A Change of Command
Posted on Fri Jul 12th, 2024 @ 6:36pm by Fleet Captain Maxwell Culver & Commander Lorut Vila
1,929 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Silver Rain
Location: USS Intrepid: Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD1: 0945 hours
Max had waited until the junior officers had cleared the room, having asked Vila and Rylen to stay behind. They weren’t going to like his orders and he wasn’t sure which one would protest more.
Standing as a group, Max opened his body posture. “The Lovelace is due to rendezvous in twelve hours. Once she’s here, I’m going to rely on you, Lorut, as acting Captain of the Intrepid and Rylen will be your Executive Officer. I’m going on this Quantum Slipstream ship for two reasons. First, I’ll be providing intelligence to the Intrepid directly. Second, who doesn’t want to take a ride in a QSLD drive ship?” Max asked. He was actually excited by the idea of arriving at Xavier’s Planet in a few hours instead of nearly a week.
Vila stood, listening, just wanting to leave already. She was overdue for her beauty sleep, and if she was going to meet Fraiser for lunch, she wanted a nap and enough time to at least comb her hair out. She sighed. "That...actually. I have no objections," she said. Him being an entire ship away would be a nice break. He was acting weirdly since their return and perhaps the time away would be good, to help him clear his head. "Take some time to clear your head," she suggested. However, this meant she'd need to be on duty during Alpha shift now. Damn. Her body had just gotten used to Beta; a schedule that was working out pretty well so far, actually.
“I,” Rylen paused. ’I have objections, but they are personal. We can talk about them privately.’ “I can’t believe this, but I have to agree with Commander Lorut. I have no objections. In fact, I wouldn’t mind a ride along on a Quantum Slipstream capable ship either.”
Max both heard Rylen’s thoughts and his vocal statements, which were at odds. He wondered how Rylen was so good at compartmentalizing his personal concerns without betraying them in his words. “I’m afraid the Intrepid needs two thirds of its command team, Commander Lyo, but I understand what you mean. It will be exciting, though I very much doubt Captain Inex will be very happy with my…curiosity.”
Vila rolled her eyes. "Actually, we'd be fine with just me and Chet," she said, referring to Chester Ripley. "But you're probably correct that Captain Inex will already resent the imposition," she said, "and Commander Lyo will only further that." Culver had been acting weird, even for him, and something in her gut said this might not go well. "At any rate, be careful out there," she said.
“You’re sure about this, Captain?” Rylen held himself back from using Max, it sounded too familiar in this situation.
Max put his hand on Rylen’s shoulder. “I’ve thought about it a lot. So far, Commander Lorut has been under my shadow since we’ve boarded the Intrepid. She hasn’t had command of the ship for more than just the Beta Shift. If she’s going to make Captain before she’s sixty, she needs to show that she can handle commanding a starship responsibly.” Max may have added too much emphasis on ‘responsibly’.
“I mean, she’s gotten herself on Starfleet Command’s watchlist on her own merits. They’ve seen her true capacity to be a clear leader under duress while directing the Kaitos situation. Her diplomatic approach to restoring the government and their progressive changes from Kaitos to New El-Auria and a Federation application are all notches under her belt.
“Now she just needs to do it here and you’ll be her perfect Executive Officer. I know you aren’t necessarily looking to climb the Starfleet ladder much more, as a Kriosian High Lord. Still, I think there’s time for you to wear the color red, Commander.” Max was careful not to loose the terms of Rylen’s Lordship in exile.
Vila shot him a LOOK, but remained quiet. *Responsibly?* She wasn't the one having an affair with the third in command. Still, she let him finish.
“If you insist, Captain. Can I at least suggest you take a few officers with you? If it’s to be an intelligence gathering mission, maybe take some intelligence with you?” Rylen suggested.
Max could sense the decision to leave him weighed heavily on his Lord. He felt sorry that he would need to separate himself from Rylen this soon after the finiis’ral had been completed. But Rylen needed time to recover. Decades of denial of his body’s normal physiological processes, repressed by science and medicine, had taken their toll on him physically and mentally.
"Perhaps at least take a single security officer. Lieutenant Kaydren," she suggested. "Is a good idea, perhaps. He is a good warrior, and portable." Plus, she'd be rid of him for a few weeks, and that was always helpful!
Max sighed. “Lieutenant Aukai is a xeno-anthropologist…and an apex predator. That would work. I could take some of those Lower Decks goofballs too! Ensign Soong is a synth. Maybe he’ll be helpful dealing with any rogue X-2’s that want us dead.”
“I’d prefer you take the ‘Big Cat’ or Wara,” Rylen responded, his tone cold enough to sap the discussion out of the room.
