Preparations

Posted on 11 May 2017 @ 9:36pm by Lieutenant David Moreau Jr & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler

6,447 words; about a 32 minute read

Mission: The Finnean Crisis
Location: Security
Timeline: MD 2 || 1250 Hours

Joey made her way down the corridor toward the Security Complex. It was a bit nostalgic, but she was definitely happy in her new role aboard the ship. The likelihood that she'd be called out for an away mission was slim, but she couldn't really say she would miss it. Especially considering what she found out the day before. However, if an extra able body was needed for whatever reason, and she was asked, she could probably be persuaded.

Taking a deep breath, she walked through the doors and took a moment to look around. Like sickbay, Security proved to be quite the impressive sight, but Joey was pretty sure when she finally had the time to explore their new home, she would feel that way about the entire ship. For now, though, the Lieutenant was a woman on a mission.

A Vulcan Petty Officer looked up from her terminal near the doors in the main Security Complex when the tall brunette officer in red walked in. "I'm Petty Officer T'Nol. Can I help you, Lieutenant?"

Joey turned her attention to the Vulcan with a polite smile. "I'm looking for Lieutenant David Moreau. Do you know if he has a moment so that I might speak with him?"

"May I have your name, please?" the Petty Officer asked.

"Lieutenant Joey Corwin," she replied.

"One moment, Lieutenant Corwin," T'Nol said before she tapped at her terminal. "There's a Lieutenant Corwin here to see you, Lieutenant," she said.

"Send her in," David responded from his office.

The Vulcan pointed to the second door on the far side of the room. "Right in there, Lieutenant."

"Thank you," Joey said, offering another smile before she made her way to the indicated door where she accessed the chime on the panel. Had it been Camila, she would have just walked inside, but since it wasn't, respect was called for.

The door slid open as David stood up from the desk that looked small compared to him and saw the woman in red that he had first seen on Deep Space Nine and looking more impressive up close in the small office that had two chairs and a small couch, and a blue-leafed plant in one corner. "Lieutenant," he said with a nod. "How can I help you today?"

"Lieutenant Moreau," she greeted as she moved farther into his office. "I've come to see you about the possibility of outfitting Intelligence with a few phasers. It is quite a secure location, but I would much rather be safe than sorry."

Corwin, went through his mind almost like an echo and he reached to tap his terminal and looked at it before he looked back up at her. "I see you're the former Assistant Chief of Security with a rather impressive....array of skills," he said with a smile. "I really can't see you not being able to handle someone without a phaser or through your sheer charm."

Joey arched an eyebrow at the mention of her charm. How would he know if she was charming or not? "I am the former Chief of Security. I'm also a former Close Protection Officer, and I'm SAR trained," she stated, clasping her hands behind her back. "I am quite capable of handling myself, but not everyone in my department has the same background that I do. Phasers, as well as phaser training, are a must."

"I'm always glad to hear that other departments want phaser training," David said. "Not to mention how confident you are in your own abilities. Would you like to meet me at the phaser range after shift and show me what you can do? I see you're up to date in your phaser training certifications, but I'd like to check you out myself."

"I can meet you at the phaser range once our shifts are over. As for my certifications, I don't like to let them fall behind," she said.

"Would you care for something to drink while you're here? We have about ten minutes before the end of the shift." he asked, gesturing towards the replicator. "I wouldn't want you to get dehydrated and give me an advantage at the range."

"I'm fine, thank you," Joey stated. "I would like to go to the armory, though. There are things in there I'd like to check on."

"Certainly," David said as he locked his terminal down and squeezed out from behind the desk. "Right this way, Lieutenant Corwin." He headed out of the office and waited until she was out of it before he secured it and let the Vulcan Petty Officer know he'd be out of the office for a bit before he headed out the door of the Security Complex. "Do you have items stored there?"

