Long Time No See (Reneé/Miko)

||USS Indefatigable
||Deck Five
||TBD
||Day One

The universe had to be playing a joke on her.

Finally, after years stuck as some assistant, after endless hours convincing herself she was at the pathetic height of her career, Miko finally had her own science department. An honest to God department on something besides a glorified battlecruiser. Things were actually starting to look up; for the briefest moment she had begun to think she stood a chance of climbing higher than the status of lowly Lieutenant and assistant at some point in the future.

Then she'd seen the name of this ship's CO. Damnit. Damnit all to hell, but someone Up There had a terrible sense of humor. The woman in charge of Miko's new assignment was the same one she'd spent two years' worth of long nights honing an incredible talent for carnality on. The same woman who she'd then driven off after a fight over... God, she didn't even remember anymore. So many years had passed the reason for their breakup had been long forgotten.

But the pain, naturally, was fresh as ever.

She sighed quietly as the turbolift took it's sweet damn time to arrive, tapping the floor with one booted foot. It was a very narrow regulation that allowed female officers to run around in a knee-length skirt and uniform thigh boots, and Miko exploited said regulation every single day. Reneé had loved it, as she recalled; something about having a girlfriend with that kind of rebellious tendency made her all the more proud when she strode out of Miko's quarters in the morning.

The turbolift arrived after what seemed like an eternity and swished open. On reflex alone Miko shuffled inside, not even paying attention to the jerk already in the cabin beyond a passing glance. Some tall, muscular lady, blonde, nice facial structure. Had a Lt. Colonel's insignia on her red uniform collar - hunh. Well, good for Reneé at any rate, climbing up the ladder.... since they... they....

Oh no.

Of course. Of course the woman she was snapping her head up to look at was Lucas. Of course Miko had stepped into a turbolift with the one woman she wanted to avoid at any cost. Of course this assignment was off to the crappiest start possible. The Universe wouldn't have it any other way.

Awkwardness pervaded the air as Miko's attempts to draw her glowing blue eyes away from Reneé failed dramatically, instead joining the rest of her face's expression of pure shock mixed with unbridled terror at what would happen next.

<Tag Reneé>

||USS Indefatigable
||Deck Five
||TBD
||Day One

The universe had to be playing a joke on her.

Finally, after years stuck as some assistant, after endless hours convincing herself she was at the pathetic height of her career, Miko finally had her own science department. An honest to God department on something besides a glorified battlecruiser. Things were actually starting to look up; for the briefest moment she had begun to think she stood a chance of climbing higher than the status of lowly Lieutenant and assistant at some point in the future.

Then she'd seen the name of this ship's CO. Damnit. Damnit all to hell, but someone Up There had a terrible sense of humor. The woman in charge of Miko's new assignment was the same one she'd spent two years' worth of long nights honing an incredible talent for carnality on. The same woman who she'd then driven off after a fight over... God, she didn't even remember anymore. So many years had passed the reason for their breakup had been long forgotten.

But the pain, naturally, was fresh as ever.

She sighed quietly as the turbolift took it's sweet damn time to arrive, tapping the floor with one booted foot. It was a very narrow regulation that allowed female officers to run around in a knee-length skirt and uniform thigh boots, and Miko exploited said regulation every single day. Reneé had loved it, as she recalled; something about having a girlfriend with that kind of rebellious tendency made her all the more proud when she strode out of Miko's quarters in the morning.

The turbolift arrived after what seemed like an eternity and swished open. On reflex alone Miko shuffled inside, not even paying attention to the jerk already in the cabin beyond a passing glance. Some tall, muscular lady, blonde, nice facial structure. Had a Lt. Colonel's insignia on her red uniform collar - hunh. Well, good for Reneé at any rate, climbing up the ladder.... since they... they....

Oh no.

Of course. Of course the woman she was snapping her head up to look at was Lucas. Of course Miko had stepped into a turbolift with the one woman she wanted to avoid at any cost. Of course this assignment was off to the crappiest start possible. The Universe wouldn't have it any other way.

Awkwardness pervaded the air as Miko's attempts to draw her glowing blue eyes away from Reneé failed dramatically, instead joining the rest of her face's expression of pure shock mixed with unbridled terror at what would happen next.

With the ground team working towards assisting the colony Reneé had decided to take a trip down the ship to see how the investigation with the recovered Breen tech was coming along. Lack of reports had made Reneé curious about what was going on and sitting within the bridge doing nothing wasn't exactly something she could see herself doing. Thank God for watch officers.

Still the work had to come with Reneé in the form on a PADD and thus her attention was focused so much on the device that she didn't even notice Miko at first before she lifted her eyes to see the Asiatic woman's face. For a moment the marine felt her jaw clench and eyes narrow in pure natural reaction of being near someone or something she didn't like.

"Lieutenant." said Reneé darkly before returning her eyes to the PADD in hand. "It's been a while. I didn't even know you were on board. The new roster is probably here somewhere. Settling in well I hope?"

||USS Indefatigable
||Deck Five
||TBD
||Day One

The universe had to be playing a joke on her.

Finally, after years stuck as some assistant, after endless hours convincing herself she was at the pathetic height of her career, Miko finally had her own science department. An honest to God department on something besides a glorified battlecruiser. Things were actually starting to look up; for the briefest moment she had begun to think she stood a chance of climbing higher than the status of lowly Lieutenant and assistant at some point in the future.

Then she'd seen the name of this ship's CO. Damnit. Damnit all to hell, but someone Up There had a terrible sense of humor. The woman in charge of Miko's new assignment was the same one she'd spent two years' worth of long nights honing an incredible talent for carnality on. The same woman who she'd then driven off after a fight over... God, she didn't even remember anymore. So many years had passed the reason for their breakup had been long forgotten.

But the pain, naturally, was fresh as ever.

She sighed quietly as the turbolift took it's sweet damn time to arrive, tapping the floor with one booted foot. It was a very narrow regulation that allowed female officers to run around in a knee-length skirt and uniform thigh boots, and Miko exploited said regulation every single day. Reneé had loved it, as she recalled; something about having a girlfriend with that kind of rebellious tendency made her all the more proud when she strode out of Miko's quarters in the morning.

The turbolift arrived after what seemed like an eternity and swished open. On reflex alone Miko shuffled inside, not even paying attention to the jerk already in the cabin beyond a passing glance. Some tall, muscular lady, blonde, nice facial structure. Had a Lt. Colonel's insignia on her red uniform collar - hunh. Well, good for Reneé at any rate, climbing up the ladder.... since they... they....

Oh no.

Of course. Of course the woman she was snapping her head up to look at was Lucas. Of course Miko had stepped into a turbolift with the one woman she wanted to avoid at any cost. Of course this assignment was off to the crappiest start possible. The Universe wouldn't have it any other way.

Awkwardness pervaded the air as Miko's attempts to draw her glowing blue eyes away from Reneé failed dramatically, instead joining the rest of her face's expression of pure shock mixed with unbridled terror at what would happen next.

With the ground team working towards assisting the colony Reneé had decided to take a trip down the ship to see how the investigation with the recovered Breen tech was coming along. Lack of reports had made Reneé curious about what was going on and sitting within the bridge doing nothing wasn't exactly something she could see herself doing. Thank God for watch officers.

Still the work had to come with Reneé in the form on a PADD and thus her attention was focused so much on the device that she didn't even notice Miko at first before she lifted her eyes to see the Asiatic woman's face. For a moment the marine felt her jaw clench and eyes narrow in pure natural reaction of being near someone or something she didn't like.

"Lieutenant." said Reneé darkly before returning her eyes to the PADD in hand. "It's been a while. I didn't even know you were on board. The new roster is probably here somewhere. Settling in well I hope?"

Reneé couldn't possibly have known how hard it was for Miko not to immediately start yelling furiously. Her glowing blue eyes twitched momentarily, the shock in her Asiatic face slowly turning into the same sort of jaw-clenched disgust that had decorated the marine's as she turned around to stand right in front of Reneé.

Any attempt on the Scotswoman's part to ignore Miko failed dramatically when one small hand reached out and smacked away the padd Reneé was trying to read. Lucas' head snapped up just as quickly; now, staring each other in the eyes and standing so close together, Miko couldn't help but remember the way she'd pinned Reneé against a wall and slowly run her mouth over the blonde's the first time they met.

