Peyton Summers

"A Single, Quiet Moment" Joint Log by Ensign Peyton Summers & Lieutenant Trichon Light Peyton's head felt dizzy, the complete change from the heavy gravity to this more normal atmosphere shocked her a bit. She was knelt on the ground, struggling to get back to her feet. Trichon ran one more scan using the modified tricorder and realized that everyone was aboard and they could get moving. "Blasted .." she muttered, readjusting to the ability to move more freely again. She managed to get to her feet, though still wobbly. Trichon got to his feet and looked around the cabin of the transport. Trichon breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Peyton in the crowd. She found a wall to lean on, letting herself rest against it. The transport was crowded, but not horribly. It was better than that control room. Trichon walked up beside Peyton, "Thank God, your okay." She heard his voice and turned to look at him,"..practically.." Releasing herself from the wall, but still wobbly, she stumbled into him accidentally. Trichon grabbed her and helped her back to her feet. "Your safe now, though." Blinking she looked at him, "Oh, I know .. so, where have you been and why weren't you around sooner?" She smiled at him slightly, her eyes drifting from looking into his, to his lips, back again and again.. He hung his head, "I was ordered to stay with this transport. And basically moping around." Her expression got softer, and she glanced down, "Are you holding up okay..? .. considering what happened to Hans?" Peyton's voice wavered at the end, unwilling to even think about what had happened herself. His eyes went blank for a moment and his expression melted for a moment. "I'd be lying if I said yes." "You don't have to lie to me, Trichon.. remember, I see right through you half the time.." she smirked just slightly, attempting to joke at her usual demeanor around him. She brushed back a lock of his hair off his forehead absently. "I couldn't do anything," he could feel his eyes start to sting as the tears welled up inside him, "He was my friend and I couldn't do a thing to save him." "There was nothing anyone could do.. he saved us, Trichon. He did a very .. very brave thing." Her voice got even softer; showing a side of her hardly ever seen. She placed her hand on his cheek, letting her finger gently stroke the skin ".. I hope you don't feel guilty about what happened.. because you don't need to." He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain, "I cant help but feel guilty. I always had his back, and the one time he truly needed me I wasn't there." Peyton frowned, "Sometimes things just happen. We can't understand them.. we just have to deal with them." "I know that but it doesn't make anything easier," Peyton could see the tear slide down his check even with his eyes shut. She let her hand catch his tear, and then she kissed the trail it had left on his cheek, then kissed his other cheek. For the moment, she didn't care who saw them or what they thought of it .. she suddenly realized she cared more for him than she had let herself admit. ".. I'm here, okay..?" He nodded slowly, "I know. I'll be okay its just going to take a while." She smiled slightly, "You know, Trichon.. you don't seem so bad right now. I .. I might even leave your shuttle alone." Peyton leaned closer to look him in the eyes, hoping to lighten things a little. His trademark grin spread across his face for a moment. He just wanted to kiss her right now. Peyton was there for him when he really needed someone. "I can't promise that I won't still kick your butt in a holodeck.. but I will leave your precious shuttle alone. I swear. Really." She noted the grin for the moment and offered back one of her own. He looked her in the eye for a moment, "Thank you." "For what?" she whispered, the look he gave her feeling intense. "For being here. Being around when I need someone." Her cheeks flushed slightly, ".. where else would I be?" "Well I hadn't seen the good doctor around in a while." "The good doctor .. wait, you mean Aaron? What does he have to do with anything?" She blinked at him, sometimes this matters of the heart thing could be so confusing. "Besides .. I mean, it could easily be Merri or something here with you.." She bit her lip, glancing to the side for a moment. Trichon embraced her for a moment. "I wouldn't worry about it too much." She let herself just relax into the embrace. It had been so crazy, and she really only wanted to get lost in this single, quiet moment and not ever leave. At least not yet.