"I do," Corwin said, following behind him as they made their way to the armory. "The former Chief of Security grabbed a couple of my personal belongings a few months back, and told me I could find them here. Here is where I plan to keep them, too. It isn't safe for me, or anyone else, to walk around with anything like this."

"I heard about the crash," he said before he spoke to the Master-at-Arms who unlocked the door to the Armory to admit them. Inside were four personnel who were going over phasers, power cells and other equipment. "Damn shame, that. What kind of equipment was sent for you so I know where to look?"

There was no need to look. Joey immediately recognized the black case that belonged to her among the pile that needed to be organized. Without a word, she moved over to it and picked it up by the handle before moving away to set it down to be unlocked. Wen she opened it, her breath caught when the Twins were revealed.

Joey never thought she'd be seeing these again. With a shaky hand, she reached in to pull the unloaded weapons out to give them both a once over. There wasn't a single scratch on either of them, and that brought as mile to her lips. "These are what I was looking for."

When she bent over to get the case, David couldn't help but smile in appreciation. "Those are the most beautiful twins I've ever seen," he said, but waited until she had the case open. Still, he had to admit that the guns were nice, too. "Where did you pick those up?" he felt obliged to ask so it wouldn't seem obvious.

"These have been in my family for centuries, passed down from one generation to the next," she replied with a smile. "My grandmother gave them to me when I graduated from the Academy, and I've had them ever since. They belonged to my grandfather before they found their home with me. He's no longer with us, so... these have special meaning to me for a lot of reasons."

"They're in remarkable shape," David said before he accessed a terminal. Just like you. "I see that you have several other items here as well. Would you like me to check you out?"

"They've been well taken care of," Joey said, settling the guns back into their case before she closed it back up. She looked over at him. "I'll look over the others another time. These are the ones I was most worried about. The others are ones I picked up here and there over the years."

A chime sounded and David looked up. "Sounds like the shift is over. If you want to meet me at the phaser range, it's juts down the corridor and to your left. I'll be there as soon as I turn the shift reports over."

"I have to do the same, so it will be just a bit before I get to the phaser range," Joey said, setting the locked case onto a shelf. "You may make it there before I'm able to, but I will be there as soon as I can."

"Okay," he said. "See you then." With another smile, he made sure the Armory was secure again with the new Master-at-Arms coming on duty and headed to his office.

===Phaser Range===

Sure enough, the tall brawny Security Chief was already there, still in uniform and going over several phasers which were laid out on the counter. He spoke to the officer on duty before he selected two holsters for the phasers and a three level program that went from easy to extremely difficult for the phaser range targeting system.

Joey walked in and saw that David was already present. It didn't really surprise her given his department was on the same deck while hers was not. What did surprise her was he seemed like a nice guy. She'd been half expecting him to be an ass, and that was mostly because he'd taken over Camila's position when she chose not to return. And she understood the logic behind that choice, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"I had a feeling you were going to beat me here, but that's okay," she said as she approached him and the phasers he was going over. Joey couldn't remember the last time she'd actually been inside a phaser range, and the last time she'd actually had any kind of target practice was in the holodeck just before their mission to Razmena. That had been quite the experience. "I'm ready when you are."

David handed her a Type II phaser and a power cell separately and a pair of safety goggles. "How hard do you like it?" he asked her as his hand hovered over the terminal.

Joey took the safety glasses and put them on, then accepted the other items. "The harder, the better," she replied as she placed the power cell into the phaser.

He loaded his own phaser and put the goggles on, then raised the setting to the highest level. "Now that's what I like to hear," he said with a smile. "Someone who likes to work for it, but it is a lot more fun, isn't it?"

"I'm no slacker. Ask the people who are a part of the crew after being aboard the Chimera. They'll tell you about the crazy woman who took down an Intrepid class all by herself," she said as she made her way over to the platform.

The room darkened and simulated smoke poured out of hidden vents while ten colored probes shot out of various areas and whizzed through the room. The speed was high enough that they seemed to leave colored trails in the air and the only time they paused was to fire a shot before moving in another random direction.

