To Tell the People
Posted on Wed Jun 5th, 2019 @ 6:04am by Captain Luka Mahone & Ensign Davna & Diane Kent
1,068 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Deep Freeze
Location: CO's Office, Command Center
Timeline: MD 02 : 0123 Hrs
Ever since she had caught wind of the important meeting with the Department Heads, Diane had been trying to find time to talk to Luka. Now was that time. With a PADD in her hand, she walked to the station’s commander and asked, “We have to tell the people something. They can feel the chill in the air and rumors are running rampant. What do you want me to tell the people?”
As Diane entered the Commander's office, she would be met with the sight of a young, firey-haired Orion woman lying face down on the generously donated Bolian coffee table, with Luka's hands on her lower back. The latter stared at Diane wide-eyed in surprise, while Davna opened an eye to see who had entered.
"... Miss Kent," Luka managed after a moment of silence. "I didn't realize you were coming in."
Quickly averting her eyes, Diane turned back to face the door. "I apologize," she offered, wondering why she even bothered at this point. "I, uh, have the rough speech written to update the people. Just needs your approval, and a few details," she stated, holding a PADD in the air slightly above her head.
"Oh, alright." Luka stood upright, much to the dismay of the Orion yeoman, making his way over to Diane. He took a hold of the PaDD, turning it over to examine its contents. Behind him, Davna was gathering herself from the table.
"What details did you need?" Luka asked, perfectly oblivious of the awkwardness caused by the scene as he kept reading. "We haven't made much headway in the investigation just yet, so there isn't much to divulge there..."
"I can come back, since you are in a meeting," Diane replied, a bit unsure of what to actually do right now. It was clearly an awkward situation to have walked into, and was most definitely a first experience for the Press Secretary.
"I'm not, I'm just helping Davna with a knot in her shoulder." Luka explained as he continued reading. As the rest of his brain caught up with the thought, he sputtered and his cheeks turned red. Finally, he summoned up a response. "I took a few chiropractic classes in Academy. I didn't even think about how it would look. I am... so very sorry if it was awkward."
"Of course, knots are painful," Diane went along with his story for the sake of going on with it. She nearly slipped with a quip teasing him about an appointment list for chiropractic sessions. "As you can see, I went ahead and have a press release almost ready to go. There are just a few details that need your authorization to release to the public."
Luka's gaze contorted as he continued his read. "... Miss Kent, I'm not sure how I feel about telling people we've continued an investigation on the Io until we have hard evidence or some form of answer. Not while we're in the middle of a potential freezing crisis on our hands. And with the power continuing to short out, I think the investigation should probably not be the first thing on everyone's minds."
"I'll redact that from the report," the former reporter nodded as she made a mental note. She then politely reached her hand toward the PADD, "If there is nothing else, you can continue with her shoulder." It took everything to keep a sly smile from crossing her face, only the corner of her mouth turned.
Luka's cheeks flushed, and he turned to Davna, making a motion for her to leave the room before Diane could get off any more comments. As the bubbly Orion retreated, the young Commander turned to Diane. "That's... what did you think was happening in here?"
"It's none of my business, it's your private time," the Press Secretary answered. She immediately regretted that last comment, she had probably made one too many comments about the situation at hand. Realizing that he answer probably was not going to be acceptable, she added, "It appeared as though I caught you in a compromising position with the yeoman. I apologize for reading too much into the scene."
"In all honesty, if it were the other way around and I was bursting in on someone else, I might have thought the same thing." Luka did not seem bothered by how blase her commentary was. By this point, he was used to it. "There isn't a need to apologize, Miss Kent. I just don't want you to feel like you can't come in on fear you'll see something inappropriate. I think I'm just a little more candid about being a doctor than I am a Commander."
Nodding, Diane added, "And I'm still the reporter looking for stories to tell. That would have definitely been a great story to stumble into." She smiled a bit at the situation. Tapping her PADD, she stated, "I have to turn this in so it can make the rounds at a reasonable time." Looking back to Luka, she made a mention, "I think some of the staff are going for drinks after the shift. There's always an open seat if you ever want to join us."
"Oh, I don't know." Luka seemed dismissive of the idea of spending time with anyone, not with all the crisis hanging overhead. "I should probably stay behind and make sure we have all our proverbial ducks in a row-"
From around the corner, Davna gave a small 'tch,' followed by "Oh just go already."
Luka's eyes narrowed at the doorway as he heard the young ensign continue her retreat, before he gave a small sigh. "I guess it couldn't hurt. If I don't get too caught up in work, I'll stop by."
"Very good, sir," Diane replied with a nod. Sensing that she was dangerously close to overstaying her welcome, she added, "I'll let you get back to you procedure." She gave an apologetic smile to Davna before turning toward the door.
"Miss Kent, I ..." Luka stopped himself, cheeks reddening. "Alright. You're probably busier than I am in some respects, but don't be a stranger to my door. It's always open. Just... give me a heads up?"
A slight smile crossed her face as she turned. "Don't worry, I'll knock first," she reassured the Commander. "I'll get this ready for mass distribution, make a public announcement, then call it a day."
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