New Acquaintances

Posted on Tue Dec 10th, 2024 @ 10:59am by Ensign Jason Reece & Chief Petty Officer Meredith Corden
Edited on on Thu Dec 12th, 2024 @ 9:19pm

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Mission 5: The Price of Paradise
Location: Deck 7: Gymnasium
Timeline: M5 MD10 (2268.08.2) hours

It was his third day on Midway, and Jason started it the same as the first two. In the gym, working out. He had started to get a good rhythm going, now that he was finally past his space lag. He was busy throwing punches into the heavy bag, when he saw someone else enter the gym.

Meredith came in. She was surprised to see someone else there. Still, she smiled. There was recognition in her eyes. "Ensign Reece, isn't it?" she asked. "Sir?"

Jason looked over and grinned at the Yeoman. "Chief, you know better than that. The gym is a no salute/no rank area." He then did a few more reps on the rowing machine and took another breather. "But yes. Jason Reece is my name."

"Ok, Jason," she agreed. "I'm Meredith." She started towards the treadmill.

Jason nodded his head with a grin. "Nice to meet ya, Meredith." He then continued his workout, rowing hard for another ten minutes. When he was finally done, he sat there for a moment, trying to catch his breath as sweat poured down his face. He lifted the hem of his shirt and wiped the sweat away, revealing his toned abdomen. He then stood and moved over to the heavy bag, grabbing a towel from the side first. "So," he began as he continued to wipe the sweat away. "How long have you been on the Midway?"

Meredith didn't pay much attention to the display. It wasn't that she didn't notice, so much as that she hadn't really been looking since she and Darrod got serious. But she did smile at the question. "Oh, must be a couple of years now."

Jason grinned and nodded as he asked, "Perhap you could tell me how the CO and XO are? That way, I can ensure that I put a good foot forward."

"Good officers," she said, "and they appreciate the people under them. Just do your best. There's no trick to them, really."

He nodded thankfully and gave her a handsome, boyish grin. "So, if you don't mind my asking, of all the jobs in the fleet, what caused you choose this one?"

"Well, they didn't give me a choice of all the jobs in the fleet," she said. "But I like this posting. I get to work closely with the captain, and we do that core Starfleet mission, seeking out new worlds and new civilizations."

Jason grinned and nodded. "And have you discovered a lot of new things and places?"

"Too many to list," she said with a grin, but then it faded. "Not all of them pleasant."

Seeing her face change, Jason stopped his workout and asked, his face seemingly filling with concern. "May I ask what happened?"

She shook her head a little, frowning. "The sorts of dangers one often confronts in Starfleet."

He didn't know how to respond to her statement. Except for the training exercises at the Academy, Jason has yet to experience any true hardship in his life. "I'm sorry that you've had to experience that," he said finally, unsure how to continue the conversation.

"It's part of the job," she said, "but I think you're imagining...I haven't personally been captured or injured, if that's where your mind went."

He shook his head as he responded. "I hadn't imagined anything, actually. It was just a general thought of regret that you and the crew had to experience any unexpected hardship."

"Space duty is risky," she noted.

He nodded and finished his workout. "It is. And yet, we continue to seek it out." He stood and moved over to the treadmills. After getting on one, he set a comfortable pace and started to jog.

"Because we're explorers," she said. "We seek out the unknown. That has risks but it's worth it. To me, anyway."

Jason stopped what he was doing, and looked over at Meredith. "Don't get me wrong, I joined Starfleet because I wanted to see what's out here, good or bad. I just would rather good, even neutral things to occur. However, I am a realist. I know that the Fates will roll their die, and we will just have to deal with it."

"Well....yeah," Meredith said, a little defensively. She also stopped and turned to look at him. "I mean....I'm not rooting for bad things to happen. I'd love a nice cultural meeting with a species of great spas and delicious fruits."

Jason chuckled good naturedly as he replied, "I could see you enjoying a nice spa, getting pampered a little." He winked playfully at her.

She laughed. "Me and the girls, probably."

He arched an eyebrow as he asked, "And whom would these aforementioned girls be?"

"Oh, just friends on the ship," Meredith said. "A lot of the other yeomen especially. We stick together."

Jason nodded as he listened. "It's good to have friends." He gave her a soft grin as he added, "And I'm glad to have made a new one, with you, Meredith. Perhaps we could hang out out elsewhere too? If you're not too busy with your social calendar, that is." He gave her a playful wink and smiled a bit more, flashing his perfect teeth as he did so.

"I'm sure we'll see each other around," she said. "Have you met Darrod yet?"

Jason thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Doesn't sound familiar. Who is that?"

"My boyfriend," she said, realizing she hadn't given a name before.

If Jason was disturbed by Merideth's statement, he didn't let it show. It wasn't a surprise to him that she was spoken for. From what he had figured out so far, she was clearly very beautiful, highly intelligent, ND seemed to have her head on right. It would've been a sunrise if she wasn't with someone. In response, he replied simply, "He's a lucky guy." He then reached down ad increased the speed of the treadmill a bit. As he did so, he asked, "So, if you'll pardon my candor...and not that it's my only reason for being here...are there any single women aboard?"

Meredith laughed. "I think I'm the lucky one." She smiled at the thought but then she laughed at Jason's question. "Oh, plenty! You'll meet a fair number, I'm sure."

Jason smiled softly and nodded. They then both finished up their workouts, chatting on and off, getting to know one another. When he was finished, he thanked her for the conversation, then left, heading back to his cabin to get cleaned up and ready for the day ahead.

~OFF~

Ensign Jason Reece
Chief Navigator
USS Midway

CPO Meredith Corden
Captain's Yeoman
USS Midway

 

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