"Nice," she said with a grin, looking toward the colored orbs. This was going to be fun. Joey raised her phaser and lined up her shot a few inches in front of the first orb, then fired her shot.

A number one in red appeared in the air at the back of the phaser range as she hit her target while another one fired and nearly hit her. Meanwhile, David rolled to his left and fired from the hip and hit one, causing a gold number one to appear beside the red one. He ducked as a shot went over his head and moved to the right. "One to one, kiddo. C'mon. Show me what you have!"

"Kiddo?" Joey asked with an arched brow. While he may gave been older than she was, and serving Starfleet longer, that didn't give him the right to refer to her in such a manner. "I've got your kiddo." She twisted to her right as one of the orbs took aim at her, then fired off a shot to take it and two others out behind it. She suddenly felt like she had to prove her worth all over again to someone entirely different.

Now the red number went up to four while David laughed. "Do you now?" he asked her as he darted to the side and snapped off two quick shots and hit two more probes. "Let's see you move!" He rolled forward and came up firing at another two, but only hit one of them and the score evened up to four each.

There too probes left, which meant this could be anyone's game. She took a deep breath. David was in the way of both of them, which meant he could get them before she could, and there was no way that was happening. He just seemed the type that would never let her live it down.

Joey noticed there was a nice distance between the two of them and quickly formulated a plan before she took off running toward him. The Lieutenant dropped to the ground and slid between his legs with her phaser ready, and fired off two quick shots. She managed to hit one, but missed the last one. To be safe, she remained on the ground while he took out the last one, meaning they'd be tied.

David had to do a quick two step to the right and nearly got hit by one of the probes as he avoided stepping on Joey. Still, he snapped off a shot and took out the last probe before he looked down. "Need a hand against gravity?" he asked her with a grin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, accepting his help up.

"Well, maybe not against gravity, but your center of mass seems a bit off," David laughed as the scores evened to five each again. "Not that it's a bad thing, mind you. I think it suits you rather well."

Once she was on her feet, Joey smoothed a hand over her uniform. "Ah... chest joke... I get it now," she said, moving over to the table to set the phaser down.

David said as he followed her with a laugh. "No joke," he said. "I haven't seen something that epic since I was on a water planet and we had to float a sea base." He paused and held up a hand as he set his phaser down on the counter. "Tell you what, let me get you a late lunch to make up. You did good here on the range."

"That's because I know how to handle myself," she said, pulling the safety glasses off and setting them down next to the phaser. Corwin opted to forgot the epic comment for the time being. "As for lunch, I'll give it a shot. I haven't been hungry much lately."

He took his goggles off and handed everything over to the Master-at-Arms in charge of the range and looked at her. "It's important to keep your strength up even if you're not in Security any more," he said. "I heard about a place here called Talons; do you know if it's any good?"

"It was on the old ship, so I can't imagine it would have changed much," Joey replied. "We can go there."

David exited the phaser range and looked over at her. "So what's a ship like this doing with a lady like you?" he asked her jokingly.

Joey walked next to him and glanced in his direction. She'd been able to ignore most of the comments up until now. Now she'd been asked a question, and didn't feel it was a horrible one. "A Starfleet transfer," she replied truthfully. "I spent some time in the GQ as a CPO before finally being stationed on the original ship."

"A SAR trained CPO in the GQ who is a former CSec," he laughed. "That's a lot of initials. When are you going to get a Phd in ABA?"

"A behavior analyst? I somehow can't see myself as taking to anything like that," she said with a shake of her head. "That's just not my style. I'm an Intelligence officer that will always be a Security officer at heart."

David stepped into the turbolift after one arrived and moved aside to let her in. "Isn't analysis what Intelligence normally does when you're not lurking, skulking, sneaking, and ghosting?" he asked her.

