Allison Tennison stood in front of the bookstore she owned, her sandy brown hair falling down into her eyes. The sign they had just put up on the door read that they were closed temporarily and apologized to all their loyal customers. The casually dressed young woman rested her hand on the doorway then smiled wryly as she conceded, "I'll miss this." "I know," Jenna said softly, the black haired woman holding on to her other hand. Allison looked over at Jenna and smiled warmly, "But I'd miss you more, so...." Jenna didn't answer aloud, instead she pressed her body to Allison's, holding her close. "Thank you," she finally murmured, kissing her gently. They separated after a few moments, Allison smiling at her happily. "We'd better get going," she said, the two of them moving away from the shop and down the street. "So do we have to do this again?" she asked as they ducked into an alley. "It's always easier the second time," Jenna said to her gently, the two moving to stand in the shadows. out of sight from the street. Allison puffed out a breath, "I hope you're right." She raised the wristband that she wore and said into it, "Request slip-transit, Liberty Sword." The two women were gradually surrounded by violet light, etched in the wave of energy, then they were simply gone... ... only to reappear in the transit room of the cruiser Liberty Sword. "Are you all right?" Jenna asked as she looked over at Allison, worriedly checking for any signs of illness. Allison swallowed a bit nervously then she smiled slightly. "Looks like I'm fine," she looked very relieved as they stepped off of the disk. "Welcome back," Kat smiled, her long brown braid flowing down her back. "Milly is closing up your penthouse suite along with Sharin," she relayed, the uniform she wore crisp and neat. The black jacket and pants fit her well, the glossy boots tapping against the alloy floor as they walked off. "Milly and Sharin, huh?" Allison smiled slightly as she mused, "I wonder why Sharin felt she had to come along?" "They don't seem to like being separated, do they?" Kat agreed as they went into one of the lifts, the glowing disk carrying them up. "You're wearing insignia from the medical division," Jenna quietly noted as she looked at Kat's uniform thoughtfully. "I have some first aid training," Kat admitted, "and I have one of the engineers showing me the sickbay crew." She smiled wryly as she added, "There doesn't seem to be anyone else on board that's more qualified so...." "I'm sure you'll be fine," Allison said quietly, a slight smile on her face. "Let's hope," Kat said cheerfully. "Marilyn and Roma are both down with the crew working on their cruiser, hopefully being helpful," she added. "Well, Roma's helping anyway," Jenna chuckled softly, fondly thinking of Marilyn's good natured helplessness. "Welcome aboard," Laurel got up from the captain's chair to offer a salute as they reached the bridge. The blue haired commander stood at attention, clearly expecting a response. "At ease," Allison prompted Jenna softly. "At ease," Jenna loudly repeated the phrase and Laurel relaxed slightly. "Carry on," she said, "Allison and I need to go get changed." "Just don't get too distracted," a voice called from the tactical station at the front of the bridge. Amara tossed them a impish smile before the dark haired woman turned back to the engineer who was running her through operating the panel. "Amara," Allison scolded as she and Jenna left the bridge "That was scary," Lieutenant Alex Keron murmured as the black haired young man bent over the station beside her, "I thought you were in trouble." Amara smirked, "You'll get used to Allison and Jenna, trust me." The corridor leading to the Captain's quarters was placed just off the bridge, intended to allow quick access in an emergency. The rooms themselves were quite spotless, Milly having only begun to move all of their stuff into the set of rooms. There was a comfortable sitting room, a small study, and the bedroom but that was all. "The uniform I requested for you is here," Jenna noted as she picked up the bundle of cloth from a table by the entrance. Allison smiled wryly, "Thanks." She took the clothes and matching boots then walked to the bedroom, Jenna right behind her. She blushed faintly as she stripped her clothes off, setting them aside then pulled the black pants on. Standing in her bra she grabbed the white undershirt then slid the black jacket over her shoulders, buttoning up swiftly. Jenna's gaze was admiring as she looked Allison over. "You look handsome," she sighed happily as she made a few adjustments to the gold trim. Allison blushed again, brighter, but managed a smile in return. "Are you going to dress up in one of these, too?" she asked. "No," Jenna shook her head, "there's a reason that I wanted you in uniform." She smiled a dangerous smile as she gave Allison a predatory look, "Well, besides the obvious one." "You're terrible," Allison said with a shake of her head. She frowned then asked, "So what was the other reason?" "I think I'll need some help explaining," Jenna sighed. She raised her voice, "Computer, please call Commander Laurel to the Captain's quarters." "Acknowledged," the computer replied. A few moments later there was a chime at the door and Jenna opened the door. Laurel strode inside, walking over to the two of them. "Princess," she nodded to Jenna then looked over at Allison. After a moment she nodded, "This could work." Allison got that odd feeling that she had missed something important. "What's going on?" she asked the two of them. "You haven't told her, ma'am?" Laurel asked, running a hand through her blue hair. "I haven't really had the chance," Jenna answered calmly, "and I was hoping to have your help explaining, as well." Before Allison could ask again Laurel waved her over to a couch, "This is going to take a few minutes." Once Jenna and Allison had sat down she said, "As you know this ship is primarily crewed by the engineering staff, rather than military crew." "Right," Allison nodded, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "And that goes for me, too," Laurel continued, "I was a ship's engineer before I came aboard, and I have no real military experience." She smiled ruefully, "My first response is that of handling an engineering problem, not as a combat leader." "We need a captain," Jenna said, "someone who can lead both our friends and this engineering crew into battle if necessary." "Then I'm entirely willing to support you," Allison said to Jenna, squeezing her hand comfortingly, "from what I've seen you can handle it." "She isn't who we have in mind," Laurel smiled slightly as she studied Allison. It took Allison a moment to get it then her eyes widened. "Oh no," she shook her head firmly, "I have no military experience at all. How could I even think to...?" "I think you can," Jenna said, still holding on to Allison's hand. "More importantly I've seen your friends," Laurel said gravely, "you may not realize it but they take their cues from you as much as from the Princess." "I have no idea how your ship runs," Allison answered her softly, "how could I be expected to command it?" "A ship's captain relies on her crew to do their jobs," Jenna pointed out quietly, "the captain provides them the direction and focus." "I wouldn't put it quite that simply," Laurel said, "but it's basically true." She smiled slightly, "Of course I'd be willing to stand as your second in command to help with any technical problems." Allison sat there a moment, digesting their words and hearing the urgency behind them. 'This is serious,' she realized as she wrestled with her thoughts. Finally she took a breath, meeting Jenna's eyes, "If you really need me to do this, I will." Jenna threw her arms around the startled Allison as she squealed, "Thank you!" Laurel fought back a smile at that. "Princess, I'll need you to do the honors," she held out two gleaming metal insignia to Jenna. "Upon the honor of my house," Jenna said formally as she clipped the symbols to each side of Allison's neck, "I today give you a field promotion of captain." "Ma'am," Laurel threw a salute, standing there formally. "Commander," Allison returned the salute, meeting those eyes gravely, "let's hope we don't end up regretting this."
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