Joint Duty Log - LtCmdr Waterhouse & Mr Bernard III - "Cause He's Better Than The Rest"

Posted on Sun Aug 24th, 2014 @ 9:26am by Commander Amelia Waterhouse

1,723 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: In the Dark
Timeline: Current

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"Identification please", The man posted at the USS Vindicator's security desk said motioning for Norbert to step forward.

"Norbert Bernard the Third", he said plopping down his credentials onto the desk. "I have been sent here to Manage the After Dark lounge."

The security personnel ran his ID's and handed them back. "Welcome aboard sir, Just head down the docking ramp to enter the ship", he motioned towards one of the guards "Crewman Jones here will be happy to escort you to your quarters and provide you a tour of the ship if you will ju--",

"That's not necessary", Norbert interrupted, "please contact the Captain and inform him that I have arrived, no doubt he will come here at once to welcome me and provide the tour"

The security guard chuckled, "Sorry Sir but Captain Ivanova is a woman, and she is pretty busy--".

Norbert interrupted again, "Just make the call Lieutenant, I will be waiting over there", he motioned towards a nearby bench then smiled and limped to the bench and sat down.

The man behind the security desk rolled his eyes and grabbed his communicator, "Security to Commander Waterhouse"

"What's up?" Amelia responded with a sigh after tapping her badge. She was just wrapping up her shift, ready to go off duty, maybe break some holographic bones with her nunchuks for stress relief.

"Sorry to bother you Ma'am, but we have a Mr. Norbert Bernard the third down here at the docking station demanding to speak with the Captain, I told him no..but he's not going anywhere".

"We'll see if he'll accept a taller red-headed substitute then, I'll be right there," she returned with an eye roll as she closed the channel. So much for holodeck time. Hopefully this wouldn't take long, but realistically 'demanding to speak with the captain' and 'he's not going anywhere' said enough.

Norbert sat on the bench, pondering his life's failures, wondering whom he must have pissed off so much as to have to be working on a ship with a female Captain. It was bad enough to have to be working at all but now he would have to deal with a woman commander and all her obvious woman imperfections. It was clear to him now why his father sent him here in the first place. It was then and there, sitting on that bench in Klingon Space that Norbert Bernard III finally decided that his father hated him. He slunk further into his seat and sighed.

It took a measure of self control to not take the long route on her way down, to let this presumptuous man sit and wait for demanding the attention of the command staff, but Amelia knew she really shouldn't get petty. Especially not with someone she didn't know yet. So she took the most direct route available to her, and approached the Lieutenant at the security desk. He pointed her to the man sitting on the bench, and she walked over, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Mr. Bernard?"

Norbert Stood up, "Yes", he smiled, "Captain, it is a pleasure to finally meet you", he held out his hand formally, "Norbert Bernard The Third, as I am sure you are already aware".

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not the Captain," Amelia apologized, though she clasped the offered hand and smiled wide. "The Lieutenant tried to reach her, but she was absolutely tied up. She sends her regrets that she couldn't greet you personally. I'm the XO, Lieutenant Commander Amelia Waterhouse."

"Oh", Norbert sighed disapprovingly. "Well I suppose you will do then", he held out one of his bags for her to carry, "If you could show me to my quarters then, I have a few things that I need to discuss with you and we can speak on the way".

Amelia stared at the bag a moment, her head tilting to the left ever so slightly. She pointedly ignored it as she turned, and waved her hand to indicate for Norbert to proceed. It was times like these that she needed that annoying yeoman, she absolutely would have had Cecil carrying this man's bags, no hesitation.

"What do we need to discuss?" She asked, still smiling.

Slightly annoyed, Norbert pulled the bag back and hoisted it onto his shoulder. "There are certain accommodations I will be expecting", he began as he followed Amelia down the Airlock into the ship. "Since I have never traveled on a starship for this sort of duration before I have a few amenities being shipped here separately, that I was told would need to be authorized".

As they had passed the security desk, the Lieutenant held out a PADD to her; it was as if he'd read her mind. On it was information on the quarters that'd been assigned to Mr Bernard, as well as his identifying information and what had come up with a background check before he'd been cleared to manage the lounge. She could only skim so much without being rude to the man, so she only got the vital information for now: where to lead him. She did take a moment to jot down a reminder to look up the Lieutenant's name later, and thank him.