"Yes, but not when it comes to behavior. That's why we have counselors on board the ship," she said, stepping inside the turbolift with him. "We're all good at our respective roles aboard the ship, and I happen to be in my current one because I spent some time where we're going."

"C'mon," he said. "You guys get deeper into peoples heads than your average counselor does. You could probably get a person to spill all their secrets easily."

"I was an Investigations officer, too. Want to see if I can make you spill all your secrets?" the brunette asked.

"You'd have a tough nut to crack if you tried to get in my gourd," David said as the turbolift came to a halt and opened. "Not that some haven't managed to crack it a time or two, but that generally involved weapons."

"I've been through my fair share of that, too," Joey said, stepping off of the turbolift and into the corridor. "How familiar are you with the Black Hawk's mission before she crashed?"

"Nothing, really," he said as he walked down the corridor and paused to check a wall terminal to see exactly where the restaurant-style lounge was. "I've barely had time to get here from Earth and get familiarized with the Security department and some personnel. That must have been hell going down on a ship."

Joey shook her head. "There wasn't anyone on it when it actually touched ground," she said. "I was aboard Deep Space Eleven fighting for my life when that happened. I had to rely on Captain Geisler to tell me what happened and show me images of the wreckage."

"That couldn't have been any better," David said as they entered the lounge. "During the Dominion War, I was in a runabout that got shot down by a Jem'Hadar fighter and we crash landed in a swamp. Man, that entry and landing was crazy," he said, shaking his head. "Nothing like hitting the ground at just under two hundred kilometers an hour. Our shields and pilot are what saved us, but we had to dig our way out of the muck."

"That couldn't have been pleasant, but our jobs... no matter the department we serve in... comes with risks," Joey stated. "Some of us who are lucky enough to survive grow stronger from it while others fight those demons every day for the rest of their lives. A career in Starfleet is definitely not for the faint."

"No, it isn't," he said as he headed up to the counter to place his order. "I've been doing this for eighteen years in Rapid Response Teams and finally decided to hang that up before it killed me. This is one of my first normal postings in a long time. I just don't have the desire to orbital skydive into hell like I used to. What got you into CPO? That couldn't have been fun."

Joey smiled. "Admiral Farragut did. He handpicked me for it after I came across him being threatened by two individuals. I was the same way. Too many close calls, so it was time to live a somewhat stable life."

"Admiral Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead Farragut?" David asked. "That guy still scaring the shit out of cadets at the Academy? When I was there, he was only a Commodore and loved to do surprise drills on Security cadets at any time of the day or night. I don't think I slept for more than twenty minutes at a time for two years because of him."

"I hope he is. That man is my hero. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today. All it took was a drunk eighteen year old me puking on his feet to get my head on straight," Joey said, shivering as she recalled that night. It could have gone so much worse than it did. "I was a wild child for a few months of my freshman year."

"He saved you and sent me from one front line to another," David said after he placed his order. "I'm still trying to figure out if I spent more time in the field or more time in medical. My medical history is a lot longer than my service history, I can tell you that much. I'm still surprised that I didn't die at least five times."

"I know exactly how you feel, only I did die my last mission. Thanks to my team, I'm here today, and I'll never be able to repay them for that. Honestly... had I not been moved to Intel, I was going to retire early and live the rest of my days gaining weight and being happy."

"That's not cool, but I think I know who you're talking about," he said. "A couple enlisted named Gutierrez and Miller, right?"

Joey nodded. "They're the right ones. Sanchez helped the doctor who fixed me up. Sadly, Gutierrez and Sanchez have moves on to other things. I was hoping to get to see them again, but it just didn't work out that way. Such is life in Starfleet. We all lose people we get close to."

"We do," David said a bit sadly. "Some are closer than others, but all go that way in the end." He ordered a glass of synthehol and looked at her. "Do you want one?"

"No, thank you," she said with the shake of her head. "Ginger ale has been my drink or choice the last week or so, but that's okay. I happen to like it."

"Your choice," he said as their orders arrived. "I do have some news you may want to hear, though. It may even make your day, if I may be so bold."

