<blockquote><div><cite>Eferhilda wrote:</cite>Angela laughed a rather good and hearty laugh at Azzyâ€™s comment â€œYou know that is a lie! I get in trouble for not being harder on you guys!â€ she laughed again looking over as Artemus came to join them, starting in on the questions that were then answered by Drenâ€™s A.I Yuri who made her think of Krato. <br/><br/>â€œShe is just like my Kratoâ€¦I think if I gave him a hologram form in which to be a bother to everyone else I would find my ass in an escape pod and shipped off faster than I could blinkâ€ she chuckled. *I heard that! You know your crappy piloting got me all dinged up and wonâ€™t be in working order for some time now!* he growled in her mind making her smirk and point to her head, â€œLike right now he is bitching to me about how I piloted and how he is all dinged upâ€¦blah blah blahâ€¦â€ her mood definitely improving as she sat there relaxing and unwinding.<br/><br/>Listening to what Dren said about the information that he would offer she nodded, â€œThe Captain will probably be debriefing us and you privately once things settle down for a bit. So what info is exchanged and shared would be dealt with her, though I am thinking that it will be a similar set upâ€ she offered her bit of input with a shrug before picking up a cheese burger and taking a bite of the sandwich and listened to the others as they conversed. *You know he would not judge you for being differentâ€¦* Krato said softly in her mind, *Yeahâ€¦but neither didâ€¦.well you knowâ€¦* she replied looking down at her plate. *True but he left and you have not heard word from him in a while nowâ€¦could be time to move onâ€¦* Krato said again his words making her sigh before taking another bite of her burger. *Be that as it may I would appreciate it if you were not so quick to trying to set me up, with for the most part a complete stranger. Geez I just met him!* she snapped back, perhaps a bit too harsh cause Krato was quiet for a bit after it. *I am just worried about you. Even though right now you are relaxing your guard is not really down and you just keep everything bottled up inside. When you were with him you had him to open up to and nowâ€¦I just worry* Krato said making her sigh again. *I know...I worry tooâ€¦* she simply replies before continuing eating, the conversation basically ending there. <br/><br/>Veronica knew that she and Jared were going to have to have a talk when this business with the captain was through, even if he knew why she had been away from her station she still wanted to talk to him about it. The tension and stress she felt pouring off of him was just about hurting her as well, mostly because she felt like she was a major cause for it all. This notion being confirmed as they walked toward the Captainâ€™s office and he suddenly grabbed her up and pulled her into an alcove where he then just held her, held her close. On a mixture of instinct and need she returned the embrace, her arms wrapping about him tightly holding him close to her, his whispered words tugging at strings in her heart in a way she did not even think possible. â€œI wonâ€™tâ€ is all she could manage to whisper back to him as they held one another, away from prying eyes, almost as if they were not even on the ship at all. <br/><br/>Then just like that it was over and they were composing themselves before entering the Captainâ€™s office,<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">â€œHereâ€™s maintenance report maâ€™am. It looks like the Stalking Cat is going to be down for while.â€ He stated plainly as he handed her the datapad. Somehow he found the resolve not to appear as if ready to fall apart as he stood there. Sooner or later it was going to fail though.</span><br/><br/>Veronica,at his side giving her own salute and dropping it when the Captain returned it, though the look of anger in those piercing blue eyes of herâ€™s made Veronica swallow hard and send a silent prayer to whoever was listening to be with her for this meeting.<br/><br/>Captain Troy looked over the datapad, her head resting on her hand as she scanned it, the frown she had when they entered deepening from both the data and the actions of Veronica today. Still despite everything else she was not blind to how Jared stood, and the look in his eyes. She, like most everyone else on the ship, knew about the relationship that he and Veronica shared. She was even privy to the date they had planned for that day, well the special gift he got since such things ended up getting to the captain eventually. It was perhaps for this reason and this reason alone that she chose to spare Veronica, at least for now and while Jared was there. â€œThank you for the report. Until further notice all pilots are to relax and try to unwind for a bit. We are still on alert but I want my pilots to be well rested and of the right â€˜mindâ€™ for when we are attacked again. So just consider yourself on leave for the time being, we should be safe for a few days with that jump and our systems are back up and running again with added precautions so we should be good there as wellâ€ she said to them standing and moving to her replicator to get herself a cup of hot chocolate. Turning to face them as they still stood there, â€œWhat are you two still doing here?â€ she asked with a grin, the replicator beeping indicating that her drink was done. Taking it and bringing it to her lips she blew on it gently, â€œGo on and get out of here. You two are free and I have work to do. So go on now and go, youâ€™re dismissedâ€ she told them with a smile before taking a slow sip of her drink.<br/><br/>Meredith did not get her rank by being a cold hearted bitch, though that was a part of it; she got it also from her ability to read people. Most importantly the people under her and so she knew when to push and when to relax; this was one of those times. So she was going to let something pass for now, so that she had a whole and solid team to defend her ship. This did not mean that Veronica was completely free from trouble, she would get her due punishment, but for now making sure Jared and her got the time they needed was more important. So she would let it go for now while she continued with the reports and everything else that came with running a ship. Her crew and pilots may have their days off, but she never really ever stopped working, not that she complained about it either since this was something she always wanted and felt that she was cut out for. So with drink in hand she went back to her desk to get back to work, her ship and crew needed her and that was just how she liked it.</div></blockquote>