Commanders' Night (Part 1)

Posted on Sat May 17th, 2025 @ 11:46pm by Lieutenant Commander Rebecca Bluegarden & Commander Irene Vincent "Rally" & Lieutenant Commander Damien Maillet & Lieutenant Commander Sergei Zaigraev & Lieutenant Commander Malcom Hunt

1,253 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Season 1, Episode 2: War, Peace, And All That Jazz
Location: Restaurant and Bar - Deck 16
Timeline: Sometime after 'In Troubled Waters'

Times aboard the station were stressful, indeed. With the talks between the Eifie and the Rheuysians at an impasse, Rebecca had opted for a change of pace, as there were faces present at the talks that she still hadn't met yet. So, acting on a comment made by Commander Melee that they should get to know one another better, and having signed off on a sizeable chicken delivery to the restaurant and bar on Deck 16, Rebecca had organized an informal get-together for the station's Commanders.

For this purpose, Rebecca had rented out the restaurant and bar for the event. The idea was to have the Commanders from across the station, be they full Commanders like Vincent or mere Lieutenant Commanders like Rebecca, could meet and socialize over a true American pastime: Fried chicken, cold beer, and sports. Such get-togethers were common among lower deckers, but the upper deckers never seemed to have the same kind of fun. Perhaps they thought their high rank made them "too cool" for such events.

Regardless, it was a trend that Rebecca was looking to break. So, when she had sent out the invitations on private channels, she mentioned two rules: Rank stays at the door, and only come in uniform if you have nothing else to wear. To that end, Rebecca was not in uniform herself: Instead wearing a rather... Evocative outfit, reminiscent of the infamous 'Hooters girls' of the eponymous restaurant chain. This consisted of a somewhat ill-fitting white tank top with Deep Space K-9 printed on the front, and a pair of orange dolphin shorts alongside some white loose socks and clean pair of white sneakers.

Her choice of attire was a deliberate move on her part, as several of the invited Commanders were men, and Rebecca wanted to see how they reacted to seeing her dressed this way. Of course, this could also be a double-edged sword, as Commander Vincent might very well ridicule her for deliberately attracting attention to herself.

Regardless, whatever happened would have to wait until the invitees started arriving.

Sergei obtained the invitation on his comm unit after a long day of inspecting what was to be his new domain. At first he considered begging off, as the thought of engaging with strangers in a strange place sounded more stressful than fun, but he also knew there were responsibilities that needed to be performed regardless of personal preference. Not showing up to a gathering of fellow officers being the new kid on the block did not seem to be a good strategy for the brand new chief engineer.

So with a small amount of griping in groaning at his roommate, Murka--a portly British shorthair with dilute calico coloring--Sergei began to scroll through his clothing files to select something casual but put together. First impressions and all that.

He replicated a pair of tailored navy pants and a teal blue long-sleeved three-quarter zip 'muscle' shirt that was trimmed in navy piping along the seams. It would cover the numerous tattoos, but show that he took the PT requirements quite seriously. One dressed he looked over to the cat who was currently perched on the back of the small couch and asked, "Well, what you think?"

The cat deigned to look at him for a moment, and then hopped down to twine herself between his legs. "Of course. No outfit is complete without Murka fur." He bent over and scritched the cat behind her ears before heading out to deck 16.

It didn't take too long to find the space, but apparently he was early. There was only one other person in attendance and she was..."Bozhe moy..."

It was...ah...quite an outfit. Sergei wasn't sure where to look. Well that wasn't correct. He knew where he wanted to look, but ogling another commander didn't seem like the best way to start a working relationship. So chin up.

"It would appear that I am...early?" Sergei said to the blond woman with the...nyet, nyet, nyet. He strode towards her and held out his hand to offer a handshake. "Sergei Zaigraev."

"Rebecca Bluegarden." Rebecca returned the handshake. "Glad you could make it, Sergei." She said with a smile. "Ain't no shame in being early."

The door opened to the restaurant as Commander Malcom Hunt entered. Like so many others, he had received the invite and quickly returned home to change. Being new to the station this one be the perfect opportunity to meet and get to know the rest of the senior staff. He wore blue jeans and short sleeve collared white shirt. It was form fitting but a little loose. The first person he spotted was a woman with a white top and orange shorts. Malcom raised a curious eyebrow and couldn't help but to smile. It was a good thing, he left his wife at home.

When the doors opened, Rebecca looked up from her conversation with Sergei to spot the new arrival.

"Excuse me for one second." Rebecca excused herself to go greet the newcomer. "Hi there; thanks for coming. Make yourself at home!"

Malcom looked around and wondered where to start. "And what do you suggest I do to make myself at home?"

"Well, first round of wings should be just about ready, we've also got several different kinds of beers, either on tap or bottled." Rebecca explained. "If you have a different kind of sport you like than what's on, feel free to turn something else on..."

Sergei too, listened to what Rebecca told the new arrival and felt some relief. Food and drink and entertainment were coming. He took a few steps towards the two, and extended his hand to Malcom. "Sergei Zaigraev. New ChEng."

Hunt quickly accepted his hand. "Malcom Hunt, Chief Operations Officer. And thanks for the invite Rebecca. I was worried about trying to determine the best way to meet the senior staff."

"Somebody's gotta break the ice, Malcom." Rebecca responded with a wink.

>>Tag Malcom



Damien had welcomed receiving Rebecca's invitation. A Commander's night sounded like a perfect break from the pressure they were all under lately getting the talks just right. No rank and no uniform. Seemed easy enough. He had been aboard long enough that he was settled and unpacked fully, with some off-duty clothes that would be suitable for the occasion, in this case a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt with the logo of a band from his home country on Earth, a duo who performed electronica while dressed as robots.

He was not the first to arrive, which was good in his mind. His sisters argued to him that being on time was in fact not the same thing as being late, and he was finally feeling good internalizing that lesson. He saw the two newer officers, Malcolm and Sergei, and gave them smiles and nods, before laying eyes on their hostess.

He hoped he was subtle in his reaction, but it is fair to say that he was not. His mind blanked for a moment as his vision was flooded with such a creature as her.

When he finally realized what he was doing and regained his composure, a flush made his pale cheeks a deep red.

My sisters will never let me live this down. First an entire delegation of cute women aliens that show their midriffs in every outfit. And now a supermodel for a First Officer.

To be continued...

 

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