Pizza and Talking

Posted on Wed Feb 26th, 2020 @ 4:37pm by Fleet Admiral Heather Duval

Mission: Mission 15: Old Ghosts
Location: Various Locations - USS Roanoke
Timeline: 2315Hrs, December 10th, 2390

Jacen sat behind his desk in his office attached to the main security office, his jacket hanging over the back of his chair, his turtleneck discarded on the nearby love seat style couch, his holstered phaser pistol hung from a peg behind him. He sat in just his duty pants and the gold tank top with several empty coffee mugs lying around the room and on his desk, often resting beside a PaDD and at current he was holding stylus pen in his mouth with a furrowed brow as he read over the information on the PaDD in his hand. It took him a second to realize that someone was knocking at the open door to his office.

"Go away unless someone is dead, dying or you have an appointment," he said and then started to look up at the door way "In that cause you can go double fuc-"

He stopped short when he saw Zara standing there in the doorway with a pizza box in one hand and a six pack of beer in the other. "Ah...um Captain...just been busy with the Phoenix case...what can I do for you?" he asked set the PaDD down on the desk.

"I wanted to hear your final musings on the Phoenix case," Zara half-smiled, if only because of the irony. "But I also thought we'd eat a bite. You are the only one I know of that likes it when I drink, smoke, and be myself."

"Final musings?" he said and motioned for her to come in while clearing a space for her to set the pizza and beers down. "The incident was not entirely the fault of Lieutenant Colonel Sullivan since Lieutenant Kurzkai was the Operations duty officer, she was supposed to send a tellerite officer to serve at the shift liaison officer with the flight deck. So our main culprit in this is the Tellerite, I have taken her into custody under charges of endangering the welfare of a fellow officer."

Zara handed him a can of beer and a few slices of three-cheese pizza before she plopped down on the love seat. "This is where the XO and I stand on Phoenix. Let me know if we are on the mark..."

"Alright, hit me with it." he said while starting to eat on a slice of pizza, just now realizing how hungry he was as he listened to the Trill officer.

"Her flight status was revoked. She believes it was me who did it for the simple fact it's better she be pissed at me, than her girlfriend - Siaxx," Zara began to list off her fingers. "I am not brigging her since she don't really give a shit when I do. So once Counselor Brislan clears Phoenix in the head, she can return to regular duty shift. For now, it's light duty. And I told the ops chief to keep the Cardassian woman out of the pod."

"That sounds fair enough and I want our ensign friends commission revoked for conduct unbecoming of an officer and failure to carry out her assigned duties." Jacen said, knowing that it was more than a little harsh, but this fuck up could have cost the Cardassian woman her life and he wanted it know that he didn't play with kid gloves.

"I have evidence to back up my decision given that there is a pattern of behavior here that landed her on the Roanoke anyhow...I know this is a place of last chances, but even we have to cut dead weight."

Zara took several bites of her food while she listened to him. Then drank a good portion of her beer before she finally felt the need to speak. "I don't know the idiot, but if they knew of Phoenix's checkard past - which most seasoned fleeters do, then I say demote her... So what I want to know from you, as a security officer, is why you aren't focused on Phoenix? Most cops would throw the book at her."

"I'm not most cops Zara," Jacen said as he opened his first beer and started to sip it after finishing off a slice of pizza. He sat back in his seat and stared over at the Trill woman as she watched him, her finger idly playing with the rim of her beer bottle. "But I am not having the book thrown at her because she has had enough of that...she is a woman scarred by her past and persecuted for the choices she's made." he paused to taking a drink from his beer as he leaned back in his seat.

"I am more interested in seeing justice served rather than doling out punishments on an easy scape goat."

"I like your reasoning," Zara smiled brightly. "Truth is, I hate the bitch. But I don't like kicking her out because of a problem she herself doesn't know she has."

He smiled with her and then shrugged a little as he tried to play it cool, like he was just doing his job. The smile reached far up to her eyes easily and caused them to sparkle as the expression seemed to make her glow a little. He took a long draw from his beer. "I am just doing my job, might mean more paperwork for my crew and I...but saves in the long run."

Good job Jace, keep it cool and professional...ladies like the nonchalant guy. he thought to himself, an almost sarcastic edge to his inner monologue.

"Well it's been suggested that I try to make rounds more often. so I guess I should ask if you department is in need of anything?" Zara asked, she too, fighting to keep a cool demeanor.

"Aside from phaser rifles that aren't from Dominion War stockpiles?" he asked with a wry smirk on his face as he watched, but resisted the urge to get up and walk over to sit next to her on the couch. "I have a personnel snafu, my Sec Vest officer is still being held up on the station because she doesn't have the right travel orders to board at this starbase even though they routed her through here...think you can clear that up for me?"

"I can. Sure," Zara nodded and then gave him a curious grin. "You know them on a personal level?"

"Yeah, I knew her in the Academy, reconnected after through our work...as for whatever else was there that is classified." he replied with a sly grin over to the Trill woman.

"I knew your brother in the Academy... Far different man than the one folks talk about now," Zara admitted none too proudly. "Sorry you're related to that shit... if the rumors are true, that is."

Jacen sighed, sitting there as he stared past Zara and remained quiet as he took a long draw from his beer, silence settling between them as his face hardened. He spun around in his seat and then stood up as he walked over to one of the windows looking out on the rest of the security office and his officers desks, now empty except for Zara and him. "That is a good one...he killed people to cover up his crimes, he has killed more people since he went rogue...they can't punish him so they punish me because I share his name."

He didn't turn around, but his body was hunched, tense with anger. In short he looked like he wanted to explode.

"Ranks don't matter. Getting the job done does," Zara tried to console, but even she felt slighted. "I don't see you like most. Like your brother. Because you aren't."

"What do you even know about me other than the fact that I drink hard and fuck harder?" he turned to look at the Trill woman, hearing the tone of kindness in her voice and a part of him hating hearing it directed towards him.

What have you done to deserve even an ounce of kindness from anyone? he heard a voice not his own taunting him as he frowned and finished off the rest of his beer, holding the empty bottle in his hand as he swallowed.

"I think the way you fuck is a rather fun quality," Zara shrugged aside. "But with the way you're showing kindness to Phoenix, speaks volumes of the good man you are."

Kind words and praise felt like a foreign concept to him, at least ones that weren't in a shallow purely physical sort of way. He crossed over to the couch as he leaned in and captured Zara's mouth in a hard passionate embrace, his hand going to the back of her head, fingers entwining in her hair as he thrust his tongue into her mouth.

Not entirely expecting the kiss, Zara's eyes went wide for a second. But her fingers soon began to dance in Jacen's hair. She enjoyed this for reason she did not know, but it was fun, regardless. To wrestle his tongue against hers, in some playful means of fighting for territory.

Slowly, Jacen started to push the Trill woman down onto the couch as he pressed his body against hers, his hands roaming over her body as he pulled the zipper down on her jacket and pulled her shirt out from her pants. His hand drifted under the shirt along her taut stomach as he felt her legs wrapping tightly around his waist as she pulled him closer.