| Author | Message | ||
     Cdr. Velorna Tal |
The shuttle eased to a halt and gently lowerd to the deck. Though Coronado's shuttles were slightly larger than her Marine Corps' Spectre fighters, Diana and Teresa were still able to fit comfortably in the fighters' upper launch bays while the main shuttlebay underwent repairs. Tal was impressed at the ease with which the ranting and raving pilot managed slip the shuttle into her berth. With a hiss of thrusters, the shuttle settled to the deck with a barely noticable thump. Commander Tal arched an eyebrow as she monitored her screens. Indeed the pilot was talented, just as the Engineering Empress had said. "Again, a quite tolerable flight, Ms. D'Rall. Please remain seated." Tal turned her attention back to the other two occupants of the shuttle, cutting off any reply that D'Rall might have thought witty enough to snap off. "Commander, Doctor, feel free to take as long as you like analyzing the data we recovered. Anything we can understand about these people's lives, their history, their culture will be very important. Dismissed." Tired but smiling, Commander Oswald and Dr. Reed made their way to the back of the shuttle and off through the landing bay back to their assigned duties. What sounded like Oswald laughing soon escalated to the sounds of the two arguing, doubtlessly over some caustic remark made by the brusque-but-likable physician. Cutting her own slight smile short, Tal turned back to D'Rall. The pilot was pouding away at her flight board, securing the ship from her trip and filing maintenance orders that could have been filed with the flight deck officer. Tal cleared her throat and stared down at D'Rall with the fullness of her imperious Romulan heritage. "Lieutenant, I am well aware of your training - or lack thereof. Your skills are more than adequate for the tasks you are given. However, you wear a Starfleet uniform and serve aboard a Starfleet vessel. I will expect the same level of competence, discipline, and control from you that I expect from everyone else on this ship. Do I make myself clear?" D'Rall's face twisted into a feral snarl. "With awll doo respect, ma'am, you can -" Tal's hand snapped out so fast that D'Rall never had a chance of seeing it coming. Her long Romulan fingers slipped around the nerve bundle of Maiko's left shoulder. A tiny amount of pressure caused the pilot to stiffen. A tiny amount more would render her unconscious, and the lesson would be for naught. "Control! Control! You must learn control!" Tal hissed in D'Rall's ear as she leaned in closer. "Without control, I would have knocked you out just now. With proper control of both my temper and my skills, I have immobilized you until I choose to release you. That is lesson number two for today." And with that, Velorna Tal released her grip and swept out of the shuttle, leaving a very resentful Maiko D'Rall rubbing her shoulder and grumbling under her breath threats that would never come to fruition. ========= Christian D. Clem, aka "Aggie" Cdr. Velorna Tal, Executive Officer U.S.S. Coronado, NCC-97901 |