Steele a moment

Posted on Sat Jun 6th, 2020 @ 9:56am by Lieutenant Mackenzie 'Mac' Graham & Lieutenant Donovan Steele

2,381 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: The Saga Begins
Location: various
Timeline: to be determined

-DS9 - Promenade-

Mac wasn't used to getting very much free time between assignments, but the unexpected time off was now definitely allowing her to explore a place she had until recently only read about or seen from reports. It had been sweet of Evir, to give her a tour of the station, now she was left to her own amusement.

Mac took her time checking out every stall, she had only intended to window shop, she hadn't left much room to spare in her carry-all. She was stopped by a very nice selection of silken yarn at one of the stalls, it wasn't something she normally was able to come across in such vivid colors that she felt inspired to want to buy and work with. She knew it wouldn't turn out as pretty as someone skilled in crocheting but she would still have fun. That was the point of hobbies was having fun. Mac shook her head softly and turned around to move to the next stall...

Steele was on the promenade but it was unusual for him to be in such a crowded location. He had been to DS9 a few times but typically remained in his quarters or his duty post. However, today, he felt a pulling to be there. He is always engaged in reading thoughts and emotions unless he is working on a specific task. He was lured to a shoppe that was selling yarn. He did not know why but thoughts of silken yarn were popping in his head. He wanted to see what was so interesting about this yarn.

He approached the shoppe where the yarn was and saw another lieutenant there. He realized she was the one transmitting the thoughts. He also realized she was telepathic but not Betazoid. He was nervous to approach because he seldom spoke to strangers outside of his crew members. He knew this lieutenant was on the station awaiting her next ship assignment, which is why he was here as well. Maybe she was to be a crewmate on the Ganymede with him.

So he got the nerve up and approached her.

"Hello, very nice choice." Steele said as he was literally standing right behind her.

Mac blinked and turned around to look up into a pair of warm looking brown eyes, she gave a small cheeky grin, "Oh you think so?" She offered her hand to him, "Mackenzie Graham most call me Mac," she said lightly as she looked up at him.

"Hello, Mac. It is nice to meet you. I am Donovan Steele. I am here awaiting my new assignment. I am to be the Chief of Operations on the new USS Ganymede."

Mac laughed softly, "Well that now makes three of us on the station waiting for the Ganymede," she gave him a cheeky grin as she added in the details she currently had, "With you, myself as newly assigned CMO to the Ganymede, and the Chief of Sciences is around somewhere too."

"Well, that is fascinating." Steele replied while reading the thoughts of all who were on the station without really paying any attention to them. He was feeling something he had not felt before while in the company of Mac. "I would like to tell you that I don't normally do this sort of thing. Interacting with people is not easy for me as most people are usually repelled by me."

Mac blinked up at him clearly surprised by his words, "Why would folks be replelled by you? You don't appear to be off putting in manners." It definitely wasn't a problem with his breath, at least from her current point of view, she had encountered in the past folks whom had some very serious issues with bad breath, a guy she treated a few months ago, had literally received burns to his nose hairs with the potency of another's breath, Mac had counted herself a very lucky bystander that she hadn't spoken to the nose hair burning breath guy personally.

"People fear me because of my open telepathic mind and the fact that I have a hard time holding back. But I am working on it and do my best to keep from sharing what others are thinking or plotting even if I feel it needs to be expressed. Sometimes it is hard and it comes out but I can't always help it." Donovan stated in response.

Mac blinked at him and shook her head softly, "That must give you some nasty migraines at times, do you use music or something else to help lessen the onslaught of thoughts?" She could only guess how he felt around folks whose thoughts bounced around like ping pong balls, or back to back rapid fire questions that some folks had habit of never voicing. Mac herself at times got random thoughts from folks at times but she hadn't really connected with anyone to send a thought back to in years. It was a fragile thing to know another's mind, to hear numerous folks thoughts besides one's own, had to be troubling and exhausting. She wondered how he coped with it.

"Whether life's disabilities left me outcast, bullied and teased, now I rejoice and love myself, cause I was born this way." Steele replied. "I am learning everyday how to control my reactions to other people's thoughts and emotions. I typically have to take a medication to sleep but even then my dreams are flooded with thoughts that I don't always know what is a dream or what is fodder. But I do get headaches from the stress of difficult situations. That is why I got into operations. Being in operations, helps me keep organized and helps me adapt not only in my job but also in my personal life."

Mac wondered if her thoughts were a bother or curiosity to him since she wasn't a regular human. She had been told in the past, by more than one of her Vulcan professors at the academy, that her thoughts had a purring under tone that some might find soothing while others would grit their teeth at the distraction of additional sense of sound along with the thoughts. She debated on whether she should ask him outright but didn't want to be rude.

"I will say that I find your mind an interesting and soothing one at the moment. You are not sure if you want to ask me about something but I am fine with it. You have a soothing nature to you and I am pleased that we will be serving on the same ship." Steele replied. "Just know that I will not come out and mention what others are thinking unless it is necessary but in this case you were thinking of asking me something so I felt it would not be overstepping it any more."