"Playing a Role" Ensign Peyton Summers Stardate 0407.28 If there was one thing that Peyton knew how to do .. it was get what she wanted. When herself, LoAmi and Scmootock were faced with the problem of not being able to rent a boat to check out their theories .. Peyton quickly threw herself into her spoiled brat part. It seemed to be paying off .. she knew that men couldn't stand to see a girl cry. And boy, could she make those tears flow like the falls of Niagra she had heard all about. It was sad, but true, but the years she spent being 'special' to her people .. back in her old life, had taught her to act a certain way to insure she could always come out on top. Nowadays .. it wasn't as easy as before .. especially when it concerned her fellow engineer, Trichon Light. It seemed that he had a way to always have an upper hand over her in the end .. and it drove her nuts. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about the situation .. she thought she had decided to open up .. and give it a try .. but the last time she had one that .. it was nearly disastrous. -------- Dominic looked at her, eyes wide. Peyton stood before him .. her hands clammy from nervousness. She had just told him everything about her. Well, the big stuff. She couldn't tell if he was angry or just shocked. He adverted his eyes to the floor, his breaths becoming heavy, " .. what are you saying, Peyton .. or, Melina .. or.. whatever the hell your name is..." "My real name is Melina Amakiir .. I left my world because I didn't want to take the throne to my land .. I didn't want to be trapped in a life where it wouldn't be my own decisions. I had to leave or else be drowned by my circumstances." Peyton moved closer .. wanting to touch him, to show him that her name didn't matter. The feelings were real. She was still the same heart and soul inside. He flinched when she moved towards him .. standing up quickly and starting to pace. She could tell he was getting very angry. "I CANNOT believe this! You are a damn impostor! You .. you aren't even real! You are a shadow .. I fell in love with someone ..someTHING that doesn't even exist!" "No! Dom .. I'm real! The girl inside is true .. everything I've ever said to you about my feelings is true .. it's just a name, Dom .. just a name." Dominic looked at her in disbelief, "Just a NAME? You are using an alias! That means you've lied to get to this point .. to get into the Academy .. a fake profile, everything! You are going to be kicked out when they find out!" "IF they find out .. Dom, you can't tell anyone. My life is in danger if my people find where I am. Leaving my responsibilities is punishable by death on my world. You can't tell anyone about this!" He slammed his fist into his wall .. leaving a definite indentation. He heaved a big breath and shook his head, "You are asking me to live a lie with you, Pey.. or whatever. I don't even know what to call you anymore. I'll keep your secret .. but I cannot live with you like that. It's over between us." Peyton exhaled and nodded. She knew it would come to this. She had prepared for it. No one could handle this big of a lie, "I understand, Dom .. but please understand the severity of keeping this to ourselves .. " "Yeah .. whatever. Just .. get out." He lowered his head, a man defeated. She grabbed the clothes she had changed out of and left without another word. All at the same time she felt an incredible weight lifted, but then another one on her shoulders ; the possibility that he could talk ..telling the wrong person and ultimately causing her to lose her life. Peyton walked across the grassy area towards her dormitory .. while Dominic pondered what to do next .. and whether to talk to someone about this or not .. ------------ Peyton refocused back onto the mission. That was important right now. She would think about her confusing life when she had more time to devote to it. Maybe that would be never. All she could do was play a role. That is what she was good at.

