Verdict

Posted on Wed Jan 11th, 2023 @ 7:26am by Cadet First Class Pallas & Captain Callisi Verra

Mission: The Goddess
Location: Deck 18, Cadet Pallas' Bunk
Timeline: Backpost -- Sometime after "Honor Among Engineers" and before "Planetary Attack"
1664 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Large footfalls of large feet walked down the halls of the Gladiator, belonging to the current win commander of Bishop Wing, Callisi Veera. Whenever she walked, wherever she went, she carried an air of authority, of confidence, of surety. She knew she was among the best, and she knew she walked among the best. The brightest.

The prettiest. The softest. The...

A blink of her living eye, not to banish the thought but to simply delay it for now. She certainly had someone on her mind, and that was the reason she was down here in the lower decks. Rooms here were shared, which was nothing new to the pilot. Back in the Imperial Navy sometimes you just had to share a bunk room with your squadmates, and that wasn't anything that bothered her. Sure she got some long looks from some of the soldiers she served with, but in the end, none of it mattered. None of them started. This, this was special to her.

She was special to her.

As she walked down the hall, cadets snapped to attention. It felt so odd to be on THIS side of the motion. Wing Commander was a nice sounding title. Element Lead, or just simply having your Red was all something she was used to, but there was a difference between being a Wing Commander, and a Commander. Being an Element Captain, and Captain. Here people snapped to crisp and neat, and called out "Officer on deck". Or sometimes they'd snap to if they were alone and call up "Captain" from her wing command pips and bars. She'd nod, she'd give them the order to return to their duties. She felt like she was in COMMAND here... and damn was it a good feeling.

Coming across the room that was housing Cadet Pallas, the officer bun took a moment to return to the here and now, to return to Callisi Veera... the shattered girl who found someone who enjoyed her company as is. No substitutions. Rather than Callisi Veera, Captain. Once she had returned to the humble form of the Daughter of Ts'usu, that was when she rang the chime for the bunk.

From within the room, a familiar voice called out, triggering the doors to open. "Aarfa, I told you, it is also your quarters now, you can stop ringing the chime before you enter..." the cadet said, her prone form revealed, reclining on an upper bunk in a mostly-empty room with five other bunk beds. These quarters were the opposite of the ones that Pallas had seen when visiting Callisi for "movie night"; where the captain's had been comfortable and well-decorated, personal and organized, this one had a feeling of a utilitarian space that was at the same time unused. No decorations or customization lined the bare grey walls. What little signs of living here existed were discrete and limited to just two of the six bunks, tiny desert islands with only vague signs that someone actually lived here in a sea of otherwise-emptiness.

One of those islands, however, lit up noticeably as the cadet occupying it realized that it was not her roommate, Aarfa, at the door, but rather an unexpected but familiar visitor. The Ardanan swung herself over the edge of the bunk and dropped swiftly to the floor, making her way toward the captain. She was still wearing her uniform slacks, but had only her tank top undershirt on, the jacket hanging off the corner of her bunk, and her feet were bare now as she crossed the comfortably-cool smooth material of the floor.

"Hi," said Pallas.

A soft smile started to spread on Callisi's features as Pallas opened the door up. "It's very good to see you again. I spoke with the Captain in regards to our situation and I have an update. May I come in?"

"Yes!" Pallas said a bit too quickly. And a bit too loudly. More like a 'yip' than a response. The cadet took a step back to let the fighter pilot in, which was wholly unnecessary; the doors to these quarters were designed for multiple simultaneous entries and exits. A testament to everything that had happened on this ship that at the moment there was no one in the large room except for the two of them.

Callisi stood by Pallas for a moment, before offering her a hand. "I spoke with the Captain, and he stated that as long as you are not directly under my authority for whatever time you're stationed in my department, then there's no conflict. So whenever you'll be stationed in the fighter bay, or dealing with the hangar in general, I'll be assigning someone to be your superior in that moment. He's well on his way to becoming a recognized ace, almost earned his Red." she paused, "Other than that, he has no objection to us... being us."

