Ensign Sally Clark, Security
Ensign Jill Ruiz, Engineering
Ensign Thecla, Navigator beta shift, Andorian
Petty Officer First Class Emily Mallum, Captain's Yeoman
Petty Officer Second Class Sinead Rossi, Diagnostic and Repair Technician
Crewman First Class Krista Manning, Yeoman
Crewman Third Class Sonia Francis, Yeoman
Organizing a gathering was difficult when the participants were scattered across three duty shifts, but Lian was determined. Her roommate gamely went along with the plan, taking on the responsibility of verbally delivering the invitations. Lian was grateful for her help; Jill wasn't really much on planned social events, but she also understood the need to blow off steam every once in awhile.
Besides, there was no better way to get closer to your shipmates than by dishing about the rest of them. All in good fun, of course.
Sinead came over early to help Lian set up while Jill was finishing out her swapped shift. "Ugh, I need this. Someone decided that every last circuit on the ship needed to be tested. I've been crawling through Jefferies tubes all day."
Lian made a sympathetic noise, privately taking mental note. She had ambitions toward her own ship one day, and she knew that officers didn't give frivolous orders-there had to be a reason for the inspection. But she could also sympathize with Technician Rossi's frustration. Sometimes explanations got lost between the upper decks and the enlisted crew.
"Well, we're just about ready. Krista's bringing snacks and I've got plenty of synthehol."
Sinead eyed her. "Any real stuff?"
Lian grinned. "Enough for everyone to have a taste, at least." She waved toward the assembled motley grouping of containers: a half-carafe of Andorian ale donated by Ensign Thecla, a hoarded mouthful of Saurian brandy she was reserving for herself, and an actual bottle of Kentucky bourbon that Lian had decided Ensign Mallum must have "borrowed" from the captain's personal stash. "No Romulan ale, sadly."
Sinead snorted. "Like you'd waste it on this lot if you had any."
Guests started arriving. No commissioned officers above the rank of ensign permitted, that was the rule; the rest were noncoms of various grades. The captain's yeoman had been invited only on vows of the strictest confidence and now Emily sat with her drink, smiling quietly, enjoying the rare company of her peers. The "No men allowed" rule had been hotly debated, but eventually they all decided that everyone would feel more comfortable with others of more-or-less the same gender. (Ensign Thecla was zhen and female by most classifications.)
There'd been some uncomfortable discussion about certain other members of the crew, but Sinead declared that she'd overheard Sally Clark cursing over a glitch in a phaser bank relay "and believe me, that woman has the filthiest mouth I've ever heard on a human being. We want her here."
Jill came off shift and rushed to change while Lian made small talk with their guests. Sally and Thecla and Emily all seemed pleased by the gathering, and doubly so when Krista showed up with a tray of savory pastries and apple turnovers still hot out of the oven.
"Door locked?"
Lian gave Sinead an irritated look. Trust Sinead to always look for a flaw. "Yeah, unless some superior officer orders it open, so let's make sure to keep it down." She grinned at the others. "The question of the evening, ladies: who would you go for, if you had the chance?"
She'd barely voiced the question before there was a chime at the door. They all blinked at each other and Lian frowned; she hadn't been expecting anyone else. The only invitee not present was Jasmine Higgins, because she had a previous engagement for "family night" at her quarters.
Jill got up to look. "It's Sonia Francis."
Sinead groaned. "Security chief's wife? No way. She'll rat us out."
But Sonia was holding a bottle of something green up to the door and that was enough to buy her entry. Besides, everyone liked Sonia; she tried really, really hard to keep the crew's spirits up. A little too hard sometimes, but you couldn't fault the woman for trying.
"Grab a drink and a seat," Lian told her, examining the offered bottle. Aldebaran whiskey, nice. "I'll start: if I had my pick of the men on this ship, I'd be all over Commander Lee in a heartbeat."
"You'd have to get in line," Sally said dryly.
Sonia laughed, her voice ringing through the cabin. "Oh, this game. Anyone got a lech for my husband? Wouldn't blame you, he's a total fox." Sinead sheepishly put her hand up and Sonia beamed. "Excellent taste. I mean, I'd gut you if you tried anything, but points for good judgment."
"Well, you must understand that the males aboard this ship are not appealing to me on anything other than an aesthetic level..." Thecla began, and then grinned. "Nor the females either, for that matter. Yet on the whole, I find many of the crew visually pleasing."
Krista piped up, her voice dreamy. "Commander Bishop..."
Lian gave her a sympathetic smile. "Everyone knows about your thing for the commander. Give it up, Krista. He's only got eyes for the captain."
"And dick for the first officer," Sinead said, ostensibly sotto voce, but the sputters and giggles from around the room made it clear that she'd neglected to moderate her volume.
"That's just a rumor," Krista said hotly. "No one's ever proved anything."
"The way the bounty on a pic keeps going up, though, it's just a matter of time." Lian sipped appreciatively at her brandy. "But it's understandable, they're both hot. What I don't get is how the captain can keep her hands off either of them. Or both."
"Self-control." Sally proclaimed firmly, almost reluctantly. "She...doesn't want to put either of them in a compromising position." She smirked slightly, diffusing the slight tension her input had caused. "Any more than they're putting themselves in, that is."
Krista sat back sulking while the others laughed.
But Lian knew how it felt to fall for an unobtainable officer and thought it'd be best if she directed the focus of the conversation elsewhere. She pointed at Sally, shaking her head. "Sally, you can't criticize, you've got yourself a total hottie."
"A girl's still got eyes." Sally leaned forward, her voice dropping to a confidential whisper. "And Dr. Stanton, he's got really great hands."
There was a general murmur of agreement around the room.
"Well, if I wasn't happily married," Sonia declared, "I'd...shit, I'd still go for Charlie." She shrugged at their groans and ducked the random small objects thrown her way. Lian was interested to note that Sonia wasn't drinking, despite her generous gift.
"The captain."
The voice came from a previously quiet corner of the room, and after a second, nearly everyone erupted again with enthusiastic agreement. (Lian saw Sally press her lips tightly together and drink over the commotion.) Jill grinned at the response.
Sinead nodded enthusiastically. "Well, if I was considering switching orientation...yeah, the captain. And you seen Jessup, in Security? Total sexy hard ass."
"I think Ensign Phillips is pretty cute," Emily said hesitantly, and Sally whirled around to beam at her.
"Yeah? Listen, I could set you up-" but her face fell at the sight of Emily's frantically waving hands.
"No, no, it's okay, I don't want to...I just want to do my job," Emily finished weakly.
"Doesn't mean you can't have a social life." Sally leaned back, seemingly letting it go, but Lian saw the look on Sally's face that meant she was plotting. Well, good. But that reminded her of a question that she'd been wanting to ask and there was no better time.
"Spill, Clark. Lane's empathy...that's got more uses than counseling, doesn't it."
Sally started to laugh, long and hard. The rest of them shot curious glances between each other and waited for her answer.
"Well...let's put it this way. Is there any ability or invention that humans haven't tried to use for sex?" Sally drained her glass and put it down, smirking. "Anything more would be telling."
The rest of them all started talking at once, over each other. Sally grinned harder at the commotion and made a zipping motion over her mouth.
Thecla looked around with satisfaction. "This is, I think, an extremely valuable cultural exchange. I feel I understand you all much better now."
"Honey, we haven't even begun to educate you," Sinead said, and stared at the others with a challenging expression. "The real question is, what do you want to do with your pick? In detail."
Lian laughed and opened up another bottle of synthehol. It was gonna be a good night.