"Oh?" Joey questioned.

"Miller and Gutierrez are getting the Captain's Mast wiped from their records," David told her as he took a drink of his ale.

Joey lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really? That's amazing news! How did you manage that?"

"I talked to the Captain and pointed out that they had made up for their lapse in judgement in spades," he said. "I also pointed out that most Captain's are only going to see their records and that the odds were good they wouldn't get a second chance or be asked for an explanation of what happened or what happened after that. He agreed to expunge their records."

"Thank you. I'm grateful to them for what they did for me, and it is definitely deserving of having their records expunged."

"Also, you passed your weapons check, which the Captain wanted me to do with all senior staff," David said. "I was already planning on giving you the phaser you asked for, but I have my own orders."

"I would hope I passed," Joey said as she found a table and settled down with her ginger ale. She wanted to dislike David, but it turned out that he was a nice guy. "It hasn't been that long since I've used one. As I said, I keep up with my certifications, and plan to continue to do so even though I'm longer a member of Security."

"I have a question for you, Lieutenant," he said. "And you may not want to give me the answer, but I have to ask for my own piece of mind."

"Okay, ask away," the brunette woman commented, though, just because she did give him permission to ask his question didn't mean she would answer it. That all depended on what it was.

"This isn't the first time I've been sent to a new assignment after someone else leaves, so I tend to get viewed a certain way," he started and paused to take a drink of his ale. "But do you see me as an intruder into a position that was occupied by someone that you worked with previously?"

"An intruder... no. We're all Starfleet officers," Joey replied as she leaned back in her chair to study the man. "Given everything the original Black Hawk crew has been through, we're a pretty close knit group, but that doesn't mean there isn't room to welcome others in time. That, along with trust, has to be earned. I'll admit. I wanted to not like you with every fiber of my being because our former Chief of Security was a friend of mine, but so far you've given me no reason to. I don't know if that answers your question or not, but I can only speak for myself and the way I view things."

David nodded as he watched her without a word as she sorted her thoughts and listened to her. "I'm not here to give people a reason to like me or not like me," he started. "All I'm here to do is keep people safe. I'm sorry that your friend transferred out and I hope you get to stay in touch with her. However, with that being said, I think you're good people for putting up with my earlier comments. There is one more that I just have to ask." The last sentence was said with more than a gleam of mischief in his eyes.

Joey couldn't help but brace herself. "And what would that be?"

"When's the last time you saw your feet?" he asked deadpan.

She blinked. Whatever she was expecting him to ask her... that definitely wasn't even on the list. "Really?" Joey asked. David was a bold man, and that boldness was likely going to get him into a world of hurt. "Every single day."

Now a smile began to spread slowly over his face and he could see the look in her eyes, but couldn't resist as he finished his question. "And without them being over your head?" he asked and waited to be assaulted with something.

Joey narrowed her eyes. The line had officially been crossed as far as she was concerned. She wrapped her hand around the glass containing her ginger ale and toyed with the rim for a few seconds before lifting it and tossing the contents in David's face. That was mild compared to what she actually wanted to do. She felt driving the glass deep into his skull would warrant a trip to a prison planet, and that was something she never wanted to experience. "Congratulations, asshole. You've just given me my reason not to like you," she snapped as she rose to her feet. "In the future, when you decide you want to speak... don't." With that, she made her way toward the exit.

"Ah c'mon," David laughed as he came to his feet and wiped his face. "It was a joke. Don't be mad," he called as he walked after her. "I didn't mean anything by it and it won't happen again. Let me make it up to you."

The only response David received from the departing woman was her raising a hand and displaying a certain finger in his direction. To her, that wasn't a joke. To her, it held implications regarding her personal life. Joey lowered her hand and turned to vacate the lounge.

He followed her out. "Oh come on," he called after her. "I'm sorry, okay? I crossed the line, you threw a drink in my face and it's over."

