, I'll let you know I won't be able to post for two weeks.
So here is an extra to hold you over...




Instead of a shuttle up into orbit which would have taken over an hour, they used a transporter.

A TRANSPORTER!!!

She had to be the only one in her entire extended family that had ever used one. It was so exciting that she almost forgot her purpose. Once they had rematerialized and the initial excitement wore off, she regained her composure and tried to concentrate on her job.

It was all she could do to keep up with M’Ress. She had never even seen a ship like this before let alone tour one. She had so many questions, they just kept spilling out. She was able to concentrate on her job, whenever a question was directed at M’Ress, she was able to provide the answer quickly and all of it was recorded for reference, but that was the limit. Her curiosity overrode everything else. Despite the little voice screaming to back off the questions they continued to roll off her tongue.

The orders for a transfer were duly recorded and forwarded like everything else. It never dawned on her that this kind of transfer was highly unusual. But then again he WAS the Patriarch, he knew what he was doing.

All the areas of the ship were toured with the bridge left until last. At the site of the control center, the nerve center of such a large ship, she just about lost it completely.

[FVA_Braxton_XC]

What? No ratings?

I can't werk under zese conditions...

Sorry man! System got the axe until the author upgrades it 

5 stars from me though.

[KAT MRess]

tsk, tsk... 2nd page...




Tr’rin was listening to yet another answer about the ship and it’s crew when the door opened. At first she didn’t notice, as her back was partly to the door, so intent was she on the answer. M’ress just paused and waited. When she realized they had arrived she spun quickly around and moved to the side and behind him. M’Ress purposefully stepped off the turbolift and strode forward.

The Yo’man had seen the arrival and given the slight delay caused by her, was ready with the pipes and the command.

“Patriarch on the Bridge!” he bellowed.

To Tr’rin’s eyes it was as if someone flipped a switch. Everything just stopped instantly and everyone snapped to attetnion. She could see M’Ress’s trained eye rove around the room, obviously making a show of inspecting.

“At Ease.” He said “Carry on.” The switch flipped and everything moved again.

It was so busy. Technicians replacing parts, crewman running tests and yet other trying to clean up the mess left behind. Tr’rin stared out of the lift, unable to move, afraid she’d get caught up in the tide.

[Soreyes]

Captain Soreyes pulls into the shipyard for repairs to his DWD "Close To The Edge"   Notices that the Patriarch is in the area.

Oh Crud!!!!!  I hope MRess forgot about that little problem about no MDC's being in the yards during Storm Season

[KAT MRess]

<pokes head into room>
hmmmm someone is paying attention...


want more?

[Talon]

um yeah....





Talon

[Soreyes]

More Please

[KAT MRess]

My apologies for the lateness, real life has been hectic and work has been shorthanded.

I also just found out my cousin in Afghanistan (Yes there is still a war going on there too) was wounded in the line of duty. The good news is, it's not serious, but it did require a whole bunch of stitches and will leave a nasty mark. This occured with a month left in his tour of duty. The better news is, he will be home soon safe and sound.

So with that in mind...




A few days into the mission was all it took for things to settle. Tr’rin had to split her regular duties with the Yo’man in order to get things done. She needed the connections on board, he needed her expertise in organizing. Normally he just forwarded everything (to Tr’rin of course) and made sure the Patriarch had what he needed. But now she was there and they were able to action things much faster.

In those few days Tr’rin also learned about the operation of a warship. The 2am attack drills, the snap inspections, but mostly the regulations and why they existed. She used to think that military types were rigid and stuck up, not any more. She was fast learning the meaning behind it all and a new respect and understanding was emerging. It was one thing to be told, it was something else entirely to experience it. While she was not expected to uphold military standards (being a civilian and all), she was fast learning how to not upset the ebb and flow of the ship. She was even developing a sense of “feel” for the ship.

She did not dine or socialize with the crew. Not so much as she didn’t want to. It was more a case of the entirely male crew didn’t want to. Either they considered it bad luck or a Career Limiting Move to fraternize with what technically belonged to the Patriarch. So she ate in his dining area with him and whoever he had invited that night. Any spare time she had (and there was a lot as she had no assigned duties on board) was spent in her cabin, which was right next to his, reading more military guides or following up on the days business.

After a few days, her greatest onboard enemy reared it's head.

Boredom.

[Capt Jeff]

sorry  to hear about your couzin.

But, Happy B-Day to you !!!

And many more 

[KAT MRess]

Thanks for the B-day wishes all, it was a quiet one this year... last year was the milestone, more on that later.




A few days was also the time needed to break in new crew and equipment. The mission wasn’t to the front line, any front line for that matter, not yet at any rate. It was mainly escort duty to supply the Stars End bar with some of the necessary supplies the Kzinti Government agreed to. Escorts were always necessary because of the Pirates (Memories of Redbeard…). But they would be passing close to several other territories on the way which warranted extra ships on the escort.

Most important on the list were the drone drills. This was vital to the capability of any Kzin ship, especially a specialized ship such as the MDC. M’Ress had made it a point this time around to check Soreyes schedule to make sure he wouldn’t be requisitioning one soon. For some reason he appeared to be staying away from the shipyards recently. M”Ress would have to ask him about that. Tr’rin again proved her worth not only in processing this request with no explanations, but was able to expedite them all in minimal time.

As with any “Shakedown” there were always glitches and gremlins to be worked out. It was inevitable as all the new circuits and machinery involved needed to be broken in and adjusted to perfection. Some times even though the parts passed trials and inspections, they still managed to burn out with relatively little usage. The trick was weeding out those parts and getting the properly functional ones installed and run in.

