JL - LtCmdr Rinehart - Lt Lucas - "The Sun Cannot Wait For Long"

Posted on 241408.13 @ 1:49am by Lieutenant Alyssa Lucas & Commander Tierney Rinehart

The officer's mess hall had never been a place Tierney would dare show her face. It was close quarters, busy, entirely too easy for accidents to happen when you're the ships least liked and most hated individual. The computer, however, said it was the only place that she'd be able to locate the Security officer and that the risks would have to be made if she wanted a quick chance to catch the other woman.

Moving through the lunch hour crowd, the Starling ignored the looks and comments she was receiving as she locked eyes on her intended target from across the room and steadily moved in on Lucas until she came to rest beside the other woman's table. "Is this seat taken?" She asked.

Lucas had caught Tierney's look as the woman moved towards her and gave a subtle nod of her head. "Have a seat." Aly said as she sat the Padd she was reading to the side. "What do you need?" Having little doubt it was once more going to be about the doctor.

"Exoneration." The strawberry crowned woman smiled, pulling a PADD out and sliding it across the table. "You'll note that the transmission was intercepted. I could give you the exact time mark if you're unable to pick it up yourself." She said, leaning back against the chair she'd procured and taken a seat in, "Doctor Rogers may be guilty of consorting with Vokar, but that's no more sinister than you or I chatting with a former Captain."

Taking the Padd she looked at it a moment before setting it on the table, one hand over it. "First off, this is the wrong place to be discussing this. But, why is it you think she's down there? Because I don't think you have the full story."

Tierney snorted and crossed her coltish legs, pretending to study her nails. "No. I think this is the perfect place. Can't hide from the facts out in the open, now can you?" She asked with a grin, dropping her hands into her lap. "I know you and she got in a little cat fight. I know you have a personal vendetta. Who's to say you weren't the one who framed roger rabbit?" She asked with a shrug, "You're the supposed Chief of Security who let a doctor get away from you on the station. You don't think that looks bad? Because, news flash, it looks absolutely rotten from an Intelligence point of view."

"I know full well how it looked, I fully expected to be shipped off this station or at least demoted because of it. But her actions before hand are what warranted the distrust by the Captain and many others. The downfall about being a department head with a rank lower than some, are that some... as the doctor proved... Think they are better then others and can run the show. I followed an order, she took off." She shrugged a little bit.

"I know she's your friend, and I suppose that's one way to keep her from following through on the threats that she's made to people. Maybe I should do like you did and befriend her." Aly said as she reached for her glass a moment.

"Careful, Lieutenant, you walk a fine line here." Tierney countered, failing to move from her haughty little posture. "What's said in conjecture is said in conjecture, Lieutenant. I'm sure you've often threatened to do worse and had no intention of follow through. You're running a witch hunt. The point remains is that it was my head that had the target on it and here I am defending the person you think tipped the moron in station holding off? Why aren't you working with station security to question him? Might be a good idea. Just food for thought."

"First off... Tierney..." She said specifically using the womans name. "You come to me while I'm off duty to talk and now want to pull rank. You need to put yourself in check. Secondly... Her being in the brig doesn't have as much to do with what happened to you on the station. Something that, yes.. I'm already been in the process of investigating, so stop trying to tell me how to do my job and instead focus on your own job. Speaking of, I need the information you have on Thelin." She took a breath before continuing.

"As I was saying, there is a lot more to her being in the Brig. So stop assuming things, that only makes an ass out of you and me. And Thirdly. The Captain is the one that said he wanted her in the brig. He came to me with his concerns after everything that happened on the Station. I simply let him know she was the one that sent me off and after her threats to me and my position I wasn't going to risk not doing what she wanted and it pissing her off."

"So get off your high horse and and act like a commander and not some pissed off friend who doesn't want to see the full picture. Because I'm not going to sit here and take it." She said as she rose, a light shake of her head as a couple other off duty officers looked towards her with concern.

"Oh sweetheart... This is why you're still a Lieutenant. Bar fights over boys and an attitude problem with your superiors. I'm here as an intelligence officer telling you I have information that exonerates a prisoner and you come up with petty nonsense as to why you insist on locking her up. If we follow your line of reasoning, you should be behind one of your own forcefields." Tierney tutted her tongue at the lack of professionalism. "We're at war. You're always on duty, suck it up and get with the program. I am my job. I live it day in and day out without a single moment of down time. The sooner you realize I know everything that happens on this ship, and others, including what you ate for breakfast, the sooner we're going to get along. Now. As for your little tiffs and cat fights, I suggest you get over it and learn how to play nice with others or up and resign your commission."

The sweet smile failed to leave the pretty little creature's face, her eyes lighting up at the other woman tried desperately to unseat her and failed. Better had tried. She was, however, all too aware of the security officer being far more popular and far more prone to violence. "As for Thelin. The only information I have on him that your ears are worthy of is this; he's innocent of everything you and your cohorts think he's guilty of." She called after the standing woman. A passing waiter looked on in near shock, "I'll have a coke." She said and blew a sigh and settled her adrenaline induced quiver.

As Tierney sat down, Aly placed her hands on the table across from her and spoke low, greens dark with intensity. "First off, you have no clue what I ate for breakfast... trust me, you don't know as much about me as you think you do. You know what I want you to know. I learned a good part of what I know from one of the best intel officers there is. You came to me with info on One of the things that will prove her innocent. Not all of them. As for her being locked up, why not speak to the Captain... you see him often enough, perhaps it can be snuggle talk. And maybe he will tell you that he ordered Scarlet to the Brig, not me. I am trying to find the proof that she's innocent, oddly enough seeing fellow officers in my brig is not my cup of tea. Hence the reason I brought it up to you. She told me to speak to you. But you want to keep hiding stuff that might help the two of them because you want to be a bitch. Fine, I'll speak to the captain and let him know that I'm getting slack for doing my job and that perhaps he needs to find someone else that might be better for this ship. That might not care about anyone but themselves."

Straightening up, Aly turned with her head held high and walked out.

"Eggs Benedict! A fitting meal!" The starling called out, unfazed, unworried, and wrapped her fingers around the cool glass containing her coke as the waiter offered it to her. The mess hall had gone pin silent, all eyes on the little strawberry maned woman who now sat alone. "What? It is. Tasty too." And with that she took a sip of her drink. It was a long, cold, hard road away from perdition.

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Lieutenant Commander Tierney Rinehart
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS ENTERPRISE