Insecurities and Embarkations (Working title)

Posted on Sun Jun 6th, 2021 @ 7:25pm by Captain Björn Kodak & Andrew Munro

Mission: The Place of Skulls
Location: Grand Delphinium Resort, Isle of Delphi, Risa
Timeline: Mission Day 1 at 0730

[Grand Delphinium Resort]
[Isle Delfino, Risa]
[MD 1: 07:30 Hours]

Soft repeating tones grew louder and more insistent until Andrew Munro stirred from his deep, dreamless slumber. He tried to command it to stop, but his mouth was so dry that he couldn't quite form any words. An uncoordinated slap to the bedside control panel silenced the irritation.

"Good morning. The time is oh-seven-thirty hours." The automated voice reported as curtains and blinds retracted to allow daylight to spill into the room.

Andrew rolled onto his back and extended his arm across the bed. The feel of cool linen in place of the expected warm flesh confused him momentarily but as his mind grasped the significance of the smooth, undisturbed profile of the sheet, he sat up in a panic. Björn was gone. His eyes darted to the place where they'd left their packed bags, landing on Björn's duffel bag. Still there. The sight put him at ease and he let out a long sigh. Today was the day. He'd dreaded it for weeks until he too, would be going along. It didn't feel real though, at least not yet. Perhaps that was why he still feared being left behind.

Björn's side of the bed was untouched, but a PADD still lay beside it. The rays of sunlight beaming in from the balcony almost obscured the message light flashing on it. If he'd woken up earlier, it would have been the most noticeable thing in the dark room. The message was for him, reassuring him that everything was fine and notifying him that Björn had already beamed up. He hoped that it had been a courtesy, that Björn didn't think he needed the reassurance. He realised that a second anxiety nestled in there. Performance anxiety. It mattered to him what Björn thought of him and today was also the day that Björn becomes his boss, albeit indirectly. Reports on him and his performance would be crossing Björn's desk.

He tried to push those anxieties to the back of his mind as he entered the bathroom. He had little idea what it was going to be like, but in case they only had sonic showers on the ship, he was going to enjoy one last long hot water shower here. Invigorating water jets massaged him for a full twenty minutes, stripping off the sweat and scents from the establishment they'd visited the night before. He chose a somewhat conservative outfit comprising a blue shirt with black trim paired with black trousers and shoes. It echoed the colour scheme Starfleet used for their Science division. He figured that if anyone made any assumptions based on that, they'd at least be correct. The comm badge made him pause. The shiny Starfleet delta wasn't an unfamiliar sight, but this one was his and that still felt odd. Catching his own image in the mirror as he attached it to his chest, he felt like an impostor. Yet another feeling to repress. Hopefully their counselor wouldn't be a telepath, then he may have a chance of hiding this mess.

A polite knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. A handsome Risian man entered, pulling a luggage cart behind him. "Good morning sir," the young man addressed him. "You have baggage to transport to the USS Sojourner?"

"Yes, right here," Andrew replied as he picked up two bags and headed towards the cart.

A look somewhere between surprise and alarm crossed the Risian's face for a moment before reverting to the practised smile. "Please, allow me," he emplored. "We take care of this for our guests."

"Oh," Andrew handed over the bags he had picked up. "I'm not really a guest".

The look of confusion crossed the Risian's face again as Andrew saw the man's eyes briefly flick down to his comm badge.

"I mean I've worked here, on Risa, for years." Andrew looked at his own comm badge and back to the man. "I transferred. We ship out today." He paused to collect himself a little. "It's my first day"

There was now understanding behind the man's smile. "May I suggest a little breakfast before you depart? We have a number of relaxed cafés that would be happy to cater for your needs."

"Yes, that sounds great. Thank you." Andrew took the hint. Get some food in you, relax, pull yourself together then show up at your new workplace.

"What's ours is yours," the man smiled back in response.

The advice was good. After three coffees, fresh fruits, and a few pastries, Andrew felt much more like himself and the insecurities had faded into the back of his mind. Walking out for one last look at the beach, he noted that the time was now 08:50. Tapping the comm badge on his chest, he informed the Sojourner that he was ready to beam up at their convenience.

A minute later, the view of the beach faded in a blue tinged shimmer and was replaced with a somewhat busy transporter room.


