Green Light

Posted on Sun Jun 21st, 2020 @ 8:53am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Emilie Temple
Edited on on Tue Jul 7th, 2020 @ 1:55pm

Mission: Into the Wild
Location: Shuttle Bay 01, Office

A Mission Post by Captain Nycolas Temple & Emilie Temple
Mission: Into The Wild
Location: Shuttle Bay 01, Office
Timeline:
Sun Jan 28th, 2018 @ 4:49am


While standing in the Shuttle Bay Chief's office, which he had borrowed in order to get changed, Nyx finished dressing into his Ravager costume and it turns out the awful metal spiked jacket was only the beginning of this pirate's fashion disaster attire. Underneath he wore a torn kevlar vest sown onto a black singlet, oversized utility pants with more pockets than would ever be required, and an old dirty pair of Federation issue gravity boots - which didn't work. The whole outfit smelt of body odor, dirt, and burnt fabrics. He had no idea who the Ravager was that had been wearing these clothes before him, but it goes without saying that they deserved to be arrested for fashion crimes alone.

He never thought he'd be so appreciative of Starfleet's uniform.

Of course, obsessing over his costume was a distraction for him so he didn't have to think about what was to come. A dangerous off-ship mission with only the bare preparations. This was not how he used to perform his missions; spontaneity was never encouraged during his previous training. He remembered his teachers and squad leaders always taught him the power of planning and strategising. Going into an offensive without knowing all the parameters, with a high risk factor, was not how they operated. It might work for the marines and their brute force and fire power, but Intelligence Agents were supposed to be more organised. 'The Art of War' was prerequisite reading for a reason.

In his younger days, Nyx would have spent weeks, months even, plotting a mission's progression, with alternative scenarios and back-up plans to boot. But now he was Captain of an active vessel, with hundreds of offices and crew on board, deep into enemy territory; they simply didn't have weeks or months to plan their response to the situation. He had to take his advantage as he saw it; at least that's what he was telling himself. Nyx also would have hang glided off a building onto a moving shuttle if it meant the only way to enter a target's location. But now he had a wife and child - correction, children - waiting upstairs for him to return home so his dangerous excursions were unlikely nowadays. And yet, here he was about to fly from the safety of the Pandora right into the belly of the Ravager's beast, the Carnage.

Nyx started to feel a lump in his throat, he was wondering if he was heading into disaster and there wasn't anyone around to tell him to stop. He would be responsible, to the crew and their families, if he failed. And failure meant the worst possible scenario, leaving Emilie and Katrine. In a panic, he went to the Chief's desk and quickly found his wife's location.

Emilie was walking down the corridor in Engineering on their way to another field trip with Katrine, Cailus, and Aoife. She was surprised when something chirped nearby and the computer directed her to look at the screen.

She leaned down and gave Katrine a squeeze on her hand. "Min mor just has to view this message, darling. You keep up with Lieutenant Griffin, okay? I'll be right there."

Katrine nodded obediently and ran off down the corridor towards Griffin, while Emilie reached out and tapped the console in front of her.

Up popped Nyx's face, and he smiled hesitantly, "Hi."

"Nyx?" Emilie frowned, wondering what was wrong, "Are you on duty?"

"Well, you could say that." Nyx replied before he took a few steps backwards so Emilie could see what he was wearing.

Emilie paused for a minute before dissolving into fits of unstoppable laughter. She held her stomach as she practically keeled over, unable to stop laughing at the sight of her husband wearing such ridiculous clothes.

"Honey..." Nyx sighed, though there was a smile on his lips.

Emilie leant onto the bulkhead nearby to give herself some stability as she laughed. She looked up again at Nyx's face and immediately convulsed with hysterics once again.

"Emilie." Nyx shook his head impatiently. "Please stop laughing."

"I.... can't..." Emilie cried as she gasped for air.

"Please stop." Nyx sighed once more, more emphatically this time.

Emilie continued to laugh for a few minutes more, every time she looked at Nyx it sent her into another wave of deep howling. Finally, after some time she was able to settle down enough to look at Nyx without giggling.

"What are you wearing?" She asked. "And why?"

"It's for the Mendaz," Nyx replied obtusely.

"Are you throwing them a Risan punk party?" She shot back immediately, trying to hold onto her laughter.

"I can't say on open coms like this." Nyx responded seriously, "But it's for a reason, Ems."

Emilie just shook her head, still smiling, "I'm on a bit of a field trip right now with Katrine but I can cut it short if you want to speak back at the quarters?"

Nyx frowned, "I wish I could, but there isn't a lot of time left."

She started to realise by the serious tone he was giving off that something was afoot, something unusual that would require him to contact her out of the blue like this. Ems didn't always ask about Nyx's work, she knew there was some things he had to keep quiet, even from her, but this had a different vibe today. She realised that he was worried, legitimately worried about whatever it is that was going on.

"You will be safe then, my love?" She inquired softly, leaning into the console so that others in the corridor could not hear her concern.

Nyx had made this call with every intention of telling his wife how much he loved her, how much she had made him become a better man and helped him get to this position as captain of his own ship. He wanted to tell her that he would personally kill every Ravager onboard that Carnage if it meant getting back to her and Katrine. He also wanted to apologise for potentially leaving her, now that she was having another baby, after convincing her that life on the Pandora would be safe and long-lasting. But those words got stopped in his throat, unwilling to pass by his lips and become reality. He didn't want to say goodbye to her, because that would have made it all the more real.

"Always." Nyx instead flashed a smile, a forced one. "And I will explain it all when I get back."

'When I get back'. Emilie repeated to herself. It was a deliberate choice of words on her husband's part, she knew that he really meant to say 'If I get back.' She tried to put on a smile herself, pretending like she wasn't becoming deeply concerned over whatever it was that Nyx was about to do.

"I will see you then, when you get back." She said slowly.

"Yes..." Nyx replied with a nod. "...Tonight then?"

"As always." Emilie bit her lip as she spoke, trying to stop that sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Alrighty. Goodbye then... Uh, until tonight, I mean." Nyx stammered.

"Tonight." Emilie repeated automatically.

The console went blank again and Emilie lifted up her hand to touch the empty screen. She wanted to return the call, demand Nyx tell her what was wrong, beg him not to do it. But she didn't. Much like Nyx's words caught in his throat, her own desires remained just thoughts trapped in her mind; considered but unspoken. From around the corridor, she could hear Katrine yelling at her to hurry up so with a big breath, she left the console and headed off to catch up with the others.

In the Shuttle Bay office, Nyx likewise was looking at the black screen. He wanted to start the call again, tell Emilie everything, and seek the reassurance that he really would be back tonight. He wanted to say it out loud because he needed to believe it, in order to get through this risky and unplanned mission. But it was as if acknowledging the dangers made them all the more real; and that accepting the possibility that Nyx might be killed on the Carnage, made it all the more likely. So it was better left unsaid.

There came a chime at the door and Nyx called for them to enter. It was an Engineering crewman, who poked his head in hesitantly. The young officer spied the Captain's outfit and made every discernible effort not to laugh as well, though his lips quivered and gave away his true feelings.

"What is it?" Nyx asked curtly.

"We've finished with the shuttle sir, we've added in the field transporters and boosters, and hidden weaponry within the interior incase you require it." The crewman responded.

"Very well." Nyx sighed, "We have a green light for the mission to progress. Alert the teams, we're ready to launch."

Casting one last look back at the blank screen, Nyx pulled at the hems of his jacket and proceeded out of the office.

OFF