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<font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Challenger, Main Engineering</font><BR><div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="ecxmsg-body ecxinner ecxundoreset"><div id="ecxyiv1176742869"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Lt
Cmdr McDonald had taken up a position leaning against the main reactor
panel on the catwalk, surveying his charges preparing the compartment
for battle. The special weapons had been secured in the magazine in a
semi-disassembled state, certainly making the armory crew more
comfortable with their presence aboard. He would be required to go back
below and put them back together when the battle would soon begin. For
now, he needed to tend to his own.</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">"How
are we coming along on that secondary bracing," McDonald called out to
Chief Martin on the other side of the reactor shielding. "I'm worried
about any sudden maneuver that might force the nacelle to fail."</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">A
loud mumble told him that it was not complete, and McDonald moved down
his list of essential and non-essential repairs that were required
before the battle. The main engineering door opened, which drew his
attention.</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Cinda
had been extremely busy with what all had been going on lately and she
wondered when she found time to breathe as she moved down the corridor,
heading for Engineering. She, like the rest of the crew, had been going
pretty much nonstop since this whole thing with the Klingons started,
and Ensign T'Lara had assigned her a multitude of duties to keep her
time pretty consistent since it began, with only enough time to grab
some rest and refresh then return to duty.</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">The
door to Engineering opened, and she entered, looking around. She knew
McDonald would be close by, working relentlessly in Engineering. Her
dark eyes flowed over the faces in the compartment, until she finally
came to rest on McDonald. Heading his way, she lifted the pad in her
hand and glanced at the Chief near him, before looking up at him. The
excuse was believable, but thinly veiled. "Ensign T'Lara needs you to
take a look at these reports quickly, if you have a moment, Lieutenant
Commander."</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">He
had seen her enter main engineering, and his mood immediately lifted.
It had seemed like forever since they had even seen each other, as Cinda
had stayed on the ship during their foray into Klingon space. McDonald
hardly blamed her for not visiting him in sickbay, with her duties
obviously keeping her detained. He knew she would see him as soon as
she could, and here she was.</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">"Thank
you, Ms Zhang." Chief Martin raised his eyebrows at his boss as
McDonald's gaze ran past him. "I'll need to consult my notes for a
moment. Could you come this way, please?" He gestured in the direction
of his office, as Martin yelled at anyone who paid too much attention
the the chief engineer and his visitor. "Let's go, people! Move like
you have a purpose and a job!" He pointed at a tall, lanky crewman who
had passed to close to the pair on their way out. "What's the status on
that coupling job I gave you? Are you finished, yet?" The astonished
young man could only shrug his shoulders and beg the chief for
forgiveness.</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Limping
into the office ahead of her, McDonald turned and leaned back on his
desk, wincing at the pain in his arm. "You didn't bring any painkillers
with you, did you?"</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">The
Asian woman listened to the others as McDonald made a pretense of
checking notes, and she followed along behind him. It'd felt like it'd
been forever since they'd had even a moment's time together. She'd
wanted to visit him in Sickbay, but her duties had kept her so busy she
had barely had time to think, let alone visit him there.</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">The
trip to the Engineer's office wasn't very long, and the echoes of the
Chief's voice reached her ears even as they walked along, finally
entering the office with the door closing behind them. Her brows,
finely sculpted, furrowed softly at his question, and she shook her head
sadly. "No, I'm afraid not," she answered with a soft tone, her dark
eyes rising to meet his. They were full of empathy. "If I'd thought I
could've gotten away with it, I'd have sneaked some down, but with
everything going like it is, I didn't have the time to do much more than
grab a pad and come up with a reason to come down here."</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">She
obviously had missed him, which was demonstrated by the way she
squeezed his hand when she took it, her strong, but soft, fingers
curling around his hand as she moved closer. She glanced over her
shoulder, through the window out onto the Engineering deck proper. Her
gaze returned to him, and she smiled softly, hoping at least her
presence could make it feel better.</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Holding
her hand was electrifying to him, as he struggled to move his injured
left hand back to a panel, stiffly pressing a recessed button. The
viewport into the main engineering bay suddenly became darker. "There.
