<USS Avalon> Restless Culmination - Ensign Kyle Fenner

Restless Culmination
By Ensign Kyle Fenner

The yolk slowly seeped into the sea of potatoes and gravy, but Kyle wasn't
paying attention.  The pair of fingers had slowly worked themselves halfway
around his ears before, following his throaty sigh of pleasure, he realized
his table was no longer empty.

Sara and Der'kur looked at Kyle from behind goofy grins while Tracy finished
her way around his ears.  Sara peered at him, "From the sounds you just
made, I'd swear you were Ferengi."

Kyle, enjoying the second circuit around his ears, was slow in answering.
"It feels. good."  Tracy giggled as she continued. "I could wake up to this
every day."

"Lucky guy!  How come I don't get to wake up like that," Der'kur pouted.

"Well, babe, if you don't like how you woke up this morning."

"No no no no - I meant waking up to. this morning, while I eat breakfast.
Just not that crazy casserole stuff he makes."

Kyle snorted, "It tastes better than that foot you're eating."  He scooped a
huge fork-full of the mess on his plate.

"Not likely."

Kyle shoved the fork in his mouth, "Mm-mmm."

*     *     =A=     *     *

Kyle strode through the entrance to engineering, his gaze momentarily
turning to the heart of the ship.  Rogers was waiting for him.

"Hey Rogers, you got my message?"

"Yeah, what's up, sir?"

Kyle looked around for listeners before answering, "How soon 'til your next
performance report?"

"About three weeks," he answered, raising his eyebrows, "May I ask why?"

Kyle grinned widely, holding forth a PADD.  Roger's eyes scanned the
document as he mumbled the opening lines, "Attention to orders. Citation to
accompany the award of Meritorious. Oh shit!"

"How'd you like be the one to read this when she gets it presented?" Kyle
asked.  "It'd look great on your performance report, you know."

"That'd be great, Sir.  This will send her to warp ten."

"No doubt.  You've got the rest of the day off, get your dress uniform
looking sharp.  The ceremony is at zero seven-thirty tomorrow."

"Fifteen minutes early?"

Kyle nodded, "As always."

"Cool, thanks for the day off, Sir."

"You're wasting it talking to me, get outta here!" laughed Kyle.

A female crewman in a science uniform approached Kyle when the doors closed
behind Rogers.  She waited for Kyle to acknowledge her.

"Hey Tudyk, you ready for tomorrow?"

Crewman Amber Tudyk smiled a dimple into existence.  "Oh yeah!"  A little
concern showed through the smile, "You sure no one will mind me reading the
orders?  I mean, I'm not a maintainer."

"I've only been here a few weeks, but it's obvious, even to me, that you're
well-liked here.  Don't worry about it."

"All right, I'll take your word for it, Sir."

Another person from science, this one a Petty Officer, chose to interrupt.
"Don't you engineers have better things to do than harass us poor science
folks?"

Kyle quipped back, "I can't work today, it's a Monday."

The PO frowned, "But it's Wednesday."

"Yeah, but this is a two-day work cycle, so today is Monday, and tomorrow is
Friday."  Kyle'd been saving this for days, but a good moment never came up
to spring his new concept on anyone.  Today was his lucky day.  "Mondays are
too terrible to work, and Fridays are too good to waste working, so don't
expect much to get done in the next couple days."
"Uh-huh.  So when DO you work?" asked Amber.

"Well, the weekend shifts work three days, so Saturday will be their
Wednesday, pretty much guaranteeing they'll get something done. pretty
much."  Kyle sounded doubtful.

Petty Officer Fryman shook his head, "I've better get this impressionable
young crewman out of here before you corrupt her."

Kyle just laughed.

*      *      =A=      *      *

"Damn it!"  Kyle slapped Jeffries Tube floor.

"I don't get it, Sir that should've worked."  Crewman Staite's frustration
came through the communicator loud and clear.

"It isn't the replicator, might as well get back up here," grumbled Kyle.

"We knew it wasn't the replicator before we flashed the firmware."

"Yeah well, when we're grasping at straws we can't be picky.  Grab something
from the chow hall on your way back.  Fenner out."

Kyle dragged his hands slowly down his face, suspecting he looked as tired
as he was feeling.  Every replicator on the level wouldn't just cut out.
There had  to be something common to all of them that was at fault.

Activating his tricorder, he ran another test of the power system for the
corridor.  Just like the other forty times he'd scanned the power system
today, there was nothing wrong with it.

"FUCK!  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!"  

"It doesn't sound as fun when you say it so angrily," teased a female voice.

"Afternoon, Lieutenant," Kyle greeted.

"Try evening.  I sent that poor kid home for the day."

Kyle tiredly turned toward Sara.  "What time is it?"

"An hour after shift change," she cheerily replied.  "Gremlin hunting?"

"Yeah yeah.  A fucking commando gremlin."  Kyle slouched against the wall of
the tube.  "It's been mocking us for a couple days."  

Sara's nose crinkled, "Ewww, I hate the commando ones."  She moved to slouch
next to Kyle.  "Power?"

Kyle grunted.  "Golden."

"Computer?"

"Satellite four monitors this area, and it passes a level 3 diagnostic."

Sara groaned.  "Fuck."