"You've been assigned quarters on deck eight already, Mr Bernard," Amelia explained, noting the quarters were located in the middle of the cluster of civilian quarters that weren't far from her Executive Officer's suite, isolated away from the Captain and other senior officers just in case something happened to deck two. "What are the items you are shipping in?"

"Personal things, nothing major", Norbert answered, "I have a horse that will need a space to live perhaps part of your hangar bay can be converted to make room for him", he paused as the pair entered the turbolift, and he leaned back against the wall, "and I would like to have a Jacuzzi installed in my quarters. I was also going to have my own personal light range luxury shuttle delivered as well, but I figured the ships own spacecraft would suffice, though not as comfortable of course", he laughed.

Amelia snorted, she couldn't help it even as she realized she shouldn't. "The horse would prove an interesting challenge, but alas, if I were to allow it, I suspect the Captain would requisition it from you and not return it," she explained apologetically. "If you were to install the jacuzzi, it would become Starfleet property being attached to the ship... But if that's fine by you, I'll see that you have an engineer to help you when it arrives. Deck eight." The turbolift moved, and she felt no need to talk about the shuttle situation, not unless he pressed it.

Norbert shook his head, "No that will not do", He made a mental note to contact another officer later regarding his requisitions, that perhaps could override her.

The turbolift stopped and the doors swooshed open.

"My horse is not an IT". he said as they both exited the lift. "Silver is a Purebread Arabian, but I will speak with your Captain later to confirm delivery", he smiled fakely at the XO as they walked down the hallway towards his quarters.

"My apologies to your horse, I apparently missed the correct pronoun to refer to him with," Amelia mumbled with an eye roll. She hadn't heard one when he chastised her, so she went "grammar neutral" and selected he. She wanted to be a fly on the wall for the conversation with Rochelle about the horse. In the end, the horse will be the Captain's, or it will not be on the ship, there was no other outcome that could result.

Norbert entered the room and neatly placed his bags by the entrance before taking a few more steps in and immediately turning back towards Amelia, "No, No, This will not do", he said shaking his head, "This room is facing the wrong direction, the furniture is all wrong", he raised his hands, "I am sorry but this room will not function with my zen, the Feng Shui is all wrong", he pointed towards a nearby lamp, "You see that, it should be placed on the opposite side of the room entirely. I demand a new room". He folded his arms defiantly and looked at Amelia.

Amelia walked into the room, looked around, and considered. She'd spent a weekend during the academy helping this hot dish of a bartender rearrange her apartment for this Feng Shui crap, and it'd made absolutely no sense. The bartender — she couldn't even remember her name — had been crazy, so Amelia hadn't even been upset when it never progressed beyond that before she walked out in the middle of moving the bed, leaving the green haired woman with her day bed in the middle of her living room.

"You mean like this?" She picked up the floor lamp wish a sigh, walked it across the room, and set it down exactly across from where it'd been. "Mr. Bernard, each size of civilians quarters are laid out exactly the same. And with the transitory nature of a starship, this room will face every direction known to man in the time you will reside in it. Unless you would like a smaller room, intended for a lesser person, anything else I could give you would have the exact same Qi." Amelia was amazed that word trickled up and issued forth from her mouth. That failed attempt with the bartender did have its use.

Not impressed with Amelias sarcastic tone Norbert sighed loudly, "Well I suppose I will just have to make do then", he made a mental note to file a formal complaint to her superiors as soon as he could. "I assume you must have other things to attend to, please don't let me hold you up", he smiled his fake smile towards her and then walked into the washroom, essentially ignoring her presence from then on.

"Happy to have been a help, call me any time if you need anything else," she called after his retreating form, then whistled a jaunty tune as she headed out of his quarters. There may be time for nunchuks after all.

=/\= END LOG =/\=

Lt Commander Amelia Waterhouse
Executive Officer
USS Vindicator

Norbert Bernard III
Lounge Manager
USS Vindicator

 

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