Mac grinned cheekily up at him, "Okay fair enough and I don't generally tell others what I happen to hear either because I figure unless it's an ill intention I don't need to pay attention." She nodded to the Promenade around them, "Since I currently have no plans and the Ganymede is still a few days away, do you want to join me in exploring the station or something?"

"I would enjoy exploring the station with you." Steele replied with a little grin like a school boy would get talking to his crush on the playground. "I have not been to this station since about a year after Starfleet took it over."

Mac looked both surprised and curious at him, "So you saw it as it was before they finished getting it working as it now? Did you have much trouble with voles?" She had heard a lot of stories that there had been a lot of problems getting the station to what Federation could work with, numerous rewriting of the computer systems and protocols and lots of issues with voles or so the stories had said.

"I was here about a year after Starfeet took over. It was still very Cardassian in nature. The Bajorians had done a good job attempting to convert it to make it more their tastes. Now that Starfleet has taken full control, it has changed a lot." Steele replied. "I would love the chance to re-explore the station and see what new features it offers to all."

Mac smiled brightly, "Lead the way and please tell me the differences you happen to notice from your previous experience to how things are now." She paused and looked back at the shops behind them, "Were all these here the last time you were here or are any of them new from what you remember?" She asked looking up at him curiosity bouncing off her in waves.

"The whole promenade was different then. The shops and eateries were not in place yet. Quark's Bar was here because it was here when the Cardassians where here. There was much chaos here last I was here." Steele said but his eyes never left the beauty of Mac.

"I will say that I think the promenade is much more attractive now and offers a wide variety of attractions for the visitors and those stationed here." Steele added

Mac nodded her head, "It sounds like it's changed a lot from your previous experience, do you want to go see what else is new?" She was curious to know what else had changed from his memories of the station. Plus getting a chance to talk with another crew mate was always fun. Mac was impressed by Donovan Steele, he had a powerful presence but was humble, she was completely at was around him which in itself was new.

"Well, for starters, the shops and eateries were not here like this when I was here last. There was really only Quark's. The little Ferengi was the sole business here. The Bajorians had only had control of the station for about a year before Starfleet got involved. Once Bajor joined the Federation, the Bajorian government at the time gave control of the station to Starfleet as long as they had a Bajorian presence on the station. So it evolved from there. Then Benjamin Sisko came and opened a whole new world for not only Bajor but the station and the Federation." Steele stated as they walked toward the Bajorian temple on the station.

Mac wasn't a religious person by nature but she was curious about how other believed and there were lots of impressive buildings and art in relation to each different belief. She did find that the Bajoran temple was welcoming that or it was the company she was sharing but either way she wasn't feeling ill at ease to be there. "Has the temple changed much from what you remember?" She asked lightly as she looked up at him.

"Yes, the temple has changed. It was very basic back in the day. Now they have made it very representative of the Bajoran culture." Steele replied. "They even house one of the sacred orbs here, but it slips my mind as to which orb is here."

Mac nodded her head softly as she listened to him speaking, she gave a cheeky grin flashing her dimples at him, "If I was a believer I would say take a look and see but I am not going to do that because I don't want to offend anyone just because of my being curious." Mac knew she could get on folks nerve at times but she wasn't going out of her way to do it on purpose right then.

"I understand, I am a non-believer as well." Steele replied. "I have been inside merely because my first time on the station I was overwhelmed by all the thoughts and emotions and I wandered in. I was welcomed and allowed to sit for a moment to collect myself. They treat it like old earth churches, as in they are a place all can come to seek refuge if they are in need whether they believe or not."

Steele was then picking up on an emotion that came from Graham and was part of her cheeky grin. It was an emotion he never really felt much but he knew it was something to do with attraction. He felt an attraction to Graham when seeing her cheeky grin and he had not felt that strongly about it before.

"Would you want to go see Quark's Bar and get an overly charged beverage?" Steele asked of Graham as he was wanting to feel this odd emotion more personally.

Mackenzie blinked at him a flicker of surprise before it melted to delight. "Sure I would like to join you for an over priced drink."

~~ Great, I was hoping you would join me for a drink. ~~ Steele thought to Graham just to test the idea he had. "I have heard that Quark does water down the spirits he uses so it should be interesting what we really get to drink." ~~ But I am wanting your company more than the drink. ~~ Steele thought to Graham once again.

Mackenzie looked straight at his eyes when he sent a thought her way, she hadn't heard a thought from others that clearly in years. Her eyes were wide surprise evident but she couldn't help the bright smile that showed off her dimples in full to him. ~~ I can hear you! ~~ she laughed softly, "Watered down drinks can be good but it's usually the company that makes it better or worse." She raised her ginger hued brows slightly, ~~ Want to get a meal to go instead? ~~ she sent back in playful challenge adding a wink and cheeky grin.

Steele then realized he was correct in what he sensed and she was telepathic. "I would actually enjoy some thing to eat." He replied. "There is a Bajoran eatery just past the temple and the hasperat is the bomb or at least it was in the day." ~~ Are you game to be seen in the company of a nerd like me? ~~

Mackenzie laughed softly, "Only one way to find out for sure." She followed him out of the temple and beyond...

TBC...

Off
Lieutenant Donovan Steele
CoO, USS Ganymede

&

Lt. Mackenzie 'Mac' Graham
CMO, USS Ganymede

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