[ Transporter Room 1]
[ USS Sojourner ]
[ MD 1: 08:55 Hours ]


The doors hissed open to admit Captain Kodak, clad in his crisp Starfleet uniform and an anxious smile. The anticipation of this particular moment was heady: in fact, the Chameloid had been half-sure Andrew wouldn't come, abdicating the offer at the 11th hour and sending a Dear John letter in his place. But that was Björn's insecurities talking. Andrew had given him zero reason to think, in actuality, that he'd eschew shipping out with his partner for parts unknown. Even so, it seemed the Chameloid actually needed to see Andrew follow through to become comfortable in truth's light.

He was coming. And with a nod to the transporter operator and just a moment's passing, he was there. The sparkling haze of the transporter beam deposited the biologist on the pad. Under the lights above, Andrew looked resplendent in his science-officer-esque garb. For a moment, Kodak considered how odd having his civilian partner on his starship was. While it was true that, in some limited capacities, Andrew would operate under his authority, Björn was just thankful that the man wasn't an actual Starfleet officer. That would have been immensely harder.

Stepping forward, Björn swept his arms out and embraced his lover with first a ginger kiss followed by an excited bear hug. "You came," he breathed, relief flooding through his body. He held the hug longer than he otherwise might, as if feeling Andrew so burly and in the flesh was an emotional anchor Björn sorely needed. "I'm so sorry I had to leave so early. There's a lot I need to tell you, handsome," the Chameloid smiled, "but it can wait until after I've shown you our new quarters. And probably your lab, come to think of it," he smirked.

The hug had been exactly what Andrew needed. From today, he no longer lived or worked in a familiar place and he'd been feeling untethered. He wasn't even sure what to do or where he should go after beaming up so it had been a relief to see Björn there to greet him. It was an even bigger relief that Björn seemed the same. Only a few hours had passed since they had last seen each other but Andrew had been worried that once Björn was back in command of a ship, he'd somehow be different. A large smile spread across his face, partly due to the relief, and partly because he was just noticing how good Björn looked in uniform.

"Lead the way, Sir" Andrew smirked in return.

Smiling back, Björn nodded and held out his right hand. Once Andrew had taken it, the Chameloid turned, offering the transporter operator a smirk. "Thanks for the hot tip about this guy wanting to beam up," he said, chuckling as both he and Andrew stepped down from the transporter pad.

"Of course, sir," the technician grinned back, bemused to see the Captain so obviously smitten with the new arrival. "You two have fun!" This was said to Andrew, who was not a superior officer and thus a valid target for some informal joking.

As the transporter room doors swished open and then closed behind them, Björn squeezed the human's hand just a little harder and guided him down the hallway. "Welcome to the USS Sojourner, your -- our," he corrected himself, "new home for the foreseeable future. She's nimble, quick, and has teeth. She's also," Björn turned to smile warmly at Andrew, "pretty cozy. Not a lot of room on this ship, which is why most folks outside of the Captain and First Officer have bunkmates. Even Debbie is doubling up. Was hoping we'd have an extra VIP cabin for her...for her years of service," he qualified, "but we just don't have the room for it."

Their footfalls led them into a turbolift. "Deck two," Björn ordered, nodding as another crew member entered the lift with them. The man was clad in Sciences blue and took up station at the front of the lift car. Bearded, tall, and obviously well-toned, the man was quite attractive to look at, though a tad on the young side. His single silver pip denoted him as an Ensign.

Standing behind him, the Chameloid's golden eyes playfully flicked from Andrew to the officer and then back again. While not at all a telepath, words weren't necessary for Björn's meaning to come across. After all, he and Andrew had played this game on Risa many a time. The look was meant to say, "Well...would you then?" Obviously, he was wondering if the man in question was cute enough to go after, should Andrew be so inclined. The biologist was, after all, a bit of a horn dog. Once he'd been supplied with copious amounts of liquor, at least.

Andrew grinned at Björn, he knew the game but hadn't been expecting to play it here. He extended a hand towards the young man's toned buttocks and mocked a squeezing motion without making actual contact.

Smirking, Björn rolled his eyes and followed Science Man out as the lift doors swished open. He seemed to be going in the same direction they were, though the Captain was unsure if that meant the man worked in Sickbay or the Bio Lab. While Kodak had hand-picked his senior staff and some of the other roles, some of the junior officers had been assigned by Starfleet. This one in particular was one such case. "Headed for Sickbay, Ensign?" he asked innocently enough, increasing his volume to be better heard from ahead.

