Second First Impressions

Posted on Fri Jan 6th, 2023 @ 10:01pm by Lieutenant Commander Aarix Teral & Ensign Sara Richards IX & Ensign Archer Logan VI

1,947 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: World Wide Web
Location: Engineering
Timeline: After Touchy Feely

"Alright," Aarix said, handing a PaDD to Archer as he watched a group of engineers gather. He wanted to see how well Archer held himself up as assistant chief. With the new project he was assigned, he couldn't manage engineering like he was used to. But that's what assistant department heads were for. "Our work isn't done just because we left spacedock. Ensign Logan will be overseeing these, so report to him."

Don't screw up, don't screw up, don't screw up, don't screw up... Archer accepted the PADD from Aarix, pretended to review it, and then tucked it at his side. Nailed it.

"Thank you, Chief. Lieutenant. Commander. Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander Teral." Dammit. Archer dry swallowed. "Let's see what we've got today."

Aarix fought the urge to roll his eyes, but his face still conveyed how unimpressed he was. They hadn't worked long, but this Ensign had yet to do anything that stood out to him as responsible. "Chief will do," he responded, before resting his hands behind his back and making his exit.

Clearing his throat, Archer turned his gaze back to the PADD and began reading off work assignments. There were only a dozen noncoms available for the assignment to engineering officers, so he would have to be judicious.

"Let's see. Ops has reported some unresolved glitches in the EPS tap on Deck 8, forward section. Safety first, so let's put Ensign Buttlicker--"

"Bhutleker," the ensign corrected, enunciating like boodle-cur.

"Right, Ensign Bhutleker, that's what I said," Archer recovered. "Take Grell and Jong to the faulty EPS tap and report back if you need more assistance."

Ensign Bhutleker nodded with a roll of their eyes. It wasn't the first time their name was mispronounced.

"We've also got reports from sanitation workers that holodeck 1 is having issues with the reclamation cycle, but my guess is that's probably operator error," Archer said. "Ensign Dumbass--"

"It's Dumas," said the ensign, pronouncing it in the French way with the long U sound and a silent S.

"Yes, of course," Archer said, trying not to blush at his second faux pas in as many attempts. "You can take Sarkot and run a diagnostic on the holodeck's sanitation systems. Call back if you find anything out of the ordinary, otherwise leave the standard maintenance cycle for Ops."

Ensign Dumas took their leave without another word, though it was clear from their face whom they believed the dumbass to be.

"And then we've got a faulty replicator," Archer said, reading the next on the list. "Ensign..." He paused, struggling over what appeared to be a very difficult name. "Warrant Abdüllatif..." He braced himself for another correction.

"That's right," said an older human woman with a soft smile. "Belinay Abdüllatif."

"Oh, thank Fusion," Archer said with a sigh of relief. "Why don't you grab Xolo and Ferris and make sure the replicator grid is tip top shape. Sometimes faulty replicators point to more system wide problems."

The middle-aged warrant nodded and smiled at her much younger senior officer. "Yes, sir."

"Outstanding," Archer said. He paused to take a breath. This was just morning assignments. Not so hard. He could do it.

There was just more ensign left besides himself, but protocol said that a dedicated engineering officer had to be left to supervise the warp core at all times. It was good practice to not have that officer be the chief or assistant chief, especially when other teams were out on assignment and might need assistance.

"That just leaves Ensign Richards," said Archer, reading off the list. "Ensign Richards, where are you?"

"Hey bud," came a voice from behind him. Sara had her hands on her hips as she gave him a wide grin. "Hope you didn't miss me too much?" She had mixed feelings about being transferred here, knowing that she shared a very uncomfortable moment, physically and mentally, with Archer in sickbay, but the chief was impressed with her work to increase warp core efficiency and specifically requested her. She couldn't turn that down.

"Oh shale..." Archer's voice hit a falsetto. He felt his Adam's apple drop down below the pit in his stomach and hit his groin. It couldn't be. It musn't be. But, even before he turned around and got visual confirmation, he knew it to be true. "No, I didn't miss you," he said, unable to meet her eyes. But then he realized how rude that sounded. "I don't mean that. It was a pleasure to meet you." Yeah, pleasure was entirely the wrong word. "I don't mean that either! I was pleased to meet you... to work with you... we didn't do any work... but still happy to get acquainted..." The memory of their acquaintance-making having the result of him accidentally grabbing her bare breast in the midst of frantic, closed-eye grasping for the wall was enough to make the engine room start spinning. "I think I need to sit down..."

At first, Sara was very amused by his flustered response to her. Then he started swaying and her grin somewhat faded. "You good there?"

Archer reached out to the nearest console to steady himself, first making sure there was not a naked woman in the way. "I'm fine," he said. "We're fine. I'm fine. You're fine." And then he blushed again at the unintentional compliment of her figure. "That's not a compliment. I mean we are fine in our relationship. Not that we're in a relationship. Frack me..." He grit his teeth and groaned at himself. "Is there any way we could possibly start over like... like... we never... you know?"