"Opportunity Knocks?" Joint Log by Lieutenant Trichon Light & Ensign Peyton Summers Stardate 0407.21 Peyton made her way down the corridor, desperate to get away from the madness behind her. First the kiss, then the sudden appearance of practically EVERYONE on the ship.. and the Aaron 'water' accident. She shook her head.. it seemed the whole place had gone crazy in a blink of an eye. Trich looked around trying to find Peyton. She had ran off after Aaron "spilled" his water on him. Not only that but it seemed that he couldn't find a quiet moment to talk to Peyton at all. She paused after she rounded another corner, stopping for a moment to glance around; it seemed like this place went around in circles. Peyton leaned against the wall and sighed a bit. She was getting in over her head, the last thing she wanted to do was get close to someone. It was something she felt she couldn't risk again. ------------------------- "You are so beautiful when you are dirty." Dominic Foster mused, as Peyton walked past him in his dormitory. Her face, hands and uniform was horribly smudged in black; having been crawling through grime and engineering parts all day. She had enjoyed every moment of it though, and rolled her eyes at his comment. She disappeared into his bedroom and began to change her clothing. "And you are beautiful when you feed me lame lines like that.." She responded, cleaning herself up a bit. This had become the routine for over a year. It had only take a few weeks since the beginning of her Academy days for them to become inseparable. He was a 3rd year when she arrived .. and now, in her 2nd year, he would be leaving at the end of this term for assignment. Both of then hadn't really talked about it much. "Maybe it's lame ... but you love it and you know it, Peyton." Dominic rose from his chair as she reentered the room; switched into a pair of khaki pants and a light blue tank top. Her face was washed and her hair brushed out. She put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, yeah ..maybe. Good thing I've been keeping clothes around your place. We got incredibly and wonderfully filthy today. It was exciting.." She walked over to him and slipped her hand around his neck, gazing up at his amazing green eyes. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips and then winked. "Well, don't get used to it.. in a few months you'll have to move those things back into your own dorm. I can't believe I'll be leaving so soon .. but who knows, maybe you can request assignment to wherever I am when you graduate." Dominic looked at her expectantly. Peyton pulled away and walked over to his replicator, getting her usual iced tea. She sipped it a bit and glanced at him, "Perhaps .. but I don't want to just go to a ship merely because you are there. I want the best in the fleet." "What, you don't think I wouldn't be placed on the best ship in the fleet? C'mon now, Peyton .. this is ME we are talking about here." He gave her his award winning smile. Ah, yes, she could feel his ego from all away across the room. She rolled her eyes again. "I wasn't saying that .. I was just saying, I am going to follow my instincts with my assignments when I receive them. I need to lead my own life.." Dominic frowned, "And your own life doesn't include me?" "I didn't say that either... listen, why are we even having this discussion? No need to worry about it now. I still have two years to go." "Peyton.. don't you think we've come to a plateau in our relationship? I mean, I still have never met your parents .. or really know anything about your past before the Academy. I want to know everything." She looked at him. Everything? Perhaps they HAD reached a plateau of sorts. And for weeks she had pondered telling him everything about her. Even the fact that Peyton was not even her real name. That her blonde hair was originally dark brown ... that she was an heiress to a throne she had abandoned..and that death surely awaited her if she was to be found by her people. Desperately she wanted to him tell him .. but was it the right thing to do? "Peyton? Are you listening? Tell me all about you.. I think I deserve that much." "Okay, Dom .. but, I think you need to sit down for this. Because .. it might change everything ..." He sat down and Peyton stood before him, beginning to reveal a secret that would nearly change her future forever .......... ------------------------- Trichon rounded the corner and saw Petyon leaning against a wall. "Hey there you are. You ran off awfully fast." Her eyes blinked, her mind brought back to reality. She was still there on the ship, and suddenly Trichon stood before her, "Obviously not fast enough, eh?" Peyton smirked a bit. Her attitude never failed in any situation. "Its just well you know.." his voice trailed off. She glanced at him. It was the first time she had seem him like that. His ego didn't seem to prevalent at the moment. Almost like a different person, ".. why did you kiss me, Trichon?" "It felt like the right thing." Peyton laughed a little. Sometimes the right thing was never really the right thing to begin with, "But you hate me.. I hate you.. .. right?" Trichon grinned, "Yeah kinda funny huh." She shook her head. "I don't understand. You are an arrogant, self-centered man. You obsessed with a shuttle and you shake your tail like you are Rico Suave around the Arcadia .. but .. there's something about you..." She trailed off this time; can't help but be honest at that point. There was nowhere to run... "I cant help it. Its who I am Peyton." Rolling her eyes, she nodded, "Quite obvious. So it's confusing to me.. why I seem to like you." "It's funny the way that works doesn't it?" Her eyes refocused at him. There, she had admitted to it. Now she waited for his head to expand before her eyes. "Tell me about it.. now.. what to do.." "Well that is a question isn't it? Do we start dating or do we go slow?" She smirked. Dating. He already had visions of the future in his head. But was there really a future? "Trichon.. we should really think about this. You have no idea what you are getting into. None at all." "That's the fun part of these types of things Peyton. You just let go and see what happens." Part of her wanted to tell him right there. The real her. The girl behind Peyton. Yes, Peyton was her ..to a point. But still only a fragment. A piece. She wasn't sure he could truly handle it. And besides .. she knew what had happened last time. "It's a rough ride, Trichon. Believe me.. can you handle that?" "I've handled far worse." he sighed, "A few months ago I thought I was going to die on that Romulan ship. You change after something like that Petyon. I've learned that life is precious and we have to live every minute we have. She nodded, "For once, we agree on something. Life is indeed precious. Opportunity is life's greatest gift. And maybe .. I don't know, this is an opportunity?" "Your exactly right about that." Peyton had left her life behind for freedom to do as she wished. She had to try and not be afraid of the past catching up to her .. or else she'd lose the present. And ultimately the future.

