RJ walked back onto the bridge and nodded to Thais in the centre chair.

“Nope, don’t get up,” he said, motioning for the man to stay seated. “Just passing through.”

It was the early part of their patrol. Nothing much was going to happen for the next couple of hours, so he planned to use the time to get to know his new ship. He knew some of it, specifically all the hiding places, as he and other members of the crew had found out during Frontier Day.

He suppressed his shudder. He didn’t like to think too much on the events of that day, or the clean up after. Even though he’d been due at his hearing, he’d pushed the envelope to stay and help clean up. Perhaps that was why Mason had agreed to him joining the Manticore squadron. A fact that totally surprised him. After what had happened, he’d assumed Mason would have wanted him as far away as possible.

“Mr. Rain, hand off to your assistant please,” he said as he walked by the helm console. “Let’s take a walk.”

“Aye sir.” 

Kyle logged out of his console and watched the user interface default to the standard configuration. He gave a nod to the officer at his right. “Watch the CONN till I’m back.” He got an affirmative nod in reply.

Pushing the L shaped console over so he could stand up he fell in stride with his new skipper. He fell in at RJ’s left and a half stride behind. Standard federation subordinate marching discipline as banged into his head by his father. It was one of the few things he carried from childhood into service effectively. That and his piloting. Kyle clasped his wrists behind his back waiting for RJ to speak. Kyle was known for high energy piloting, but not being a motor mouth. 

RJ slid the helm officer a sideways glance, and found himself looking at empty corridor. Looking over his shoulder, he motioned Rain forward. “We’re walking and talking, Mr. Rain, I can’t do that with you back there,” he said with a smile.

He paused in front of a replicator. “Now… I would offer you a choice of drinks, but the Resolute’s replicators seem to have a mind of their own. You’ll get sprinkles whatever you order. So… what’ll it be?”

Kyle blinked at the statement. The idea of breaking decorum not even a thought. “Oh. Right, sorry.” 

After being offered a drink with the stipulation of sprinkles, his brow furrowed. What tasted good with sprinkles? Sprinkles typically weren’t his thing. He folded his arms and pursed his lips, staring a hole into the area where the replicator would materialize the drink, as if willing his desire into existence and rendering the machine obsolete.

“Uh..Computer,” Kyle cleared his throat and continued, “I’ll take a hot chocolate, with whipped cream.” Usually he was an iced coffee with milk and sugar kind of guy but he wasn’t sure he wanted to be scared off his preferred drink because of a replicator quirk. 

RJ waited for the drink to materialise and sure enough, there were sprinkles.

“And I’ll take a mocha-choco-latte,” he added, turning to Rain as he waited. “So… I thought this would be a good time to catch up. Since we’re both new transplants to the Resolute. Tell me a little about yourself, Mr. Rain.”

Kyle fished his mug out of the replicator once it finished materializing in. He blew on it a few times to cool before risking a sip. He paused testing the burn in his mouth. He shrugged. Cool enough. He glanced up at the skipper and nodded. He could get down with this. 

“Well sir, not much to say that my file probably doesn’t already. I’m the middle of three boys. Also the best looking, don’t let Tiberius lie. What else. I was top of my class in the academy and led Nova Squad during my senior year at the academy. After that I ran a shuttle on the Thunderchild and served as a backup valkyrie pilot. Then I bumped over to the conn, won the lucky lottery and promoted out. Just in time by the sounds of it.”

Kyle frowned. He missed most of the excitement with the fleet and borg throwing a big party together. He was on a solo shuttle alone. He also needed to get out. Get away from his old man’s shadow. Be his own man sort of thing. He loved to fly but the old man expected him in a command chair eventually. Kyle just wasn’t sure that was for him. He certainly wasn’t in any rush for that matter. He just liked to make ships dance, that was all. And damn could he could make them dance. Granted, he wasn’t likely to make friends in engineering if things got ugly though. But he’d cross those bridges when they came. The Resolute came with a tough crew, so he’d do his best to keep them that way.

“I’m not a fan of violence, but I’m not against defending myself. Let the other guy swing first, and end the fight. Also a fan of Akido, running, and beer.” He ticked the last three off on fingers and nodded with a grin that made him look more like his old man than he realized. He paused for the skipper to chime in with questions or comments. 

RJ taking a sip from his drink carefully so he didn’t end up with cream and sprinkles in his moustache, then chuckled at Rain’s comment about being the best looking of his brothers. That was confidence right there, and he liked confidence. Especially in a pilot.

“Sounds like they picked the perfect pilot for my chief helm then,” he commented lightly. “So what do you think of the Resolute so far?”

“She’s a nice little bird. Like a kestrel. Only not quite as heavily armed as one. So maybe more like a hummingbird? Haven’t had a chance to really put her through her paces and see how she can flex her wings. Though I expect given our assignment to the region, the opportunity will come along eventually. My old man used to say that service was 99% boredom while waiting for that 1% of excitement. Though he often wondered whether that 1% was also contributed by the universe in some kind of need to stir shit up.” 

Kyle shrugged. Philosophy wasn’t so much his jam. He could leave that to Tib and his pop. 

RJ chuckled. “With the reputation the Resolute has, it won’t be long before the universe throws something at us,” he replied. “But hummingbird, I like that. She’s an elegant looking thing, isn’t she?” And next to the Manticore, delicate like a hummingbird really fit.

Kyle grinned and nodded. “And with me at the controls? We’ll be dancing circles around anyone crazy enough to look at us cross eyed.” 

He finished his hot chocolate and placed it back into the replicator space to be reclaimed. He’d heard rumors of something being wrong with the system. He’d have to experiment with that later. Kyle wasn’t much of a scientist, that was more of his little brother Danny’s thing. But he was a firm believer in seeing for yourself when it came to making conclusions. Not big on the idea of faith.

“So uh…any advice for the stupid new guy?” He asked his new captain.

“Don’t be stupider than the captain.” RJ offered a self-deprecating smile and reached out to clap Kyle on the shoulder. “Other than that, you’ll do just fine. Now, I have a date with an engineer. Think you can find your way back up to the bridge? This massive ship and all… it would be easy to get lost.”

“Just a left at Albuquerque right?” Kyle chuckled as the Captain strode off to continue his walk of the ship. Back on the bridge he slid back into his chair and sighed, tracing his hands across the edges of the console affectionately. 

“Miss me?” He whispered as he logged back in to resume his shift.