“It would be a good idea to have Commander McEntyre on the team. If we need some brute force, he’d be the one for it. Any other staff suggestions? Remember, I don’t want this to look like I’m taking over the Lovelace’s mission or usurping her captain’s position.
“We’re there to provide forward Intel to the Intrepid and for a jaunty little ride.” Max crossed his arms and smiled.
Vila glanced at Lyo. "Hey, the cold bitch routine is already taken," she said, but kept her tone light. "Wanna talk about it?" She asked. She hoped not; she didn't want to HEAR it but she was the XO, after all. She needed to at least pretend to care. Secretly, she did. "Both of those would be good. Any chance you could get the FNN girl to go?"
Max sighed and he could see Rylen roll his eyes. With a bit of a huff, he answered, “If I have to…”
Now it was Rylen’s turn to cross his arms. “She hasn’t done us any favors. Where was her coverage of the disaster on Kaitos? Or the installation of the new Council of Elders? Or the name change to Nee El-Auria or the Federation application? What the hell has she done, other than make our lower decks look like asshats?” Rylen grumbled.
Vila nodded. "Exactly," she said. "I don't know why the Fleet started letting them embed anyway," she said, huffily. "They're more work than they are worth," she said. Vila hated most of them, irrespective of whether or not they were imbedded-they meddled. If they cared, as they claimed, why hadn't anyone spoken up about the horrors happening to her as a child? Why not on Betazed, later?! And so on.
"Toss HER out of an airlock," Vila suggested, meanly. "Tell her it's a research projects on the deep-space effects of gravity on humans." She giggled a little.
“I doubt she would notice as long as someone told her to dress for a ski trip in the Alps,” Rylen answered dryly.
“Alright, alright. I’ll get the kids out of your hair for a few days,” Max agreed. Besides, the kids were less problematic to explain than a full science and Tac team.
“I’ll have Chet pick up the overnight while you both get some sleep. The subspace transceiver towers are in bay three for deployment along the route. If there aren’t any problems, I’ll plan on leaving the ship tomorrow morning when the Lovelace departs for Xavier’s planet.
“Any other questions?” Max felt like the pair couldn’t wait for him to depart, though he could feel a bit of longing and worry from Rylen.
Vila shook her head. "Thanks, I think Chet can handle the Beta shifts," she said. It was true. She pretended to not like the rest of red shirts but at least Chet stayed clear of her and she appreciated that.
They worked together well in the evenings-at least, she thought so. "Nothing further from me. If anyone needs me, I'll be catching up on sleep; I just came off duty," she said, stepping out of the room to let them chat.
She was picking up on...something but didn't meddle with it. Besides, she WAS exhausted from having to behave herself for the past eight hours and didn't know how much longer she could keep it up.
Max waited for the doors to close. “I can feel you worrying already,” Max said quietly.
Rylen sighed heavily. “I just feel like I found you. I know you. You’re going ahead because you think something is wrong - like you can fix this yourself.
“I wish you would stay on Intrepid. It’s only three days more,” Rylen responded quietly.
Max moved quickly and wrapped Rylen in a hug. “It’s just three days, Ry. There’s nothing to indicate there’s any more danger than any other mission, love,” Max responded reassuringly, lovingly.
Rylen returned the feeling of love and the hug. “You forget, I know your mind as much as you do. You may be denying it to yourself, but you have some sense of danger. You’re as much worried about the Lovelace as you are for the Intrepid.”
Max chuckled slightly. “I don’t have precognition, as far as I know,” Max said, backing up slightly and kissing Rylen on the forehead. “I’m just a captain who is always worried.”
“And I am your Lord,” Rylen answered a bit forcefully. “I could ask you, as your match, not to go. With the implications being toward punishment later.”
Max smirked. “That sounds hot, Ry.” Max pulled Rylen close again. He leaned close to Rylen’s ear and whispered, “You can punish me later, Your Lordship.”
Rylen could immediately feel their bodies and minds settle into a sexual familiarity and he was immediately turned on. Rylen pulled back and allowed his lips to find Max’s for a very intimate kiss.
Max pulled himself apart, both physically and mentally, from Rylen. “I did say later, Your Lordship,” Max finally was able to admonish his intense lover. “Besides, the door isn’t locked and we’ve been gone from the bridge long enough.”
Max looked Rylen over once and noted he was ‘at attention’. “You may want to take a minute,” Max suggested. “Besides, it’ll give you time to think up a proper punishment.”
Rylen watched as Max left the ready room. He couldn’t deny he was running hot, but he’d been running hot since the fall of the finiis’ral. Now he needed to consider Max’s punishment, but he had the rest of his shift to do so.
Rylen smiled devilishly. If this was to be their last night together, Rylen was going to punish his ‘Rallo’ exquisitely. Straightening to his proper height, Rylen exited the ready room with just the faintest smirk.
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