That should take care of the curious." Squeezing her with his good
hand, he smiled down at her. "It's okay. I would have been horrible
company down there. Burned flesh doesn't smell that good, anyway."</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Her
exotic eyes were so expressive, McDonald thought to himself. It had
been so long since he had simply looked upon her, this woman that had
pursued him in a way unlike...the other. Banishing the image of his
former Andorian lover was difficult, but he managed without too much of
an outward sign. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head,
inhaling the scent of her hair. "I missed you. How are you holding
up?"</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">The
change in mood and demeanor wasn't lost on her as she listened to him,
watched him as they talked and stayed close to one another. Her eyes
drifted momentarily towards the darkened window that looked out onto the
deck, and then back to him. She returned the smile softly, her
thoughts playing behind her eyes like a viewscreen on extreme
acceleration. Her eyes closed when his lips touched the top of her
head, and she heard him inhaling the scent of her hair like the
fragrance of a flower.</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">"I
missed you too," she replied, moving slightly to press a bit closer to
him. She had forgotten about any possible onlookers for the moment.
Right now, they were the only two that were present or mattered. She
knew his thoughts had drifted a bit, and she was curious as to what they
drifted to, and why, but she wouldn't pry. She knew all too well the
sanctity of one's thoughts. "As for holding up, I'm doing well enough.
I'm certainly staying busy enough that there's little time to even
bother thinking about anything. I'd be doing better, though, if things
were more normal and regulated, and I could find more time for moments
like this," she said, her fingers gliding lightly along the line of his
forearm. She enjoyed his touch, being near him like this. The only
thing she wished for at the moment was a solution to whatever it was
that plagued his thoughts.</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Wrapping
his arms around her and drawing her into him, he planted small kisses
on her neck. "One way or another, I think things will slow down soon.
We...we could take leave together. If you want, that is." Even though
they had been fairly romantic, their relationship was still in an
embryonic state, and they had not had any 'significant' conversations on
a future together. "I think taking you to Risa would be absolutely
phenomenal, don't you? I mean, we would be free there. No ship, no
crew, no one looking over their shoulders at us." He smiled as he
thought of it. "I've never been, but I've heard so much about it. I
can only imagine you in one of those microscopic swimsuits," McDonald
said, as he ran his right arm up and down her lower back. More than
once, his hand went down much lower than just her back, as he let out a
quiet groan of pleasure. "What do you think?"</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Cinda
molded to him as he took her into his arms, and stretched her neck
luxuriously to accept the kisses he offered it, time and again. A soft,
contented mewl escaped her lips and she met his eyes once more,
nodding. "I think it will, too. One way or the other," she said,
pausing as he suggested taking leave together. Their relationship,
while romantic, and even passionate, had not progressed much past the
beginning stages as yet. The offer was unexpected, though welcome at
the same time. She smiled softly and left a soft, lingering kiss on his
lips, her sparkling eyes meeting his. "I'd like that, and yes, I want
to," she reassured him, leaving another of her silky, soft kisses on his
lips.</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Her
musical laughter pealed softly for a moment as he continued, resisting
the impulse to shake her head slowly. "Risa sounds wonderful. I've
never been there either, but have heard much about it." The added
luxury of it being free from prying eyes held an extra appeal for the
young Asian woman. Playfully, she popped him on the shoulder. "Aha, so
it comes out. Its an excuse to see me in a microbikini. Wouldn't you
be disappointed if I didn't own one?" She laughed merrily, hoping he
took the joke as a joke. As his hand ran up and down her back, and
lower than her back, a soft exhale of impassioned restraint escaped her
lips and she purred and meowed sultrily and playfully back. "I think
it'd be incredible. Sounds like a plan to me."</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">McDonald
leaned forward to kiss her more passionately, forcing his tongue into
her mouth, enjoying her taste. Finally pulling away, he stroked her
hair and took all of her in. "I can't wait." He then looked at her
with a far more serious expression. "Please. Keep yourself out of
danger. I couldn't bear the thought of you getting hurt in all of
this." Leaning down to kiss her again, he reached up to her cheek. "No
unauthorized heroics, Ms Zhang. Do you hear me...honey?"</font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Cinda
returned the kiss, accepting his tongue and returning with a few
selective swipes of her own against his, savoring the taste of his
flesh, of his breath, as the kiss lingered a long moment. When he began
speaking, and stroking her hair, she smiled lightly and traced small
designs on his chest with the tip of her finger. "I can't wait either,"
she intoned, her voice soft and slightly husky. After the second kiss,
she nuzzled her cheek into his hand. "I hear you...sweetheart. No
unauthorized heroics, no flights of fancy, or feats of daring do." As
she nestled into his arms, her thoughts were on many things, the two of
them not least among them.</font><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font></div><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana"><br></font><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Lt Cmdr McDonald</font></div><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Chief Engineer</font></div><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">FCL-04 Challenger</font></div><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">&</font></div><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Petty Officer Third Class Cinda Zhang</font></div><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">Geologist</font></div><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">FCL-04 Challenger </font></div><div align="LEFT"><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Verdana">(as played by Karyn)</font></div></div></div></div></div> </div></body>
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