Sara tensed in preparation to catch him if he did fall, then the wave of embarrassment hit her head on. Good gods, he was still fumbling over that? "Fine by me, though for the record, I'm over it," Sara said with an understanding smile. She then extended a hand in the traditional human greeting, "Sara Richards, Ninth House. Great to meet you and happy to be aboard!"

Only then did Archer make the stark realization that she was Betazoid. Nudity was known to be a cultural distinctive among Betazoids. Maybe she wouldn't hold a grudge after all.

"Nice to meet you, Sara Richards, Ninth House," he said. "Archer Logan VI, but you already knew..." And then his overactive inner monologue betrayed him. Her handshake is way firmer than her boob... and, suddenly, Archer's cheeks turned red as he could not help but remember how she looked naked. "... that." He closed his eyes, puffed out his cheeks, and exhaled through pursed lips. "I, uh, I'm glad that didn't put you out. I can't quite say the same." He opened his eyes wide in shock at what he said. "Shale! I don't mean that I put out! I mean I do, or I would, but not now. Or later. Maybe later. But not... ughhh..." He covered his moaning face with his free palm.

As much as she tried to block out people's thoughts and emotions, some things still accidentally slipped through. His inner monologue happened to be one of those. "You know," she gave him a devious little smirk that hinted that she knew. "To start over, Archer Logan VI, you have to forget that the stuff before this moment ever happened. That usually means not thinking about it." The poor man looked like he was going to pass out if she didn't change the subject. As much as she liked to torment people as southern-brained as Archer, she wanted to make a good first impression on her first ship posting. Realizing he was still holding her hand, and she gently slipped her hand free. "Anyways, let's talk shop. Whatcha got for me, sir?"

Right. Don't think about the thing that you're not supposed to think about. Simple enough. Archer nodded in agreement. Several times. "Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, uh, protocols state a dedicated officer needs to monitor the warp core at all times, so that's your assignment today. Your file says the warp core is your specialty." Wondering if that made him sound like a creep, he went back into damage control. "Not that I went snooping through your file. I... I didn't know who you were until just now. I mean I knew you on sight. You're hard to forget." He blushed furiously. "Not that I remember. Well, I do remember, but not since then... and not after today either." He let out a frustrated sigh. "Oh, shale. I'm not a creep... I assigned you according to your specialty without knowing you were you. Does that make sense?"

Sara paused for a moment, then covered her mouth as she chuckled. What a nervous wreck. "I'm a warp core specialist, it makes sense to have me monitor the warp core. I get it, don't worry."

"Solid. There's a regular crew for you to make use of. Is there anything else you need?" Archer did his best not to bite his lip. This was it. Almost home free.

A pause settled between them as Sara pondered how to answer that. When it came to her duties, there was hardly anything she needed help with. She had spent many hours admiring warp core blueprints and studying the inner workings that many found tedious. That intrusive itch in her mind was winning, however, and she gave him a kind, yet mildly suggestive, smile. "Actually... I could use your help with one more thing..."

That smile, that thoughtful stare, that pregnant pause. It was all Archer could do to keep his tone even. "Uh, sure, what is it?"

Sara's smile widened slightly. As dumb as it sounded, this ship's layout was a bit different from a station's. On a space station, she was more like a test engineer and spent a lot of her time at various consoles. So her question wasn't entirely to test Archer's resolve. "Can you point me in the direction of my station?"

Archer trembled slightly under the weight of her smile, as did his hand when he slowly raised it to point at the warp core. "Over there. Other side. Main console." Verbs, prepositions, and adverbs were no good, but he managed to formulate nouns and adjectives.

Turning her head in the direction Archer pointed, Sara saw the station waiting for her, poking around from behind the core. She noticed the tremble in his hand but chose to ignore it, instead turning back to him and letting her smile get even bigger. "Cool, thanks!" She started to leave, then paused and turned back to Archer. "Are there any other tasks I'm assigned to, sir?"

The way she stopped and turned accented the curve of her hip in a way that made Archer recall the decon room. He couldn't help it. Her smooth and nude posterior had curved in just the same way then as she stood now.

"No," he shrieked in a hoarse falsetto. "That's all."

For a very brief, fleeting moment, Sara saw the decon room in her mind. It wasn't her recollection of the decon room, because she saw... well, herself. In surprising detail, for a quick flash of an image. So he did look, after all. Giving Archer a wink, Sara tapped her temple with a finger before turning to get to her station on the other side of the warp core. With her back now turned to him, she couldn't help a little chuckle, made evident by the quiet little huff of air leaving her nose. That poor man...

Archer's shoulders slumped as he watched her go. "I'm so caved..."

 

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