First Meetings (part 1)

Posted on Fri Oct 23rd, 2015 @ 8:20am by Captain Darius Cayne & Commander Raven Adams

995 words; about a 5 minute read

ON

Raven was returning from a short trip aboard the Hawthorne. Shed been in desperate need of a break after her trip with the others to the Terran Empire ship. Not that there was a problem with the assigmnet, but more she kept butting heads with the Assistant Chief Tactical Officer and wanted to blow something up. But a short flight as Morticia helped wonders and she was now ready to get back to work.

Now, back as Raven, she was making her way through the various docking bays back to her office when she noticed a Starfleet Captain not far away. It wasn't that she wasn't used to seeing Captains around. This WAS a starbase and starships docked here all the time, but there was something about this particular Captain that caught her attention.

Not wanting to stare, she found a seat and pulled out her PADD to see if she could find out who he was and what ship he belonged to.

Darius sat at a table with a drink in front of him. It was the first time, in a long time, he felt out of place at a Starfleet Starbase. Before the incident with the Borg he was a solid officer, but now, he was less inclined to follow the rules and more interested in seeing something done. This brought up an interesting question. Why would Admiral Hunter give him a new ship? The question bugged him so much that he couldn't help but want to drink his thoughts away. Was Hunter trying to get him back on track or was he looking for someone like Darius? An officer willing to break the rules to ensure things get done.

He picked up the glass and raised it slightly. "This one's for you, Max. You are either a smart man or an evil mastermind." He finally down the drink and placed the glass on the table, gesturing to the waitress to bring him another one.

Darius Cayne. Captain of the USS Arthurian, newly assigned to Starbase Typhon by ... Max Hunter? Raven looked at the man again, then down at her PADD. Why had Max sent him here, without notifying her? Was he here to keep an eye on her? She'd done nothing to bring attention to herself -- nor had Morticia. In fact, she'd been on her best behavior of late.

She got up and walked over to the table. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.

He paused for a moment as the waitress placed the drink down on the table.. "No. Order what you want. Apparently, I have a tab." Darius said as he picked up his drink and took a sip.

"You just got here and you have a tab?" she asked, sitting down across the table from him. She ordered a scotch on the rocks -- Khiy's fault -- and assessed the man across from her. "So, what brings you to Typhon?"

Darius nodded before finishing the drink and placing it on the table. "Either my reputation precedes me or someone wants to keep track of how much its put to use." He said softly before looking over to Raven with a emotionless look on his face. "Starfleet. Typhon needs a ship and this one happened to need somewhere to go. So they put me in charge of it and tossed me out the door, making me promise not to break it. It might not fulled paid for yet. Much like this." He raised his left arm for a moment before placing it back down to the table. "I don't want to sound rude, but who the hell are you to ask?"

"Adams. Raven Adams," she said quietly. On second thoughts, she wasn't sure she liked this man after all.

Darius nodded in return, taking in her appearance and mannerisms as the waitress placed both their drinks down. "Well, Adams, how long have you been in Intelligence?" He said as he kept his eyes locked on hers as his hand slid her drink across the table, stopping in front of her. "Ever cross paths with a guy named Max? Kind of tall. Mustache. Goatee. Tends to dress like he is ready for a dinner party and has this habit of avoiding locks?"

"Far too long," she said, her eyes meeting his with clear appraisal. "Six years here at Typhon." She took a sip of her drink and grimaced. It was terrible. "No, I've never met Max. I know of him, but our paths have yet to cross."

"Seven years in Intel. Twelve in Starfleet." Darius said, shooking his head slightly as he picked up on her reaction to the drink. He smirked a bit before putting his own drink down and looking back to Raven. "Before Intel, I was in Security." He paused again, clearing his throat a bit as he kept his eyes locked on her and watched her curiously. "What can you tell me about Max? What have you heard?"

Raven shook her head. "I don't spread unsubstantiated rumors. Sorry."

"So spread some unsubstantiated facts and we can work from there." Darius replied softly as he leaned back into the chair, almost like he was sinking into the shadows.

"I've never met the Admiral," she said, pushing her drink away and ordering a chocolate shake instead. When the waiter left, she turned back to Darius. "But he knows his people and he's there when he needs to be."

"Okay." Darius replied, taking a sip of his drink before placing it down on the table. "And thank you for ordering another drink. I hate to see good scotch go to waste. I could tell from your first sip that it wasn't to your liking, which begs the question. Why did you order it in the first place?"

She paused for several seconds. "Bad day."

(To be continued...)

Captain Darius Cayne
CO, USS Arthurian

Commander Raven Adams
Chief Intelligence Officer
Starbase Typhon

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