Ground Rules

Posted on Sat Oct 15th, 2011 @ 2:53am by Gunnery Sergeant Stephanie Dover & Corporal Sarah Lancaster

Mission: Supply Run
Location: Terok Nor
Timeline: current

With a PADD in hand, Stephanie walked to the small cabin where the computer told her Corporal Lancaster was currently located. Stephanie was out of uniform, dressed in a black, skin-tight suit, the item of clothing she felt most comfortable in. She rang the doorbell and waited.

Lancaster was naked inside the room, sorting through her gear after taking a shower, making sure she had everything and made sure everything was packed when the door bell rang, she turned and went to open the door. "Yes?" Sarah said as she opened the door.

Stephanie stepped inside, smirking at the naked form of the Corporal before her. She was used to it by now, it was common knowledge that the woman preferred not to wear clothes in her cabin - or anywhere else for that matter, not just the locker and shower room, where all the Marines were usually without clothes. But it had long since stopped being particularly interesting for Stephanie, and as long as it didn't interfere with the efficiency of the unit, she couldn't give a flying fuck as to whether this woman was dressed or not. She handed out the PADD to her. "You've got new orders", she said. "The assignment to Bajor is cancelled. You've been selected to join the crew of the Vanguard."

"Vanguard? Resistance ship, huh?" Sarah said as she dried herself off and sat down reading over the new orders.

"Indeed", Stephanie replied. "The last known imperial starship that remains. It's somehow survived the interim years." She shrugged. "How and why, I don't care. But I've been asked to put together a team of the most promising enlisted men and women and take it on board. I want you on it, so you are on it."

"Very well, I go where I am most needed. When do we depart?" Sarah asked curiously while remaining professional.

"The Vanguard is expected to get here in two days", Stephanie responded. "You've got until then to be ready, to get all your belongings together and to say good-bye to any friends you've made who won't be coming with us."

"I have no friends here, I only arrived here less than ten hours ago. These are temporary quarters. As for friends, the only friends I had are now dead. I have nothing to lose. I'm ready to go right now, I just got done making sure I got my gear sorted." Sarah said calmly but professionally.

That did ring an alarm bell in Stephanie's mind. She walked to the small sofa and sat down, expecting Sarah to take the hint. "You've got nothing to lose? Why is that?" she asked.

"My parents were forced to sleep with one another to create the perfect sex slave for the Orion syndicate. My mom was Betazoid, my father human. I'm a half breed, I was created to please men and women alike, forced to have sex with anyone who paid, my telepathy was used to distract men and women alike so the syndicate could steal more out of their patrons. My parents were killed after my birth and the Orion syndicate raised me. Then the marines saved me before the fall. I went to boot camp, learned how to use my empathy and telepathy to anticipate enemy moves before they were made and here I am. I stayed in contact with a few of my friends from our time with the Orions, until I received word they were dead. So I have nothing to lose." Sarah said quite open about her past which also explained a lot of how Sarah acted at all times.

"Have a seat", Stephanie said, pointing to the other half of the sofa she sat on. "Tell me, what do you live for? What are your desires?"

"You're not exactly acting like the Sergeants from boot camp." Sarah said as she sat on the sofa, rather curious.

"That's because drill instructors are of the kind who can't cut it in field service, who usually have an inferiority complex and who enjoy demonstrating their limited power to those they train and who have to obey them without question", Stephanie responded. She had been through the drill, back when the Terran Empire had been in its last throes, and people had been at their most savage. She had not enjoyed it at all. But she didn't enjoy talking about it either, so she moved on. "Please answer my question."

"I live to keep people safe and if I have to sleep with the enemy to do it, then that's what I will do." Sarah said smiling coyly at the Sergeant.

"Well, sleeping with an enemy is not likely the approach we'll take when we need to take them down", Stephanie said, chuckling at the humour. "I just want to be clear, when you say you've got nothing to lose, that's usually the type that commits suicides, or goes on insane charges killing themselves and those around them. I don't want that to happen."

"Insanity is not one of my traits. Charging headlong is considered stupid. Why would I kill myself in such a manner? I rather blow things up now, sleeping with the enemy is a last resort or if I need to save my own life if captured." Sarah replied casually.

Stephanie made a face. She was way too casual about this, in her opinion. But she was right, and Stephanie hoped honest. "Very well. Just making sure. You know that if you have a problem you can always talk to me, right? I don't tolerate slackers and I expect everyone to do their best, but in return I'll do for them what I can to make sure they have what they need or are properly rewarded for what they've achieved."

"I do my best, anything less is below me. You may think my casual manner is unbecoming a marine. But I'm casual because I have been beaten to the point I almost was killed on several occasions, so I don't fear death and being professional all the time is just plain boring." Sarah said, sensing Stephanie's uncertainty.

"I think you should be afraid of death", she responded. "But I agree, I'm not expecting you to be professional off duty." She pointed at the jumpsuit she was wearing. "You see this? My civilian clothes. I wear them, I'm a normal person. When I'm in uniform, I expect professionalism and military courtesy. It's that simple. I can separate the two. If you can as well, we won't have issues." She smiled.

"I am professional all the time, off and on duty. If I could be on duty and naked then even better, but I can't. So when I'm off duty and in my quarters I take off my clothes. Be free so to speak. As for death, well, once you are close to death you tend to not fear it at all. Death makes living seem simple in comparison." Sarah said simply.

Stephanie had always thought of it the other way around, but she decided to drop the subject. She was satisfied this woman wouldn't try to get herself and others killed, and that had to do. "Like I said, when you're off duty you don't have to be professional. And when I'm off duty you don't have to treat me like your boss. You can if you want to, but I don't require you to snap to attention and all this other military formality, okay?"

"I wasn't going to snap to attention in the first place. After all, we are all human and we all have certain relaxation needs. I just happen to have been raised to facilitate those needs personally." Sarah said with a half smile.

"Should I declare you responsible for coordinating R'n'R activities?" Stephanie asked mock-seriously. "But that's good. It's a healthy attitude. Like I said, as long as you can keep the two separate, we'll be on friendly terms."

"My form of relaxation is more..... sexual. Sex does have ways of relieving tension and the race doesn't matter either. Everyone needs tension relieved every once in a while or people go insane." Sarah said in her usual casual tone.

"I'm sure lots of our little detachment will be delighted to hear that", Stephanie replied, chuckling softly. "But it's probably not what we should plan for official leisure activities."

"We won't have a holodeck, that would make things way easier, so we gotta have our fun in other more creative ways." Sarah said winking at Stephanie.

"Oh, I'm all for it", Stephanie agreed. "I just don't want to make it an official recommendation, so that those who don't want to participate won't have to explain themselves."

"Understandable." Sarah said getting up and grabbed a fresh jump suit out of the replicator and put it up and zipped up.

"Oh, and don't be naked outside the shower, the locker room or your quarters, please", Stephanie said.

"Oh where is the fun in that?" Sarah chuckled. "I was already told these things more times than I care to remember by those who rescued me when I first knew what clothes were meant for." Sarah said calmly.

"Well, as long as you do as you're told in that regard, everything's fine." Stephanie stood. "Remember, if you need anything, ask." She headed for the door. "Good day, Corporal."

"Sir." Sarah said as she laid down on her bunk to try to get some extra sleep.

Stephanie stopped. "Don't call me Sir. It's either Ma'am, or Gunny. Or Step, when we're off duty. Never Sir." With that, she left the room.