[USS Tempest] Uncommon Similarites by Jord, Nat Lynley, & Rosie Le Beau

 
After Byron left,  Nat and Rosie settled to eat the meal Nat brought up from 
the station.   Rosie smiled at Nat, sitting on the deck with her.  He seemed 
so dignified  and classy yet he didn't seem to mind the less than formal 
atmosphere.  She  peered into the basket and then up at him.
 
"You have no idea how  much I appreciate this," she said as she began 
removing warm stasis  dishes.  "After what happened in Sick Bay, I don't trust 
the  
replicators."
 
Nodding at Byron's PADD,  he said, "I can well imagine if it's anything like 
that."  He fixed his  dark eyes on her hazel ones and shrugged.  It wasn't his 
way to beat about  the bush.  "Rosemary, Roberta told me what happened on the 
station."  

Jord looked  around the bridge for a moment before taking up his PADD with 
the  crew-manifest on it. Chief Warrant Officer Nathaniel Lynley was the 
Captain's  Aide and probably the other person he would needing to see regarding 
the 
crew  quarters and getting everything straightened out before the rest of the 
crew  came onboard. "Computer, locate Chief Lynley." 
 
"Chief Lynley is located  in Main Engineering" the computer chimed back. Jord 
made his way  towards a turbolift and entered. "Engineering" he said simply 
as the doors  closed. 
 
Rosie sighed and bit her  lip.  "Roberta told you, didn't she?  She was 
coming over to see me  when I saw that jerk.  I probably shouldn't have it him 
but 
I lost my  temper," she explained.  He looked rather amused to her, not 
offended or  upset.  She held up her left hand, its ring finger bare.  "I 
should  
have made him swallow the thing."
 
"Quite alright, my  dear," Nat said, the little boy smile crossing his face 
again.  "Though you  are tempting me again.  I can't very well kiss you in here 
without the idea  of somebody else walking in hanging over our  heads."
 
"Then we better eat,"  she replied with an impish grin.  But she did feel her 
heart skip a  beat.  She loved that smile. 
 
Exiting the turbolift,  Jord made his way towards and through the large doors 
that opened  up to Engineering. Strange, two Humans were sitting and seeming 
to eat a  meal on the engineering deck. The female looked to be the Chief 
Engineer but the  other he did could not recognize since his back was turned to 
him.  

He stood at the entrance  for a moment before speaking. "Well, not quite the 
mess hall or lounge but I  imagine the deck floor works just as well." He 
smiled as best he could. Humans  could be so... simple at times. "Lieutenant 
Jord, 
Chief Helm and Operations  officer." 
 
It wasn't the voice so  much as the brief expression of surprise on Rosie's 
face that made Nat turn  around.  It seemed to be more than the case of another 
 officer...
 
"Bloody hell!"  he  exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet upon catching sight 
of the Vorta.  By  reflex, he reached for a phaser that he used to carry when 
he flew delivery  runs.  Of course it isn't there, you  fool.  But his hand 
still slowly curled into a  fist.
 
Rosie put out a hand to  stop Nat.  He seemed so gentlemanly and but he had 
admitted to her that he  had something of a temper when he was angry.  She was 
no less startled but  her encounter with Sisko and Q was still very fresh in 
her mind.  The act  of just touching the taught muscle's of his forearm was 
enough to subdue her own  urge to throw something charged at the purple eyes 
creature before them.   

"Lieutenant Rosemary Le  Beau," Rosie replied carefully.  The man was wearing 
a Fleet uniform, she  realized.  Is this the one I heard about?  "I'm the 
Chief  Engineer."
 
Jord smiled as he looked  at his PADD and scrolled quickly through the names 
of the crew. "And you must  be... hmm... Chief Nathaniel Lynley?" They didn't 
trust him and if he wasn't  careful the situation could turn ugly. 
 
"I can imagine that both  of you are surprised to see someone like myself 
here in front of you in this  uniform, but I can assure you this is not a dream 
nor a trick. I am the only  Vorta in Starfleet, and, yes, I am a Vorta." He let 
his words sink in a moment  before continuing. "My original was killed eight 
or nine years ago and I was  cloned. However, I turned out to be a defective 
model and was thrown out. I made  it to this Station before Starfleet took me 
in." He put his hands behind his  back and smiled. "I just reported to the 
Captain and decided to meet some of the  crew who were already on board." He 
smiled again.  

