The meeting you just don't need

Posted on Tue Feb 25th, 2020 @ 3:12pm by Fleet Captain Torilla Yamaguchi

Mission: Mission 15: Old Ghosts
Location: Various Locations - USS Roanoke
Timeline: 0800Hrs - December 4th, 2390

Jacen had gotten his new uniform from the replicators in his quarters, a mug of hot raktajino in one hand and a PaDD with the personnel background security checks he had already taken care of and needed to be delivered to the XO. He had looked her up, easy on the eyes, but no-go territory since she was both married and pregnant. He had nothing against children, other than the fact that he never wanted any and never wanted to be involved with a woman who did have any rugrats. The second part of the equation was simple enough.

You never rook in another man's nest. Period.

But then again he wasn't quite looking for any special hook up after his night with the Captain. It had been rough. It had been kinky. It had been fun.

The lift came to a stop and as he started walking he could feel the familiar weight of his Mark II-b pulse phaser pistol resting in the tactical holster on his right thigh. Aside from the crisp new uniform, he was less that outstanding looking with his usually well kept beard having grown in some and his hair was shaggy looking and mussed up as if he just ran his fingers through it.

He barely looked like he belonged in the uniform, but then again most of the crew on this ship looked that way. He came to stop outside the XO's office, pressing the chime button as he waited, taking a drink from his raktajino and wondered why he even bothered with Romulan ale at all, cause the day after was totally not worth it.

Or it could have been the Klingon herbs.

Located inside the office was one Commander Torilla Yamaguchi, she was sitting at her desk as she slowly smiled, someone approached her office as she could almost feel his trepidation.

She was slouching with her booted feet up on the desk, also she was wearing the pants today rather then the uniform skirt that she preferred.

She heard the doorchime as she sighed softly. "Its Open!" she called to her would be guest.

Jacen walked in and took in the room at a glance before his gaze settled on the reclined woman behind her desk. "Commander, Lieutenant Commander Jacen Saint the ships new head of security." he said, never really liking these cold approaches or introducing himself, Intelligence training.

Thinking of that part of his life caused his expression to darken some as he sighed and then stepped forward, setting the PaDD down on the desk. "First batch of personnel background checks, everything is green...we don't have any spies or saboteurs aboard as far as our records are concerned."

Yamaguchi watched him carefully as he approched. "Tell me something..." she regarded him with her dark brown eyes. "Who would want to bother with this ship?" she then suddenly sat up with a certain fluid grace which indicated she had martial arts training.

Torilla looked at the PADD, which seemed to pick itself up off the desk and it flew into her waiting hand. "Still... being vigilant is good... wouldn't you agree?" she then looked at his uniform and attire before she frowned.

"Being vigilant keeps your ass from ending up in a sling ma'am...a situation I much rather avoid in all likelihood." he said, trying to do his best to remain civil with the woman as he saw her display of telekinetic ability that marked her as possessing psionic abilities. Jacen did his best to hide his discomfort at being in her presence, since typically psionics where rarely one trick ponies.

"As for who would want to bother, I could list off at least a dozen terrorist groups, both homegrown and foreign, who wouldn't mind getting a couple of their people aboard and then overloading the warp core to turn us into a pretty, pretty light show for their cause," he said with a tired sounding sigh as if this was old hat for him as he watched the woman.

"Externally we have the Romulans, Gorn, Remans, Cardassian ultranationalists, the Breen, and even some elements within the Klingon Empire who have tasted blood and battle and want a return to the days of glory and conquest...I can go on if you'd like me too."

"No... I think you've made your point." Yamaguchi replied in a dry tone.

"So now that we have the threats out of the way, I don't need to be a mind reader to see that we already have an issue." he said and then smirked as he spoke with a sarcastic tone to his voice. "My tie not on straight?"

Yamaguchi gave him an acidic look. "Lieutenant Commander, if you are going to tell me you hate telepaths then I recommend you don't bother." and with that the older woman sighed softly. "Have a seat... my neck is hurting..." she commented as she looked at the chair as it moved back about a half foot under its own power.

"I don't hate teeps, or teeks in your case ma'am, but I have my reason for being distrustful of them." he replied back, looking at the chair that had moved seemingly all on its own. He then looked back at her "But no need for the theatrics."

"Well. what can I say...?" Torilla sighed softly. "I'm pregnant no matter what I'm doing."

He nodded and took in that little tidbit of information, filing it away in his mind as he knew that in all likelihood the Commander would be restricted to desk duty and not allowed on Away missions. But that was a bridge they would cross when they got there.

"Good to know Commander, but see how much you trust a teep after you've had one tear into your mind and nearly kill you while they torture you...that kind of experience leaves a body short on trust."

"Which is fair enough.... now allow me to explain a couple of things about me... so there are no misunderstandings..." Torilla commented. "I don't like to go into people's minds, even with their blessing..." she explained. "it causes me too many issues..." she admitted.

"Fair enough, I'm not going to ask you to go rooting around in my head...ever!" he said, watching her, figuring that she was a stronger telekinetic than a telepath. Sort of like the difference between a regular work out and isometrics; focus one one you are stronger with that workout than the other.

Yamaguchi regarded him in silence. "Help yourself to the replicator." she indicated the food slot over Jacen's left shoulder. "I had engineering place it there so I would be motivated to get up and move around." she explained. "So.. tell me about yourself Commander.... something other then facts on a sheet.."

"No thank you..." not what he had been expecting after he spared a glance over at the replicator, giving a sigh as he thought about what he could share that wasn't a fact on a sheet. "Interesting question...I tend to aim down and to the right when I fire my phaser as I have a tendency to pull up and to the left."

Yamaguchi slowly blinked her eyes. "Are you determined to not get along with anyone?" she inquired. "I read your file..." she commented as she watched him with her dark eyes. "It reads like a novel."

"It depends on what you mean by getting along with anyone," he replied with a slight shrug and finally took a seat as he had a feeling of where this was about to be heading. Damn it if he didn't have a strong drink on hand.

"If you've read my file, then you have seen the psych evals that shuffled me off here...I lost my unit, men and women I considered family, I was tortured and interrogated as the hands of an unknown group..." he trailed off and clenched his fist tightly as he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly while looking away from Yamaguchi.

He swallowed, but did not unclench his fist as he finally mustered up the will to speak again in a low and deceptively calm voice, though she would be able to sense the roiling mix of emotions beneath the surface. Rage and shame were the strongest as flashes of what he had to endure accompanied them. Though an undercurrent beneath it all was the sense of deep loss that was like an open and festering wound.

"I am not much interested in making friends, professionally I will see to your safety and the safety of the crew. Off duty, I'll share a drink with you, I'll laugh at your jokes and I'll even sleep with you if you are just needing a fling..."

It was obvious that much of his attitude and demeanor were carefully designed defenses to protect him from anyone getting close.

Torilla regarded Jacen with a careful eye. "Jacen. I know what its like to lose people you consider kin." she commented as she ran a hand over her face to try and hide the ancient pain she often dealt with, she knew she failed miserably though. "You're not the only one with a colorful history."

Jacen watched Torilla, trying to figure out the woman sitting in front of him

"You make a fair point." Yamaguchi commented. "Now is there anything you need from me..?" she inquired as she regarded him.

"Not a thing ma'am...though if I happen to think of anything, I'll be sure to let you know."

"Alright... dismissed then.." and with that Yamaguchi rose to her feet as she got herself a drink from the replicator.