"Nice to know that's all I rate now," Miko practically seethed in a bitter tone Reneé was more than a little familiar with. "Two years and you can't even bother more than 'Lieutenant'." Her little eyes narrowed further, the artificial glow seeming to brighten with her frustration. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. You always were that kind of a bitch."

||USS Indefatigable
||Deck Five
||TBD
||Day One

The universe had to be playing a joke on her.

Finally, after years stuck as some assistant, after endless hours convincing herself she was at the pathetic height of her career, Miko finally had her own science department. An honest to God department on something besides a glorified battlecruiser. Things were actually starting to look up; for the briefest moment she had begun to think she stood a chance of climbing higher than the status of lowly Lieutenant and assistant at some point in the future.

Then she'd seen the name of this ship's CO. Damnit. Damnit all to hell, but someone Up There had a terrible sense of humor. The woman in charge of Miko's new assignment was the same one she'd spent two years' worth of long nights honing an incredible talent for carnality on. The same woman who she'd then driven off after a fight over... God, she didn't even remember anymore. So many years had passed the reason for their breakup had been long forgotten.

But the pain, naturally, was fresh as ever.

She sighed quietly as the turbolift took it's sweet damn time to arrive, tapping the floor with one booted foot. It was a very narrow regulation that allowed female officers to run around in a knee-length skirt and uniform thigh boots, and Miko exploited said regulation every single day. Reneé had loved it, as she recalled; something about having a girlfriend with that kind of rebellious tendency made her all the more proud when she strode out of Miko's quarters in the morning.

The turbolift arrived after what seemed like an eternity and swished open. On reflex alone Miko shuffled inside, not even paying attention to the jerk already in the cabin beyond a passing glance. Some tall, muscular lady, blonde, nice facial structure. Had a Lt. Colonel's insignia on her red uniform collar - hunh. Well, good for Reneé at any rate, climbing up the ladder.... since they... they....

Oh no.

Of course. Of course the woman she was snapping her head up to look at was Lucas. Of course Miko had stepped into a turbolift with the one woman she wanted to avoid at any cost. Of course this assignment was off to the crappiest start possible. The Universe wouldn't have it any other way.

Awkwardness pervaded the air as Miko's attempts to draw her glowing blue eyes away from Reneé failed dramatically, instead joining the rest of her face's expression of pure shock mixed with unbridled terror at what would happen next.

With the ground team working towards assisting the colony Reneé had decided to take a trip down the ship to see how the investigation with the recovered Breen tech was coming along. Lack of reports had made Reneé curious about what was going on and sitting within the bridge doing nothing wasn't exactly something she could see herself doing. Thank God for watch officers.

Still the work had to come with Reneé in the form on a PADD and thus her attention was focused so much on the device that she didn't even notice Miko at first before she lifted her eyes to see the Asiatic woman's face. For a moment the marine felt her jaw clench and eyes narrow in pure natural reaction of being near someone or something she didn't like.

"Lieutenant." said Reneé darkly before returning her eyes to the PADD in hand. "It's been a while. I didn't even know you were on board. The new roster is probably here somewhere. Settling in well I hope?"

Reneé couldn't possibly have known how hard it was for Miko not to immediately start yelling furiously. Her glowing blue eyes twitched momentarily, the shock in her Asiatic face slowly turning into the same sort of jaw-clenched disgust that had decorated the marine's as she turned around to stand right in front of Reneé.

Any attempt on the Scotswoman's part to ignore Miko failed dramatically when one small hand reached out and smacked away the padd Reneé was trying to read. Lucas' head snapped up just as quickly; now, staring each other in the eyes and standing so close together, Miko couldn't help but remember the way she'd pinned Reneé against a wall and slowly run her mouth over the blonde's the first time they met.

"Nice to know that's all I rate now," Miko practically seethed in a bitter tone Reneé was more than a little familiar with. "Two years and you can't even bother more than 'Lieutenant'." Her little eyes narrowed further, the artificial glow seeming to brighten with her frustration. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. You always were that kind of a bitch."

"As I recall it was that attitude that resulted in it only lasting two years." said Reneé in a dangerous tone. "You may not have noticed but this the New Jersey and I'm not some young marine officer in charge of a few drop marines. This is my ship. You're part of my crew." She wasn't in the mood for another fight. Not today. Not when she had dozens of things to have done and reports to be filed off.

"Computer, halt lift." said the blonde. The computer responded with a chirp and made the turbolift stop dead. Both women looked like they were squaring off and in close quarters Reneé had a reputation of being rather brutal when it came to fist-fights. She didn't know how well she'd do against Miko though. Always feeling like she'd have to hold back.

She crossed her arms; the universal body signal of wanting space from the other person before shaking her head. "So you got to see your new CO in her underwear, you know all the tricks she turns and you made it clear to her you love to be on top. That was then, this is now. I've got a job to do. I've got people down on that planet busting their arses. You have a job; get to that Breen tech and tell me if it's a game changer or not. I was actually coming down to inspect any progress made..."

Reneé pointed to the discarded PADD with fire in her eyes. "Pick it up."

||USS Indefatigable
||Deck Five
||TBD
||Day One

The universe had to be playing a joke on her.

Finally, after years stuck as some assistant, after endless hours convincing herself she was at the pathetic height of her career, Miko finally had her own science department. An honest to God department on something besides a glorified battlecruiser. Things were actually starting to look up; for the briefest moment she had begun to think she stood a chance of climbing higher than the status of lowly Lieutenant and assistant at some point in the future.

Then she'd seen the name of this ship's CO. Damnit. Damnit all to hell, but someone Up There had a terrible sense of humor. The woman in charge of Miko's new assignment was the same one she'd spent two years' worth of long nights honing an incredible talent for carnality on. The same woman who she'd then driven off after a fight over... God, she didn't even remember anymore. So many years had passed the reason for their breakup had been long forgotten.

But the pain, naturally, was fresh as ever.

She sighed quietly as the turbolift took it's sweet damn time to arrive, tapping the floor with one booted foot. It was a very narrow regulation that allowed female officers to run around in a knee-length skirt and uniform thigh boots, and Miko exploited said regulation every single day. Reneé had loved it, as she recalled; something about having a girlfriend with that kind of rebellious tendency made her all the more proud when she strode out of Miko's quarters in the morning.

The turbolift arrived after what seemed like an eternity and swished open. On reflex alone Miko shuffled inside, not even paying attention to the jerk already in the cabin beyond a passing glance. Some tall, muscular lady, blonde, nice facial structure. Had a Lt. Colonel's insignia on her red uniform collar - hunh. Well, good for Reneé at any rate, climbing up the ladder.... since they... they....

Oh no.

Of course. Of course the woman she was snapping her head up to look at was Lucas. Of course Miko had stepped into a turbolift with the one woman she wanted to avoid at any cost. Of course this assignment was off to the crappiest start possible. The Universe wouldn't have it any other way.

Awkwardness pervaded the air as Miko's attempts to draw her glowing blue eyes away from Reneé failed dramatically, instead joining the rest of her face's expression of pure shock mixed with unbridled terror at what would happen next.

With the ground team working towards assisting the colony Reneé had decided to take a trip down the ship to see how the investigation with the recovered Breen tech was coming along. Lack of reports had made Reneé curious about what was going on and sitting within the bridge doing nothing wasn't exactly something she could see herself doing. Thank God for watch officers.

Still the work had to come with Reneé in the form on a PADD and thus her attention was focused so much on the device that she didn't even notice Miko at first before she lifted her eyes to see the Asiatic woman's face. For a moment the marine felt her jaw clench and eyes narrow in pure natural reaction of being near someone or something she didn't like.

"Lieutenant." said Reneé darkly before returning her eyes to the PADD in hand. "It's been a while. I didn't even know you were on board. The new roster is probably here somewhere. Settling in well I hope?"

Reneé couldn't possibly have known how hard it was for Miko not to immediately start yelling furiously. Her glowing blue eyes twitched momentarily, the shock in her Asiatic face slowly turning into the same sort of jaw-clenched disgust that had decorated the marine's as she turned around to stand right in front of Reneé.