Joey heard him following her. He was persistent, she'd give him that, but she wasn't ready to forgive him just yet. The brunette whirled around with her hand in the air and heard the satisfying sound of a smack as it connected with his cheek. "Now... it's over. If you ever ask me anything like that again, I promise you, I won't be so forgiving."

David had to admit that the slap wasn't one delivered by someone who was playing and the sting on his cheek wasn't going to go away anytime soon. "I had that coming," he said. "And you won't hear anything like that coming from me again, especially if that's your idea of forgiving. Care to come back to my office for that phaser you wanted, or would you rather finish lunch?"

"Yes, you had that coming," Joey said, feeling oddly calm suddenly. Smacking him just made her feel better, and while she thought she was surely going to arrested, he'd surprised her. "I'll get the phaser and be on my way, if you don't mind. My appetite is nonexistent, but that doesn't have anything to do with what just happened."

"Not at all," he said as he rubbed his cheek once before putting his hand back to his side. "I'd suggest going to Medical and getting that checked on, though. There was a nasty outbreak of a new strain of Sosickofitall not long ago and it spread like wildfire through the fleet."

"Given everything that's happened lately, are you surprised?" she asked, moving forward once again.

"Nope," David said as he moved up beside of her, but he did pause briefly before he started walking and couldn't help but notice her shapely backside. Fortunately, the still warm sting on his cheek told him to not make any jokes about it. "It was crazy from what I heard," he said. "I've been on Earth the past four years and we didn't hear much of what was going on out here until the wormhole opened again."

"Hearing about it is one thing. Living it... that was something entirely different," she stated.

"I've lived through war zones and know how those are, but I can't imaging fighting against people who were once by your side," David said with a shake of his head. "How did you do it and live with it?"

Joey had never been asked a question like that before. How did one even begin to answer something like that? "My record will tell you how I did it," the brunette answered with a frown. The last thing she wanted to do was relive everything that happened. "As for how I live with it is another story entirely. The knowledge that people died during the entire thing... not knowing if they were Consortium or blindly following... it stays with you... hanging like a weighted noose around my neck every single day of my life."

"The best advice I can give you is to try to remember that you were following orders and so were they," he said. "I know that doesn't make it easier, but think how Captains must feel when they send us out, not knowing if we'll make it back or not and the letters they have to write to families."

"There's no advice you can give me that I haven't thought of a thousand times before. A great deal of us may be able to move forward from terrible things easier than others, but that doesn't mean those things don't haunt us every single day of our lives. It's easy to fake a smile, tell everyone you're okay and do what you have to do," Joey said.

"Well, if you want to talk about it, I'm a good listener," David offered. "I've been there and went through that."

Joey shook her head. "It's nothing personal, but I'm going to have to pass. I don't talk to anyone about it."

"That's a bad idea," he said. "At the very least, talk to someone you care about. If you keep it bottled up, it'll eat you from the inside out until you explode, turn in your resignation and go slowly crazy."

"Do you have Search and Rescue training?" the tall woman asked to purposely change the subject.

David noticed the shift in the conversation and went with it since it was clear she didn't want to talk about her experience. "No," he said. "I always saw it as being too easy, no offense. I went into Rapid Response and we got much of the same training in less time and have more front line experience. Again, no offense to anyone that went through Search and Rescue."

"Sure. How could anyone who went through eighteen months of hell possibly not be a little offended because it was too easy?" she asked, keeping her tone neutral. "And how could anyone who has never been through the program even say those words to describe it?"

"I never said it was too easy," he said. "I said that I saw it as too easy. I also said that I got much of the same training in Rapid Response. I wasn't trying to pick a fight with you, Lieutenant. We've already been down that road. Call it a difference of opinion."

Joey nodded her head. "We'll go with that, then. And should anyone wish to go through SAR training, I'll volunteer my services for that. Our former Chief was handling it, but as she's no longer with us, I can pick up where she left off," she offered. "That being said, I believe we were going to issue me a phaser?"