The next problem was training the new crew members. Another inevitability in war. It actually made it easier to train these crew when you had them install the parts before use. That was a definite benefit as they would have a better understanding of the mechanics before they even attempted to utilize the system. It definitely helped to know the system before you learned how to manipulate it.


Despite all these tried and proven procedures, and the very competent Gunnery Master, that #7 Drone launcher was still uncharacteristically far behind in drill times. He hoped that time would work it out, but he would look in later to see what the problem was. Right now he had other things to worry about, he trusted the Gunnery Master to take care of the issue for now.

M’Ress had some… “unfinished business” at Stars End. A certain bar owner had something he wanted.

[Soreyes]

 

[KAT MRess]

<quietly looks around for a certain pink frocked Gorn…>

Ok, it’s safe.



M’Ress recalled the last... uhhh… “encounter” he had with the notorious diva. While he hadn’t actually interacted, in fact the closest he got was an “obstructed” view of the more than ample posterior (thank the maker for the shielded sunglasses), he did have a large affect on the “negotiations”. He had no desire to revisit that memory. But unfortunately he had did have a need to find out what happened to that disk.

Unfortunately the whole issue was clouded by the involvement of his former assistant, as beautiful as she was (despite the voice), she was also very deadly and quite inconvenient. Once he got past her interference, he should be able to track down what happened to the data that everyone wanted to get their hands on.

He looked at his chronometer. Damn these sub warp, transport ships. He had another week to wait. He summoned Tr’rin, at the very least she was a pleasant sight, something pretty to look at in the middle of all this military masculinity. He could also amuse himself watching his crew ogle her while trying to hide it and simultaneously execute their duties.

He could even enjoy his new ship for a while.

[KAT MRess]

She sat back from the mirror and heaved an exasperated sigh.

Things had not turned out the way she wanted. After signing on to a work contract that promised a good return for a 6 month term, she had put a lot of her future on the line by investing her modest savings to make the trip from Lyr. Judging by the results of that decision, she figured she had annoyed the fates at some point in her life because they seemed to pick this time to conspire against her now.

It turns out that someone had anticipated too much on someone else. After they had arrived the contract was revoked due to past due dates and improper authority. “Promises made by one who did not have the authority.”

Management was not unsympathetic. They didn’t just cut everyone lose or dump them on the first cargo ship off the station, but they had no room or means to help either. The deal was, it would be up to them to earn a living from the private sector on the station, and Management would provide discounted accommodations to help them get enough credits back to where they came from.

Pk’zyy had fared better than most, mainly due to her shapely figure and long lush red-tinged fur. Due to these attributes she made an ideal sales rep, promoter or receptionist. Problem was no-one wanted any long term employees at this time, so she relied on the temporary work to get her by. She was able to build credits from this kind of work, but it was slow going and already well past the initial 6 months she was to originally stay here.

The latest job however was promising. It seemed to speed up her rate of savings and the hours were flexible. It also wasn’t overly humiliating, if only she didn’t have to put up with the constants fights. Like the really bad one a little ago that had started between some Kzin (who seemed to be spoiling for a fight) and some of her regular Lyran customers. During the course of the brawl not only had she been able to continue doing her job, she had actually been able to distract one of those annoying Kzin and help a rather well built Lyran.

She finished her ministrations stood up and made sure the rest of her was presentable. Then she hefted her small duffle bag and headed out to work, out past the retail shops and the shipping bays.

Past the work areas and into the door with the pink glowing neon signs.

[KAT MRess]

Sorry folks, I've been on a bit of a vacation for the last two weeks and I'm a little behind.

I'll be getting another installment up soon, though.

Isn't there a server going on right now? It's rather flattering that I'm getting so many hits on the story, but I'm sure you'd rather be blowing each other up.



So what do you think does M'Ress wind up with? Tr'rin, Kayleen or Pk'zyy (Why do youthink she was introduced?)

And no there is no J'inn/Kroma twist. I know some of you are disappointed at that...

[KAT MRess]

Whoops! I forgot... I write these things ahead of time for editing purposes. Here's your next one...




The Katnip LIV slid through the edge of the Nebula.

Even though he hated the disruptions the gases and matter created with his systems, it was necessary. M’Ress had to take what limited readings they could to ensure the safety of the convoy. Anything big enough to be detected in that mass of cloud was enough to be a threat. Anything less could be safety disregarded.

It was only two days out from the rendezvous with the convoy, but things were already getting tedious. Business as usual during escort, taking the time to scan all possibilities and adjusting to all course changes. What was worse, the sub-warp engines of the transports. Normally he would have been there by now, but these ships… their slowness was why they needed escorting. He could fly circles around them (sometimes he did), but it did enable him to move around quickly to check everything (literally...everything. It kept the crews busy) while they plodded along.

What was more disconcerting was the lack of improvement from Drone rack #7. It still lagged seriously behind the others. He would assign the issue to his Exec and see if that helped, before he had to step in.

His immediate attention was suddenly divided by two things. First, an intelligence report that a Lyran cruiser had been detected in the area. This was unusual as this was a shipping lane away from any of their interests. It would be worthwhile to keep that in mind as they exited the edge of the Nebula.

The second thing that demanded his attention was that Tr’rin had arrived unannounced on the bridge. She didn’t yet understand the need for permission to enter the bridge yet, even though she was the Patriarchs assistant. She also hadn’t reached the understanding that these warriors did not spend much time around females. And her outfit today was particularly… form fitting. He couldn’t help but notice himsel