I wouldn't give you the time of day...
Oh well, there's always NPCs! LOL
Lieutenant T'Kirr Chief Science Officer, USS Atlantis, CPA
From: "Brad Ruder" <GroundZero@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Reply-To: ussatlantis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To: ussatlantis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: <USS Atlantis> "Fighting the Unfightable" Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 16:13:29 -0800
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- From: "Brad Ruder" <GroundZero@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussatlantis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 16:13:29 -0800
?Fighting the Unfightable?
by Marine Captain Adam Drake
He walked down the corridor in complete exhaustion. Disappointment and self-criticism littered his inner thoughts as he rounded corner after corner. Reflecting on the day?s events, and realizing that it was bound to happen whether he saw it coming or not, Adam still felt like he?d let himself down by being blinded by pure need to please people, or to better them.
In his hand he cradled the bearer of bad news. The small communicator-shaped device was smooth to the touch. The shiny surface, on occasion, blinded him from the glare off the lights that illuminated the hallway. All had gone according to plan, or so he had initially thought, but in the end it was doomed to total failure and ignorance.
Adam fought the need to throw it into the wall, a passing crewman, or dismantle it and slowly destroy each one of the remaining components that he and Alexandra ? Alex ? Potter had worked so hard to accomplish. In his arrogance, displayed flagrantly to Alex, he completely tried to override and conquer the Laws of Physics. Which, consequently, came back to bite him in the ass and foil his entire project. Not to mention humiliate him in front of Vice Admiral ? the Commander of the Third Fleet.
?What?s the matter, Chief?? A passing Ensign asked as he registered Adam?s saddened demeanor. ?Engineering?s still there, right??
A smiled managed to fight its way onto Adam?s face, ?Yeah, it?s still there.?
?Bummer, I was hoping that I wouldn?t have to work again.? The Ensign smiled and then trudged on without another word. Adam assumed that he didn?t care about his problems and was just trying to pass time. That was fine with Adam; he didn?t want to talk about his problems anyway.
Continuing towards his quarters, Adam flipped the device in his hands repeatedly. He was unaware of how to proceed after the blow to his ego and abilities, and even more confused on how to handle the destruction of the fantasized equipment. Suddenly, with his eyes aimed intimately at his object of created failure, Adam walked directly into someone.
Stumbling backwards, the woman raised her own eyes, which had been focusing intently on a PADD. ?I?m sorry I wasn?t watching where I was going.? Alex smiled at him as he looked at her grimly; at this point he wasn?t ready for any of the interaction that he knew that she wanted from him. All she did was talk, and it was a major bore to Adam.
?No problem, Alex, I?m OK and so are you apparently.?
?Where are you headed?? Alex twisted her hair impatiently as if she wanted something from him ? more than information. Her intense gaze would?ve, in any other situation, made Adam feel uncomfortable. This time, for an odd reason, he just felt it click with his present emotion.
?I?m heading back to my quarters.?
Alex smiled wickedly, ?Want some company??
?Actually, I would prefer to be alone right now.? Adam pocketed the device, but not quick enough. ?I?m not feeling well.?
?I?m sure, you?re still upset about your little run-in with the Admiral, aren?t you? It?s OK, Adam, you got a little ahead of yourself, we all do it. Some more than others, but all in all we suffer from it on a daily basis.? Her words echoed in the small area just outside his quarters, but their meanings fell harmlessly away from his consideration.
They were hollow, and had no sincerity to them, but Adam pressed onward. ?Honestly, I think that I?ve got the biggest head cold in the world.?
?You?re a horrible liar, Adam, you don?t even sound congested.?
Damn her for being so observant about his posture, stature, and appearance. ?I think that it just got me.? Adam made a failing effort to rub his chest and hack a cough or two. Returning his eyes to her, Adam realized that Alex wasn?t buying a word or gesture that he was throwing out there.
Alex put an arm around his shoulder and they walked in his quarters. ?Come on, let me help.? She wasn?t going to take no for an answer, ?Sit down in that chair and let me massage your shoulders. I wrote a paper on massage therapy for my thesis paper when in high school.?
Adam?s eyes ? among other things ? perked at her mention of this new talent. He figured that it wouldn?t hurt to let her attempt to relieve his stress. Following her orders he sat down in the chair and felt her presence loom over his shoulders as she positioned herself behind him.
Bliss soon followed. Within the couple of seconds that he was seated, Alex placed her hands delicately on him and began kneading his tired and aching muscles. He?d worked so hard on the pitiful failure that he?d stayed up late and then got up early on several occasions. In the end the lack of sleep had caught up to him and he felt like one giant knot.
?Man, you?re tense.? He felt her exert more pressure on his shoulder and neck.
?I work a lot, what can I say??
?Work less hard and delegate more, you are the Chief aren?t you?? Mentally he could see a grin cross her features. ?This would be a lot easier of my hands were able to knead just the bare skin.?
?Whatever works, you?re the semi-expert.? Adam smiled as he felt Alex unzip the back of his uniform and slip her hands down his back to the point where the end of his shirt was. She rustled around pulling it up and then off his broad shoulders. He watched as she tossed it onto the couch and went back to massaging his bare shoulders.
Alex?s voice softened, ?When was the last time you got a full massage? You?re about as tense as a Ferengi pleading for his life.?
Her simile struck him as humorous and a small laugh escaped his lips. ?It?s been awhile.? At the moment of his answer his Betazoid part took over. He could feel her romantic interest increase, and her sexual drive deepen towards him. He felt her hand trail down his chest and across his pectoral.
?I hope you?re feeling better.?
?Yes, thank you.? He was trying to play down his own increasing sexual desire. Her left hand trailed down and followed the same suit as her right, but her head followed and softly kissed his neck. He tried to refrain from doing anything because he knew that he wanted her. He wasn?t entirely interested in her, but he couldn?t help but analyze his current situation.
She kissed his neck again, ?You?re an attractive man.?
Adam stood abruptly and turned away from her, meeting her somewhat shocked eyes. ?I can?t ? we can?t??
?Why not?? Alex slowly took another step closer to him. ?It feels so natural.?
Adam realized that by doing anything with her that it would be jeopardizing his situation and the promise that he?d made to himself. He promised himself that he wouldn?t use his ability to pick up on emotions to his advantage. He had violated T?Kirr, and he had the chance to do it to Alex without her knowing it.
Alex stepped up to him, running her hands on his bare skin and kissing his chest. ?Let me help you relax beyond your wildest dreams.?
With that she took his hand and led him, with no objections, to the bedroom.
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