Sensor Echoes (Tauariki/Akade)

[Skyler Akade 0]

Note: This log is set in the current ISS Creek mirror universe plotline.

 

A few days prior to sim-time...

 

****

 

The Hard Six was a testament to the hardship of its engineering crew -- a ship that should have been retired a decade back but had somehow managed not only to stay afloat but to become recognized as a pretty fast freighter amongst the civilian fleet. Engineering was always replacing or upgrading circuits, relays, consoles, and major systems.

 

Jed was taking a breather, sitting on one of the mismatched stools in the mess hall, wiping his hands on his favorite pair of leather pants. With the tip of his boot, he poked Karim in the ribs a few times until the assistant engineer slid back out from under the induction range that needed a tune up.

 

“What?” Karim asked.

 

Jed grinned, the scar on his left cheek making his smile crooked. “That’ll be ‘what, sir,’ to you!” Karim rolled his eyes and sat up, propping his back against the stainless appliance waiting as Tauariki went on. “Crash has put the engineering crew on standby...again. I swear the devilish woman wants to work us to death. I really think she goes to bed at night trying to figure out who she could pick up a fight with, for the only purpose of making us clean up the results of another firefight...“ Jed stopped mid-sentence, his eyes following a young new recruit hungrily. “Get me that damned stove fixed, El-Sayed...cause I’ll definitely let her cook me dinner tonight.”

 

Karim, his eyes elsewhere, noticed the mess hall doors slide open and watched as Skyler Akade stepped through them, heading their way after scanning the room briefly. “Uhh...” He cleared his throat trying to get Jed’s attention, which was entirely focused on the blonde. ”Boss!” he added more loudly as Skyler closed in on the pair.

 

“What? I’m busy here...” the Chief Engineer started clearly annoyed, before noticing the scientist’s approach. “Oh... “

 

Karim got up quickly, nodding in Skyler’s direction before grabbing a rag off the counter behind Jed. Loud enough to be heard only by the tall Maori, he muttered, “Yeah...oh. I’ll leave you and your...friend be.“

 

“Jed!” Skyler hissed the word out in a low, attention-demanding drawl, ignoring the other engineer pointedly and focusing in on Tauariki, the lazy hardness of her cool brown eyes tracking onto his body and up to his face. The Hard Six’s sensor expert was bored and aggravated, not a combination that boded well for most people standing in her way but one for which she generally found Tauariki to be an ideal target for various reasons -- mostly because he was the one who maintained (if you could call it that) the systems which were her primary concern, the only things that kept her on this hunk-of-junk ship, though he had other uses as well when the fit struck. “Was beginning to think you were trying to avoid me. We need to talk.”

 

Jed gave Karim a sidelong look, clearly meaning shut up and go away...now, before turning to Skyler. “Hey, Sky,” he greeted her. “Why would you think I’d ever avoid you? You know I ask nothing more than spending more time with you actually...” He instantly regretted having brought the subject up, seeing the dark look Skyler was giving him. Quickly trying to change the subject, the tall engineer got up, putting his hands on Akade’s shoulders, massaging them lightly. “What do we need to talk about?” he asked, smiling, hoping she wouldn’t get more upset at him.

 

Skyler couldn’t resist a grin to herself at the soft, almost plaintive touch. Tauariki hopped to her tune as per usual -- hopped a little too fast, really. There was actual business first. “That new sensor pallet you installed -- where the hell did you salvage it from?” she said, shrugging his hands from her shoulders in a dismissive manner calculated to twinge his pride down just a hair. “Maybe on the Imperial ships they put up with that kind of blind-six-ways-from-Sunday crap, but you know I demand better.”

 

Putting his hand behind his back and trying hard not to let his disappointment show too much, Jed shifted his weight to one foot. “I know you deserve better, baby...but that was the only pallet I could get you on short notice. I made my contact promise me to put one aside for me, though.” Jed smiled, obviously proud of himself. “And I did that why? Because I knew you’d settle for nothing else than the best.” Jed scanned her face, evaluating her mood before deciding to go out on a limb. “Any plans for dinner yet?” He crossed his fingers behind his back for luck.

 

Skyler favored him with a mild scowl, inwardly amused. Didn’t he understand where her priorities were? No matter...such things had their place, and in this case there was no reason she couldn’t use them as a catalyst for more important business. “I swear, Tauariki, sometimes I think you think about nothing else than food.” She took her time ambling towards the far end of the mess hall bar and back, then eyed him sharply. “1900 hours, my quarters...bring wine, and for the love of dhuk’tah, not that slop you brought last time.” Reaching the edge of the bar next to him, she tugged him closer by his sleeve, half-whispering in his ear. “And then after that...you get to fix that piece of junk that is passing for our scanners at the moment. Word is the Cap wants to go poking around near CS13, and I don’t mean to be blind if that’s the case.”

 

“Sensors...“ he muttered. Not really what I had in mind... “Alright, baby, I’ll jury-rig something for you until I can install you something more...worthy.” Jed squared his shoulders abruptly, seeing his assistant stroll back in the mess hall, and, passing a hand through his hair, said more loudly, enough to be heard by Karim, “1900 it is, then. Bottle of Andorian ice wine alright with you?” he asked Skyler, before turning towards his assistant and winking while the sensors expert was looking away.

 

“I suppose,” Skyler said a bit carelessly, then smirked in Jed’s direction. “If you have the sensors fixed before then, maybe I’ll see fit to make an evening of it...see you later.” Without a glance behind her, she turned and exited the mess, supremely confident in the effect she had left behind her.

 

Karim joined his superior’s side and paused for a moment, both engineers watching Skyler and her rather nice backside walk out of the mess hall. El-Sayed slapped Jed’s back in a congratulatory manner, before holding his right hand up for a high five . “Lucky son of a--!”

Edited October 11, 2010 by Skyler Akade