Any attempt on the Scotswoman's part to ignore Miko failed dramatically when one small hand reached out and smacked away the padd Reneé was trying to read. Lucas' head snapped up just as quickly; now, staring each other in the eyes and standing so close together, Miko couldn't help but remember the way she'd pinned Reneé against a wall and slowly run her mouth over the blonde's the first time they met.

"Nice to know that's all I rate now," Miko practically seethed in a bitter tone Reneé was more than a little familiar with. "Two years and you can't even bother more than 'Lieutenant'." Her little eyes narrowed further, the artificial glow seeming to brighten with her frustration. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. You always were that kind of a bitch."

"As I recall it was that attitude that resulted in it only lasting two years." said Reneé in a dangerous tone. "You may not have noticed but this the New Jersey and I'm not some young marine officer in charge of a few drop marines. This is my ship. You're part of my crew." She wasn't in the mood for another fight. Not today. Not when she had dozens of things to have done and reports to be filed off.

"Computer, halt lift." said the blonde. The computer responded with a chirp and made the turbolift stop dead. Both women looked like they were squaring off and in close quarters Reneé had a reputation of being rather brutal when it came to fist-fights. She didn't know how well she'd do against Miko though. Always feeling like she'd have to hold back.

She crossed her arms; the universal body signal of wanting space from the other person before shaking her head. "So you got to see your new CO in her underwear, you know all the tricks she turns and you made it clear to her you love to be on top. That was then, this is now. I've got a job to do. I've got people down on that planet busting their arses. You have a job; get to that Breen tech and tell me if it's a game changer or not. I was actually coming down to inspect any progress made..."

Reneé pointed to the discarded PADD with fire in her eyes. "Pick it up."

Miko surprised herself by managing not to react with a left hook. In fact, she only got as far as clenching both fists so tightly that her knuckles began to whiten before acquiescing somewhat; one hand uncurled as she turned around and bent over to scoop up the padd she'd knocked away. Care was taken to put her hind end squarely in Reneé's vision in the most obnoxious 'remember what you're missing' way possible.

"For your information, I was about to start your bloody analysis job," Miko muttered as she stood back up and shoved the stupid datapad into the Marine's hands. It was lucky that she had meant to pause her vocal response, given that the feeling of her hand brushing against those rough, strong warrior's hands of Reneé's sent a chill clear down Miko's spine. Damnit. "It'll be done before the night shift starts, Colonel."

||USS Indefatigable
||Deck Five
||TBD
||Day One

The universe had to be playing a joke on her.

Finally, after years stuck as some assistant, after endless hours convincing herself she was at the pathetic height of her career, Miko finally had her own science department. An honest to God department on something besides a glorified battlecruiser. Things were actually starting to look up; for the briefest moment she had begun to think she stood a chance of climbing higher than the status of lowly Lieutenant and assistant at some point in the future.

Then she'd seen the name of this ship's CO. Damnit. Damnit all to hell, but someone Up There had a terrible sense of humor. The woman in charge of Miko's new assignment was the same one she'd spent two years' worth of long nights honing an incredible talent for carnality on. The same woman who she'd then driven off after a fight over... God, she didn't even remember anymore. So many years had passed the reason for their breakup had been long forgotten.

But the pain, naturally, was fresh as ever.

She sighed quietly as the turbolift took it's sweet damn time to arrive, tapping the floor with one booted foot. It was a very narrow regulation that allowed female officers to run around in a knee-length skirt and uniform thigh boots, and Miko exploited said regulation every single day. Reneé had loved it, as she recalled; something about having a girlfriend with that kind of rebellious tendency made her all the more proud when she strode out of Miko's quarters in the morning.

The turbolift arrived after what seemed like an eternity and swished open. On reflex alone Miko shuffled inside, not even paying attention to the jerk already in the cabin beyond a passing glance. Some tall, muscular lady, blonde, nice facial structure. Had a Lt. Colonel's insignia on her red uniform collar - hunh. Well, good for Reneé at any rate, climbing up the ladder.... since they... they....

Oh no.

Of course. Of course the woman she was snapping her head up to look at was Lucas. Of course Miko had stepped into a turbolift with the one woman she wanted to avoid at any cost. Of course this assignment was off to the crappiest start possible. The Universe wouldn't have it any other way.

Awkwardness pervaded the air as Miko's attempts to draw her glowing blue eyes away from Reneé failed dramatically, instead joining the rest of her face's expression of pure shock mixed with unbridled terror at what would happen next.

With the ground team working towards assisting the colony Reneé had decided to take a trip down the ship to see how the investigation with the recovered Breen tech was coming along. Lack of reports had made Reneé curious about what was going on and sitting within the bridge doing nothing wasn't exactly something she could see herself doing. Thank God for watch officers.

Still the work had to come with Reneé in the form on a PADD and thus her attention was focused so much on the device that she didn't even notice Miko at first before she lifted her eyes to see the Asiatic woman's face. For a moment the marine felt her jaw clench and eyes narrow in pure natural reaction of being near someone or something she didn't like.

"Lieutenant." said Reneé darkly before returning her eyes to the PADD in hand. "It's been a while. I didn't even know you were on board. The new roster is probably here somewhere. Settling in well I hope?"

Reneé couldn't possibly have known how hard it was for Miko not to immediately start yelling furiously. Her glowing blue eyes twitched momentarily, the shock in her Asiatic face slowly turning into the same sort of jaw-clenched disgust that had decorated the marine's as she turned around to stand right in front of Reneé.

Any attempt on the Scotswoman's part to ignore Miko failed dramatically when one small hand reached out and smacked away the padd Reneé was trying to read. Lucas' head snapped up just as quickly; now, staring each other in the eyes and standing so close together, Miko couldn't help but remember the way she'd pinned Reneé against a wall and slowly run her mouth over the blonde's the first time they met.

"Nice to know that's all I rate now," Miko practically seethed in a bitter tone Reneé was more than a little familiar with. "Two years and you can't even bother more than 'Lieutenant'." Her little eyes narrowed further, the artificial glow seeming to brighten with her frustration. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. You always were that kind of a bitch."

"As I recall it was that attitude that resulted in it only lasting two years." said Reneé in a dangerous tone. "You may not have noticed but this the New Jersey and I'm not some young marine officer in charge of a few drop marines. This is my ship. You're part of my crew." She wasn't in the mood for another fight. Not today. Not when she had dozens of things to have done and reports to be filed off.

"Computer, halt lift." said the blonde. The computer responded with a chirp and made the turbolift stop dead. Both women looked like they were squaring off and in close quarters Reneé had a reputation of being rather brutal when it came to fist-fights. She didn't know how well she'd do against Miko though. Always feeling like she'd have to hold back.

She crossed her arms; the universal body signal of wanting space from the other person before shaking her head. "So you got to see your new CO in her underwear, you know all the tricks she turns and you made it clear to her you love to be on top. That was then, this is now. I've got a job to do. I've got people down on that planet busting their arses. You have a job; get to that Breen tech and tell me if it's a game changer or not. I was actually coming down to inspect any progress made..."

Reneé pointed to the discarded PADD with fire in her eyes. "Pick it up."

Miko surprised herself by managing not to react with a left hook. In fact, she only got as far as clenching both fists so tightly that her knuckles began to whiten before acquiescing somewhat; one hand uncurled as she turned around and bent over to scoop up the padd she'd knocked away. Care was taken to put her hind end squarely in Reneé's vision in the most obnoxious 'remember what you're missing' way possible.

"For your information, I was about to start your bloody analysis job," Miko muttered as she stood back up and shoved the stupid datapad into the Marine's hands. It was lucky that she had meant to pause her vocal response, given that the feeling of her hand brushing against those rough, strong warrior's hands of Reneé's sent a chill clear down Miko's spine. Damnit. "It'll be done before the night shift starts, Colonel."

With a roll of her eyes Reneé barely ignored the somewhat planned display. "Computer, resume lift." she said as she brushed the PADD's display to ensure that it hadn't been damaged. Not that a PADD would suffer from a mere fall given the shock absorbing case but anything was a better sight than the enticing performance Miko was offering the colonel as she coughed politely.

The lift opened up at the appropriate deck and Reneé beckoned Miko outwards. "I want to see you work. It'll give me something to do before heading to the bridge and asking the XO for a report. Indulge me."

||USS Indefatigable
||Deck Five
||TBD
||Day One

The universe had to be playing a joke on her.

