Benefit of the Bargain

Posted on Wed Mar 20th, 2024 @ 2:24am by Lieutenant JG Koaruh Avestro & Senior Chief Petty Officer Rufio Dulay & Lieutenant Evelyn Stewart

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Year One: Whispers in the Wind
Location: USS Moore - Shuttlebay 1
Timeline: MD 24: 16:00 hrs

Lieutenant Stewart set her jaw in growing agitation at the display of the shuttle's impulse engines on the console. An error being displayed in the port engine. "I don't understand. We replaced the engine's manifold. Why is it still showing an error?" She asked Rufio rhetorically before rubbing at her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Run another diagnostic of the entire port side engine. Check to see if the heat sensor is the problem and causing the shut down." She told him, despite they fact they already ran six diagnostics on the entire impulse system.

"Sure, Lieutenant. We've ran it a few times now but I don't think it'll show anything." Rufio replied as he began the diagnostic.

As it started up he thought to himself and rubbed his stubble on his chin. "Do you think it might not be a hardware problem?" he asked rhetorically. "Maybe its software? Maybe the diagnostic system is malfunctioning..."

"Run it again." Stewart snapped, her headache growing stronger. With a heavy sigh she glanced at Dulay. "Sorry, Rufio." She offered before tapping the console to check the diagnostic software. She had been feeling the stress building inside of her ever since she argued with Stryvek, but knew she couldn't say a word of it to the chief.

With a heavy sigh, Stewart stood back from the console and tried to think. "Maybe you are right. But if it's all the same to you, lets double check the entire impulse system, soft and hardware. Go down to Engineering and see if Baaru is willing to spare a full diagnostic kit and an engineer or two." She said, glancing up when she saw movement out of her peripheral, seeing Koaruh. "And Chief, take your time about it. Got it?"

Rufio raised an eyebrow. Was she unhappy with his work? He always took his time to make sure he was doing things right and checking for all possible reasons for faults. Shaking his head free of such doubts he looked at Lieutenant Stewart. "Of course Lieutenant." he said and left the shuttlebay.

Evelyn focused on the console for the few moments it took Koaruh to enter the shuttle. “A long way from your office, Counselor. What can I do for you?” She asked, glancing up into his handsome face, a mischievous smile already on hers.

"Was just passing and felt your presence." Koaruh answered honestly. "This thing got a backseat?" he asked suggestively having seen too many old Earth movies.

Stewart smirked as she walked over to Koaruh. "It's more comfortable than a jefferies tube, I assure you." She teased before kissing him passionately, keying the controls to lock the shuttle.

"You won't find me in one of those grubby things." Koaruh mumbled through the kiss as he fell slightly backwards in the shuttle. "That's for people of such lower class." he teased.

Stewart gave him an amused smirk at how out of place the Betazoid was. "Some of us aren't afraid to get our hands dirty." She commented as she braced the man so he didn't fall before kissing him again. "I'm still on duty..." Stewart commented, though making no attempt to stop either of them. The rush of risking being caught was intoxicating and she lowered mental guard to Koaruh and his telepathic abilities, something she swore she would never do.

"I get my hands dirty in different ways." Koaruh spoke a little breathlessly between kisses. He felt a niggle in her mind as she lowered her mental defences, a hesitance almost. Something that said that even though he physical actions were passionate, strong and considered her mental state was somewhat of the opposite.

He didn't want to mention it as she had a thing about anyone being in her head and frankly he was enjoying what she was doing to him.

“Is that what you call slumming it with us common folk?” She teased the Betazoid about his prestigious lineage between kisses. “Do you think we can be quick? Someone could walk in.” She commented about the shuttle bay. She had no idea why she pointed this out, or the fact she was on duty. Neither had never stopped them before, but now she felt a bit of unease about the situation. Stewart tried to push aside her feelings and focused on the thrill as she opened Koaruh’s uniform jacket while kissing along his jaw.

"Depends who I'm picking up off the DMZ floor." Koaruh replied teasingly. Truth be told his family saw any kind of service, Starfleet or otherwise, as beneath them.

He huffed, he didn't like to be quick. He liked to take his time and appreciate the body, make his partners feel seen and touched in many ways. "Afraid of getting caught?" he asked. "The bold, fearless Evelyn Stewart?" he asked as he began to take her uniform jacket off.

Evelyn smirked against Koaruh's lips at his teasing, ready to make her own soft jab, until she felt him open her uniform jacket, intending to remove it.

Stryvek's words in her quarters days earlier about her relations with other men ran through her mind as he did so and the same guilt that she suppressed in a fit of rage then, came surging to the surface. "I can't do this." She said quietly when she pulled her lips from Koaruh's. Stewart glanced up into his black eyes for the briefest of moments before looking at the ground as she put the tiniest amount of distance between them, not stepping out of his arms but not embracing him either.

It was abrupt, but was Evelyn ever anything but that at times. He could feel the swell of emotion in her before she pulled away. Call it an early warning system if you like but it wasn't totally a surprise. "You have a little Vulcan whispering in your ear?" Koaruh asked as he placed his hands either side of her shoulders.

Stewart simply sighed out her frustration with herself. "Less a Vulcan and more myself." She admitted to Koaruh. She shook her head as she considered the situation. "I can't keep doing this if I want things to work with Stryve..the cap..with him." She said, realizing there was no correct way to refer to Stryvek with Koaruh that was not in some way wrong. The complexity of the situation dawning on her. It left her feeling no less confused or helpless.

"I suppose the question is, do you want things to work with him?" Koaruh asked as he began to fix his hair. Some stray strands had fallen from his perfectly styled mane and he just had to put them back. "You do seem to be growing a conscience at the worst time Evelyn." he teased a little to try and get even a little smile.

Stewart gave a small smile as she brushed back the strands of hair from Koaruh's face back to how he prefers to style it for him. "Not so bold and fearless after all, huh?" She asked as she started to relax before nodding. "This is what I need to do," she said in answer to his question about wanting to be with Stryvek. "If I am going to be with him then I need to be with him, completely. Committed."

"I'm a counsellor after all." Koaruh smiled. "I know how to change it up when I need to." he smiled and placed a hand on her right cheek. He cupped her face for a moment. "I mean don't get me wrong I'll miss that face..." he looked down a bit. "And that body." he grinned like a Cheshire cat. A smile that would make Lewis Carroll proud.

Stewart smirked and looked up at the counselor. "I'm sure you are so devasted and heartbroken." She said with heavy sarcasm before nodding, her tone growing more serious. "But thank you, for understanding."

"I will miss this, that I will admit." Koaruh stroked her cheek one last time and began to move off. "Take care of yourself Evelyn, and remember my door is always open for actual talking if you need it." he winked at her and was off into the winds of the shuttlebay.

 

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