When you are missing, do you know you are missing

Posted on Sat Nov 18th, 2017 @ 5:47pm by Dixoho Saa (*)

Mission: Mission 5 - Liberation
Location: Deck 4 - Senior Officer Quarters
Timeline: MD29 - 04:00
1130 words - 2.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Dixoho slowly walked into her quarters yawning to herself. She yanked the hair tie and clips out of her long hair as she stepped into the dark shared quarters, it was all she could do to stay awake for a few more minutes to have a quick shower before she crawled into bed to do it all again in five hours. She was beyond tired after an unexpected double and a bit shift and feeling guilty for missing her date with Markus, she hoped he got the message she had quickly sent through the Engine Control Room watchkeeper otherwise he would be worried about her till he found her again. She had been only expecting to do Alpha but with no one else to man the bridge she had to do Beta shift and then part of Gamma shift until Gregnol had taken over as Bridge Watch Keeper.

“Gees you made me jump!” Dixoho nearly screamed as she saw a figure sat on her couch. It had been weeks since she had agreed that he could have access to her quarters to watch films or stuff whilst she was on shift and she hadn’t expected him to be there.

Marcus had heard the door open but had not wanted to startle Dix so stayed on the couch. The video was an action sequence so he figured she would hear it. Instead she nearly jumped out of her skin? He jumped up "well you said you were working late so I came here after my shift." He had stopped at his own quarters to clean up and shower first as he did not want to seem too casual about coming here. "I made fish and chips for dinner, it is on the hot plate in the kitchenette. I was waiting for you to have dinner. I sat down and was watching this action flick. I sort of lost track of the time." He had a sad puppy dog expression "I can leave if you are too tired? I sort of thought you would be happy to see me here?" He sat down and began putting on his shoes. "Go ahead and enjoy the fish and chips I can stop by the messhall and get something else on the way home."

"It is Zero four hundred," Dixie said sleepily smiling at him just sat there like it was the middle of the day not the middle of the day. "I expected you to have given up waiting up for me and gone to bed." She admitted moving to the small alcove looking at the food. "You made food? You didn't wait for me to eat right?" She wondered turning back. It wasn't exactly a big room, it had been modified from the original days of where all crew whether they were Captain or crewman eat in the mess but it wasn't that modified.

Marcus nodded "Yes I made food but no worries Dixoho I did not leave a mess." He laughed as he walked over to her "and no I did not eat without you? Why would I do that." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her shoulder "welcome home."

"No space to make a mess. This shouldn't be in the room so this is something to be appreciated." She said of the kitchenette. She smiled at the man wrapping an arm around her. "Hi." She said sleepily thinking up one of the chips. "Reuben replaced me on the bridge." She admitted.

"Replaced you? I am afraid I don't understand, I mean the helm is the one station that always has to be crewed? Where did he find three pilots from? Three better than you as well." Markus kissed her hair. "Tell you what you are tired right now. How about you sit down, we eat a bit then go to bed, you can talk when you wake up?" Markus released her to open the food kept warm in a sealed container so it would remain as it was when first cooked. He put half on each plate and put one plate on the table in front of Dixoho.

"He is covering himself. He isn't at the helm, I don't do helm. I navigate so the pilot can supervise the computers piloting, correct any flight deviations I give them or if computer automation fails pilot themselves etc. I was the watchkeeper for Beta and Gamma." Dixoho chuckled with a small smirk as she grabbed her knife and fork tucking in.

Markus frowned as he chewed, "if you are not navigating then what task were you assigned?" He reached across the table to cover one of her hands with his. "Did he give a reason? I mean is he so bored he needs something to do?" Markus liked the Captain but this made no sense. He and Dixoho spent many evenings in the stellar observatory and he was positive she knew her trade, as well as anybody, did.

"One of the senior officers has to be on the bridge at all times." She said moving her hand to twine her fingers through his. "He took pity and started his watch early to let me get to sleep." She shrugged feeling like they were having a very surreal date at 04:00.

Markus laughed "geez Dixoho you said replaced and I thought you meant took you out of the rotation." He relaxed noticeably "Whew. I thought something had gone wrong."

"He replaced me as the watchkeeper." She said clueless as to what the issue was. Gregnol had come to replace her position on the bridge.

Markus laughed "lets just go to bed Dixoho, your making no sense at this point." He began cleaning up his part of the mess from eating "either that or I am not awake enough to understand you." He moved behind her caressing her shoulder "because one answer you're not helm then you are and then your not? Now you were again? I may sleep through breakfast at this point so don't wake me okay?" Markus started stripping off his cloths as he walked toward the bed, folding them neatly to place on the chair for the next day.

Dixoho frowned a little at the man and his confusion at not understanding the Bridge. She slowly moved into her bedroom and sat on the bed leaning over to take off her heavy boots. He was right about one thing she was tired and relieved that Reuben had checked in at 03:00 to find her still on watch. The man had gotten annoyed that she hadn't told him beforehand and that she had been determined to just suffer through.

OFF:

Dixoho Saa
Chief Navigator
SS Mary Rose
(PNPC Gregnol)

Markus Bannon
Engineer
SS Mary Rose
(PNPC MacCloud)