Finally, after years stuck as some assistant, after endless hours convincing herself she was at the pathetic height of her career, Miko finally had her own science department. An honest to God department on something besides a glorified battlecruiser. Things were actually starting to look up; for the briefest moment she had begun to think she stood a chance of climbing higher than the status of lowly Lieutenant and assistant at some point in the future.

Then she'd seen the name of this ship's CO. Damnit. Damnit all to hell, but someone Up There had a terrible sense of humor. The woman in charge of Miko's new assignment was the same one she'd spent two years' worth of long nights honing an incredible talent for carnality on. The same woman who she'd then driven off after a fight over... God, she didn't even remember anymore. So many years had passed the reason for their breakup had been long forgotten.

But the pain, naturally, was fresh as ever.

She sighed quietly as the turbolift took it's sweet damn time to arrive, tapping the floor with one booted foot. It was a very narrow regulation that allowed female officers to run around in a knee-length skirt and uniform thigh boots, and Miko exploited said regulation every single day. Reneé had loved it, as she recalled; something about having a girlfriend with that kind of rebellious tendency made her all the more proud when she strode out of Miko's quarters in the morning.

The turbolift arrived after what seemed like an eternity and swished open. On reflex alone Miko shuffled inside, not even paying attention to the jerk already in the cabin beyond a passing glance. Some tall, muscular lady, blonde, nice facial structure. Had a Lt. Colonel's insignia on her red uniform collar - hunh. Well, good for Reneé at any rate, climbing up the ladder.... since they... they....

Oh no.

Of course. Of course the woman she was snapping her head up to look at was Lucas. Of course Miko had stepped into a turbolift with the one woman she wanted to avoid at any cost. Of course this assignment was off to the crappiest start possible. The Universe wouldn't have it any other way.

Awkwardness pervaded the air as Miko's attempts to draw her glowing blue eyes away from Reneé failed dramatically, instead joining the rest of her face's expression of pure shock mixed with unbridled terror at what would happen next.

With the ground team working towards assisting the colony Reneé had decided to take a trip down the ship to see how the investigation with the recovered Breen tech was coming along. Lack of reports had made Reneé curious about what was going on and sitting within the bridge doing nothing wasn't exactly something she could see herself doing. Thank God for watch officers.

Still the work had to come with Reneé in the form on a PADD and thus her attention was focused so much on the device that she didn't even notice Miko at first before she lifted her eyes to see the Asiatic woman's face. For a moment the marine felt her jaw clench and eyes narrow in pure natural reaction of being near someone or something she didn't like.

"Lieutenant." said Reneé darkly before returning her eyes to the PADD in hand. "It's been a while. I didn't even know you were on board. The new roster is probably here somewhere. Settling in well I hope?"

Reneé couldn't possibly have known how hard it was for Miko not to immediately start yelling furiously. Her glowing blue eyes twitched momentarily, the shock in her Asiatic face slowly turning into the same sort of jaw-clenched disgust that had decorated the marine's as she turned around to stand right in front of Reneé.

Any attempt on the Scotswoman's part to ignore Miko failed dramatically when one small hand reached out and smacked away the padd Reneé was trying to read. Lucas' head snapped up just as quickly; now, staring each other in the eyes and standing so close together, Miko couldn't help but remember the way she'd pinned Reneé against a wall and slowly run her mouth over the blonde's the first time they met.

"Nice to know that's all I rate now," Miko practically seethed in a bitter tone Reneé was more than a little familiar with. "Two years and you can't even bother more than 'Lieutenant'." Her little eyes narrowed further, the artificial glow seeming to brighten with her frustration. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. You always were that kind of a bitch."

"As I recall it was that attitude that resulted in it only lasting two years." said Reneé in a dangerous tone. "You may not have noticed but this the New Jersey and I'm not some young marine officer in charge of a few drop marines. This is my ship. You're part of my crew." She wasn't in the mood for another fight. Not today. Not when she had dozens of things to have done and reports to be filed off.

"Computer, halt lift." said the blonde. The computer responded with a chirp and made the turbolift stop dead. Both women looked like they were squaring off and in close quarters Reneé had a reputation of being rather brutal when it came to fist-fights. She didn't know how well she'd do against Miko though. Always feeling like she'd have to hold back.

She crossed her arms; the universal body signal of wanting space from the other person before shaking her head. "So you got to see your new CO in her underwear, you know all the tricks she turns and you made it clear to her you love to be on top. That was then, this is now. I've got a job to do. I've got people down on that planet busting their arses. You have a job; get to that Breen tech and tell me if it's a game changer or not. I was actually coming down to inspect any progress made..."

Reneé pointed to the discarded PADD with fire in her eyes. "Pick it up."

Miko surprised herself by managing not to react with a left hook. In fact, she only got as far as clenching both fists so tightly that her knuckles began to whiten before acquiescing somewhat; one hand uncurled as she turned around and bent over to scoop up the padd she'd knocked away. Care was taken to put her hind end squarely in Reneé's vision in the most obnoxious 'remember what you're missing' way possible.

"For your information, I was about to start your bloody analysis job," Miko muttered as she stood back up and shoved the stupid datapad into the Marine's hands. It was lucky that she had meant to pause her vocal response, given that the feeling of her hand brushing against those rough, strong warrior's hands of Reneé's sent a chill clear down Miko's spine. Damnit. "It'll be done before the night shift starts, Colonel."

With a roll of her eyes Reneé barely ignored the somewhat planned display. "Computer, resume lift." she said as she brushed the PADD's display to ensure that it hadn't been damaged. Not that a PADD would suffer from a mere fall given the shock absorbing case but anything was a better sight than the enticing performance Miko was offering the colonel as she coughed politely.

The lift opened up at the appropriate deck and Reneé beckoned Miko outwards. "I want to see you work. It'll give me something to do before heading to the bridge and asking the XO for a report. Indulge me."

Oh good, exactly what she didn't want to do. With a role of her prosthetic eyes Miko closed her big mouth (quite the feat for her, truly) and promptly ignored any precepts of politness by shoving right past Reneé out into the corridor. So, what, it wasn't be enough she was a bloody quantum physicist reduced to petty material analysis, but she had to reduce the scientific terms of everything to a level some groundpounding idiot could understand?

Alright, that wasn't quite fair. Granted, the high concepts of subspace mechanics had seemed to go over Reneé's head way back when, but she was hardly a brainless marine. In fact, Miko could remember a lot of surprisingly intelligent conversations with a younger Reneé; long, countless hours just laying there under the sheets, talking about whatever came to mind, be it the new jerk COO, Reneé's latest harrowing mission, the finer points of wormhole mechanics or whatever else was on one or the other's mind. She sighed quietly while also remembering that they weren't going to be having any more such talks again.

...no. No, couldn't.

*********

The Indefatigable's science labs were understandably bustling as Miko and Reneé walked inside, filled with techs and science folks running about doing analyses on the bundles of Breen tech the crew had recovered during their last mission. Most of the officers ignored both women as they continued about with their work, but one particular blonde-haired ensign moved off from the scanner she was using as her bosses walked inside.

"Well, glad to see y'all remember where the lab is, ma'am," she said to Miko jokingly in an accent that clearly denoted her Texan heritage. A small smile crossed her lips for a split second before she took in the not-quite-pissed-the-hell-off expressions on both Miko and Reneé's faces; between that and the distance they kept from each other, gathering that they were not off to a good start on this ship hardly took a degree in psychology.

The ensign cleared her throat as she turned to the colonel, figuring her to be the less irritable of her superiors. "Well, seein's how I've already met the liuetenant here, I reckon introductions are in order." Rather than salute, she stuck out a hand slightly calloused still from years of farm work out for Reneé to shake. "Ensign Melissa Rivers, formerly of this fine vessel's biology department."

"She's my assistant," Miko interjected with a crabby muttering. "Seemed to be the least useless person you picked out for your crew's science division."

||USS Indefatigable
||Deck Five
||TBD
||Day One

The universe had to be playing a joke on her.

Finally, after years stuck as some assistant, after endless hours convincing herself she was at the pathetic height of her career, Miko finally had her own science department. An honest to God department on something besides a glorified battlecruiser. Things were actually starting to look up; for the briefest moment she had begun to think she stood a chance of climbing higher than the status of lowly Lieutenant and assistant at some point in the future.