"Oh. Um, no sir," he replied, slowing his gait to fall in at the Captain's left side while Andrew occupied the right. At this point, the three of them were taking up the whole corridor's breadth but, with no one else trying to get by, it wasn't a problem. "Bio Lab actually. Ensign Davies, sir. Junior science officer with a specialty in entomology."

"Nice to meet you, Ensign," Kodak nodded, reaching to his left to offer a hand in greeting. "This is my partner, Doctor Andrew Munro. He's..."

"The civilian biologist I heard was coming aboard! I checked out some of your work," Davies smiled wide at Andrew. "What you were doing on Bajor was fascinating stuff. I'm sure you'll have no end of interesting things to do out in the Delta Quadrant." It was Davies' turn to offer a hand, this one to his new coworker. "If you ever need a bug guy, I'm your man," he chortled a bit, suddenly envisioning himself an actual half-man, half-bug. "Well, maybe bug-inclined guy," he amended with a smile.

"Thank you," Andrew replied as he gave the young man's hand a firm shake. "I'll keep that in mind." The recognition had taken him by surprise and he felt slightly guilty about the gesture in the turbolift. That could have been awkward. "Perhaps you could show me what you've been working on later?"

"Absolutely," Davies beamed. He was certainly enthusiastic and seemed to relish the prospect of talking about bugs. "Just stop by the Bio lab once you're settled."

"We're actually headed there now...which is why it might seem like we're stalking you a bit, Ensign," Kodak responded with mirth.

"Oh! Well in that case, please..." Davies gestured, "follow me."

Their collective footfalls brought the trio to the laboratory in question. As its doors hissed open, Davies led the way, clearly having already visited his new home-away-from-quarters. The lab was state-of-the-art: a burgeoning home base from which to conduct all manners of biological science. Various stations housed microscopes, chemical compounds, scales, computer access panels, and other necessary equipment for no end of study and research purposes. It was clear Starfleet did not skimp when it came to providing the brand-new Sojourner with all its researchers would need for successful bio work.

"Welcome to the Bio Lab," Davies said proudly, leading the group inward enough for the doors to close behind them. "I admit, I'm kinnnnnd of in love with this lab. We've got pretty much anything you could ever ask for, to be honest. Including a dedicated specimen transport system!" he said, moving to pat a certain console affectionately. "Would you believe we can just hold specimens in transporter buffer stasis until they're needed? I've already got a bunch of my bugs loaded in. Some of them tend towards short life cycles, so it helps their longevity, you see." The young man was bordering on giddy as he talked about his specimens. "What do you think of this place?" he asked Andrew and Kodak both, though he figured it would be Munro who would appreciate the lab most.

"Quite impressive," Kodak nodded impassively. Science was not at all his forte. "Sounds like you'll be quite happy here, Ensign. How about you...Doctor?" He chuckled at using Andrew's title, turning to his paramour and affixing him with a smirk to end all smirks.

"Huh?" Andrew hadn't been listening, distracted by a shiny new spectrophotometer with a cutting-edge holographic user interface that seemed incredibly intuitive. He'd been flicking through the configuration settings, noting that it could operate in the infrared, visible and ultraviolet ranges of the spectrum with multiple beam settings and an adjustable diffraction monochromator. There were way more settings than he knew the purpose for but the question took his attention away from his curious fiddling and back to the current conversation. Björn was looking directly at him and was wearing an enormous grin, like a parent who was watching their children discover that they had been given the very best of toys.

"It's great," Andrew replied. "Better than great. Amazing." He swept his gaze around the lab and back to the men who were waiting for him to expand on his verdict. "It just feels kinda weird, I've never been in a lab before where everything is brand new and the capabilities are so comprehensive."

"You and me both," Björn smirked back. "If it's all that, we'll take it," the Captain said, turning to Davies as if talking to a realtor who was giving them a tour of a prospective house. "I think Doctor Munro here will be quite happy on this little island of science. Bugs notwithstanding," Kodak noticeably shivered at the thought. "We appreciate the tour, Ensign. Thank you." Turning back to Andrew, he asked, "Well, now that you've seen the office, how about visiting our new quarters? We can wrestle for which side of the bed we want," he chuckled, his teeth partially bared in his grin.

"I can hardly wait," Andrew grinned back. It may have been a joke, but the idea of wrestling the burly Chameloid had a certain appeal to it and was lingering in Andrew's mind.

