Something About You

Posted on Sat Oct 22nd, 2016 @ 11:18pm by Senior Captain Connor McKinney M.D. PhD & Captain Madeline Sanchez
Edited on on Wed Sep 12th, 2018 @ 5:49pm

Mission: My Place In This Universe
Location: Dean's Office
Timeline: 2388/07/25 1300 (July 25 2388 1300)

ON:

"It's time Captain Sanchez 'n' I get to know each other."

Maddie smiled at Connor's words as she watched Brady head out of the door leaving the new acquaintances alone.

"So I don't suppose he hijacked you into the job as well did he?" she asked as she turned her attention back to Connor.

"Well, I..." one corner of Connor's mouth lifted into a smile as he thought about it, how he had met Brady, and the path he had been on ever since, "I suppose he did." and then he realized he'd been staring at her since the first moment he saw her. Running his hand over his mouth, he averted his eyes, and moved away, circling around his desk, and gestured to a chair in the process. "Please have a seat", he said, and looked back up at her, "Can I get you a bevvie, Captain?"

"Excuse me?" Maddie looked at him with a look of confusion as she took a seat and added "A bevvie?"

Connor's brows knitted together in return. "Oh...a beverage," he smiled again, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh!" Maddie chuckled, "I see! You're..." she tried to recall where she had heard the accent before and finally stated "Australian right? I've heard your people enjoy slang and have made virtually a new language out of it." she grinned, recalling what she had heard.

Connor nodded as he grabbed a pitcher that sat on a sideboard table, "Less one's a Queenslander, Strine dialect is not as it use to be." He gave her a sideways glance as he grabbed two glasses, "Latin?"

"If you're asking whether that's what that just sounded like then yes." Maddie grinned at him, taking an instant liking to her new boss.

"Ahh," he nodded, and handing her a glass filled with a clear yellow liquid before taking his own seat. "Actually, I was referring to your accent." He leaned back in his chair, his gaze once again locking with hers, "It sounds latin..." his brows came together in thought, "Central American?"

"Puerto Rican." Maddie replied, the look on her face showing just how fond she was of her place of birth, "In my opinion one of the most beautiful places in the universe." she smiled at him, relaxing back in her chair and taking a sip of the drink he had given her.

Caught by her smile, Connor smiled back in return, "I don't know much about Puerto Rico but I've heard bonza things.." his eyes looked away from hers briefly as he searched his memory, trying to recall the specifics, "about the bio bays..." Knowing there was more, though he couldn't recall, a familiar discomfort went through him.

"You know of them?" Maddie smiled, "There is nothing more romantic than kayaking through Puerto Mosquito under a full moon. The glow from the water is breathtaking. I should take you to see it some time." she added, her eyes taking on a dreamy expression as she thought of her home and its natural beauty. Then she finally thought about what she had said and added "Not that...uh...I was suggesting anything...you know...uh..." she took a deep breath and then said "So...you're the Dean huh?" She managed a weak smile as she looked over at him.

The glow in her eyes, the sound of her voice as she spoke of her homeland; Connor had found himself staring at her again. With a rush of sudden warmth to his cheeks, he had blushed at her words. Rubbing a hand behind his neck, he stood and returned to the pitcher. "I'm not usually good at making small talk," he said quietly as he refilled his glass, "so I hope you don?t mind if we move on to why you're here."

"I was hoping that you might have a better idea about that than me." Maddie managed a smile, "One minute I'd resigned my commission and was bartering for passage on board a ship belonging to a particularly loathesome Ferengi so that I could run away from life. The next I was kidnapped by Brady and brought here and before I knew it I'd accepted a job."

Caught by the familiarity of what she said, Connor stared, again a bit discomforted. It seemed that the moment she walked in the door he had been feeling thrown off, maybe a little awkward. It wasn't as if he wasn't use to being in charge. "I can relate," he said, looking back to her, "well, except for the Ferengi," and he smiled. A forced smile that faded as he sat back down. "The powers that be must feel you're right for the job." he said before leaning back and taking a drink.

"For some reason they've been determined to keep me on even though I tried to resign." Maddie shrugged, "I can't understand why after everything that happened, you'd think that I'd be an embarrassment." she added, not thinking that Connor didn't know the story.

"Why would you be an embarrassment?" he asked studying her face, having no clue.

"Oh just that I lost the first ship I commanded, people died and I had to go through a court martial." Maddie replied flippantly but the pain was evident in her eyes nonetheless.

"A court martial?" Lines forming between his brows, Connor continued to stare at her, almost as if he was trying to see inside of her, "Would you like to tell me what happened?"

"Maybe some other time." Maddie replied quietly, not ready to bare her soul just yet but the pain that she still felt over the whole incident was etched on her features for all to see.

Recognizing her pain, Connor nodded, "Alright", inwardly forcing himself to file it away for another time. He stared at her for another moment, holding her eyes in his gaze. In making a decision, he set his glass down and stood up. "I'm going to give you the rest of the day to settle in, Captain." he said. "Meet me here tomorrow morning at 0800 hours 'n' we'll discuss your position. I'll fill you in on the ins 'n' outs of the campus."

Recognising a dismissal when she saw one, Maddie stood up and smiled at Connor. "Then I'll see you in the morning Captain." she said before adding "And it was good to meet you." She surprised herself with her last thought. It had been 'really' good to meet him.

"It was good to meet you too," he replied, giving her a small genuine smile in return, his sincerity very clear in the way he looked at her.

OFF


Captain Madeline Sanchez
XO/Assistant Dean
Magellan Campus

Doctor Connor McKinney
CO/Dean of Education
Magellan Campus