Then she'd seen the name of this ship's CO. Damnit. Damnit all to hell, but someone Up There had a terrible sense of humor. The woman in charge of Miko's new assignment was the same one she'd spent two years' worth of long nights honing an incredible talent for carnality on. The same woman who she'd then driven off after a fight over... God, she didn't even remember anymore. So many years had passed the reason for their breakup had been long forgotten.

But the pain, naturally, was fresh as ever.

She sighed quietly as the turbolift took it's sweet damn time to arrive, tapping the floor with one booted foot. It was a very narrow regulation that allowed female officers to run around in a knee-length skirt and uniform thigh boots, and Miko exploited said regulation every single day. Reneé had loved it, as she recalled; something about having a girlfriend with that kind of rebellious tendency made her all the more proud when she strode out of Miko's quarters in the morning.

The turbolift arrived after what seemed like an eternity and swished open. On reflex alone Miko shuffled inside, not even paying attention to the jerk already in the cabin beyond a passing glance. Some tall, muscular lady, blonde, nice facial structure. Had a Lt. Colonel's insignia on her red uniform collar - hunh. Well, good for Reneé at any rate, climbing up the ladder.... since they... they....

Oh no.

Of course. Of course the woman she was snapping her head up to look at was Lucas. Of course Miko had stepped into a turbolift with the one woman she wanted to avoid at any cost. Of course this assignment was off to the crappiest start possible. The Universe wouldn't have it any other way.

Awkwardness pervaded the air as Miko's attempts to draw her glowing blue eyes away from Reneé failed dramatically, instead joining the rest of her face's expression of pure shock mixed with unbridled terror at what would happen next.

With the ground team working towards assisting the colony Reneé had decided to take a trip down the ship to see how the investigation with the recovered Breen tech was coming along. Lack of reports had made Reneé curious about what was going on and sitting within the bridge doing nothing wasn't exactly something she could see herself doing. Thank God for watch officers.

Still the work had to come with Reneé in the form on a PADD and thus her attention was focused so much on the device that she didn't even notice Miko at first before she lifted her eyes to see the Asiatic woman's face. For a moment the marine felt her jaw clench and eyes narrow in pure natural reaction of being near someone or something she didn't like.

"Lieutenant." said Reneé darkly before returning her eyes to the PADD in hand. "It's been a while. I didn't even know you were on board. The new roster is probably here somewhere. Settling in well I hope?"

Reneé couldn't possibly have known how hard it was for Miko not to immediately start yelling furiously. Her glowing blue eyes twitched momentarily, the shock in her Asiatic face slowly turning into the same sort of jaw-clenched disgust that had decorated the marine's as she turned around to stand right in front of Reneé.

Any attempt on the Scotswoman's part to ignore Miko failed dramatically when one small hand reached out and smacked away the padd Reneé was trying to read. Lucas' head snapped up just as quickly; now, staring each other in the eyes and standing so close together, Miko couldn't help but remember the way she'd pinned Reneé against a wall and slowly run her mouth over the blonde's the first time they met.

"Nice to know that's all I rate now," Miko practically seethed in a bitter tone Reneé was more than a little familiar with. "Two years and you can't even bother more than 'Lieutenant'." Her little eyes narrowed further, the artificial glow seeming to brighten with her frustration. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. You always were that kind of a bitch."

"As I recall it was that attitude that resulted in it only lasting two years." said Reneé in a dangerous tone. "You may not have noticed but this the New Jersey and I'm not some young marine officer in charge of a few drop marines. This is my ship. You're part of my crew." She wasn't in the mood for another fight. Not today. Not when she had dozens of things to have done and reports to be filed off.

"Computer, halt lift." said the blonde. The computer responded with a chirp and made the turbolift stop dead. Both women looked like they were squaring off and in close quarters Reneé had a reputation of being rather brutal when it came to fist-fights. She didn't know how well she'd do against Miko though. Always feeling like she'd have to hold back.

She crossed her arms; the universal body signal of wanting space from the other person before shaking her head. "So you got to see your new CO in her underwear, you know all the tricks she turns and you made it clear to her you love to be on top. That was then, this is now. I've got a job to do. I've got people down on that planet busting their arses. You have a job; get to that Breen tech and tell me if it's a game changer or not. I was actually coming down to inspect any progress made..."

Reneé pointed to the discarded PADD with fire in her eyes. "Pick it up."

Miko surprised herself by managing not to react with a left hook. In fact, she only got as far as clenching both fists so tightly that her knuckles began to whiten before acquiescing somewhat; one hand uncurled as she turned around and bent over to scoop up the padd she'd knocked away. Care was taken to put her hind end squarely in Reneé's vision in the most obnoxious 'remember what you're missing' way possible.

"For your information, I was about to start your bloody analysis job," Miko muttered as she stood back up and shoved the stupid datapad into the Marine's hands. It was lucky that she had meant to pause her vocal response, given that the feeling of her hand brushing against those rough, strong warrior's hands of Reneé's sent a chill clear down Miko's spine. Damnit. "It'll be done before the night shift starts, Colonel."

With a roll of her eyes Reneé barely ignored the somewhat planned display. "Computer, resume lift." she said as she brushed the PADD's display to ensure that it hadn't been damaged. Not that a PADD would suffer from a mere fall given the shock absorbing case but anything was a better sight than the enticing performance Miko was offering the colonel as she coughed politely.

The lift opened up at the appropriate deck and Reneé beckoned Miko outwards. "I want to see you work. It'll give me something to do before heading to the bridge and asking the XO for a report. Indulge me."

Oh good, exactly what she didn't want to do. With a role of her prosthetic eyes Miko closed her big mouth (quite the feat for her, truly) and promptly ignored any precepts of politness by shoving right past Reneé out into the corridor. So, what, it wasn't be enough she was a bloody quantum physicist reduced to petty material analysis, but she had to reduce the scientific terms of everything to a level some groundpounding idiot could understand?

Alright, that wasn't quite fair. Granted, the high concepts of subspace mechanics had seemed to go over Reneé's head way back when, but she was hardly a brainless marine. In fact, Miko could remember a lot of surprisingly intelligent conversations with a younger Reneé; long, countless hours just laying there under the sheets, talking about whatever came to mind, be it the new jerk COO, Reneé's latest harrowing mission, the finer points of wormhole mechanics or whatever else was on one or the other's mind. She sighed quietly while also remembering that they weren't going to be having any more such talks again.

...no. No, couldn't.

*********

The Indefatigable's science labs were understandably bustling as Miko and Reneé walked inside, filled with techs and science folks running about doing analyses on the bundles of Breen tech the crew had recovered during their last mission. Most of the officers ignored both women as they continued about with their work, but one particular blonde-haired ensign moved off from the scanner she was using as her bosses walked inside.

"Well, glad to see y'all remember where the lab is, ma'am," she said to Miko jokingly in an accent that clearly denoted her Texan heritage. A small smile crossed her lips for a split second before she took in the not-quite-pissed-the-hell-off expressions on both Miko and Reneé's faces; between that and the distance they kept from each other, gathering that they were not off to a good start on this ship hardly took a degree in psychology.

The ensign cleared her throat as she turned to the colonel, figuring her to be the less irritable of her superiors. "Well, seein's how I've already met the liuetenant here, I reckon introductions are in order." Rather than salute, she stuck out a hand slightly calloused still from years of farm work out for Reneé to shake. "Ensign Melissa Rivers, formerly of this fine vessel's biology department."

"She's my assistant," Miko interjected with a crabby muttering. "Seemed to be the least useless person you picked out for your crew's science division."

"Lieutenant Colonel Reneé Lucas." stated the marine curtly as she shook Melissa's hand. "Commanding officer. Sorry the Science department hasn't exactly been looked after all that well. Given our latest battle with the Breen and the proximity of their borders I'm actually surprised I haven't put a request to Berlin for a marine detachment. Security, Engineering and Medical sort of had first dibs on the best toys."

The science labs looked...disheveled but Reneé put that down to both after-action clutter and the fact that the Science Department hadn't actually seen any proper equipment requisition nor personnel until their repair stint at Starbase 12. She also ignored Miko's jab about the selection process. Now wasn't the time to give an outsider a look into the personal strain of two officers.

