"Open Communications"

[Peyton Summers 0]

"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."