"Speechless" A Joint Log by Lieutenant Trichon Light and Ensign Peyton Summers Stardate 0407.14 Trichon walked out of the room. He was worried about Merri and how the fold had affected her. It had caused Dac some pain so what had happened to Merri? He walked down the corridor towards the room she was supposed to have been in. Peyton had to get out of that room. Her 'roomie', an annoying Lieutenant named Rico, had hit on her the entire time. She was getting tired of his leering gaze and bad cologne. Didn't Starfleet screen these people before assigning them? Frustrated, she stalked out of the room into the corridor. Trichon continued down the corridor checking to see if anyone had seen Merri. Peyton moved towards the left, heading down that way. She was willing to see anyone but Lieutenant Rico, who was leaning out the door asking where she was going and calling her 'baby'. Rolling her eyes, she rounded a corner. Trichon saw Peyton round the corner. Another fellow engineer maybe she would know where Merri was. Her eyes focused onto Trichon as he walked towards her. Her steps became slower, and she muttered under her breath. he was the last person she wanted to see right at that moment. Well, besides Lieutenant Rico. He walked up to Peyton, "Hey. So where's the doctor. It looked like he was attached to you at dinner." She raised her brow at him, was it her imagination of did he sound almost jealous? Her lips curled into a newly refreshed smile, "Oh, Aaron? I don't know.. we got separated into different rooms." "Sounds like fun." he tried to keep the hint of jealousy out of his voice. "And .. where is Merri? You don't seem as attached as you were earlier either.." Peyton smirked, crossing her arms and giving him a piercing gaze with her violet eyes. Trichon slapped his forehead, "ahh Merri. Have you seen her? We got separated when they moved us all to different rooms." Her gaze become a bit more piercing, ".. oh, lost her, did you? Well.. I'm sure she is around here somewhere. I mean, she is a big girl and can take care of herself, I'm sure." "Well she's had it kind of rough sense we started this whole Paktar business. I just want to make sure she's okay." Peyton rolled her eyes slightly, "Well, I suppose we can go find her .. have you already checked this way?" She motioned to the way he was walking from. "Yeah that's where I came from. I think the commander is still back there." "Then let's go this way... but we have to walk pretty fast past room 431. There is a Lt. I am trying to avoid..." Peyton turned on her heels, sure that her long and loose whipping hair would hit him in the face. Trichon avoided the hair and then grinned at Peyton, "You want me to take care of him?" "No, he is just a poor unfortunate soul who somehow passed the Academy exam. Some hot shot security guy. I wouldn't even waste my breath on him. Besides, his cologne is too strong..can't even breathe anyway. Let's go.." She glanced back over her shoulder at him, then started walking down the corridor. Trichon followed Peyton down the corridor. "So what about the good doctor?" "What about him?" She slowed her pace down so he could walk beside her. "Well you two seemed to be getting along awfully well during dinner." Peyton looked over at him, "Were you watching?" She smiled a bit, he seemed very interested in what her and Aaron were doing. It made her wonder. "Well I did notice." "You did, hmm? Well.. he's a nice man." Peyton paused. Aaron was a nice guy, but sometimes maybe a bit too nice. She glanced over at Trichon, ".. and anyway, what about you and Merri?" "What about me and Merri?" She laughed slightly, "I noticed a few things myself, Mister Light. Like.. the hands?" Peyton looked at him knowingly, somewhat awed that she was actually having this conversation. "Ohhh that whole thing. Its a long story. But don't worry about that." "Who said I was worried? Why would I be worried?" she blurted out quickly. Why would he think she was worried? She wasn't. Really. Peyton walked past her room quickly, staring straight ahead, hoping that Rico wouldn't pop out of the door. "Your awfully defensive about that." She stopped and turned around, glaring at him, "Defensive? Why would I need to be defensive? I couldn't care less if you hold her hands or wear her dress!" "Do you think I would look good in her dress?" Trichon shot Peyton a sly grin. He was enjoying having the upper hand with Peyton for a change. Her eyes narrowed, "No.. you wouldn't. Your head would have a hard time getting through the neck hole.. you know, because of it's size." Peyton spied his grin, knowing full well he was enjoying every second of this. "Ohhh so now were talking about the size of my ego again huh?" "It's an easy subject.. don't you think?" She rested her hands on her hips, tilting her head and with a smirk on her face, "I mean, it's hard to miss." "I know. My ego has its own gravitational field." "You're right about that! No wonder people like Merri get sucked right in..." "Ouch. Low blow." Peyton moved closer, so she was face to face with him, "It's true though isn't it. I've heard all about your reputation. It's what you do, right? Suck people in before they know what hit them?" Trichon looked at Peyton right in the eyes, "I don't know what you've heard, but I don't think I suck people in." "I've heard quite a bit.. about your Academy days. Even here on this ship." Her gaze didn't falter, and she looked him right back in the eyes, "People talk. It's only natural." "That doesn't really tell me what you've heard though. People could say lots of things." He continued to stare into her violet eyes. At this point he didn't know if he wanted to kiss her or kill her, "Doesn't really give me anything to defend myself with now does it." "Well, okay.. does the name... Ruca ring a bell? Oh yes, I heard about her. Something about her running away on you?" "She had things she had to take care of. I don't think she ran away." Peyton was treading on some sensitive ground there. "See, I have this theory.. she got sucked in as well. But she realized it and escaped. She wasn't strong enough to handle you." Peyton's eyes never moved from his, she had a keen talent for staring. "You make it seem like I'm some sort of force of nature or something." He stared in her eyes, "You think your strong enough to handle things?" The question took her aback, she opened her mouth for a moment to say something, but had to swallow. A few moments passed, "I can handle anything, but why would I want to?" Trichon thought for a second and picked his next words carefully, "Because I don't think you can. Ruca was stronger than you think and she still ran. So I wonder how you would fare." Peyton inhaled an angry breath, "I am stronger than I appear.. that's for sure. It'd be more of a question of how YOU would fare." Her hands had since turned into fists, and they were trembling slightly. She couldn't understand why this man always got right under her skin like this. And why she allowed him to. Trichon started to pace around Peyton, "Oh you've 'heard' all about my reputation. I think I would fare just fine." She watched him as he walked around her, "Oh, I disagree.. because I think your reputation is just a result of an act you put on. You want everyone to THINK you are strong and confident. And you ARE arrogant, but I think that hides the simple fact that you are indeed weak." "Weak huh, well would a weak guy do something like this," Trichon quickly moved forward and kissed Peyton. Peyton's eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to register what was going on, but with all the anger and confusion inside her .. it wasn't working. Instead, it caused her to receive his kiss, and return it. Trichon pulled away, "Now who's weak." She let out a breath when her lips were freed, and eyes darted back and forth from the floor to Trichon and back again. For once, she was speechless.