She walked towards the Breen device which was held in a zero-G field surrounded by energy shields. With slow deliberation she circled the device as if trying to figure out what it was just by looking at it. It didn't look like a weapon. If anything it was more a collection of metal but the energy readings from it had prompted Reneé's order for it to be beamed aboard after destroying the Breen ship carrying it.

"So tell me Rivers. What am I looking at?"

||USS Indefatigable
||Science Labs
||1150 hours
||Day 1

The Indefatigable's science labs were understandably bustling as Miko and Reneé walked inside, filled with techs and science folks running about doing analyses on the bundles of Breen tech the crew had recovered during their last mission. Most of the officers ignored both women as they continued about with their work, but one particular blonde-haired ensign moved off from the scanner she was using as her bosses walked inside.

"Well, glad to see y'all remember where the lab is, ma'am," she said to Miko jokingly in an accent that clearly denoted her Texan heritage. A small smile crossed her lips for a split second before she took in the not-quite-pissed-the-hell-off expressions on both Miko and Reneé's faces; between that and the distance they kept from each other, gathering that they were not off to a good start on this ship hardly took a degree in psychology.

The ensign cleared her throat as she turned to the colonel, figuring her to be the less irritable of her superiors. "Well, seein's how I've already met the liuetenant here, I reckon introductions are in order." Rather than salute, she stuck out a hand slightly calloused still from years of farm work out for Reneé to shake. "Ensign Melissa Rivers, formerly of this fine vessel's biology department."

"She's my assistant," Miko interjected with a crabby muttering. "Seemed to be the least useless person you picked out for your crew's science division."

"Lieutenant Colonel Reneé Lucas." stated the marine curtly as she shook Melissa's hand. "Commanding officer. Sorry the Science department hasn't exactly been looked after all that well. Given our latest battle with the Breen and the proximity of their borders I'm actually surprised I haven't put a request to Berlin for a marine detachment. Security, Engineering and Medical sort of had first dibs on the best toys."

The science labs looked...disheveled but Reneé put that down to both after-action clutter and the fact that the Science Department hadn't actually seen any proper equipment requisition nor personnel until their repair stint at Starbase 12. She also ignored Miko's jab about the selection process. Now wasn't the time to give an outsider a look into the personal strain of two officers.

She walked towards the Breen device which was held in a zero-G field surrounded by energy shields. With slow deliberation she circled the device as if trying to figure out what it was just by looking at it. It didn't look like a weapon. If anything it was more a collection of metal but the energy readings from it had prompted Reneé's order for it to be beamed aboard after destroying the Breen ship carrying it.

"So tell me Rivers. What am I looking at?"

"If I could tell y'all exactly, ma'am, I would," Melissa replied as she drifted over towards a control console. "It's definitely intended for directed energy release along the lines'f a weapon, but the whole design's about as easy to decipher as the ol' Baldwin Recipe notes."

Given Miko's abnormal silence as her eyes remained locked on a nearby console, Rivers was more or less stuck continuing to explain on her own. "There were what looked like manufacturer's marks'a some kind on the bottom of it that matched similar markings on the other tech y'all salvaged, but they're all too distarted to hell for the computer to find a ma-"

"I've think I've seen it before," Miko interrupted, gaze still locked down. "We've seen it before." The way she almost spat out the 'we' part made it clear she was addressing only Reneé. "I'll have to figure out what the hell the name was, but about six years ago I'm pretty sure I bought some Klingon liquor from a Ferengi with that trader mark."

Melissa raised an eyebrow, not only from surprise at how quickly Miko had found something resembling a lead, but also as her boss shuddered in that 'Dear-God-the-vomiting' sort of way you couldn't visit a southern tavern without seeing.

||USS Indefatigable
||Science Labs
||1150 hours
||Day 1

The Indefatigable's science labs were understandably bustling as Miko and Reneé walked inside, filled with techs and science folks running about doing analyses on the bundles of Breen tech the crew had recovered during their last mission. Most of the officers ignored both women as they continued about with their work, but one particular blonde-haired ensign moved off from the scanner she was using as her bosses walked inside.

"Well, glad to see y'all remember where the lab is, ma'am," she said to Miko jokingly in an accent that clearly denoted her Texan heritage. A small smile crossed her lips for a split second before she took in the not-quite-pissed-the-hell-off expressions on both Miko and Reneé's faces; between that and the distance they kept from each other, gathering that they were not off to a good start on this ship hardly took a degree in psychology.

The ensign cleared her throat as she turned to the colonel, figuring her to be the less irritable of her superiors. "Well, seein's how I've already met the liuetenant here, I reckon introductions are in order." Rather than salute, she stuck out a hand slightly calloused still from years of farm work out for Reneé to shake. "Ensign Melissa Rivers, formerly of this fine vessel's biology department."

"She's my assistant," Miko interjected with a crabby muttering. "Seemed to be the least useless person you picked out for your crew's science division."

"Lieutenant Colonel Reneé Lucas." stated the marine curtly as she shook Melissa's hand. "Commanding officer. Sorry the Science department hasn't exactly been looked after all that well. Given our latest battle with the Breen and the proximity of their borders I'm actually surprised I haven't put a request to Berlin for a marine detachment. Security, Engineering and Medical sort of had first dibs on the best toys."

The science labs looked...disheveled but Reneé put that down to both after-action clutter and the fact that the Science Department hadn't actually seen any proper equipment requisition nor personnel until their repair stint at Starbase 12. She also ignored Miko's jab about the selection process. Now wasn't the time to give an outsider a look into the personal strain of two officers.

She walked towards the Breen device which was held in a zero-G field surrounded by energy shields. With slow deliberation she circled the device as if trying to figure out what it was just by looking at it. It didn't look like a weapon. If anything it was more a collection of metal but the energy readings from it had prompted Reneé's order for it to be beamed aboard after destroying the Breen ship carrying it.

"So tell me Rivers. What am I looking at?"

"If I could tell y'all exactly, ma'am, I would," Melissa replied as she drifted over towards a control console. "It's definitely intended for directed energy release along the lines'f a weapon, but the whole design's about as easy to decipher as the ol' Baldwin Recipe notes."

Given Miko's abnormal silence as her eyes remained locked on a nearby console, Rivers was more or less stuck continuing to explain on her own. "There were what looked like manufacturer's marks'a some kind on the bottom of it that matched similar markings on the other tech y'all salvaged, but they're all too distarted to hell for the computer to find a ma-"

"I've think I've seen it before," Miko interrupted, gaze still locked down. "We've seen it before." The way she almost spat out the 'we' part made it clear she was addressing only Reneé. "I'll have to figure out what the hell the name was, but about six years ago I'm pretty sure I bought some Klingon liquor from a Ferengi with that trader mark."

Melissa raised an eyebrow, not only from surprise at how quickly Miko had found something resembling a lead, but also as her boss shuddered in that 'Dear-God-the-vomiting' sort of way you couldn't visit a southern tavern without seeing.

"I don't recognise it." said Reneé after some staring and deliberation. She tilted her head in so many ways, squinting and opening her eyes as if trying to jog some memory of a long-ago age. "Then again it's not exactly illegal for the Ferengi Alliance to do business with the Breen. Given the regional stability it's no doubt a magnet for both war-time and peace-time goods to flood the area."

She tapped her lip for a moment and looked to both Miko and Melissa. "How long would it take you to figure how what it actually did? Am I dealing with a new weapon or a new bathroom module? More to the point...do you have the staff and tools needed? This is somewhat important. If this is evidence of weapons being either developed or sold to the Breen by the Ferengi we'll need to know sooner rather than later."

||USS Indefatigable
||Science Labs
||1150 hours
||Day 1

The Indefatigable's science labs were understandably bustling as Miko and Reneé walked inside, filled with techs and science folks running about doing analyses on the bundles of Breen tech the crew had recovered during their last mission. Most of the officers ignored both women as they continued about with their work, but one particular blonde-haired ensign moved off from the scanner she was using as her bosses walked inside.

"Well, glad to see y'all remember where the lab is, ma'am," she said to Miko jokingly in an accent that clearly denoted her Texan heritage. A small smile crossed her lips for a split second before she took in the not-quite-pissed-the-hell-off expressions on both Miko and Reneé's faces; between that and the distance they kept from each other, gathering that they were not off to a good start on this ship hardly took a degree in psychology.