"That we are," David said as he headed for the turbolift again. "I appreciate any help that you offer, Lieutenant. It's never easy taking over someone else's department and since you're familiar with a lot of them, it would make the transition smoother. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not presently, but how about we keep that open ended just in case?" Joey asked. "Wait... there is something... I'd like to continue with my training, and to do that, I would require use of the training facility. Would you be okay with that?"

"It would have to be after Security training, but I don't see a problem with that," he said. "I've been assigned to help get all the department heads certified in phaser training, so check with me about a time you want to do it. My Assistant Chief is going to be handling some of the other officers as well."

"It would have to be off duty," the Lieutenant said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I won't have time for it otherwise. Would you like me to talk to your people? I don't mind."

"I don't mind," David said. "After all, they know you a lot better than they know me." He stepped into the turbolift and waited for her. "Hell, for that matter, I may take you up on any training you offer."

"Do you wish to be present when I speak to them?" Joey asked. "Maybe a little SAR training is in order."

"Certainly," he said as he stepped off the turbolift and headed back towards Security. "After all, if I'm going to ask my people to take part of it, why wouldn't I do the same?"

Joey walked with him, keeping pace with him easily enough. "You have a valid point. I also want to make it known that they aren't to give you any grief, or I'll have myself new socks."

David looked down. "Your feet aren't that big, especially with personnel like Winchester," he said. "Then again, maybe you'd look good in stockings if he's the one you end up wearing."

"Time will tell, but hopefully, you don't get crap from anyone. I know it isn't easy coming aboard a new ship, especially as a department head," she said as they found their way back into Security.

Once in, he turned around and stopped. "My bad," he said. "We need to go to the Armory down the hall. I'm still learning my way around here. It must be really hard for you since you served on the original Black Hawk. As for the personnel, I doubt many will want to give me crap."

"We all are," she commented, giving him a sympathetic smile. Like him, everyone on the crew was still learning their way around. "Time will tell."

After he backtracked, David led her down to the Armory and once more talked to the Master-at-Arms and entered his code, then went in. "That it will," he said. "And when it does, I'll be ready one way or another."

"That's the way to do it," she said, eyeing the case containing her twins. A huge part of Joey was torn, because she wanted to bring them with her and store them in her quarters.

He went over and selected a Type II phaser and four power cells, then turned to Joey. "If you can just sign them out on the terminal, you'll be good to go," he said before he followed her gaze. "You want keep them in your quarters?"

"I planned to alternate them between my quarters and Intel," she replied, turning toward the terminal to prepare to sign off on it.

"Go ahead and check them out," David said. "I don't see why you wouldn't be allowed to have them with you since you're Security trained and an excellent shot."

"Are you sure? This is your department now, and firearms fall under your jurisdiction now. Also... I want you to know I was speaking of the phaser and power cells alternating, but these will stay tucked away safely in my quarters should you allow that," the Lieutenant clarified. "And thank you for the compliment. You're a damn good shot, too."

"Thank you, but I'm sure," he said. "As for the phaser, I'm afraid that would have to be restricted to your office, but if you take your guns to your quarters, I don't see anyone coming back from those."

"That works for me," she said, signing off on the phaser, the power cells and her two guns. "Thank you again, Lieutenant Moreau."

"Not a problem, Lieutenant Corwin," David said. "I'm going to be scheduling a meeting soon if you'd like to attend and make your offer."

"That sounds good. Just let me know when you're scheduling it ahead of time so I can be there on time," Joey stated.

He checked the chrono on the terminal. "How's an hour from now sound?" he asked her as he finished logging the weapons out to her. "You're all set on everything else."

"I'll see everyone in an hour, then," Joey said, taking the case, phaser and power cells. "Thank you again." With a smile, she made her way out of the armory to Intel to secure the phaser there, then to head to her quarters for a little more unpacking before making her way back to Security.

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