Getting to know the ship

Posted on Sat Sep 12th, 2026 @ 2:40am by Lieutenant Edward Barnes & Ensign Fiona McCarthy
Edited on on Sat Sep 12th, 2026 @ 3:05am

1,529 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Chimera and Deep Space 16
Location: USS Chimera
Timeline: An hour after he spoke to the ship's Councilor

Edward was walking the corridors of the ship. Everything was quiet, as most of the crew had already departed for shore leave during the refit. He had changed out of his uniform and was dressed in his usual casual comfortable clothes of dark blue jeans, a grey t-shirt with the logo of his family's ranch on the left breast, black cowboy boots and a black stetson.

He was walking the ship, memorizing the layout, as he thought about everything that had happened, which led his life to this point.

Fiona was walking down the corridors of the Chimera. She finally had gotten use to life on the ship. It had been a month since her unpleasant encounter with Azrael. She wishes she could say, that she healed properly. However nightly she went to the lounge and got hammered, and when she was sober, she was a workaholic. She made no effort to communicate with anyone. She was still healing from the wounds Azrael left her.

Fiona was on her way back to her quarters. She thought the ship would have been cleared of crew, so she did not pay attention when she walked, and almost ran into Edward. "Where in the hell did you come from?" Fiona asked, She was annoyed, but her tone was calm.

Looking down at the slightly shorter woman, Edward read her features for a few beats, then replied in a calm manner, "Just arrived, Lieutenant Edward Barnes, Chief Strategic Operations. And you are?"

"A hot mess for starters. Officially the Captain's Yeoman. I'll warn you Lieutenant, any expectations you had about this assignment. Dramatically lower them." Fiona said, crying to help him out. She had wished that someone would have warned her a month ago.

Arching his right eyebrow, Edward took a breath, thrn asked, "What do you mean?" He had noticed how...sensually open the officers seemed to be so far, which seemed out of the norm, as far as he had seen thus far in his years in Starfleet.

"Trust me, lower them quickly." Fiona said, not offering any further insight. "So you good, we good? Want to make sure I did not hurt you." Fiona said, as she looked him over, to make sure no bruises or cuts. They had a near miss, but she was eager to get on with her day. The last thing she wanted was to be dragged into sickbay again, for accidently hurting someone.

A gentle single chuckle vibrated in his broad chest. "Trust me, Yeoman," she had yet to tell him her name. "After growing up on a cattle ranch....if bumping into an attractive woman causes me physical injury, then I need more help than this ship can offer." He gave her an honest, lop-sided grin. The look in his eyes made it clear that he wasn't trying to be a nuisance.

"Good, glad your not hurt." Fiona started to say, a little agitated that he called her an attractive woman. She was still not over the pain that Azrael caused her, it had been over thirty days, but the pain still hurt. "Try not to run into more attractive or unattractive ladies. I will try not to run into anymore cattle ranchers." Fiona said, shaking her head in disbelief, that she used that phrase in her lifetime. Never in her wildest dream, did she ever think she would say that. 'I will try not to run into anymore cattle ranchers.' She grinned as got ready to walk away from him.

Though he wasn't telepathic in the slightest, Edward could tell that he might have said something to insult the young woman. He held up his hands in surrender. "I apologize if anything I said offended you. What say we start again?" He lowered his hands, then extended his tight one to her. "I'm Edward, my friends call me Eddie. And you are?"

"I'm Fiona but why do you think you offended me?" Fiona asked, wondering this man who had done nothing wrong was trying to apologize to her. Fiona was confused by his action, she was seriously hoping that he was not trying to flirt with her. Knowing her luck, he would be trying.

He gave her an innocent grin as he blushed slightly. "I..uh... thought I had by your tone earlier." He chuckled softly. "Now I feel like more of a fool."

"I would say it's more wrong timing, I had a really bad experience and I'm not over that experience. And then to make it worse, and you're probably not this way but it seems like everybody on this ship is horny and trying to hook up with each other." Fiona said, hoping she wasn't the only one I saw it.

Edward blushed again, nodding in agreement. "I did notice. So far, both the Captain and the CMO have proposition me." He shook his head, letting out a short exhaled through his nostrils. "Definitely not something I've come to expect on a Starfleet vessel."

"I know how you feel, they did the same thing to me. The captain actually had me dress up in a bikini, and then the doctors kept telling me how good I looked into bikini and then she wanted me to get naked." Fiona said, feeling a little really that she could finally talk to somebody about the insanity of this ship.

Edward cleared the knot that had suddenly formed in his throat, when the image of Fiona in a bikini flashed through his mind. He quickly put the thought away, hopeful that it didn't register on his face. "Well, perhaps the two of us could be each other's port in the storm, when it cones to the....vibrant libido, that this ship seems to have."

"I am listening, what do you have in mind?" Fiona asked, wondering if this was some sort of ruse, to get into her pants? She could not help but think that way, because of the sleezy actions of Azrael.

Edward shrugged slightly as he considered the options. He then replied. "If you're interested, perhaps we could have lunch sometime? Whenever you like." He hoped he wasn't sounding like he was forcing the issue. He sincerely was only looking for someone who could be a friend.

"A friend sure, but not looking for my next broken heart." She teased with a slight smirk, that vanished almost instantly.

This elicited a gentle chuckle from Edward as well. "Trust me, I'm not looking either. One broken heart is more than enough in one's life."

"Then maybe we can be friends." Fiona said, feeling a little relieved. She was grateful that he was not trying to hit on her. She needed more time to forgive herself for her actions with Azrael.

This made Edward smile softly. "Then I am relieved." He offered her his right hand. "To friends."

Fiona was still skeptical, but she took his hand. "Friends." She said, hoping she was not going to regret this decision.

After they shook, Edward released Fiona's hand and said, "Well, I was going to keep walking the ship, getting her layout memorized. Then tomorrow I was going to start working on some intel reports for our upcoming mission. I know most of the crew is leaving for the resupply and refurbishment. Are you leaving as well?"

"I'm not sure yet, whatever option is the safest. So probably wherever the captain and the doctor are not is where I'll be." Fiona suggested to him, but the smirk on her face. It was probably the first smirk she has had an over a month.

Edward couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Yeah, I have a feeling this is going to be avery long tour of duty." He paused, then asked. "Actually, if you will forgive my forwardness, would you be interested in getting something to eat now?" He raised his hands to his chest, palms towards her, in surrender. "I give you my word as a gentleman, only food and discussion."

Well that was short lived, she thought to herself. That was really forward of him. She just stared at him for a second, she didn't believe him for a second. "I don't want to lead you on, I wasn't joking when I said I'm not ready for a relationship." Fiona pointed out to him. She wasn't trying to be rude, or mean. But she didn't want to lead him on either.

Edward nodded in understanding. "Forgive me," he took a respectful step back. "I did not mean to imply anything untoward. I honestly only meant a shared meal and a discussion. I have offended you. My apologies." He dipped his head towards her slightly. "I'll let you continue with your day then." He gave her a gentle smile, then stepped around her in the corridor, staying out of her personal space, and continued on his solo tour of the ship, sure that the misunderstanding that had just occurred may have just cost a friendship before it had truly begun.

Fiona nodded her head towards him. She smiled as she simply said, "I hope you have a good day as well." The scene fades away.

~End~

 

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