#61 The Right Sort

Posted on Sun Dec 11th, 2022 @ 12:15pm by Lieutenant JG Jamie T. Kirk/AKA: "Jim" & Lieutenant JG Marcus Resch {Meji}

Mission: BUGS OH NO!!
Location: Main lounge
Timeline: current

ON:

Resch entered the main lounge and made his way over to a small table along one of the massive viewports, the transparisteel window providing quite a view of the stars ahead as Amandora plowed through space. "For whatever reason the warp drive still was not functioning to standard, but, that was not his problem. That was on engineering. As it was Marcus had been going through the ship, one deck and section at a time, adjusting the environmental controls and making sure they were all still functioning properly. So far, there had not been an issue. Taking a seat at the small four person table he laid his duty PADD on the table and leaned back to relax his torso. A server came over and asked for his order, with Marcus asking for a glass of Merlot form Earth, any vintage being fine by him. He held off on food until his lunch companion arrived.

Kirk, who had been working with Chief Nira, had been busy going through the decks herself, with her assignment being that of the internal forcefields. Not only for safety in the event of a breach, but also as a deterrent against boarders. Slap down a few forcefields and lock invaders in a small section of corridor until Security and the Marines could deal with them either through arrest or lethal engagement. With O'Connell gone, and no assistant chief in place, Green had assumed the mantle of Acting Security Chief. They, herself and Nira, had recalibrated every node they had come across, and were still a long way from finishing. But, with Amandora at impulse for whatever reason, they had plenty of time to get it finished before arriving at the starbase. Once there then the base engineers could see to the rest if they could not complete the assignment. But, that was neither here, nor there. Entering the lounge and stopping to take a gander, Jim spotted Marcus sitting over by a viewport. He gave her a nod and grin and Jim returned the gestures as she approached, sitting down in the chair to his left instead of across from him. Both their chairs were angled to give the best view of space while seated; their intention. Plus, Kirk wanted to sit next to him, having become comfortable with the man known as Marcus Resch. "Apologies for being tardy. I was down on deck in the Secondary hull."

"No need to apologize," Resch replied. "With all that has happened, duty keeps us from focusing on all the bad that happened, despite how much good we accomplished."

Kirk gave a nod. "Too true." She leaned back in her chair to relax, the server coming over and taking her order. Like Resch she went for a glass of wine, then ordered some food. He did likewise and the server walked away to fulfill the order. Kirk readjusted herself and got back on track. "Rigo IV will make up for it all. Riding horses through the snow covered valleys and mountains tends to offset anything negative the galaxy has to throw at me."

"Horses?" Resch raised his brows a moment. "Does Rigo have a horse-like animal, or are they imported?"

"Originally, the Kirk family imported them," explained Kirk. "But, as time went by we began to breed them. They have 5,000 acres all to themselves, surrounding the main ranch house and property. All our fences are designed to keep native beasts out, and our own horses in. They do not run wild in the environment since that would constitute an invasive species. Not that horses are destructive to an ecosystem, but we have done studies on it for years, now. To see if releasing them into the wild would be appropriate."

"A noble thing," said Resch. That bit of information told him volumes about the woman sitting next to him. Take away the bluster and defensive walls she had built up over the years and one found a person who gave a damn, about a great many things. "Too many humans don't really care about all that as long as they get what they think they deserve. Glad to see that words like 'honor' and 'noble' still have meaning."

Jim gave a smile after sipping some wine. "That's a Kirk for ya. If we feel it will damage an environment, we don't partake in it. Pointless to move to a planet and colonize it if your only goal is to fuck up what's already there. Pardon my language," she gave a low-key giggle.

"The use of the swear word was appropriate to the conversation," Resch responded, grinning at her and liking how she seemed to be relaxing a little more with each passing minute. "I'll let it pass...this time." With a wink and a grin he stopped there to sip his own wine.

Their food arrived and both of them laid the cloth napkins over their laps and dug in, chatting between bites and sips. Once the wine was gone and they had eaten their portion of their meals, the server came over and cleared the table, asking if they would like more wine. Both said no, with Kirk asking for a pint of spiced, non-alcoholic, apple cider. Resch liked the sound of that and ordered the same. They both leaned back and enjoyed the ambience after receiving their new beverages.

"So," said Resch. "What can we look forward to doing on Rigo?"

"Pretty much anything," stated Kirk. "We have mountains, valleys, jungles, and a pristine archipelago at the southern end of the main continent. Shuttles or transporters can take you to any of them."

"Nice. Sounds downright relaxing." That's when he sat up and put his arms on the table, leaning in more toward her slightly. Keeping the conversation more on a private level between them. "We have one runabout aboard. The USS Euphrates. Is there any way I could talk you into using that instead of a warp capable closet?"

Kirk laughed, matching his stance at the table, her hands around the base of her drink. "I think that can be arranged, Mister Resch. It would be more comfy for all involved."

Marcus smiled. "Glad you agree. More spacious is always preferred on long trips, and the four bunks aboard would be better than a carpeted floor, no matter how well padded."

Giving a nod of agreement Jim returned the smile. "My pleasure. But, if we don't get moving then things won't get done." She stood up from her chair and adjusted her tunic.

Resch got to his feet as she did, as he had been taught. Without preamble he took her right hand in his left and leaned in, kissing her cheek fairly close to the corner of her mouth. He swore he could feel the slightest angle change in her head position, as if trying to accept a kiss, but he made sure to land on the cheek. Giving her hand a squeeze he then said in a low tone as his face moved back slowly. "Lunch has been wonderful, thank you. See you after shift." Having said that Marcus released her hand, scooped up his PADD, and off he went.

Kirk stood there as he made his way around her, her back now to him as he made for the exit. She spun around and watched him leave, realizing that she had almost kissed him when he leaned in. It most certainly was not love but, a need for companionship. With the right person. So far, Marcus Resch was fitting that criteria, in spades. Collecting her own PADD Jim Kirk set off to find Nira and continue their duty.

OFF: