Nine Years Later

Posted on Wed Aug 18th, 2021 @ 9:17pm by Lieutenant JG Faith Vianelli & Ensign Rene Rouen

Mission: The Boneyard Heist
Location: Shuttlecraft

Rene sat in the pilot's seat of the Type-11 Shuttlecraft enroute to the USS Chimera. He had received transfer orders a few days ago aboard the USS Ganymede immediately after the incident in the lounge with a rather lovely young woman who just so happened to be the grand niece of a Starfleet Admiral. He would have lamented his assignment, but at least the trip to the Chimera was with an even lovelier young woman who appeared to be in the medical field. He glanced back at the sleeping form of his traveling companion and wondered if she'd wake up soon to give him a break from monitoring the controls on autopilot.

Faith's 'sleep', if that's what it could be called, was at best restless. Though she had initially decided to rest to try and make the time in transit pass quicker, all it did was serve to heighten her anxieties and frustrate her even more. Finally, with an inward sigh she accepted defeat and rose gracefully from the bunk, straightening her uniform, fingers brushing again over her provisional pips before she started inching toward the front of the shuttle. "I think I need a coffee," her words were softly spoken. "Can I get you something from the replicator?"

Rene glanced over his shoulder at the stunning medical officer and sighed. "A real French burgundy would be nice, but...totally against regulations on a trip like this." He gave a moments thought. "Whatever you are having is fine by me." He set the PADD in his hand down on a side console.

The advantage of the small shuttle was that it was easy to maintain conversation while she moved to the replicator. "Do you know what our ETA is for the Chimera?" she asked before ordering two caramel lattes, carrying them carefully back to the front of the shuttle, handing one to him before taking a seat. "Do you know if the Kirridagi has rendezvoused with the Chimera yet?"

Rene glanced at the navigational display to confirm what he already knew about their ETA. This was the longest conversation they'd had in the first 36 hours of their trip. Granted, 6 hour shifts monitoring the autopilot usually meant as one sat down the other was on their way to lay down. "Two, possibly three more shift rotations at least." He took the drink and sipped from the mug. He had heard the rumors that their new assignment was going to be filled with people who were screw up or had pissed off some Admiral or some such. He gestured to the co-pilot's seat. "No big rush for you to take over. Perhaps we could talk. Maybe get to know one another a little better."

Faith offered a slight smile. "If you like," she said softly, holding the mug to her lips, blowing gently across the liquid before taking a sip. "I'm Faith," she added, shifting the mug and holding one hand toward him.

Rene found something to look at as she blew across the top of her mug. 'Those lips could get you in trouble faster than Admiral Towers niece did', he thought to himself. He really hoped his lovely companion wasn't Betazoid. It would make for another awkward 12-16 hours. He glanced back once she said her name. "Rene Rouen. Security Branch and general rogue." He gave Faith a charming smile. "So Chimera, how do you come by getting assigned to there? If you don't mind me asking."

There was a moment of silence as she sipped her drink, staring at the stars beyond the large window in front of them. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure," she finally laughed softly. "Commodore Yates recommended me for the position, given my academic history they offered me the chance to complete my education in the field instead of at the academy. How about you?" She shifted in the chair, turning so she could watch him.

Rene shrugged before chuckling. "Told a young lady she had beautiful eyes." He caught the questioning expression at his answer. "She was an intern for the diplomat we were ferrying to the talks on Babel. Diplomat overhead me and two hours later I had orders from Admiral Towers to pack my things and get to the Chimera post haste." He glanced at Faith. "Seems she was his grand niece or something like that."

A funny expression passed Faith's face momentarily before she smiled slightly. "So you're one of those fly boys, huh?" she shook her head slightly. "I met a few of your kind at the Academy."

Rene let loose a hearty laugh as he shook his head. "Not a flyboy my dear lady. Seven hundred fifty years ago I might have been a King's Musketeer in service to Louis the XIV. Just your friendly security officer." He flashed a mischievous wink her way.

Faith smiled faintly again and took another sip of her drink. "I'll be honest, I'm nervous," she finally confessed. "I mean, I haven't really spent much extended time on a ship. My cadet cruise was cut short and when it came to my first placement I ended up at Starfleet Medical. This is my first time really serving on a ship."

Rene took a long pull of his drink since it had cooled down a bit. "I've been aboard the Ganymede for almost two years now. Not really as glamorous as I thought it would be. Ensigns don't go on many away missions, but...the holodeck was state of the art. So I got to visit Paris a lot."

"Paris is beautiful," Faith said wistfully. "I spent a few summers there when I was younger, my Grandmother lived in Paris."

Rene gave Faith a curious look. He knew Faith's last name was Vianneli. Was it possible she was the granddaughter of the prominent Madam Vianelli? "So you like Paris I gather." It was more a statement than a question.

"I spent summers there from when I was 8 until when I was fifteen, I loved what little I got to see. I wish I'd explored more, but, c'est la vie." She smiled, leaning her head sideways against the back of the seat. "The gardens were one of my favourite places, so many beautiful flowers, always in bloom. Even when it snowed you could still find colour and beauty peeking out when least expected. Oh, and the little Pâtisserie just out of the gardens over looking the Siene, they had pastries to die for!"

"I know the park you are talking about." He smiled wistfully, many pleasant memories. He'd first kissed a girl in that very park nine years ago. "My first kiss was there. June 22, 2385. She was...beautiful."

