"Disenfranchised"
(previous post "Heart to Heart")
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Prav had played assistant to the Nausicaan long enough and was confident that his exited from the holodeck simulation wouldn't arouse any suspicions toward his true feelings. It was one thing to play the eager marine for Maya's benefit but now that the Shillian was pre-occupied with prepping for this mission he could drop the charade.
"Looks like you have everything under control," Prav said, dismissing himself from the Nausicaan’s presence.
Nico glanced at the man, surprised at his abrupt departure. "Commander Serrena wants us to master these systems before we launch the ship. We need to know them like the back of our hands," he called to the Marine’s back.
Prav paused before speaking without turning around. "Don't worry, I'll know it like the back of your hand."
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"Assistant to who?" she asked followed by a roar of laughter.
Prav sat back in his chair and watched his Klingon second in command get a good laugh at his expense. There was something frightening about a Klingoness’s laugh. Frightening yet strangely erotic.
"It"s a shake down cruise," he said in his defense. "I would have taken the position of chef if need be."
Her eyes narrowed at him as she started to make sense of this whole situation. "This is because of that Science Officer isn't it?"
He looked away but a grin crossed his lips. "I'm just doing my part, that's all," he said nonchalantly.
"We could be using this time to drill," she said, her voice as terse as her features.
"And you will," he said plainly. "I fully expect that you run the unit through the exercises that we scheduled before the last mission. Just because I won't be there, I have no worries that you won’t be thorough with them."
"I don't like this," she replied, speaking freely as a friend and not a subordinate.
"There is nothing for you to like or not like,” he said cutting her off. "It's true that there is no way in hell I would put up with this assignment if Maya wasn’t the XO for the mission but it’s a choice I’m making and you need to accept it."
"You're the doorman for a fleeter,” she replied. “A mere ensign for that matter!"
He stood up and took a deep breath before responding. "Listen, I have no misconceptions about what is going on with this mission and the assignments. You just need to understand that I have my reasons for doing this. I am under no illusions as to what my role is on the senior staff. The position is merely a title as they have made abundantly clear. We are there merely to clean up their messes and to provide the body count, it doesn't matter who is in the marine uniform, we are nothing more the cannon fodder."
Tes looked surprised at his rant. She knew most marines felt that way but Prav had been the one marine she knew who tried to see them all on one team.
"Come on," he said. "Let's go kill something."
The Klingoness stood to join her boss. "My program or yours?" she said with a grin that looked more like a snarl.
He burst out laughing. "You are quite witty for a Klingon, you know that?"
They both laughed as they exited his office. "I have a great program," she said. "The main adversary is a female Romulan."
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Writing for: 2005 post #483
Stardate: 60327.2145
Setting: Holodeck 4- HATHOR simulation
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Stardate: 60327. 2210
Setting: USS ANUBIS- MCO office
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Matt Kelly (downwitmal@yahoo.com)
1st Lt. Pravat
MCO
USS ANUBIS