I've been working. Woot. :D And sweating to death while doing it. My store's AC is broken. ::sniff::

"Under Her Skin" A log by Ensign Peyton Summers Stardate 0407.08 Peyton Summers violet eyes watched as her fellow engineers, Trichon and Merri, slipped away from the table. She immediately glanced down, spying their hands together, fingers tangled. Without a moment's hesitation she could feel her body become warm, her cheeks ablaze with red. And it would be easily noticable with her fair skin. In her ear she could hear the muffled talking of Aaron Westler, the doctor who seemed to have a bit of a thing for her, but she really couldn't make out what he was saying. She was too busy being angry to care. She glanced over at Aaron and bluntly interrupted him, "I'll be right back." She could tell he had opened his mouth to talk to her, but she quickly stood up from the table and disappeared around the corner and into the restroom facilities. She let the door slide closed behind her and stood there for a moment. Realizing she was alone, she walked over to the wash area and pressed a button. The faucet extended from the wall and turned on. Peyton cupped her hands and splashed her face with the cold, refreshing water. It cooled her down tremendously, and she looked up at the mirror, the water dripping from her face. She couldn't figure out why it had bothered her so much. It was only Trichon. The arrogant, self-absorbed and shuttle obsessive engineer who managed to annoy her at every turn. As she grabbed a towel and wiped at her face and exhaled. What was the big deal? So he was holding Merri's hand .. she shouldn't care either way. But there was no denying it .. she was jealous. No, she wasn't. Peyton shook her head at her reflection, "You are NOT jealous. Why would you be jealous? He drives you absolutely batty! You should be glad he won't be a bother to you anymore .. let Merri have him!" She paused and stared at the liar in the mirror. She knew better than this; than to let someone get under her skin. And she wasn't about to let Trichon do it to her .. even if she had to fight it. She couldn't risk it .. not with her skeletons in the closet.

I must concur.. Excal was my very, very, very, very, very first sim EVER. And I mean, way back. And it rocked then. I am most certain it probably rocks now as well. :) (And on an unrelated note..my kitty really loves chasing the mouse cursor as I surf the boards.. ha, what a mouser. ;P)

I don't need a test to remind me how evil I am. 100% bad to the bone...bababa-bad! :mellow: Mwah.

You are a glutton for punishment? :mellow: Most of us are .. since we hang out around here.

This time..I really do think your head will explode. :lol: B)

Oooh.. SNAP! ::snaps fingers:: :lol:

Basically, I just do this: Focus on the people in your department. You work with them more closely. Watch out for any ACTION statements. Those effect (usually) everyone. Follow the Chain of Command. Muy importante! This ensures there is no toe stepping and things get done properly. And last, but not least ... HAVE FUN! :lol: If you are enjoying yourself that's all that really matters. The ones having the most fun are usually the ones doing well and it WILL be noticed. Good luck! :lol:

I think it took me two or three sims. I remember being PMed by someone saying "You've done this before, haven't you?" I guess I can sim or something. :D ::now begins to wonder WHO John is.:: :P

