THE BATTLE FOR NOW
CHAPTER III
Ensign Terrance Keel stepped out side into the courtyard of Star Fleet Academy's Administration Building, and took in a long, slow, breath of the sweet ocean breeze. "Ahhhhhhh!" He sighed; "Nothing like June in San Francisco!" Keel thought that it couldn't get any better than this. 20 years old, graduated at the top of his class, assigned as Aide to the Head of Star Fleet Academy, who also happens to be one of the most decorated and admired Admirals in the history of Star Fleet,.....Admiral Jean-Luc Picard. Everything was going according to plan. His plan.
"Buy you a drink, Sailor?" Keel spun around, coming face to face with Lt. Commander Robin Lefler. "I'm sorry, ma'am!?" Keel was caught totally offguard, a position he grossly detests. "Don't apologize Ensign, you haven't done anything to be sorry for..........yet!" The beautiful Lt. Commander amusingly retorted. Keel, just stared at her, shocked. "Lefler's rule number 51. Whenever the "keel" of a sleek new ship comes within sensor range........make that first contact!" She continued with the widest, prettiest grin and a set of dimples he could never resist. "Would you mind keeping your voice down? Do you want the entire faculty of Star Fleet Academy to hear?" Keel said in a half whisper as he briskly took her by the arm off the main pathway of the courtyard. "Are you assaulting a superior officer, Ensign." Lefler, laughs still sporting those absolutely delicious dimples. Ensign Keel just couldn't believe the situation he'd gotten himself into, ever since meeting this Warp Core of passion, two months ago. Seven years his senior, head of the Academy's Engineering Department and a superior officer. These kinds of relationships were definitely not the norm, but not being the norm was what Robin Lefler was all about.
"Oh calm down! Take her down to impulse power, Terry!" The bemused Lt. Commander says, shaking her finger at him in a mock dressing down. "I just don't want this whole thing to get out of hand! We have careers to think about, Robin." Keel had a game plan and a romance with a senior officer was not part of it. But the gravitational pull she generated on him was overpowering.
"Anyway, Terry, isn't it just terrible about the Cairo?" She asked, glancing around to make sure no one else was within earshot." Keel looked up to the stars, shaking his head; "I still can't believe it. Captain Jellico was one of my idols." "And the top Starship Captain of the fleet, since Admiral Picard took the position here at Star Fleet Academy." Lefler added. "Did you know he was up for command of the "Tiberius"? she continued? "The "Tiberius", no I didn't know." The "Tiberius" thought Keel. Star Fleet's newest Prometheus Class, Star Ship. Touted as the ultimate ship of exploration and named after Captain James T. Kirk, the Tiberius was also rumored to be the most heavily shielded and armed ship in the fleet. Robin interrupts Keel's musings. "Terry! Terry! The scuttlebutt around the big wig's is that the Cairo was destroyed by, get this, Kahless Class Battlecruisers!" "What? You've got to be joking!" Keel just couldn't buy the thought of 300 year old Klingon ships still in operation, let alone destroying a Federation Star Ship. "And that's not all" Robin continued; "I was walking near the Temporal Mechanics Complex and they've closed off another wing. That makes a total of 3 in the last year!" It was obvious that Robin was really bothered by this. "Well" Keel snaps; "Let's head to ChinaTown for some dim sum and that drink you promised me." Keel says, taking Robin by the arm. Apparently not too concerned as to who might see them. "I just happened to have accidentally overheard a priority one message that Admiral Picard received from Captain Riker of the Enterprise!" "Will Riker?" Robin asks in surprise. "This should be good, Terry. I'll make that 2 drinks."
CHAPTER III
Ensign Terrance Keel stepped out side into the courtyard of Star Fleet Academy's Administration Building, and took in a long, slow, breath of the sweet ocean breeze. "Ahhhhhhh!" He sighed; "Nothing like June in San Francisco!" Keel thought that it couldn't get any better than this. 20 years old, graduated at the top of his class, assigned as Aide to the Head of Star Fleet Academy, who also happens to be one of the most decorated and admired Admirals in the history of Star Fleet,.....Admiral Jean-Luc Picard. Everything was going according to plan. His plan.
"Buy you a drink, Sailor?" Keel spun around, coming face to face with Lt. Commander Robin Lefler. "I'm sorry, ma'am!?" Keel was caught totally offguard, a position he grossly detests. "Don't apologize Ensign, you haven't done anything to be sorry for..........yet!" The beautiful Lt. Commander amusingly retorted. Keel, just stared at her, shocked. "Lefler's rule number 51. Whenever the "keel" of a sleek new ship comes within sensor range........make that first contact!" She continued with the widest, prettiest grin and a set of dimples he could never resist. "Would you mind keeping your voice down? Do you want the entire faculty of Star Fleet Academy to hear?" Keel said in a half whisper as he briskly took her by the arm off the main pathway of the courtyard. "Are you assaulting a superior officer, Ensign." Lefler, laughs still sporting those absolutely delicious dimples. Ensign Keel just couldn't believe the situation he'd gotten himself into, ever since meeting this Warp Core of passion, two months ago. Seven years his senior, head of the Academy's Engineering Department and a superior officer. These kinds of relationships were definitely not the norm, but not being the norm was what Robin Lefler was all about.
"Oh calm down! Take her down to impulse power, Terry!" The bemused Lt. Commander says, shaking her finger at him in a mock dressing down. "I just don't want this whole thing to get out of hand! We have careers to think about, Robin." Keel had a game plan and a romance with a senior officer was not part of it. But the gravitational pull she generated on him was overpowering.
"Anyway, Terry, isn't it just terrible about the Cairo?" She asked, glancing around to make sure no one else was within earshot." Keel looked up to the stars, shaking his head; "I still can't believe it. Captain Jellico was one of my idols." "And the top Starship Captain of the fleet, since Admiral Picard took the position here at Star Fleet Academy." Lefler added. "Did you know he was up for command of the "Tiberius"? she continued? "The "Tiberius", no I didn't know." The "Tiberius" thought Keel. Star Fleet's newest Prometheus Class, Star Ship. Touted as the ultimate ship of exploration and named after Captain James T. Kirk, the Tiberius was also rumored to be the most heavily shielded and armed ship in the fleet. Robin interrupts Keel's musings. "Terry! Terry! The scuttlebutt around the big wig's is that the Cairo was destroyed by, get this, Kahless Class Battlecruisers!" "What? You've got to be joking!" Keel just couldn't buy the thought of 300 year old Klingon ships still in operation, let alone destroying a Federation Star Ship. "And that's not all" Robin continued; "I was walking near the Temporal Mechanics Complex and they've closed off another wing. That makes a total of 3 in the last year!" It was obvious that Robin was really bothered by this. "Well" Keel snaps; "Let's head to ChinaTown for some dim sum and that drink you promised me." Keel says, taking Robin by the arm. Apparently not too concerned as to who might see them. "I just happened to have accidentally overheard a priority one message that Admiral Picard received from Captain Riker of the Enterprise!" "Will Riker?" Robin asks in surprise. "This should be good, Terry. I'll make that 2 drinks."