The cadet held her breath for the entirety of the reading of the verdict, even after it became clear what Callisi was saying. She held it for a moment longer, still, after Callisi finished speaking. It seemed, actually, to be the case that Pallas had simply forgotten that she was supposed to breath. She was taken by the intimacy of the other woman's hand in her own. The soft palm enveloping her own. There was no puritanical streak in the Ardanan, and hand-holding was as common among friends and family as it was lovers, done openly and without a thought. But the intent and deep feeling that flowed between her and this beautiful, unexpected officer now was palpable. She finally exhaled, a sigh of contented relief. "Then... this is okay?" she asked, her eyes not breaking contact with Callisi's uncovered eye, the gentle face of this war hero before her.

The eye contact was only broken by Callisi, who leaned in very slowly and gently placed her forehead against Pallas'. A gentle motion, bringing the softest of fur into contact with her partner's brow. "This... is okay." the rabbitess answered in Pallas' words, but she wanted to say so many different terms. This was very okay, but even better, it was allowed. Sanctioned even. But it didn't matter. Not to her right now.

A soft breath escaped the cyclopean rabbitess, her shoulders relaxed, all the tension leading to this moment just left the Daughter of Ts'usu at the moment of contact. A grounding sensation to return her to the here and now, to anchor her to this moment, to ensure her that this was real, this was happening, and it was good. So good.

"Yes. This is good." she re-affirmed.

"So good." Pallas agreed, savoring the closeness. Her voice was quiet, as if afraid that too loud a noise would disturb the reality that she had seemingly stumbled upon. It would not, of course. Having gained the CO's formal approval, the only fragility was internal. Everything else was steady. "I have to admit something," the Ardanan continued quietly. "I do not know how to do this. It is all very new to me."

A soft smile spread along her muzzle, "That's a relief. I'm not very well versed in this, either. These are new skies to me. " she admitted softly. Her hand gave a gentle squeeze, almost to remind herself that Pallas's hand was indeed there, indeed real. "I accept you, as you accept me. To judge you for something I don't know would be well.... rude." She giggled softly unable to think of a better word.

"We can discover the road ahead, together."

"At the Academy, when one cadet was interested in another one romantically, they would sometimes ask the other out on a 'date.' Do you have something like this in the Ts'usugi Empire? I think the movie night would have counted, had we both gone into it with the correct intent and expectation. Also, my understanding is that first dates often go terribly wrong and may even involve embarrassing situations, which I think would have made that even more appropriate," Pallas joined in giggling, though turned her face back and forth slightly, enjoying the caress of the fur across her face.

"First dates back home used to be arranged. Back in our history, our parents would meet to see if we were a good match. From there, the rest would be up to us." Callisi commented quietly. "In more modern time, we're free to date who we wish. The notion of asking someone out on a date is known to us. Known to most species in the cosmos with a few hilarious exceptions." she then softly smiled, "I'm willing to consider our movie night to be our first 'date'. Especially considering that means it would lead to a second."

"So, that being the case... may I ask you out on a date?" the rabbitess inquired. "Whenever we both have the time..." Callisi was content to just let her stay in contact. It wasn't the softness of the brow that interested the Daughter of Ts'usu, it was just the contact. The closeness.

"You absolutely may, and I accept. On the condition that I get to ask you out next time. I feel like I owe you something, an experience to make up for the mess I made at movie night. But you are giving me more time to figure out what I can do to impress you," Pallas grinned.

A soft smile spread across Callisi's features, a smile that actually made it to her eye. "I won't lie, it might just be another movie night." she offered, "But, this time, with more clearly defined lines." she said with an amused giggle. "Though, that will have to wait until after mission." she said gently, slowly pulling her brow from Pallas'. "I have to familiarize myself with the shuttle we'll be using. Get back into the seat."

"Until then?"

Pallas took Callisi's hands in her own, and gave them a squeeze as she sighed contentedly. "Until then."