*      *      =A=      *      *

The sonic shower had never felt so good.  Kyle allowed himself ten minutes
of its ministrations before deciding his back felt good enough to stand up
straight.  Laying on his bed were the clothes he'd picked out earlier that
morning.  As he looked at it from across the room he again wondered whether
the blue cotton shirt matched the khaki slacks.

Too late to change your mind now.

"Yeah yeah." 

After dressing, he was fretting over whether the shoes matched as he rushed
out the door.

*      *      =A=      *      *

Kyle stood outside Tracy's quarters, single rose in hand.  Blindly fixing
his hair, he then took a deep breath and tapped the door chimes.

"Yes,"

"It's Kyle."

Tracy's voice was all honey, "Heyyy, gimme a sec, hun."

Hun.

He turned to the display behind him, trying to get a good reflection in the
glare.  Yep, the hair was still good, still no nose hairs.  He was smoothing
his hair again anyways when he heard Tracy's door hiss open behind him.  

Sara giggled at the site of him finger-combing his hair.  "Aww, so cute."

Kyle looked past Sara to see Tracy seated at table in the small room.  "I
was, um, expecting just the two of us tonight," he said hopefully.

Sara hooked his arm and led him inside.  I'm your server for tonight.  The
lady is waiting inside."  She hurriedly seated Kyle, then began scooping
food into plates from a portable stand.

Now seated opposite Tracy, Kyle got a better look at the dress she was
wearing.  "You look beautiful, Tracy."

Tracy smiled, "Thank you."

Sara turn toward them, two plates in hand.  "Kyle cleans up well, eh?  You
should have seen him all cramped in the tubes, his hair in every direction."
She placed the plates down.  "Spinach Alfredo - from scratch."

Concern radiated from Tracy.  "Cramped in the tubes?  I'll give you a
massage after we eat, you must be terribly stiff."

Kyle was coming up with an answer when Sara, giggling, said," Oh, not yet,
he isn't."  As his ears warmed up he forgot what he was doing to say.

Tracy rescued him from a still giggling Sara, swatting her with a napkin
before watching Sara run out the door.  "You were about to say something?"

"Uh."

"Train jump the tracks?" she asked with a grin.

Kyle nodded, "A tragedy; whole village wiped out."

Tracy grinned at the joke while reaching for her wine glass.  After a sip,
she looked at the rose Kyle was still holding.  "Ikarian?"

Kyle perked up, "Yeah!"  He slowly spun it in display, then put it into the
crystal vase adorning the table.  "Did you cook this?"

She nodded.  "Sara helped me some, since I'd never made alfredo before."

"It's quite good," he said, taking another bite.  "I was starving."

"You were salivating," joked Tracy.

After they finished their plates Tracy led him away from the table, "You've
got a massage coming up."



*      *      =A=      *      *

Kyle, fresh from a shower, exited the bathroom with a smile.  "When I can
snag some holodeck time, I'm going to program a five-star resort that
includes a hot water shower."

Tracy pulled him into a kiss before responding.  "Count me in."

"You were the inspiration," he said with a grin.

"Heh."  She pointed to a stack of clothes.  "Hurry up and get dressed, Sara
will be here any minute."

"Oh. wow.  You didn't have to burn replicator rations for me, I'm only a
minute's walk away," Kyle said, concern etched on his face.

"If you left to change, how would get to see the look on her face when she
walks in?"

Kyle hurriedly reached for the uniform.

*      *      =A=      *      *


Kyle tugged at the collar of his uniform.  Sara noticed and elbowed him.
"Stop fidgeting."

"I hate these top buttons"  He experimented with his posture, hoping
standing straighter would relieve the pressure on his throat.

They were just waiting on the shift's lead engineer now, the on-duty
engineering crew was assembled and watching.  The lieutenant finally handed
a PADD to a crewman and nodded the go-ahead to Rogers.

Rogers cleared his throat.  "Attention to orders."  Everyone snapped to
attention.  "Citation to accompany the award of Starfleet Achievement Medal
with combat device to Petty Officer Second Class Trisha R. Windom."  He took
a deep breath before continuing, "Petty Officer Second Class Trisha R.
Windom distinguished herself by meritorious service as an Engineering
Technician journeyman, assigned to the U.S.S. Avalon. 

 During combat operations the Avalon's aft shield generators suffered severe
damage.  Petty Officer Windom lead the critical repair effort on a starboard
shield generator for the duration of the combat operations.  Through-out
heavy bombardment by two Ferengi Marauders, Petty Officer Windom's effective
leadership and superior technical ability ensured the shield generator
remained functional despite massive system strain.  Petty Officer Windom
continued to distinguish herself after conclusion of combat by remaining
on-duty for sixty-three continuous hours, spearheading the repair work on
the science and engineering quarters electro-plasma distribution network.  

Her diligence directly contributed to several dozen crewmen being able to
return to lighted and heated quarters.  The singularly distinctive
accomplishments of Petty Officer Windom reflect great credit upon herself
and Starfleet.

After a picture of her shaking hands with the Officer In Charge, she Windom
stepped aside.  Amber, also in her dress uniform, stepped up to the podium
as the lieutenant gestured for Rogers to join him.

Amber began, "Attention to orders.  Citation to accompany the award of
Achievement Medal to Crewman Apprentice Timothy F. Rogers."

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