The ensign cleared her throat as she turned to the colonel, figuring her to be the less irritable of her superiors. "Well, seein's how I've already met the liuetenant here, I reckon introductions are in order." Rather than salute, she stuck out a hand slightly calloused still from years of farm work out for Reneé to shake. "Ensign Melissa Rivers, formerly of this fine vessel's biology department."

"She's my assistant," Miko interjected with a crabby muttering. "Seemed to be the least useless person you picked out for your crew's science division."

"Lieutenant Colonel Reneé Lucas." stated the marine curtly as she shook Melissa's hand. "Commanding officer. Sorry the Science department hasn't exactly been looked after all that well. Given our latest battle with the Breen and the proximity of their borders I'm actually surprised I haven't put a request to Berlin for a marine detachment. Security, Engineering and Medical sort of had first dibs on the best toys."

The science labs looked...disheveled but Reneé put that down to both after-action clutter and the fact that the Science Department hadn't actually seen any proper equipment requisition nor personnel until their repair stint at Starbase 12. She also ignored Miko's jab about the selection process. Now wasn't the time to give an outsider a look into the personal strain of two officers.

She walked towards the Breen device which was held in a zero-G field surrounded by energy shields. With slow deliberation she circled the device as if trying to figure out what it was just by looking at it. It didn't look like a weapon. If anything it was more a collection of metal but the energy readings from it had prompted Reneé's order for it to be beamed aboard after destroying the Breen ship carrying it.

"So tell me Rivers. What am I looking at?"

"If I could tell y'all exactly, ma'am, I would," Melissa replied as she drifted over towards a control console. "It's definitely intended for directed energy release along the lines'f a weapon, but the whole design's about as easy to decipher as the ol' Baldwin Recipe notes."

Given Miko's abnormal silence as her eyes remained locked on a nearby console, Rivers was more or less stuck continuing to explain on her own. "There were what looked like manufacturer's marks'a some kind on the bottom of it that matched similar markings on the other tech y'all salvaged, but they're all too distarted to hell for the computer to find a ma-"

"I've think I've seen it before," Miko interrupted, gaze still locked down. "We've seen it before." The way she almost spat out the 'we' part made it clear she was addressing only Reneé. "I'll have to figure out what the hell the name was, but about six years ago I'm pretty sure I bought some Klingon liquor from a Ferengi with that trader mark."

Melissa raised an eyebrow, not only from surprise at how quickly Miko had found something resembling a lead, but also as her boss shuddered in that 'Dear-God-the-vomiting' sort of way you couldn't visit a southern tavern without seeing.

"I don't recognise it." said Reneé after some staring and deliberation. She tilted her head in so many ways, squinting and opening her eyes as if trying to jog some memory of a long-ago age. "Then again it's not exactly illegal for the Ferengi Alliance to do business with the Breen. Given the regional stability it's no doubt a magnet for both war-time and peace-time goods to flood the area."

She tapped her lip for a moment and looked to both Miko and Melissa. "How long would it take you to figure how what it actually did? Am I dealing with a new weapon or a new bathroom module? More to the point...do you have the staff and tools needed? This is somewhat important. If this is evidence of weapons being either developed or sold to the Breen by the Ferengi we'll need to know sooner rather than later."

Miko typed something rapidly into a padd and tossed it over to Reneé before replying. "I'll cut the crap short for you - there's a good 90% chance this thing is a weapon and it's just as likely that Ferengi were involved in getting it to the Breen.

"That padd has info for the only Ferengi trader whose mark is close to what's scribbled onto all the salvaged tech. You want a lead on any of this, go find the guy and ask him to explain himself to Mr. Rifle Stock." She crossed her arms and leaned up against the console, looking slightly less irritated than normal as her gaze shifted over to the force field-suspended device; funny how much anger disappeared when she had a chance to get techie. "As for this thing, I'll need some more time to figure out if it's a whole weapon itself or just a component. If you wanna move things along, send an engineer up here to fix our emergency beam-out module. I'm not willing to open that thing up unless I'm sure we can get it out into the vacuum if we accidentally set off ant self-destruct mechanisms our lovely Breen friends isntalled on it."

||USS Indefatigable
||Science Labs
||1150 hours
||Day 1

The Indefatigable's science labs were understandably bustling as Miko and Reneé walked inside, filled with techs and science folks running about doing analyses on the bundles of Breen tech the crew had recovered during their last mission. Most of the officers ignored both women as they continued about with their work, but one particular blonde-haired ensign moved off from the scanner she was using as her bosses walked inside.

"Well, glad to see y'all remember where the lab is, ma'am," she said to Miko jokingly in an accent that clearly denoted her Texan heritage. A small smile crossed her lips for a split second before she took in the not-quite-pissed-the-hell-off expressions on both Miko and Reneé's faces; between that and the distance they kept from each other, gathering that they were not off to a good start on this ship hardly took a degree in psychology.

The ensign cleared her throat as she turned to the colonel, figuring her to be the less irritable of her superiors. "Well, seein's how I've already met the liuetenant here, I reckon introductions are in order." Rather than salute, she stuck out a hand slightly calloused still from years of farm work out for Reneé to shake. "Ensign Melissa Rivers, formerly of this fine vessel's biology department."

"She's my assistant," Miko interjected with a crabby muttering. "Seemed to be the least useless person you picked out for your crew's science division."

"Lieutenant Colonel Reneé Lucas." stated the marine curtly as she shook Melissa's hand. "Commanding officer. Sorry the Science department hasn't exactly been looked after all that well. Given our latest battle with the Breen and the proximity of their borders I'm actually surprised I haven't put a request to Berlin for a marine detachment. Security, Engineering and Medical sort of had first dibs on the best toys."

The science labs looked...disheveled but Reneé put that down to both after-action clutter and the fact that the Science Department hadn't actually seen any proper equipment requisition nor personnel until their repair stint at Starbase 12. She also ignored Miko's jab about the selection process. Now wasn't the time to give an outsider a look into the personal strain of two officers.

She walked towards the Breen device which was held in a zero-G field surrounded by energy shields. With slow deliberation she circled the device as if trying to figure out what it was just by looking at it. It didn't look like a weapon. If anything it was more a collection of metal but the energy readings from it had prompted Reneé's order for it to be beamed aboard after destroying the Breen ship carrying it.

"So tell me Rivers. What am I looking at?"

"If I could tell y'all exactly, ma'am, I would," Melissa replied as she drifted over towards a control console. "It's definitely intended for directed energy release along the lines'f a weapon, but the whole design's about as easy to decipher as the ol' Baldwin Recipe notes."

Given Miko's abnormal silence as her eyes remained locked on a nearby console, Rivers was more or less stuck continuing to explain on her own. "There were what looked like manufacturer's marks'a some kind on the bottom of it that matched similar markings on the other tech y'all salvaged, but they're all too distarted to hell for the computer to find a ma-"

"I've think I've seen it before," Miko interrupted, gaze still locked down. "We've seen it before." The way she almost spat out the 'we' part made it clear she was addressing only Reneé. "I'll have to figure out what the hell the name was, but about six years ago I'm pretty sure I bought some Klingon liquor from a Ferengi with that trader mark."

Melissa raised an eyebrow, not only from surprise at how quickly Miko had found something resembling a lead, but also as her boss shuddered in that 'Dear-God-the-vomiting' sort of way you couldn't visit a southern tavern without seeing.

"I don't recognise it." said Reneé after some staring and deliberation. She tilted her head in so many ways, squinting and opening her eyes as if trying to jog some memory of a long-ago age. "Then again it's not exactly illegal for the Ferengi Alliance to do business with the Breen. Given the regional stability it's no doubt a magnet for both war-time and peace-time goods to flood the area."

She tapped her lip for a moment and looked to both Miko and Melissa. "How long would it take you to figure how what it actually did? Am I dealing with a new weapon or a new bathroom module? More to the point...do you have the staff and tools needed? This is somewhat important. If this is evidence of weapons being either developed or sold to the Breen by the Ferengi we'll need to know sooner rather than later."

Miko typed something rapidly into a padd and tossed it over to Reneé before replying. "I'll cut the crap short for you - there's a good 90% chance this thing is a weapon and it's just as likely that Ferengi were involved in getting it to the Breen.

