Objects in Motion By Senior Lieutenant Elissabeth Marksbury and Ensign Kevin Stephens Oh shit, oh shit! Oh! Kevin thought while sprinting down the corridor. As he rounded the corner, he pivoted on his left foot and did a football style spin to keep from barreling into another ensign. Blinding pain in his stomach was the next sensation he felt after coming out of the spin. The tangle of limbs he had collided with had apparently struck his groin. Kevin rolled off the body hurriedly and slowly stood groaning. Marksbury had been walking down the corridor when out of no where someone spun directly into her path. Her first instinct was to defend herself and she braced in a defensive posture. It wasn't meant to hurt her assailant, but unfortunately, the poor ensign stumbled before falling into her, catching her knee between his legs on his way to the floor. The momentum knocked Lissi into the wall, where she was momentarily tangled with her assailant and pinned to the floor. She was back on her feet before the ensign, however, checking to make sure her weapon was still in place. She looked at him with a mixture of wariness and pity as he stood slowly. "Great," he moaned. Straightening her uniform, Marksbury asked calmly, "I beg your pardon, Ensign?" Kevin fell onto his knees, and suddenly vomited from the pain. He could not have aimed for her shoes any better if he had tried. "No. Give me your pardon," he pleaded, wiping his mouth and standing at attention. Closing her eyes for just a split second, Marksbury calmed herself and took a step back from the puddle of vomit in the floor. Looking steadily at the ensign, she said, "At ease, Ensign. Are you okay?" Why did it have to be on my shoes? she lamented silently. She was doing her best not to rush away and clean up, though she had been on her way to work. It was a good thing she always left early for things - just in case. Those "just in case" incidents seemed to find her more often than not. "Obviously not. I will pack my bags," he quickly responded without emotion, still clutching his stomach. My career is over before it begun, he sighed to himself. Tipping her head to the side, completely unprepared for that response, Lissi's brows furrowed and she asked, "What?" "I am finished here. I am late for work on my first day. I tackled a superior officer in my haste and then added insult to injury by subsequently ruining her shoes. Who do I tenure my resignation with?" Marksbury couldn't help but chuckle. Shaking her head, she replied, "I see no real harm done that a good scrubbing can't remove. Who's your supervisor? I can buy you some time until you've cleaned this mess up." She silently sized him up; he was much taller than her and it was amazing that he hadn't hurt her when he knocked her down. "However, I would suggest, Ensign...?" Lissi realised that she didn't even know who she was speaking to. "Ensign..." Name! What is my name? Is she kidding? She's going to help me? "Kevin Stephens," he finally said. "And Lt. Raelin is my supervisor." It just occurred to Kevin that along with everything else he had not been properly addressing a superior officer. "Oh! Ma'am," he added hastily. "Well, Ensign Stephens," she spoke quietly, "I would highly suggest that you allow yourself more time to get from point A to point B before you find yourself in Lt. Raelin's office for a safety briefing at my recommendation. Consider this a warning. If you had run into someone paying the slightest bit less attention, you both could've ended up in sickbay. Though it looks like you got the worst end of the deal as it is." "Ma'am!" Marksbury blinked in surprise. "Was that a question, an expletive, or acquiescence, Ensign?" "It was agreement, Lieutenant." "Very well," she nodded. "Clean this mess up immediately and then report to your duty station, Mr. Stephens. I'll inform Lt. Raelin of the situation." Without even a nod of acknowledgment, Kevin suddenly did and about face and headed in the opposite direction from his pre-collision course. Shaking her head, Marksbury side-stepped the mess in the floor and tapped her com-link to speak with Lt. Raelin. She sighed as she headed back to her quarters, hoping it wasn't gonna end up one of those days. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Jazz up your holiday email with celebrity designs. Learn more.