"Open Communications" A Joint Log by Lieutenant Trichon Light & Ensign Peyton Summers Stardate 0406.22 (Occurs a few hours after the last sim) Peyton crawled out of the access hatch of the JT's to the port nacelle maintenance area. Fitz was .. oh, she didn't care where Fitz was, she was so steamed that she could barely contain herself. Her fingers gripped her Engineering Kit rightly; so tight that her knuckles were white. All she could do was mumble, "How DARE those Coalition ... jerks! Taking over MY repairs! What, they don't think I can do it? That WE can do it?!" she suddenly remembered Fitz had been sort of patronized too, " .. this is utterly ridiculous! Completely!" Peyton rounded a corner, in a full-on stomp. She continued her angered mumbling, reaching another corner and rounding it, this time stopped in full force by something. She had been going so fast that it knocked her completely back, causing her kit to go flying! She landed on her back with a great grunt. Thats twice you have knocked me on my back ensign." a familiar voice said. Peyton blinked her eyes, and rubbed the back of her head a bit as she sat up, "Oh, for crying out loud.." She glanced over to the other person lying on their backside, Lieutenant Light, "Lieuten- ..err, Trichon.. are you alright?" Trichon got his feet and extended his hand to Petyon, "I'll live. How about you?" She grumbled slightly, taking his hand reluctantly to pull herself up, "I've been better at this point.." "You too huh?" Peyton eyed him a moment and then began to pick up her spread out engineering kit, "I was just kindly told that my services were not needed on the EPS relay repairs.. " She began to grumble more audibly as she picked up her tools. "And I was just told that I was slowing our new friends down in the shuttlebay. I was kicked out of MY shuttlebay." Trichon bent down and started to help Peyton pick up her tools. "Ouch .. and I know how much you love that stinkin' place.." she smirked slightly, piling her tools into her kit, ".. but I know how you feel. I could do those repairs with my hands behind my back and one foot draped over my shoulder.. it's ridiculous. Damn Coalition.." she muttered, brushing back some of her blonde hair that had come loose from her ponytail in the fall. Trichon handed her the last of her tools. "I have no idea what the captain was thinking. I mean there not helping there taking over." Peyton took the tool from him, her fingers brushing his subtly and quickly; seemingly unnoticed to her, "I know that the Chief was none too pleased about it. At least that's what Fitz told me. He overheard the communication." "I can just see the chief going ballistic over this. Well I guess there's not really much we can do. There is one good thing that can come out of this." a sly grin crossed his face. She raised her eyebrow at him, clutching her kit in her hands. Was he nuts? "And what would THAT be?" "We can finally take a break, and get some food." "Food.." Peyton stared at him for a moment. She was suddenly taken back to their last encounter, in the holodeck. Food. Dinner. The dinner.. was that what he was talking about? Trichon noticed the strange look on her face, "Yeah food. You know that stuff they serve in the mess hall. I mean at the moment with replicators still offline it would be rations, but still we could sit down and eat." She cleared her throat, "I .. I know what food is. I was just .. nevermind. Yes, .. rations are okay. Not like we've never had them before, right? And I am quite hungry now that I think of it." Trichon grinned, "Well it's nice to know that we have the same concept of food. Shall we?" "Yeah, sure .. might as well. I don't feel like seeing any of those Coalition jerks anytime soon." "I know exactly what you mean for a change." Smirking, she began walking past him, "Don't let that go to your head.." Trichon made sure to watch Petyon carefully as she walked ahead of him, "Yes ma'am." "So.. I guess we should head to the mess hall .." she glanced back at him. Ah, it was great. She already had him following behind her. She grinned to herself. "Sounds good to me. I'm following you." ---------------------------- The mess hall seemed pretty deserted. Besides Peyton and Trichon, only a few officers were partaking of the rations. So there was an endless array of seats available. Peyton glanced at Trichon, "Want to sit anywhere in particular, sir?" Trichon looked around, "Anywhere works for me, and we're off duty. Call me Trichon please." "Trichon.. of course," she smiled slightly, and went over to a table nearby. She took a seat quickly and set her kit on the floor beside her. It was odd to be calling him by his first name. But he insisted and he was a higher rank. Trichon poked his rations with the fork he had, "I never liked these things. Of course they beat Klingon