Repairs Needed

Posted on Sun Jan 29th, 2023 @ 7:42pm by Ensign Aarva & Captain Callisi Verra

Mission: The Goddess
Location: Callisi's Office
1462 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Aarva's heart had dropped all the way into her stomach when she'd received instructions to fix the replicators in someone's office. Not so much because of the job itself, she didn't mind the repairs - but whose office it was. Callisi Verra. The person Pallas had been gushing about at the end of their reunion. A ball of emotion had inflated in her throat then, almost causing her to choke - but she'd accepted the task, picked up an engineering kit and made her way down regardless. Duty over emotions.

God, she wasn't looking forward to this encounter. Aarva pushed that ball of emotions down as she chimed the doorbell to the Marine officer's officer. Fix, leave and avoid contact with her and Pallas forever if possible. It seemed easy enough. She'd be done in fifteen minutes, no more. Right? Right.

The office was through the shuttlebay, and more properly, the fighter bay. As Aarva entered the bay, they saw various shuttles, and various fighters. Some of the fighters were Federation in design, while one of them was certainly alien in origin. Sleek and dark, almost predatory in aesthetic. A design from as far away from Earth as her pilot.... the captain of the wing units here on the Gladiator, and the current reason for Aarva's anxiety.

Callisi Verra.

Her office was just over there, and so was she. The rabbitess was an imposing figure, intimidating and confident, tall and proud. She wore her pride on her sleeve, and held her head high as she walked around the shuttlebay inspecting the craft. Tall, taller with her ears, and the painful flaw that she carried with her, the eyepatch over her right eye, only added to her imposing stature.

The scar that ran from her eyebrow to her cheek, tucking under the patch, only made her look more intimidating.

It took asking just one person to find out who she was supposed to link up with for repairs - and god, was Aarva jealous of Pallas right now. The Marine captain was a tall, attractive, curvaceous, confident and proud leporid woman with a scar that practically oozed baddassery - all the things Aarva knew she could not offer, and would likely never be able to offer. It took practically all the courage she had in her body to approach the woman gripping the handle of her engineering kit like it was her lifeline. Hell, it might as well have been; she had no business being here aside from her job after all.

"Hello. Ma'am. I'm here from Engineering. You wanted your replicator fixed?" She asked meekly, almost as if she thought the rabbitess would eat her alive if she came off as remotely threatening.

Callisi turned to look over at Aarva, and gave a nod. At this range, a faint faint blue dot of light could almost be seen from under her patch. As she glanced, that faint blue dot followed her living eye. There was *something* under there... "Oh excellent." she turned from her inspection, "I asked it for a coffee this morning, and it gave me a mug of sludge." she turned to lead Aarva to her office. "I mean actual sludge, not a metaphor." she clarified.

Large, broad paws carried the Daughter of Ts'usu back to her office. "Let me know if you need anything specific."

"Yes, ma'am." Aarva was shocked to find that the captain's office door hissed open as soon as they were both within proximity. She hadn't locked it? Hell, anyone in that hangar bay could've walked on in and stolen something if they so desired! She decided not to dwell on it, though, as she crossed the room to the replicator and pried open the panelling next to it. Fishing a hyperspanner and tricorder from her engineering kit she perused the circuits beneath, all the while painfully aware that the rabbitess was in the room with her and likely watching her every move. "The logic circuit is fried." She announced, prying the malfunctioning part out of the mass of electronics and placing it by her hoof on the floor. "Don't worry, I-I have a new one here with me." She fished a fresh component from her toolkit and began to wire it back in.

At least this job didn't take long. Just a few more minutes and she could escape to safety. Away from this dangerously attractive woman, away from Pallas, hopefully until she was transferred to a new assignment. Hell, she didn't even want to be around this woman right now, she intimidated her so, and she could only guess what she'd be like if she ever thought anyone was standing between her and Pallas. She kept her eyes fixed firmly on the electronics in front of her, determined not to look behind her at the captain.

A brief glance around before Aarva started her task told a lot about Callisi. Anyone could come in and steal whatever they wanted, sure. Except there was very little here to take. The walls were barren. No awards, no accolades, no pictures. Just bare walls. Easy to pack. Easy to move on. The life of someone constantly on the move.

The life of a soldier. An injured one at that.

Through the ordeal of an existence without coffee, Callisi took the wait surprisingly well. Patience, it seemed, was something her people had in abundance. Or at least sufficient abundance. Through it all she remained silent.

Aarva made short work of the repair job. When it came down to it replicators weren't exactly rocket science, after all. She closed the wall panel with a sigh. Now to test it. "One slice of watermelon please!" The fruit that materialized in the slot certainly looked like a watermelon slice - it didn't instantly vaporize or collapse into sludge, so that was a plus. Aarva nibbled on the tip and was pleased to find that it tasted like watermelon, too. She'd have finished it, watermelons were her favorite fruit, but she was on the job... and needing to make a very, very speedy escape. Hence she recycled the slice and stood up with her engineering kit.

"All done!" She tried for a sheepish smile as she turned to face the captain once more. A nerve-wracking task. "Your replicator's working as it should once more! Just try not to overwork it and it'll be alright. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way!" Please don't have anything else, please don't have anything else. It's stressful enough just standing next to you, she thought.

Callisi watched the test, and the success of the test, with a nod and a soft smile across her features. "Appreciated. I wasn't looking forward to using an industrial replicator for just some coffee." her accent, her posture, everything about her was so confident. Came with the baggage of everything she had to do during her service. A pilot, maybe? She wore the colors of one.

After the test, Callisi crossed the distance to the wall unit, "System..." she called, but to no response. She rolled her eyes.

Eye.

"Computer." and that got the replicator's chirp of approval. "Coffee, usual preference." and the machine conjured forth a mug. Black as the void, hot as the sun. She took the mug and took a pull without any additive. Watching her ears twitch was adorable.

"It's perfect. You're a credit to engineering." she complimented Aarva. She... complimented her. A job well done. "That was all, thank you."

God, was this giant rabbit woman possibly one of the most attractive women she'd ever met. Maybe it was how she radiated confidence, or her posture, or the cute twitch to her ears when she finally took a sip of coffee, or... or... everything. No wonder Pallas Aarva's eyes remained glued to the woman (mostly out of fear and a bit of anticipation) as she crossed the room, tested the replicator for herself... and then paid her a compliment, and a big one at that. The young Kelpien tried her damn hardest to dam the relieved warmth spreading across her cheeks to no avail. She must've been pink with joy. "That's wonderful! I'm so glad. I'll be on my way now, ma'am - please don't hesistate to call us if you need further assistance!" Just don't ask for me. Please don't ask for me. She did not add, as she turned around on a hoof and walked stiffly through the office doors. As soon as they'd hissed shut she practically fled from the shuttlebay to the raised eyebrows of one or two of the Marine pilots present. Thank goodness.

Now time to stay away from this lady and her girlfriend for life. It'd probably be better that way.