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One to Another

Posted on Mon Jul 21st, 2025 @ 5:42pm by Commodore Jacob Kane & Lieutenant Didrea Zade

Mission: Pandora's Box
Location: USS Athena - Zade's Quarters
Timeline: MD-07
1587 words - 3.2 OF Standard Post Measure

"Ding Dong!"

The loud call-out into the air was both deliberate and obnoxious. Sauntering into the living quarters with a bottle of saurian brandy and the world's biggest grin, Lieutenant Commander Aric Bradley looked over at the prone woman laid on her bed.

"Oho - Zadey! I knew you were lazy but now I've caught you red-handed; laying down on the job?" He made a little tutting sound and leaned against the doorway. "Before you asked, the door was open. Well, at least it was after I used the override. So, come on, up you get. I've got an hour off the Aurora to meet with your intelligence people, and I can only pretend to be so much late..."

The abrupt disruption to a scheduled hour of rest admittedly startled Zade, and she quickly sat up, her face briefly twitching in discomfort at the abrupt movement. Seeing her old supervisor, her surprise turned into recognition, and she relaxed and gave him a smile. "Sounds like I need better locks, then," she responded, sliding off the bed and to her feet. She remembered seeing him during the security briefing she had organized nearly a week ago, but hadn't followed up since they arrived at the moon. Her movements were faintly stiff, and there was slight preference to one side as she walked over to him.

Stopping just short of him, she took a closer look at his features. "God, you got old," she teased. A few grey hairs started to sprinkle his hair, but it looked good on him. It appeared that the years treated him well, and it was nice to see that his energy hadn't changed. Zade remembered when he got his promotion to security chief on the USS Destiny, only a couple of months after she was given her first ship assignment. "It's great to see you, Aric, really. Even if you are avoiding work to hang out with... what was that nickname you used to call me?" He had made it his mission to get that bitter Academy graduate out of her shell, and she'd be lying if she said he didn't leave an impression that stuck with her, even 9 years later.

"Zadey." Aric winked. "Because you're so small..." he added, patting her on the head to emphasise their height difference. "Almost a decade and you're still playing catch-up. And," he glanced around. "Still as messy as ever. What, the job getting too much for you now, you can't keep your room tidy?"

Rolling her eyes, Zade swatted at his hand. While the fresh graduate back then hated the teasing, she eventually understood that it was just banter that existed in the security department. The question posed to the state of her quarters put a faint blush on her cheeks. To keep herself busy, she had the security reports sent to her quarters, evidenced by the handful of PADDs that littered her desk and coffee table, and a blanket abandoned on the back of her desk chair hinted to a newly forged routine that involved out-of-regulation comfort. It was hardly what one would consider messy, however Aric knew her enough to know that she was a borderline neat freak, something about how disorder in private life would leach into duty. He made sure to not let that one go. "Of all the things to catch up on, you chose the state of my quarters?" she scoffed, putting a hand on his shoulder as she navigated around him to lead the way to the living room. "How long have you been on the Aurora?"

"Eighteen months. And don't try to change the subject," he jabbed verbally, "I'm used to a grumpy Vulcan Captain first thing in the morning, no way you'll turn me around." Aric nudged a discarded uniform jacket out of the way so he could perch on the edge of her couch. "Heard you got knocked around a bit. So what kind of friend would I be if I didn't check in to make sure you weren't using it as an excuse to slack off?" He motioned to the mess. "Guess I remembered better than you thought..."

"I'm fine." The response, while certainly an acknowledgement of his concern, was just curt enough that it also dismissed him. There was a brief pause before Zade sighed, anticipating his attempt to prod further. "Knocked around is a bit of an understatement. Some broken bones, a concussion... but I'm still here, which is what matters." Shooting him a look that was purely mock irritation, she matched his banter when she added, "you know how much convincing it took just to let me do light work from my quarters? You have some nerve coming in here calling me a slacker!"

His grin, unchanging through time, practically flashed self-assurance. "That's what are friends for," he chuckled. "But fine, if you're going to be that way about it, I'll lay off. Maybe fluff your pillows for you, or bring you some of that Altarian lemon tea." The comment almost triggered a flashback to academy hangovers and his mysterious ability to escape the worst of them. "Heal up, Zadey. Would hate to outlive you as well as outrank you..."

Zade couldn't help the little smirk that crept onto her face as she grabbed one of the small decorative pillows from the couch and threw it at him. It was more of a toss than an actual throw, but the message was clear. "You claim Altarian lemon tea heals everything, Aric. But since you're offering, get something for yourself, too."

Snatching up the pillow, Aric gave her a 'try harder' expression in return. He moved to the replicator and ordered two cups of the tea, steaming hot, and brought one of them to her side. "I'll have you know this does heal everything," he noted, handing it over. "So c'mon, what's got you all melancholy? This definitely isn't the first time you've been banged up a bit."

Accepting the cup, the Trill brought it in close and let the steam brush her face. The question felt heavy, and Zade remained silent for a few seconds as she tried to put into words what exactly she was feeling. "It's the first time I don't remember it," she quietly answered. Her thumb gently rubbed the side of the cup. "We contacted raiders trying to access one of the computer nodes, but two of the raiders escaped. We started to pursue, then... I was in sickbay, in pain, presented with the news of deaths and injured. There's nothing between those two moments, like waking up from a dream you've already forgotten. It's... jarring."

"Take a hit to the head?" He asked, his tone turning momentarily to one of genuine concern. "They wouldn't have discharged you if it was that bad..." He sipped his own cup for a second, pensively watching her expression. "Don't let one bump knock your confidence, Zadey."

"Need I remind you that I am still under medical observation," Zade pointed out, pausing to take a sip of the tea. She shifted her sleeve slightly to show the device they had stuck to her arm. While it was primarily to administer something to ease the pain, there was no doubt that it probably recorded vitals too. "We both know that sickbay drives us up the wall. The doctor agreed that me staying there wouldn't be productive to my recovery. They made it very clear that it would take another day or two before I can be active again. But," she gestured slightly with her mug, "the concussion isn't a serious one, fortunately. I'm still me."

"A shame." A dry jab from Aric was followed by another sip of tea. "Maybe they could've fixed everything that was wrong with you..." he poked at the array of PADDs on the low table nearby. "Like how much you're still working."

Zade's look to him suggested he was on thin ice. While it was true, the PADDs contained multiple different security reports ever since the explosion, it was all she could really do aside from sleep or watch holomovies. "My other leave options aren't exactly available to me at the moment," she poked back, shifting the leg with the compression sleeve on it to draw attention to it. "For the record, I'm just staying updated on things. The downside to being here is that people are less inclined to stop by a set of quarters to share news."

It was a half-truth; she had been combing over sensor data and every bit of information she could get her hands on to figure out what exactly had happened in the wreckage. It was her way of staying sane, to feel ready even if her job was to stay out of the way for the time being. She gave him a little smirk, "I'm allowed to read, Aric. Besides, the Commodore would chew me a new one if I got my medical leave extended."

"Pfft. He's got a lot on his plate, I'm sure he won't even notice..." Aric smirked. "But, if you insist." He lifted both hands in a pretend surrender. "I'll let you be. All boring and working, Zadey."

Right, he had real work to do. Zade's disappointment was brief before she turned it into a smile. "I appreciate the visit. It was great to see you, though I expect you to actually keep in touch this time."

 

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