cuisine I guess." "Klingon cuisine? You've eaten that stuff?" She watched him play with his food for a moment, before sampling her own. "Once. I had a friend in the academy who was half-Klingon. He loved gagh and made me try some once." Making a slight face at the taste, she took a large gulp of her water and set it down, "I've tried it before. Not exactly my favorite thing. My boyfr-.. my friend from the Academy was into Klingon food as a hobby or something." Trichon grinned catching her small mistake, "Boyfriend eh." For the first time since they had ever seen each other, she became a bit flustered, "We are no longer together. He graduated before I did.. and we ended up having differences." "Well that's usually the way those Academy romances work out." Trichon took a drink of his water. "Romance.. pssh. I think after that experience I prefer the hum of a warp core to the beating of a lover's heart." She ate a bit more of her 'food', and chewed it roughly. "Sounds like someone is a little cynical. Want to talk about it?" She raised her brow at him, "Cynical? Me?" Trichon raised in hands in defense, "I was just saying." For a moment, she let her guard down, "I don't mean to sound attacking. I don't feel cynical .. it's just, he wanted to be just one more person in my life who wanted to control it. I've had enough of that." "I can see how that might conflict with your personality. No offense of course." "Most everything in my life conflicted with my personality," she grinned at him. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all; but he was just so easy to pick on. "I know what you mean." She glanced down to pick up another piece of food and her eyes gazed his hands. Though she didn't mean to, Peyton stared at them for a moment. "What happened to your hands?" She assumed that perhaps it was from a mishap in Engineering or something. Trichon quickly hid his hands below the table, "Nothing. Accident in the shuttlebay." It was an obvious lie. "I can see right through that, you know.." She looked at him with her violet eyes; piercing eyes. It was as though he was transparent to her. A thin veil that used to be his ego. "Its nothing really." His voice had gotten soft and quiet. Her voice lowered as well, "I don't believe that." Peyton dropped her arrogant act; at the moment .. she even seemed to care about him. He had, after all, put up with her and still wanted to have her call him by his first name. As crazy as Peyton saw that to be .. it was somewhat appreciated. "Of course.. if you want to just lie to me..that's up to you." "Its not something I like to talk about." Trichon brought his hands back up and let her look at the scars on both of his hands. "You know the mission when some of us were captured by the Romulans?" Her eyes fell upon the scars once again, and she nodded, "Yes.. I was on the beta shift at the time; I didn't really know much of you Alpha's yet." "I didn't have these before that mission, and we'll leave it at that." Trichon's eyes had a odd look to them. Even his voice sounded different. "Romulans have no word for mercy." "So I've heard.. " she murmured, then she reached over to touch the scars; her curiosity getting the best of her. Trichon's hands jerked back quickly off of pure instinct. His quick motion caused her to jerk back as well. She blinked at him, "Hey.. I wasn't going to do anything.. I promised I wouldn't kick your butt outside of a holodeck." "Sorry its just..." his voice lowered a bit, "They still hurt sometimes." "Those docs up in Sickbay..they don't do anything about it?" "I don't want them to. The scars and the pain are reminders to me." Peyton's eyes widened, "That's ridiculous! Just get them fixed and move on!" She shook her head, what was this guy's malfunction? "Have you ever done something that you cant forget no matter what you do?" She nearly laughed. Her whole life was something she couldn't forget, "I'm livin' it, pal.. livin' it." "Then you understand why I keep my hands this way. I don't want to forget ever." "Part of me understands .. and part of me thinks you are one crazy S-O-B.." she stood from her chair and walked over to the viewport nearby. Not much to see at the moment, she crossed her arms and looked anyway. She had felt herself becoming more open with him, and in her experiences, that was always a bad idea. Trichon pushed away the rest of his dinner and walked over to Peyton. "Don't worry I know I'm crazy. Its something you'll figure out the more you get to know me." "I think had THAT figured the moment I met you.. mostly from your obsession with that ship of yours." She glanced over at him. "Why must you always attack my ship. Its never done anything to you." She laughed, "I've already shot it .. what more could I do to it?" Trichon looked at her, "I would hate to think of the possibilities."

