Fives

Posted on Thu Feb 27th, 2014 @ 8:38am by Lieutenant Colonel Jillian "Phoenix" Sullivan

1,412 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Mission 85 - Q-uality Time Aboard Starbase 400
Location: Turbolift Nineteen - Somewhere Between Levels Six and Seven.
Timeline: Same time as 'Path to Kal'hyah pt1'

"Fives"

Lieutenant Tom Lasky
Callsign: Fives
Damage Control Specialist
Starbase 400

Major Phoenix
Commander Air Group
Starbase 400

***** Turbolift Nineteen - Starbase 400 *****

Lieutenant Tom Lasky who went by the callsign of 'Fives' sighed softly as he asked the computer for the second time why the turbolift was motionless, the response he got was really strange as the computer laughed at him.

Lasky sighed as he reached for the override panel but before he touched it, it shorted out. "Lovely..."

"You should try being kept in a cell half the size of this lift, for a month," Phoenix spoke from the ground, as she sat relaxed and oddly fine with the fact she was stuck in a small, confined space.

"Sorry..." he commented as he sat down near the striking woman in a gray pilot's flight suit. "I'm Fives...err Lieutenant Tom Lasky.... please to meet you."

"Phoenix," the pilot answered back before she leaned her head back against the wall. "That's my callsign... Don't really use my rank or name much."

"Same as me... I prefer Fives.... its easier for people to recall and for me to know someone is addressing me...." he shrugged.

"So how'd ya get your callsign?" Phoenix asked out of curiosity.

Fives regarded her. "Its a long story.... I was always filling out reports with the number five in it." he commented. "so he started calling me Fives...." he smiled. "It grew on me."

"Shame you aint a fighter pilot." Phoenix half-grinned. "It's something to celebrate, when a nugget gets their first callsign."

"Flying is a hobby of mine..." Fives admitted as he regarded the Major. "If I wanted my wings.. it would take me too long to get them.."

"Two years, if you devote all your off-time to it," Phoenix answered very quickly. "You got basic flight, so that actually helps speed the process up. It's just learning to fine-tune, and spending a thousand hours in the simulator, learning basic dogfighting."

Fives raised an eyebrow. "Its worth considering..." he paused. "but then...I'd need to get it approved by various people.... more specific the base CAG.... I have no idea who that is since Colonel Sosuke Ishihara was reassigned..."

"CAG," Phoenix raised her hand in a bit of a grin. "Fleet's current ranking Top Gun."

"Oh.... my apologies... I didn't know....Phoenix." he commented quietly as he raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to relearn how to fly though... it would be interesting.."

"Fist I flew, was by chance, when my special forces unit's pilot was killed... Watchtower talked me into flying the shuttle in the dock and I aint ever stopped flying since," Phoenix noted with a bittersweet expression.

"Ahh." Fives replied as he looked at her. "In my case.. the pilot was drunk and.... he got my family plus a lot of others and himself all killed." he replied. "I was going to fly.... but I decided otherwise after that.... I got basic flight though... and my wings and my callsign.... Fives.."

"I never fly drunk," Phoenix spoke, appalled to hear of Fives' tragic story. "But if you want a fighter jock's wings, it's doable. Not like I have obligations to family and such when I aint on shift."

Fives nodded. "fair enough.... then we can start tomorrow or the following day.."

"I'm fine by whatever your schedule is," Phoenix shrugged, then looked up at the deck number above the lift controls. "Assuming engineering fixes this lift."

Fives raised an eyebrow. "considering the computer was laughing at me.... I can assume we'll be here awhile."

"It would not surprise me if this was a Q stunt either," Phoenix shrugged.

Fives nodded. "Oh more then likely." he replied as he looked up. "I assume we're trapped in here... "

"At least it aint in extreme environments," Phoenix shivered at that. "Once was in a hot box during that Dominion War."

Fives nodded as he considered the alternative. "Don't say that so loud.." he said quietly as he held up a hand next to the vent as he felt a surge of warm air flow into the cabin. "its going to get hot in here..."

"Computer?" he commented, the computer's response was a loud bout of maniacal laughter.

"Well I don't mind taking some layers off, if we have to," Phoenix shrugged. Showing any sign of annoyance generally fed into a Q's amusement. And she was not about to do that.

Fives merely shrugged as he slipped off his uniform jacket. "I keep hearing stories about this Q character..." he commented. "anything special I ought to know?"

"I wish I could answer that from personal experience, but I was quite drunk when they appeared, so I don't remember much," Phoenix noted very guiltily.

Fives simply shrugged. "Aww well." he commented. "was it worth it though?"

"I honestly couldn't tell ya... Didn't end up in a stranger's bed this time though. So I suppose it went well," Phoenix answered with an unsure shrug.

"Waking up in someone else's bed with them still next to you can only be good.... right?" he inquired evenly. "what's they worst they can do... kick you out?"

"I aint one to stay hitched and have a parcel of little kittens," Phoenix stated with vehement. "So I prefer to wake up first an' make the walk of shame back to my quarters, than talk to the person about how good or bad our sex was. An' then ask for seconds an' a commitment."

Lasky nodded his head. "I've not found anyone.... came close once..." he sighed. "Now I stay to fight the Federation's fights... There will be no more Lasky's.... I'm the last." he shrugged. "Something I came to terms with long ago."

"My brother will carry on the family name... Though he erased me and my folks from the tree. So I guess he's gonna build himself a bag of lies with his first son, about us." Phoenix shrugged as if she didn't care, but deep down, she truly did.

"Your brother is clearly an idiot." he commented. "and clearly, you have not met the right person yet."

"Hadn't looked... Freedom fighters of the DMZ are usually seen as terrorists to most folks in the Federation. That, and I'm what ya call someone that's got too much baggage. Alcoholic aint a pretty sight fer any family photo shot," Phoenix stated regrettably.

Fives raised an eyebrow. "You had supporters in the Federation. I was one of them..." he commented evenly. "Bah.... now maybe.... but give it time... and you'll eventually meet that one man who will sort you out... yes I'm a romantic....deal with it."

"My dad used ta have a romantic side ta him too," Phoenix noted before she pulled off her top portion of her flight suit, as she began to sweat profusely.

Fives sat back against the wall of the turbolift car as he sighed, he was also starting to overheat as well. "Dammit Q." he grunted. "screwing with us."

"I have been known to take women into my bed too," Phoenix informed him, as she took in his comment about a man sorting her out.

Fives merely shrugged his shoulders as clearly such things bothered him not in the least. "Nothing wrong with that..." he regarded her. "It is... what it is..."

"I'll sleep with anything on two legs, with enough booze," Phoenix laughed genuinely and began to close her eyes. The hot box they were in, was starting to make her sleepy.

Fives could hear it in her voice as he reached over. "Come here.." he said quietly as he gently grasped her arms as he quickly hauled her into his embrace. "I'll be gently."

"Just don't... tell anyone," she yawned.

Fives looked at her face as he gently held her in his arms. "Not one word." he replied as he brushed her hair out of the way so she could be comfortable.

"I hate... the Q," Phoenix noted half-groggily as she went to close her eyes.

"I know." Fives replied quietly. "You're not the only one that hates Q." It was about that point when the computer sighed at the two of them as the temperature returned to normal levels as the system whined. "Aww you're no fun."

Fives blinked. "Nope..." he commented in a dry tone. "not at all.... let us out of here..."

As if on request the door opened as Fives tapped the dozing Major. "Come on Phoenix... we're free."

***** Here's where the fun begins - Anakin Skywalker *****

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