Having left Davies behind, Björn took Andrew by the hand and led him -- once again -- into the turbolift. This time, the lift was empty as it sped them along the breadth and depth of the ship, spitting them out close to their shared quarters. "I stopped in briefly this morning. I'm...afraid it's not as big as our suite on Risa," he said, stepping up to the doors as they swished open and gesturing Andrew through, "but I think they'll do for now, hmm?"

Before them, the main living space not so much as sprawled out as it did slightly stretch. There was room enough for a small sectional sofa and a coffee table; there, too, was as a small dining table set against an expansive window looking out and over Risa. Empty book shelves limned the replicator while generic paintings of stellar phenomenon graces the walls. Ahead, two open doors led into two rooms beyond: one the bedroom, the other a private office. The bathroom was visible through the office rather than the bedroom, which seemed a curious design choice though it was what it was.

"Welcome to our new home, boy," Björn said warmly, turning to remove the duffel bag that Andrew had slung over his arm. He plopped it down onto the floor and grabbed the younger man roughly by the tunic, dragging him two steps forward into prime closeness range. "I fucking missed you," he breathed, pulling Andrew in and gently touching his lips with his own. The kiss was warm, sensual, and inviting...but as Andrew's tongue attempted to enter his mouth, Björn rebuked the appendage with his own. Instead, he asserted himself by pushing the tongue back with his own as he lifted the man off his feet.

Andrew closed his eyes as he capitulated to the invading tongue, allowing his mind to focus on the feel of it exploring his mouth. He was unaware that they were both moving closer to the bed until Björn thrust him down onto it, the hands that were lifting him by the tunic now applying downward pressure to pin him in place. Before he could react, Björn had climbed on top, trapped his legs and taken control of both his wrists. The wide grin had returned to Björn's face as Andrew realised that he couldn't move any of his limbs.

"I guess you get to pick your side of the bed then," Andrew conceded with a smile that gave away how much he was enjoying the situation.

"You guess, boy?" Björn grinned widely, warmth effusing from his eyes as he issued a challenge. He held Andrew there for some time, enjoying the feeling of the younger man struggling underneath his weight and muscle but unable to dislodge him. But then, after it'd become clear Andrew was going nowhere unless Björn said so, the older of the two lowered himself down to plant a gentle, sweet kiss on his partner's lips, both of their eyes closing in the process. The kiss lingered even as their lips finally parted, Björn settling himself on the left side of the bed -- affording him his customary left-side-sleeper position.

"So...we're living together now. It's officially official, handsome," Björn cooed, reaching over to gently cup and caress Andrew's bearded cheek. "What's it feel like to be aboard a starship again? And this time, one that's your home?" The question was innocent enough, though the man's eyes carried a certain look of...apprehension? Or perhaps fear about Andrew's answer? He hoped it would be a positive response but, then again, they'd really only just arrived. "Do you think you'll be happy here?" Björn softly wondered.

"I have a good feeling about it." Andrew smiled back as he rolled onto his side and cuddled up to the big Chameloid. "I wouldn't have been happy staying behind so the only path is forwards, wherever that may take us." He squeezed himself into Björn's side as he emphasized the last word, drawing strength from their closeness. The words hadn't been spoken, but Andrew felt that he would follow Björn anywhere.

"I do, too," the older man smiled wistfully, sighing into the snuggly body contact. He pushed his left arm under Andrew's head and neck, then draped another meaty arm around the man's chest, pulling him even closer. Beard tickling the back of his paramour's neck, Björn gently nibbled the skin there before planting a full-on hickey. The act drew a slight gasp from Andrew, the welling of blood underneath the skin bubbling to form a dark purple and pink bruise.

Some might equate such behavior as something a high schooler might do. Who didn't, at one time, get a hickey and a stern talking to from their parents? But for Björn and Andrew, the mark was something else entirely. It was a symbol -- a message to others that this man in the Chameloid's arms was taken. "Something to remind Davies who you belong to," Björn smirked in Andrew's ear. "Keep him from getting ideas, hmm?"

With a chuckle, the Chameloid easily manhandled both of their bodies so that he laid on his back with Andrew now on top, staring down into his eyes. "I'm very, very glad you're here, handsome," Björn smiled, wanting to fall upward into those big, beautiful eyes. "I promise you a life full of interesting things to study and a whole lot of 'us,'" he said then, moving his head to brush his lips with Andrew's. "Today is the start of something new. For both of us," Björn emphasized.


=/\= A joint post by... =/\=

Captain Björn Kodak
Commanding Officer
USS Sojourner

and

Doctor Andrew Munro
Civilian Biologist
USS Sojourner