Downtime

[will_marx 0]

Will was sitting in 10-Forward, enjoying a moment quiet contemplation, and a mug of green tea, when Sam Kent wandered in with a PADD containing the information on the science mission the Arcadia was preparing to undertake. She grabbed a mug of raktajino and a plate of hasperat from the replicator and sits down at a table not far from him, peering at the information scrolling across the screen.

 

Spying her new pips, Will broke the silence around them. "Congratulations on your promotion, Lieutenant."

 

Sam glanced up as the Security Chief addressed her, a little surprised. "Oh...ah, thank you, sir." She grinned at him and nodded.

 

"I'm off duty, Lieutenant," Will said, sitting there in a comfortable pair of black silk tie pants, red Chinese tang, and black kung-fu slippers. "You don't really need to call me by my rank..." He motioned to his civilian attire.

 

Sam, who, just off duty, was still in uniform, looked a little bemused but nodded again. "Alright, si-- " She cut herself off, paused, then said cautiously, not having really spoken to him before, "Ah...Will?"

 

He nodded. "Very good, Sam." He sipped his mug of tea, and contemplated her plate of replicated hasperat. "You know that replicated stuff'll eventually kill you," he said with a smile.

 

Sam chuckled and glanced down at her plate. "Just making do until I can next get the real thing," she said cheerfully, shrugging.

 

"I don't blame you," he repiled. "I'm just glad I brought my family back aboard with me after returning from Rhydin Sector. While I may be able to cook, Ranko and Xian outclass me by a long shot."

 

Sam smiled. "I can cook things so they're edible and that's about the best I can boast. When the replicator does it equally well, it hardly seems worth it." She forked a bit of hasperat up and chewed on it. "Besides, it's really only planetside that you can get a really good native cuisine; I didn't go into space for the food."

 

"Ah, I will give you that," chuckled Will. "When we visit home, there's something about being there that makes the food extra special. Ranko and Xian try their best, but sometimes the replicator just blands it out. Somehow I doubt Hydroponics'll let us grow our own rice."

 

"You could always try claiming it was for security reasons," Sam said with a laugh. "Or offer to cook for 900...you might get a lot of support if your wives are as good as you claim."

 

"They are...but cooking for 6 is a lot different than cooking for 900; not everyone would appreciate the menus. And everyone would probably be hungry an hour or so after, anyway."

 

"True enough." Sam grinned and leaned back in her chair, sipping her coffee. "I guess I'll just have to struggle along with the replicator then." She prodded at the PADD she was looking at absently, not really paying attention to it.

 

"Unless you'd like them to send you a plate every now and then. I've heard Xian's grandmother, Kuh Lon, has opened a ramen noodle store in one of the villages we govern." Will noted her prodding the padd in front of her. "The latest on this mission? Or something from Nevuluz?"

 

"Ah...basic data on work we have upcoming," Sam said, looking back at him. "I think...I *think*...we've got the Nevuluz stuff pretty well put to bed." She looked vaguely pleased with herself. "That...definitely went a lot better than it could have."

 

"It could have," Will agreed. "Even I wasn't pleased with how...hostile the President was when we went down to try to open negotiations. He threatened to nuke his entire planet."

 

Sam chuckled. "I'm glad I didn't have to deal with that end of things; it sounds like it got fairly complicated."

 

"You have no idea, Sam. And while I tend to be a man of action, I do not believe in use of force to mediate anything."

 

Sam nodded. "That tends to be my policy as well; more interested in the exploring than the fighting, though I guess in Starfleet the two occasionally go hand in hand, as Nevuluz showed." She sighed slightly.

 

"That they do," said Will. "Otherwise our ships would be as lightly armed as they were in one alternate universe we visited shortly before your arrival. And people like me wouldn't be needed."

 

Sam glanced down thoughtfully and couldn't restrain a slightly wistful look. "I would have liked to see a universe like that." She chuckled softly. "And I still hope that someday I might see it here but I suppose that's extraordinarily naive."

 

"Sam, I've been in almost every seedy spaceport bar on the edges of Federation space. Human nature precludes that. That's how I got this." Will tapped the eyepatch over what remained of his left eye.

 

Sam smiled tightly. "And I saw Bajor during the Occupation; hell, I've had my share of fury over it...intellectually I should really know better than to expect some sort of perfect world of peace and exploration. But...one can always hope." She laughed dryly and downed the rest of her coffee.

 

"Which is also why there are people like me, Sam," Will replied, "bringing hope to those without it...but in subtle ways; as well as keeping small incidents from ballooning, and showing up on the Federation News Network."

 

Sam glanced at him, realizing she'd been drifting slightly into self-pity on behalf of an entire universe, and nodded at him. "Yeah...I know...and I'm not all that disappointed with what I've seen on Arcadia so far. Nevuluz was a difficult situation, but the amount of information we obtained was phenomenal, and in the end we did good. And that's what's important." She paused again. "I must be tired, I'm rambling now...sorry."

 

"Very true. We did much better on Nevuluz than we did on Axrekrav, even if we were instrumental in overthrowing a tyrannical regime. As for the rambling and being tired, I understand, Sam. Your department is bearing the brunt of this mission. Go get some sleep," Will said to her.

 

Sam laughed aloud at the mention of Axrekrav. "That was...an experience, to say the least." She pushed herself to her feet and begins collecting things together on her plate to dispose of them, smiling gratitude at his understanding expression and nodding agreement with him as if the science department's work was the only thing mentally tiring her. "Yeah...I think I will get some rest..." She looked over at him. "It was good talking with you, si--Will."

 

"Same here, Sam. Have a good night."