"That padd has info for the only Ferengi trader whose mark is close to what's scribbled onto all the salvaged tech. You want a lead on any of this, go find the guy and ask him to explain himself to Mr. Rifle Stock." She crossed her arms and leaned up against the console, looking slightly less irritated than normal as her gaze shifted over to the force field-suspended device; funny how much anger disappeared when she had a chance to get techie. "As for this thing, I'll need some more time to figure out if it's a whole weapon itself or just a component. If you wanna move things along, send an engineer up here to fix our emergency beam-out module. I'm not willing to open that thing up unless I'm sure we can get it out into the vacuum if we accidentally set off ant self-destruct mechanisms our lovely Breen friends installed on it."

Reneé barely caught the PADD before it smacked it into her face which made her scowl towards Miko before looking at the contents with a tilted head. It was a piece of a much larger puzzle. Right now it was something to consider inside the Ready Room or after the situation on the colony had been dealt with. "While I'm sure some questioning would go a long way I don't think a rifle butt will be required. People tell you anything under pain but when they stand to lose something...well...their tongues wag. If he's a trader then he'll be nomadic. Especially in this sector. I'll have the XO check with the colonists if they've dealt with any Ferengi that know him or are him."

She smirked to herself as she tucked the PADD underneath her arm and stole one last stare at the suspended device. "I'll have an engineer fetched for you. However...lieutenant...I was wondering if you'd be up for some lunch in the Observation Room? The XO would join me but he's busy on the planet below. I don't like to eat alone. Bring your preliminary findings and we can talk over them?"

||USS Indefatigable
||Science Labs
||1150 hours
||Day 1

The Indefatigable's science labs were understandably bustling as Miko and Reneé walked inside, filled with techs and science folks running about doing analyses on the bundles of Breen tech the crew had recovered during their last mission. Most of the officers ignored both women as they continued about with their work, but one particular blonde-haired ensign moved off from the scanner she was using as her bosses walked inside.

"Well, glad to see y'all remember where the lab is, ma'am," she said to Miko jokingly in an accent that clearly denoted her Texan heritage. A small smile crossed her lips for a split second before she took in the not-quite-pissed-the-hell-off expressions on both Miko and Reneé's faces; between that and the distance they kept from each other, gathering that they were not off to a good start on this ship hardly took a degree in psychology.

The ensign cleared her throat as she turned to the colonel, figuring her to be the less irritable of her superiors. "Well, seein's how I've already met the liuetenant here, I reckon introductions are in order." Rather than salute, she stuck out a hand slightly calloused still from years of farm work out for Reneé to shake. "Ensign Melissa Rivers, formerly of this fine vessel's biology department."

"She's my assistant," Miko interjected with a crabby muttering. "Seemed to be the least useless person you picked out for your crew's science division."

"Lieutenant Colonel Reneé Lucas." stated the marine curtly as she shook Melissa's hand. "Commanding officer. Sorry the Science department hasn't exactly been looked after all that well. Given our latest battle with the Breen and the proximity of their borders I'm actually surprised I haven't put a request to Berlin for a marine detachment. Security, Engineering and Medical sort of had first dibs on the best toys."

The science labs looked...disheveled but Reneé put that down to both after-action clutter and the fact that the Science Department hadn't actually seen any proper equipment requisition nor personnel until their repair stint at Starbase 12. She also ignored Miko's jab about the selection process. Now wasn't the time to give an outsider a look into the personal strain of two officers.

She walked towards the Breen device which was held in a zero-G field surrounded by energy shields. With slow deliberation she circled the device as if trying to figure out what it was just by looking at it. It didn't look like a weapon. If anything it was more a collection of metal but the energy readings from it had prompted Reneé's order for it to be beamed aboard after destroying the Breen ship carrying it.

"So tell me Rivers. What am I looking at?"

"If I could tell y'all exactly, ma'am, I would," Melissa replied as she drifted over towards a control console. "It's definitely intended for directed energy release along the lines'f a weapon, but the whole design's about as easy to decipher as the ol' Baldwin Recipe notes."

Given Miko's abnormal silence as her eyes remained locked on a nearby console, Rivers was more or less stuck continuing to explain on her own. "There were what looked like manufacturer's marks'a some kind on the bottom of it that matched similar markings on the other tech y'all salvaged, but they're all too distarted to hell for the computer to find a ma-"

"I've think I've seen it before," Miko interrupted, gaze still locked down. "We've seen it before." The way she almost spat out the 'we' part made it clear she was addressing only Reneé. "I'll have to figure out what the hell the name was, but about six years ago I'm pretty sure I bought some Klingon liquor from a Ferengi with that trader mark."

Melissa raised an eyebrow, not only from surprise at how quickly Miko had found something resembling a lead, but also as her boss shuddered in that 'Dear-God-the-vomiting' sort of way you couldn't visit a southern tavern without seeing.

"I don't recognise it." said Reneé after some staring and deliberation. She tilted her head in so many ways, squinting and opening her eyes as if trying to jog some memory of a long-ago age. "Then again it's not exactly illegal for the Ferengi Alliance to do business with the Breen. Given the regional stability it's no doubt a magnet for both war-time and peace-time goods to flood the area."

She tapped her lip for a moment and looked to both Miko and Melissa. "How long would it take you to figure how what it actually did? Am I dealing with a new weapon or a new bathroom module? More to the point...do you have the staff and tools needed? This is somewhat important. If this is evidence of weapons being either developed or sold to the Breen by the Ferengi we'll need to know sooner rather than later."

Miko typed something rapidly into a padd and tossed it over to Reneé before replying. "I'll cut the crap short for you - there's a good 90% chance this thing is a weapon and it's just as likely that Ferengi were involved in getting it to the Breen.

"That padd has info for the only Ferengi trader whose mark is close to what's scribbled onto all the salvaged tech. You want a lead on any of this, go find the guy and ask him to explain himself to Mr. Rifle Stock." She crossed her arms and leaned up against the console, looking slightly less irritated than normal as her gaze shifted over to the force field-suspended device; funny how much anger disappeared when she had a chance to get techie. "As for this thing, I'll need some more time to figure out if it's a whole weapon itself or just a component. If you wanna move things along, send an engineer up here to fix our emergency beam-out module. I'm not willing to open that thing up unless I'm sure we can get it out into the vacuum if we accidentally set off ant self-destruct mechanisms our lovely Breen friends installed on it."

Reneé barely caught the PADD before it smacked it into her face which made her scowl towards Miko before looking at the contents with a tilted head. It was a piece of a much larger puzzle. Right now it was something to consider inside the Ready Room or after the situation on the colony had been dealt with. "While I'm sure some questioning would go a long way I don't think a rifle butt will be required. People tell you anything under pain but when they stand to lose something...well...their tongues wag. If he's a trader then he'll be nomadic. Especially in this sector. I'll have the XO check with the colonists if they've dealt with any Ferengi that know him or are him."

She smirked to herself as she tucked the PADD underneath her arm and stole one last stare at the suspended device. "I'll have an engineer fetched for you. However...lieutenant...I was wondering if you'd be up for some lunch in the Observation Room? The XO would join me but he's busy on the planet below. I don't like to eat alone. Bring your preliminary findings and we can talk over them?"

Just when it seemed like this was going to end with something besides Miko wanting to grab Reneé by the hair and slam her face against a bulkhead, she had to make that offer. The absolute last thing in the whole damn universe she wanted to do was be in a room alone for more than two seconds with the marine, God forbid for a whole meal. Of course she hadn't gotten over that not wanting to eat by herself crap after five years; everyone always couldn't stand just being with their own damn selves. Well, she'd just have to lea-

"I'll make sure y'all both get copies sent to ya," Melissa interjected suddenly.

Miko's mouth hung open as she struggled to respond to that. "Wait one damn min-"

"Well, ma'am's, we're all very busy, so why don't I get the lieutenant over to start workin'?", she grinned in some weird hybrid of satisfaction and pure, unbridled evil at Reneé while wrapping her hands around a slightly dumbfounded Miko, intending to gently haul her off before she could start swearing about never wanting to be anywhere near their CO.

"We'll call y'all up soon'as there's somethin' more substantial than a beaver's left testicle to report, ma'am." She almost seemed amused as Miko silently fumed, still totally unable to formulate a coherent objection beyond euphemisms for fornication.