Buffer Zones

Posted on Wed Aug 12th, 2026 @ 12:06pm by Lieutenant Arianna Frost & Lieutenant Jack Lashmore & Lieutenant Jarok

Mission: A New Day at Midnight
Location: Turbolift
Timeline: during the later parts of 'War Zone' and after

ON:

Frost walked into the Captain's Ready Room first, and looked around quickly to locate the shower. An idea formed in her head as she began to disrobe quickly and removed the commbadge from the current uniform.

"Frost to Jarok. I'll do proper intro's when I see you, down on the mission, Lieutenant. For now, I'd like us both to beam down in Science blues. Let's just say I don't want to frighten friendlies or tip off foes. We'll be part of Lieutenant Xanth's Science cadre." She said, holding her commbadge. Hoping that the Vulcan replied quickly.

Standing in the Intelligence training room, Jarok had finished his daily catalogue of the weaponry when he received the Lieutenant’s message.

Tapping his badge, Jarok replied, “Aye, Lieutenant. I can do that. I’ll meet you at the Transporter Room.”

Frost said nothing, just closed off comms and put her commbadge next to her pile of clothes. At the last moment she removed her pips as well to move them to the fresh uniform.

Jack was not far behind Ari, already unzipping his jacket before a pause and taking a few steps to cross the distance between them. Gently grasping her elbow, "...yeah so, despite what the captain said to everyone. We need to be the buffer zone, from what we just saw between themselves and the planet below."

Ari nodded, "agreed. But we make it so they call the shots. If anyone's watching, they need to see Command running the show or they will try to pull us apart before we have had a chance to restore order and help these people."

"Aye..." Jack sighed not sure what to cover beyond that. Whilst aboard the Federation Scout they had spent the time mostly professional, even if a touch too casual, mostly testing eachother on quizzes about the PADD's they had just read on Luna class systems and quite literally pulling apart the insides of the Federation Shuttle and studying it as a manual refresher course. Now, actual stakes and she was the only person he knew. Trust? He felt he could trust her but in truth, he truly did not know how she performed in the field. "As much as it may piss people off, anything out of the ordinary, you contact me first, hmm, and I you. Security and Intelligence have a habit of holding cards close to the chest, best we both work with a full deck, hmm?"

Frost nodded as she stepped away from him for a moment and stepped into the shower before removing the rest of her clothes which got hap hazardly tossed onto the heap with the rest. "Just got to be careful not to be obvious." The sonic shower turned on, "and keep your thoughts and feelings structured. We have readers on board, they need us to be solid."

"Understood..." Jack turned his glance away from the sonic shower, but leaned down to scoop up her nearly two-month-old unwashed clothes. "I'm putting these into the replicator and decompiling them."

"Thank you!" She said as she quickly scrubbed the key areas down as sthe sonic shower did the rest. Ari let out a deep sigh as the tension of the last few months left her. "I am going to spend an hour in the shower when we get back from this. I am finally learning the meaning of withdrawal."

It took all of two point five minutes to disrobe, be in, and now, out.

Frost chuckled as she with great reluctance turned the shower off and reached for a towel in the compartment under the nozzle and wrapped it around herself. She stepped out, and motioned with some theatrics to the shower.

"All yours, did you want me to replicate you a uniform too?" She asked as she stepped by him to the replicator.

"Of course," he made his way over to the sonic shower unit, taking his jacket and shirt off, "unless you prefer me to beam down naked, I'm easy."

"I meaan..." Ari chuckled as she padded barefoot over the replicator and replicated herself the style of uniform that was worn on the ship, with standard issue undergarments and standard issue shoes. However, instead of the grey shoulders of Intelligence, it was the Science blue, as planned. She quickly got dressed, and then removed Jack's commbadge and pips and recycled his as well. Quickly bringing up his profile on the side panel, she guesstimated his uniform, undergarment and shoe size and replicated it for him.

By the time he got out, she was re-attaching her pips to her turtleneck.

The wonder of sonic showers, you need not be in it longer than three minutes...people just tended to enjoy the vibration for fifteen more minutes. Jack wished he could have, but timing was timing at present. Holding a towel tightly around his waist, he clumsily put his underwear on before dropping the towel to put on the rest of his uniform. "Shame, though."

"Hmm?" She asked as she turned around, finally managing to make herself a Lieutenant again. Her eyes quickly flickered over the crisp Security Chief. "What's a shame?" She asked as she crouched down and picked up the towel then took it and her own towel to be recycled.

"All prim and proper," Jack faked a sigh, "lost the bush-bunny look."

Ari turned around, "nah, mate. It's a special occasion look. It'll get worn out if I'm bushy bun buns all the time." She gave a smirk and a shrug, her eyes dancing from him to the time piece. "You look good though."

Jack tilted his head a little, he was still adjusting his jacket. "I'll take it, but you'll need to print a receipt of that compliment for reference in the future."

Ari said nothing, only her eyes dancing a little, her eyebrows waggling the tiniest bit.

Seven minutes.

Blue-green eyes caught blue, "you ready?"

"Not in the slightest, but that's work for you...jump in the seat and scream at the speed."

Ari gave a look that screamed, 'I knooow!'. With a final tug of her jacket and a nod, the two new Department Heads stepped back out into the fray with time to spare.

Jack had a thought for a moment, "I'll meet you down there; I need to collect something lean, mean, and green from security."

Ari nodded, "see you there." She couldn't help but wonder what this lean, mean, and green from security was, but decided she would ask later. Commander Lewellyn and the others needed her focus first.

OFF: