Baumann Returns (first meeting on the planet)
May 20, 2020 2:19:36 GMT
Post by Admin on May 20, 2020 2:19:36 GMT
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 7:53 PM
The message had been cryptic and even with prying, she couldn't pin down who sent it. Sighing as the time came close, she went to the station transporter and went to the surface. The Bonnie was at half power while being refitted in a couple key areas and she wasn't gonna trust her own transporters at this time.
She had been told to meet an important person at the Silver Moon Hotel pool area. Of all the lush and grand lanscape and wilderness on the continent, the station had managed to make a hotel with pool and several eateries. Being on the far side of the planet meant they weren't discovered so it wasn't a problem. The problem was Ari, who promised she wouldn't come down here more than was absolutely necessary. She had taken the chance, with the meeting being at the hotel, that it wasn't a formal occasion. She was in a long wrap up dress similar to a sari in a fading shade of blue rising from dark at the hem to almost white at the top. Like the crest of an ocean wave. She had had it in the back of her closet forever and never had a reason to wear it.
There were single silver circlets at her wrists and neck. But other than the lace up blace sandles, she wasn't dressed up further. Her hair was down and halfway pulled back on the sides with two silver barettes. She had been told by several on the station that the operators and Command staff preferred attire like this, casual yet dressy. So she had done it in expectation of just that.
Moving out of the hotel and into the pool area, she scanned the area searching for someone searching for her. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 8:39 PM
There was no one to be seen at first... at least, not out in the open. A ripple moved through the water, and a closer look would reveal a person sliding through the water at a depth of a few feet.
As she stood near one edge of the pool, the blue tranquility parted and a familiar figure half emerged from the water at her fee. Short cut blonde hair and piercing blue eyes in a face flanked by two perfectly matched scars, one on each cheek, sought hers; and the unforgettable German baritone said "guten Nachmittag, Frau Bovar. It is indeed good to see you again." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 8:41 PM
Her brow furrowed noticing no one out of the ordinary. Then a soft splash and ripple caught her attention. Someone was beneath the water... coming closer. She cocked her head. The muscles made her recall.... someone...
When the face rose from the surface. Her hand went to her mouth and her eyes started to cloud up. She shook her head and started to back up. The Captain tripped on the edge of a chaise and went down hard on the stone surround of the pool. "Baumann....." her voice gasped out a whisper as if she had seen a ghost. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 9:33 PM
He crossed his arms on the edge of the pool, his face the same placid expanse that wa typical of the big German officer. He gave her a moment to compose herself and then said "So, my dear Captain... what brings you to the pool on a day such as this?" <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 9:36 PM
She moved to crawl over and sit on her hip, legs curled under her as she reached out to touch his arm. He was real. "I... was told to meet someone..." She was confused and lost and happy and ... and every emotion all at once. "I thought you were dead. There was so much..." she looked at him and the tears dropped but she was smiling. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 9:47 PM
"So much damage? Hmm... I think it looked worse than it was." he said as if it were just a scratch. But a punctured lung, six broken ribs, a concussion, broken femur, and multiple contusions and lacerations, were anything but. He had, in fact, been in a coma for two months.
"So who is the lucky person who gets to have you meet them on such a glorious day? Professional... or perhaps social?... meeting?" <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 9:49 PM
She shrugged and sat back on her backside. He seemed completely non plussed that she thought he had died and was pleased to see him again. So she glanced around and shook her head. "No idea... either it wasn't important or something came up." She bent her knees and wrapped her arms around them. The long dress covering her to her feet, though her toes peaked out from the material hem. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 9:53 PM
He looked at her and said "I'm sorry, by the way." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 9:55 PM
She had been glancing around, looking for whoever she was supposed to meet when his words brought her back to him. To look at his face. It was him, just like before. Yet something was different. "I forgive you..." she said. The softness in her voice was something he would recognize from long ago. A lifetime, to her, it seemed. She suddenly wished she could go back. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 10:12 PM
Baumann gave her a rare smile and said "Well, you dont know what I am sorry for, but thank you." and then lifted himself out of the water. Sitting with his back half-towards her, the side of his injuries, there were no signs of the past. His skin was clear, no scars visible, and nothing seemed physically different.
"So if this mysterious meeting doesn't take place, are you free for lunch?" he asked. <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 10:17 PM
The water than came out with his hop to the edge started to wet the hem of her dress. She noticed no scars. But it didn't surprise her. He wasn't one for covering his body in them as reminders or trophies. She scooted back till she was on the other side of a small drain where the water went back into the pool and she remained dry. "Of course... seems I'm free anyway. It's almost 30 minutes past when they were due here anyway." She shrugged. She looked at him and part of her wondered what was wrong. Another part of her said he had been thru a lot and probably some nurse lover somewhere who had caught his heart in saving him. She shook herself at the silliness of it all and looked back at him. "I could do lunch... sure." <e>
RhinoYesterday at 10:21 PM
He nodded and said "Good." and he stood and walked over to a chair and grabbed a towel and. a shirt that had been tossed there. "Then we can discuss our meeting." he said flatly and simply extended an arm to the poolside restaurant. <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 10:22 PM
She frowned in confusion. "Wait..." standing up, she took a step in the offered direction. "It was you?" <e>
RhinoYesterday at 10:25 PM
"Is me. Present tense. And we can discuss once we sit." and he followed her inside. "Table for two, please. Away from the hustle and bustle, if possible? Thanks so much." he said to the host as they entered... and with no hint of an accent. <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 10:27 PM
She frowned. Something had changed. She crossed her arms and shivered, despite it not being cold. As they were seated, she had pulled her Captain self tight in once more. "Fine... Is you..." She said and folded her hands in her lap, her fingers fidgeting unconsciously. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 10:31 PM
He looked at her and said "So I know you well enough to know when you are getting uneasy. Please... don't. This really isnt anything to be upset about. I promise, okay?" His voice was a plain, normal accent. He could have been from anywhere in North America. <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 10:40 PM
She was lost. It was him... yet it wasn't. She leaned back and shook her head slightly. "I'm trying Commander," the title replacing the name she had always called him. "I'm trying to be patient. Trying to understand...." she fell silent, suddenly at a loss of what to say. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 11:04 PM
"Commander? Why the formality?" and he paused for a moment. "Ah... I forgot." he said, his German accent back but his volume very low. "Cap... Ari... I dont want you to feel uncomfortable around me. Especially now..." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 11:06 PM
She pursed her lips and leaned over. "What happened, Baumann?" There was pain her eyes. "Drop the accent, or don't do without it, or...whatever is really you. Let me see it. How can I not be uncofortable. Something has changed. And it has to be on your end cause I still feel the same." She let the statement sit there. He would tell her or wouldn't. But she couldn't wonder 'who' he was when her feelings were involved. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 11:31 PM
He looked at her, and while his face didnt change, his eyes spoke volumes. "I havent changed... but my job has, Ari. A great deal. You see..." and he paused and took a breath.
"I'm your new Intelligence Officer." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 11:37 PM
"YOU!" She looked stunned. She had seen orders for an Intel officer. But never in a million years had she thought it was him. Since the person wasn't due for another day, she hadn't bothered to look past the Orders cover page.
Her head shook back and forth slowly. She couldn't even lean back in her chair. "But... why?" <e>
RhinoYesterday at 11:44 PM
"Because the ship needs one. And because Star Fleet Intelligence is trying to expand their capabilities. And... " and the normally stoic man looked a bit uncomfortable himself, "... because I saw the opening and requested it." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 11:47 PM
Now she shook her head and sat back. He had acted, to this point, like she was nothing more to him than an acquaintence. But then he says he 'requested it'. She was lost. "Wait.. you requested it? I mean, I knew we'd end up with an Intel officer eventually. The last mission... it..." she shook off the shiver that ran down her spine. It had ben too close for comfort. The last mission had cost her so much. "Why would you request to come back?" She was leaning back, her arms crossed. But not with her hands tucked under her arms in anger, but over her biceps in protection. Though protection from what, she wasn't sure. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 11:50 PM
Wulf looked at her for a long time in silence. "Because I knew anyone else would be a hindrance to you, first of all. As far as the rest... I really have no idea... I just needed to." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 11:56 PM
She looked at him for a long minute. "You are right. I don't think anyone else would last long... or I wouldn't." The rest... she wasn't sure how to answer that. "I have questions, Baumann... you know I do. But I need to eat." She tried to smile and shrug, "Before you realize I hadn't had more than my coffee today."
She took a deep breath. "You need to do your formal check in on the ship with me. But I'll keep it brief. But I want a dinner...in my quarters... tomorrow night. Can we do that?" She hoped her room would grant her a bit more solace to do this than this open, strange place did. <e>
RhinoToday at 7:02 AM
Wulf waived the waiter over and they ordered. Once he left,Baumann said "Of course. Tomorrow is fine. And I will answer whatever questions you have as honestly as I can. Another reason I asked for this post. I doubt you would get such an offer from some of the other candidates." He took a drink of water and then looked at her.
"How have you been? I know the past few months have not been without struggles for you and the crew..." he asked, diplomatically changing the subject... for now. <e>
The message had been cryptic and even with prying, she couldn't pin down who sent it. Sighing as the time came close, she went to the station transporter and went to the surface. The Bonnie was at half power while being refitted in a couple key areas and she wasn't gonna trust her own transporters at this time.
She had been told to meet an important person at the Silver Moon Hotel pool area. Of all the lush and grand lanscape and wilderness on the continent, the station had managed to make a hotel with pool and several eateries. Being on the far side of the planet meant they weren't discovered so it wasn't a problem. The problem was Ari, who promised she wouldn't come down here more than was absolutely necessary. She had taken the chance, with the meeting being at the hotel, that it wasn't a formal occasion. She was in a long wrap up dress similar to a sari in a fading shade of blue rising from dark at the hem to almost white at the top. Like the crest of an ocean wave. She had had it in the back of her closet forever and never had a reason to wear it.
There were single silver circlets at her wrists and neck. But other than the lace up blace sandles, she wasn't dressed up further. Her hair was down and halfway pulled back on the sides with two silver barettes. She had been told by several on the station that the operators and Command staff preferred attire like this, casual yet dressy. So she had done it in expectation of just that.
Moving out of the hotel and into the pool area, she scanned the area searching for someone searching for her. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 8:39 PM
There was no one to be seen at first... at least, not out in the open. A ripple moved through the water, and a closer look would reveal a person sliding through the water at a depth of a few feet.
As she stood near one edge of the pool, the blue tranquility parted and a familiar figure half emerged from the water at her fee. Short cut blonde hair and piercing blue eyes in a face flanked by two perfectly matched scars, one on each cheek, sought hers; and the unforgettable German baritone said "guten Nachmittag, Frau Bovar. It is indeed good to see you again." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 8:41 PM
Her brow furrowed noticing no one out of the ordinary. Then a soft splash and ripple caught her attention. Someone was beneath the water... coming closer. She cocked her head. The muscles made her recall.... someone...
When the face rose from the surface. Her hand went to her mouth and her eyes started to cloud up. She shook her head and started to back up. The Captain tripped on the edge of a chaise and went down hard on the stone surround of the pool. "Baumann....." her voice gasped out a whisper as if she had seen a ghost. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 9:33 PM
He crossed his arms on the edge of the pool, his face the same placid expanse that wa typical of the big German officer. He gave her a moment to compose herself and then said "So, my dear Captain... what brings you to the pool on a day such as this?" <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 9:36 PM
She moved to crawl over and sit on her hip, legs curled under her as she reached out to touch his arm. He was real. "I... was told to meet someone..." She was confused and lost and happy and ... and every emotion all at once. "I thought you were dead. There was so much..." she looked at him and the tears dropped but she was smiling. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 9:47 PM
"So much damage? Hmm... I think it looked worse than it was." he said as if it were just a scratch. But a punctured lung, six broken ribs, a concussion, broken femur, and multiple contusions and lacerations, were anything but. He had, in fact, been in a coma for two months.
"So who is the lucky person who gets to have you meet them on such a glorious day? Professional... or perhaps social?... meeting?" <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 9:49 PM
She shrugged and sat back on her backside. He seemed completely non plussed that she thought he had died and was pleased to see him again. So she glanced around and shook her head. "No idea... either it wasn't important or something came up." She bent her knees and wrapped her arms around them. The long dress covering her to her feet, though her toes peaked out from the material hem. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 9:53 PM
He looked at her and said "I'm sorry, by the way." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 9:55 PM
She had been glancing around, looking for whoever she was supposed to meet when his words brought her back to him. To look at his face. It was him, just like before. Yet something was different. "I forgive you..." she said. The softness in her voice was something he would recognize from long ago. A lifetime, to her, it seemed. She suddenly wished she could go back. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 10:12 PM
Baumann gave her a rare smile and said "Well, you dont know what I am sorry for, but thank you." and then lifted himself out of the water. Sitting with his back half-towards her, the side of his injuries, there were no signs of the past. His skin was clear, no scars visible, and nothing seemed physically different.
"So if this mysterious meeting doesn't take place, are you free for lunch?" he asked. <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 10:17 PM
The water than came out with his hop to the edge started to wet the hem of her dress. She noticed no scars. But it didn't surprise her. He wasn't one for covering his body in them as reminders or trophies. She scooted back till she was on the other side of a small drain where the water went back into the pool and she remained dry. "Of course... seems I'm free anyway. It's almost 30 minutes past when they were due here anyway." She shrugged. She looked at him and part of her wondered what was wrong. Another part of her said he had been thru a lot and probably some nurse lover somewhere who had caught his heart in saving him. She shook herself at the silliness of it all and looked back at him. "I could do lunch... sure." <e>
RhinoYesterday at 10:21 PM
He nodded and said "Good." and he stood and walked over to a chair and grabbed a towel and. a shirt that had been tossed there. "Then we can discuss our meeting." he said flatly and simply extended an arm to the poolside restaurant. <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 10:22 PM
She frowned in confusion. "Wait..." standing up, she took a step in the offered direction. "It was you?" <e>
RhinoYesterday at 10:25 PM
"Is me. Present tense. And we can discuss once we sit." and he followed her inside. "Table for two, please. Away from the hustle and bustle, if possible? Thanks so much." he said to the host as they entered... and with no hint of an accent. <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 10:27 PM
She frowned. Something had changed. She crossed her arms and shivered, despite it not being cold. As they were seated, she had pulled her Captain self tight in once more. "Fine... Is you..." She said and folded her hands in her lap, her fingers fidgeting unconsciously. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 10:31 PM
He looked at her and said "So I know you well enough to know when you are getting uneasy. Please... don't. This really isnt anything to be upset about. I promise, okay?" His voice was a plain, normal accent. He could have been from anywhere in North America. <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 10:40 PM
She was lost. It was him... yet it wasn't. She leaned back and shook her head slightly. "I'm trying Commander," the title replacing the name she had always called him. "I'm trying to be patient. Trying to understand...." she fell silent, suddenly at a loss of what to say. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 11:04 PM
"Commander? Why the formality?" and he paused for a moment. "Ah... I forgot." he said, his German accent back but his volume very low. "Cap... Ari... I dont want you to feel uncomfortable around me. Especially now..." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 11:06 PM
She pursed her lips and leaned over. "What happened, Baumann?" There was pain her eyes. "Drop the accent, or don't do without it, or...whatever is really you. Let me see it. How can I not be uncofortable. Something has changed. And it has to be on your end cause I still feel the same." She let the statement sit there. He would tell her or wouldn't. But she couldn't wonder 'who' he was when her feelings were involved. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 11:31 PM
He looked at her, and while his face didnt change, his eyes spoke volumes. "I havent changed... but my job has, Ari. A great deal. You see..." and he paused and took a breath.
"I'm your new Intelligence Officer." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 11:37 PM
"YOU!" She looked stunned. She had seen orders for an Intel officer. But never in a million years had she thought it was him. Since the person wasn't due for another day, she hadn't bothered to look past the Orders cover page.
Her head shook back and forth slowly. She couldn't even lean back in her chair. "But... why?" <e>
RhinoYesterday at 11:44 PM
"Because the ship needs one. And because Star Fleet Intelligence is trying to expand their capabilities. And... " and the normally stoic man looked a bit uncomfortable himself, "... because I saw the opening and requested it." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 11:47 PM
Now she shook her head and sat back. He had acted, to this point, like she was nothing more to him than an acquaintence. But then he says he 'requested it'. She was lost. "Wait.. you requested it? I mean, I knew we'd end up with an Intel officer eventually. The last mission... it..." she shook off the shiver that ran down her spine. It had ben too close for comfort. The last mission had cost her so much. "Why would you request to come back?" She was leaning back, her arms crossed. But not with her hands tucked under her arms in anger, but over her biceps in protection. Though protection from what, she wasn't sure. <e>
RhinoYesterday at 11:50 PM
Wulf looked at her for a long time in silence. "Because I knew anyone else would be a hindrance to you, first of all. As far as the rest... I really have no idea... I just needed to." <e>
LlewelPendragonYesterday at 11:56 PM
She looked at him for a long minute. "You are right. I don't think anyone else would last long... or I wouldn't." The rest... she wasn't sure how to answer that. "I have questions, Baumann... you know I do. But I need to eat." She tried to smile and shrug, "Before you realize I hadn't had more than my coffee today."
She took a deep breath. "You need to do your formal check in on the ship with me. But I'll keep it brief. But I want a dinner...in my quarters... tomorrow night. Can we do that?" She hoped her room would grant her a bit more solace to do this than this open, strange place did. <e>
RhinoToday at 7:02 AM
Wulf waived the waiter over and they ordered. Once he left,Baumann said "Of course. Tomorrow is fine. And I will answer whatever questions you have as honestly as I can. Another reason I asked for this post. I doubt you would get such an offer from some of the other candidates." He took a drink of water and then looked at her.
"How have you been? I know the past few months have not been without struggles for you and the crew..." he asked, diplomatically changing the subject... for now. <e>