"I've got better things  to dream about than you," Nat muttered.
 
"I've heard about you,"  Rosie said carefully.  "I know I've never seen you 
before but I'm sure we  were at the Academy at the same time for at least a 
year."  She didn't  quite return the Vorta's smile yet.  She peered up at Nat.  
His body  seemed to have relaxed slightly and the fist was unclenched but he 
still looked  like he could so serious damage.  "Chief, it's no joke.  He 
really 
did  go through the Academy.  I heard it got pretty ugly,  too."
 
Bloody hell, Nat said to  himself.  He's a Vorta.   Lynley, that's not fair 
of you, to  judge a man solely on his race.  He is a Fleet officer above all  
else.  Give the man a chance.  "I'm Lynley," he finally said  neutrally.  No 
threats, no violence.  His dark eyes simply  waited.  "Is there something I can 
do for you,  Lieutenant?"
 
"Ugly is a mild  way of putting it, Chief Lynley. Your response to my 
presence has actually been  rather refreshing, good to know that people onboard 
this 
ship do not just simply  assault me for my presence." He bowed his head for a 
moment. "I was reporting  myself to you and that I will be onboard if you need 
any of my services." 
 
"There are very  few people I would assault on sight, Lieutenant.  You're not 
on the list," Nat told  him.  
 
Rosie snorted in  amusement.  "I already hit the  person who needed hitting," 
she added.  She shook her head.  This  guy's got the same problem I do, once 
people know what I am.  "You don't have red hair and you're not  on the 
Wilderness, so you're safe, Lieutenant."  
 
Jord smiled. Good  people, for now. No reason to trust them yet, trust is for 
the weak. But at  least they are not hostile, which is a good sign. "Le Beau 
is it? I remember  overhearing some of the cadets speak about your incident 
with that silly boy.  Perhaps sometime later we can discuss it, I believe you 
and I share more in  common then you think, or would like to think, whichever 
you prefer." He spoke  slowly, trying to pick the right words he wanted.
 
"Silly boy?  What sill--" Rosie asked aloud.  Then it dawned on her as to 
what he was  referring to and her eyes narrowed.  "That son of a bitch needed a 
beating.  He's lucky I didn't go  worse."
 
Nat turned an  amused smile on her.  "Miss Le Beau,  you certainly are a 
fiery one, aren't you."
 
"Skippy straight I  am," Rosie said with a grin.  "Jord,  the commandant was 
awfully good about it.  He knew I was provoked." 
 
âThe current  commandant is a very fair and understanding man. He sees 
potential and more of  our inner-selves then we know. This is true of all 
mentors 
and he is no  exception." He paused for a moment as he leaned against the 
railing. My, a rippleberry would be wonderful about  now. "Later on we can 
discuss 
this, but this warning I have will apply to  both of you in this case." Jord 
had done his homework when hearing about Rosie's  actions in the academy and 
knew what she was, but she could hide her's, so Jord  would let her pick the 
time 
and place for their discussion on the matter.  

"Where this ship  is headed there will be races we encounter which will hate 
you people for no  more reason then your bio-genetic make-up, the same reason 
I get assaulted in  some public places. Some races will need very little 
reason to release their  anger, do not give them a reason to, even if what they 
do 
or say is wrong." 
 
Rosie thought of  her encounter with Sisko and Q but she bit her tongue about 
it.  She needed no further reason to keep her  temper.  All she said aloud 
was, "I  know what you mean, Jord.  I'm used  to people hating me for how I was 
born and I've spent my whole life keeping my  temper because of it.  Thanks 
for  the warning, though." 
 
Jord bowed his  head. âMy pleasure. If you ever find yourself needing to talk 
about these  issues, just come and find me. I doubt I will be very popular 
onboard the ship  so my free time will be filled up quickly.â He smiled once 
more, this  conversation was done as far as he was concerned. âHowever I bid 
you 
both to  enjoy your meal and I will see both of you again in the near 
future.â 
 
Nat and Rosie watched him go in  silence, both of them rather pensive.  
Finally, it was Nat who spoke.   "Strange chap, isn't he?  Marvelous thing 
about 
the Fleet, though," he  mused.  "It takes all sorts to make it work."
 
She smiled up at him.  She  knew the encounter had unnerved him a bit but the 
cool, calm demeanor he usually  showed was back.  "Yes, it does," she said as 
she hugged him with one  arm.  "Now, let's eat before somebody else walks  
in."

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