Faith offered a curious smile but didn't comment initially. "My Grandmother was very strict," she finally said softly. "I had a Governess who accompanied me anywhere I wanted to go. Sometimes I could sneak away..." She paused, taking a sip of her latte, her face drifting into a soft smile. "I got caught when I was fifteen, after that my Mother and my Grandmother sent me to boarding school and I wasn't allowed back to Paris. I joined the Academy as soon as I finished school. Grandmother wanted me to go to finishing school, just like she did and my mother did." She shook her head slightly. "Such an archaic tradition! She was horrified when I registered at the Academy. She tried to have my enrollment overturned."

Faith's story struck a cord in his memory. The same thing had happened to Foi nine years ago. His face grew pale as he realized that Foi was the French word for Faith. He stared hard at the woman next to him. "I...picked her favorite flower and wove it into her hair and...brushed her cheek gently. She...promised to tell me her last name that night if we met atop the...."

"The Eifel tower," Faith added, her voice dropping to near a whisper. "She wanted to see the stars melt as the sun rose over the river." Faith looked down at the mug, realising that her hands were now gripping it so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

Rene looked at her. Those captivating eyes, the same. The sculptured nose, identical. Most especially those full lips, he remembered being soft and perfect. 'Could this really be her?', he thought. He had to know. His voice trembled slightly as he slipped into his native French. "Foi, est-ce vraiment vous?" [Translation: Faith, is this really you?]

Faith stood up, walking back to the replicator, recycling her latte, the normally sweet drink suddenly leaving a bitter taste on her tongue. She could feel her heart racing inside her chest, her own blood pounding in her ears. It had been nine years and she still recalled every single moment. Was this some kind of joke? Finally, after the longest of moments, she turned back toward the two front seats in the small shuttlecraft, drawing a slow and steady breath. "I was gone before sunset," she said quietly. "My Governess saw me... us..." She leaned back against the bulkhead, her hands clasped and resting in front of her. "She told Grandmother. Governess was fired on the spot and I was sent to boarding school immediately. I was gone before sunset. I never got a chance."

Rene stood up and crossed the short distance to Faith. He took her hands in his. "What happened in the past is done. We can't change that. What we can do is talk now. Get to know one another. Right?"

"I..." Faith's eyes widened slightly, a momentary look of uncertainty crossing her face. "I guess," she said softly. "It's been a long time, things change... People change..."

Rene led Faith back to the crew seats and sat her down. He took his seat again, briefly checking the instruments before turning back to her. "You are right. I am sure we have both changed in many ways perhaps. Doesn't mean we can’t be friends."

"I suppose," she said quietly as she returned to the seat. "Do you happen to know if the Kirridagi has met with the Chimera yet?" she asked again. "They were supposed to be making a delivery run to the ship."

Rene shook his head. He held up a finger to pause her next question. He flipped a switch on the subspace communications panel. =/\=Chimera, this is Shuttlecraft Gideon. I have a passenger requesting information regarding whether or not the Kirridagi has rendezvoused for supply and crew drop off. How copy?=/\=

=/\= Stand by Gideon =/\= The response from the Chimera came almost immediately, followed by several moments of staticky silence before the comms responded again. =/\= Shuttlecraft Gideon, I can confirm that the Kirridagi has completed their transfers and departed. Chimera out. =/\=

Leaning back in the seat, Faith closed her eyes for a moment, a small smile on her lips. "Thank you," she finally responded, clearly relieved at the knowledge.

Rene studied Faith's expression. He knew that there was something, more likely someone, coming aboard the Chimera from the Kirridagi that was special to her. He took a deep breath. "I hope that whoever it is you are looking to see when we get to Chimera realizes just how lucky they are to have you in their life."

Faith smiled faintly, a genuine smile. "So, tell me about the Ganymede?" she asked, shifting sideways again so she could watch him as he worked the controls.

Rene made a slight course correction. "Luna-class much like the Chimera. Though I joined her as a fully staffed ship. Lunas have great crew amenities though. Being a Lieutenant you will even have your own quarters. I will have to bunk with another junior officer unless I actually receive a Department Head billet."

"I hadn't even thought about quarters..." she murmured thoughtfully. "I honestly don't know what to expect. I don't even know who my department head will be. I'm assuming there will be someone overseeing me." She sighed. "I hope they're nicer than Commander Giada, he was kind of cranky all the time. Literally, all the time. And if you got too close, he smelled like whiskey." She shuddered slightly.

"I really didn't have it bad aboard the Ganymede." Rene laughed. "Though I had a Tellarite roommate who snored so loud, I thought he was going to wake up the entire deck."

Faith laughed softly. "Sounds like my first room mate at the Academy," she shook her head. "Though she was Bolian, and instead of snoring it was like a bone rattling snargling type sound that practically rattled the windows. I was glad when I got to change dorms for medical school."

Rene spoke about his days at the Academy. The first freshman to ever make Captain of the Academy Fencing Team. A most interesting wilderness survival field exercise his second year.

Faith smiled as she listened. Finally, seeing him stifle a yawn, she sat upright. "Do you want me to take over for a bit so you can rest?" she asked. "You said it's on autopilot, and I'm pretty sure there's not likely to be anything here I can crash into."

Rene nodded as he rose from the pilot's seat. "I really should probably get some rest." He went to the aft section of the shuttlecraft and lay down on the cushioned bench. He took one more glance forward at Faith. "I just wanted to say...it's great to see you again." He settled into the bench and closed his eyes. A moment later he was asleep and dreaming of being a young lad and showing Paris a stunning young lass.

Moving into the pilots seat, Faith leaned back, staring out the window in front of her at the stars, thoughts turning to their pending arrival at the Chimera.