A Lunch Break With a Twist - Part One

Posted on Fri Mar 20th, 2020 @ 6:33am by Captain Robert Connor & Division Admiral Celeste Yamaguchi-Hobbs & Post Captain Plataea "Phantom" Lasky

Mission: Mission 98: Building Our New Home
Location: Various Locations - Starbase Vanguard
Timeline: 1200Hrs - August 6th, 2393

Commodore Celeste Yamaguchi-Hobbs slowly grinned as she recalled the PADD in her hands, it was a simple note. "Hey, Come meet me for Lunch in my quarters on USS Massachusetts. You'll have fun... Rob."

The note displayed was simple, direct and straight to the point. Yamaguchi-Hobbs tapped 'REPLY' once as she considered what she wished to say. "I'll be along at high noon, seeya then. Celeste." and then she sent it with a tap of the appropriate key on the display before her, she then placed the PADD down before she went back to her paperwork. About fifteen minutes, after she answered the note, Yamaguchi-Hobbs rose to her feet and after tugging on her boots and uniform jacket, she departed her office. "Cheleya. I'm going to take a long lunch break, hold my calls for me please?"

"Aye Commodore." the younger Bolian female answered her boss, with her usual flat response.

Yamaguchi-Hobbs went by her and out into Operations she went, she went over to the transporter pad which was maintained in Operations. "Transport me over to the USS Massachusets please, alert their skipper that I'm visiting him."

Captain Plataea Lasky nodded her head in response. "Willdo. Alerting the Captain as to your impending arrival, aye sir." the pregnant Halanan female added with her usual trademark smile before she turned to her pannel and went to work.

Yamaguchi-Hobbs was quietly transported over to the USS Massachusets which was orbiting the Starbase at two kilometers out. Captain Conner had a rather specific policy when boarding his ship and nobody got to violate this policy for any reason whatsoever, nobody boarded his ship without clearance and Yamaguchi-Hobbs was no exception as she waited to be permitted access to the ship. A moment later her patience was rewarded as the doors opened and in walked Captain Conner himself. "Ahh, Celeste. You're early. Lunch is at my place, this way."

Yamaguchi-Hobbs stepped off of the transporter pad and followed Conner out the door and the two of them made their way down the hallway. "I didn't think you'd accept my invitation." Conner started the conversation with something they both knew needed to be addressed.

"Why not, it's not like we have bad blood between us," Celeste answered evenly. "We got along fine, I'm slowly getting to know Jasmine... Even if she is my daughter, I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong there... Why I could not carry her to term but she lived somehow... I do not get it."

"I honestly don't try to figure it out, Celeste. I accept it for what it is... I have my little girl." Conner answered evenly. "She reminds me of you on so many levels, it's hard for me to explain..."

"Perhaps Rob, but she is still very much a Daddy's girl," Yamaguchi-Hobbs answered. "That much is so blatantly obvious that it's painful to look at, at times." she gave him a sideways look as she commented.

"Still, I wish..." Conner then let out a soft sigh. "I wish the three of us could have been a family... You and me with however many children we could have had..." Conner commented quietly. "I wish... I wish that things could have been different..."

"I was too blinded by my own pain... my own self-hatred, to see... I didn't notice that everyone had blamed you for it..." Yamaguchi-Hobbs explained in a quiet tone of voice.

"It was ironic..." Connor answered. "Aww well." he simply shrugged his shoulders as the two came to their destination. "Here we are, home sweet home," Conner added as they entered his quarters. "Make yourself at home," he added.

Yamaguchi-Hobbs slipped off her boots and uniform jacket, she placed the jacket over a nearby chair as he smiled, while he regarded her in silence. "So, what'll ya have?"

"Oh, I tend to eat small lunches, with big dinners. Jackson is demanding of me on most days." Yamaguchi-Hobbs answered with a smile. "Brianna is also pregnant with a surprise of her own," she added with a rather breezy smile. "So what's new with you?" she inquired with a gentle smile.

"Well." Connor regarded his old girlfriend. "The USS Massachusets is being reassigned to the Scorpius Great Wall, Fleet Admiral Mathew Magruder will be handing things from Starbase Nine Ninty Eight," Connor explained. "I'll be assigned to the Fifty-Sixth Fleet." Connor paused. "It might be some time before we see each other again."

"Rob, we may never see each other again... Or at the very least, not for a very long time," Yamaguchi-Hobbs answered quietly while she regarded him with a look that could have meant a great many things

"I know..." Connor admitted quietly. "I don't like it either, I would much prefer to have remained here but we both know that you tend to be a one person-in a relationship-at-a-time woman... You never liked sharing..."

Yamaguchi-Hobbs nodded her head in agreement, she knew precisely what it was he was saying to her. "I do... I have enough baggage in life at present... and I never expected to ever see you again Rob..." she was glad the subject had come up now before anything stupid happened. "Should that change... You will be the first to know..." she paused as she suddenly felt dirty regarding the subject before them.

"Well, I'm flattered Celeste, considering how things went between you and me when I left for Alpha Centauri and then there was your sibling... One wonders how did I ever survive dealing with her,?"

"Ahh, yes... Marie." Yamaguchi-Hobbs answered in a rather dry tone of voice. "Yes, she is a special kind of snowflake, isn't she?" Yamaguchi-Hobbs gave him a rather impish smile. "I think she likes being the feisty one, considering how often her husband nails her to the wall. I think she has a good outlet for her rage." the tall female added with a rather evil grin.

"What can I say?" Connor answered with a smile. "Eat your food Cel, you might need the calories..." as he gave her a rather potent look, he figured that he had nothing left to really lose at this point. "Nothing worse than working on an empty stomach right.?" he added.