"Control" A Log by Ensign Peyton Summers Stardate 0406.20 (This log occurs prior to this week's sim) Her quarters were small and her personal belongings, meager. She was sometimes surprised that she had not acquired more personal items during her studies at the Academy, but all in all, she kept things simple and to the minimum. The only things she really had an excess of was piles of PADDs containing engineering journals and papers, her engineering designs and holodeck programs about anything imaginable. Peyton entered her quarters and tossed her PADD down on top of the pile and noted first that her 'plant of the week' was already dead. "Well, well .. it only took two days for you to die. Better luck next time." She said, picking it up and looking at it's pitiful brown leaves and withered petals. At one time, it was a vibrant and beautiful African Lily. Peyton didn't seem to have a knack for living things; just wires, circuitry and getting her hands dirty. That was why she had never really felt at ease in her former life. A princess and heiress to a throne; once she had been old enough to understands it's real obligations .. it had definitely lost it's appeal. In fact, the first time it had occurred to her that it was not the life she truly wanted was when she was freshly 16..... .................................... Melina's dark brown hair whipped in the wind as she enjoyed her afternoon ride. Her white horse, Amaya, was strong and carried her over the green hills around her family's castle. It was these afternoon rides that truly made her feel free. Just her, her horse and the surrounding nature .. it was just what she needed for a break from royal duties such as public events, lavish banquets and 'dates' with annoying sons of nobility. She had increasingly become disenchanted with her life; but at times figured she could chalk it up to simple teenage angst. It made the most sense to her, and it was what her parents had told her she was going through. "Princess Melina! Melina! Wait!" a voice called out behind her. Melina pulled at the reins, bringing Amaya to a halt and turning around to see her assistant, Solenne, riding up on one of the other horses. Melina sighed, hating being interrupted during her afternoon ride. "Yes, what is it?" She asked, not at all hiding the fact she was exasperated. Solenne brought her horse to a halt and came up along side Melina, "Your parents .. they want you to come back home. They said it was a matter of urgency." Melina nodded, motioning her horse to get going again, "Urgency? This had better be good.." she muttered, heading back towards the castle, with Solenne close behind. ------------------------- Melina pushed open the ornate double doors to her father's chamber. It was a den like 'office', where he conducted his royal affairs. There he was, sitting at his desk, with several guards Melina did not recognize on either side of the room. The three chairs in front of the desk .. she could only see the heads of the people. As she entered, the guards looked at her and her father smiled broadly, "Ah... Melina! Come on in, dear .." She placed a hand on her hip and looked at her father, "I was told this was a matter of urgency .. I cut my afternoon ride short .. you know I don't like that." A voice spoke from one of the chairs, "I can see she is a feisty one, your highness." "Father, what is going on here?" She stood there, still in her dirty riding clothes, her hair a travesty and completely confused. The three people from the chairs stood up and looked upon her. From their clothes she guessed they were royalty. But what were they doing there? "Melina .. I'd like you to meet Queen Samara and King Kalen Bordeau, of Acksen. And this is their son, Quinn. Your mother and I .. we have called them here for a special arrangement." She looked upon the three royals, her eyebrow raised, "An arrangement? What sort of arrangement?" Quinn, the prince, came forward with a big grin on his face. He wasn't exactly the most handsome boy he had ever met. Obviously an awkward teenager with bright red hair and a toothy grin. He grabbed Melina's hand and kissed it, "It is a pleasure to meet you... my future queen." "Future queen? Father! What is going on?!" She snatched her hand away from Quinn and walked over to her father. He looked embarrassed. "Melina .. your mother and I have chosen your match. He will be at your side when you take over the throne after your mother! He is to be your King!" "WHAT?!" Melina had never been the typical princess, "You expect me to believe I have to marry ... THAT!?" "Melina! Please!" "Screw this! Excuse me!" She darted a look at her 'future' in laws and stormed out of the room, with a bang of the double doors behind her. ---------------- "Melina?" a soft voice called from the other side of her room door. Melina was sitting on her window sill, looking out at the majestic view. The sun was about to go down over the horizon and she loved to see it melt away in brilliant colours and be swallowed by the night. The door opened and her mother stepped in, "Melina ... I am sorry that you had to find out in such a way. Your father doesn't have much sense when it comes to dealing with you girls.." "I am NOT marrying that boy mother .. and that's all there is to it." "You do not have a choice, my dear .. as the future queen of this land ..it is your duty to take a husband to rule with you. And it's OUR duty to choose him for you." Melina closed her eyes, "That isn't fair. I want to fall in love, Mother.. if I am supposed to be a queen .. why can't I choose who I love?" "Sometimes love has nothing to do with it, my dear.. I did not think I could love your father when he was chosen for me .. but I grew to love him after we married and after you were born. We became a good match. And Quinn Bordeau is a wonderful young man with good parentage." "I won't! I mean it ..." "You have to, Melina..it's your duty. You have an obligation to your people. Sometimes your own personal happiness has to take the back-seat to your job. I know it's hard .. but you have to accept it. I did .. and I know you can. Besides... you know the punishment for not fulfilling your duties. I don't want to lose you.." Melina didn't answer, and her mother left her alone. She was right. Melina did know the severe punishment for royalty that abandoned their duties. But could she really live with a man she didn't love .. and forget her own happiness? For her country. It was something she would think about for a very long time.. ---------------- Peyton blinked her eyes, snapping out of the temporary memory of her past. She made her way to her work table, picking up the half finished model of a Sovereign class ship. The models she made were placed all around her quarters. Even models of old Earth ships adorned her shelves. It was a hobby of hers, and she could sit there and piece together tiny parts and feel completely in control of her life. It was what she always wanted .. and here, on the Arcadia .. she seemed to have found it. Or did she?