Getting to Know You

Posted on Wed Mar 10th, 2021 @ 2:07am by Major Ashley Rogers & Sublieutenant Renee Hernandez

1,195 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Chapter III: The Hunt is On
Location: Mess Hall Ourainavassa
Timeline: 238702.06

Renee was heading back to the Mess Hall after punching her ex in the face and learning about the potential need to kill her ex's alternate universe doppelganger. The first part was very satisfying and the second part was a possibility that Renee was actually getting excited for.

She was lost in thought when she literally ran into Commander Ashley Rogers as she was leaving the Mess Hall. "I'm sorry..." Renee started before realizing who she ran into. "Oh, it's you."

Commander Rogers smiled, realizing how close the chef was to her, she was just as attractive as she thought she was from afar, "No, I'm sorry... for everything. For whatever my counterpart did to you. For being here... for running into you... please can I buy you a drink?"

Renee couldn't believe how easy this was going to be, but she didn't want to make it too easy for her, "I'm working, so unless you want to stay until after dinner service is over... the answer is no."

The Commander raised an eyebrow and followed Renee back into the Mess Hall, "I don't have anything planned this evening... do you mind company until then?"

"You're persistent, aren't you?" Renee asked.

"Guilty as charged... one doesn't get to where I am without some persistence," the Commander responded.

"And where exactly is that?" Renee couldn't help but be reminded of her Ash when talking with this woman. They were different, yet so very similar. The Ash that Renee met all those years ago was different, very uncertain of her place in the universe. Which was understandable, considering what she had been through up until that point. Freshly released from prison, newly assigned to an Outpost in the middle of nowhere, that Ash Rogers is nothing like this one. This one is confident, comfortable in her own skin, even more so than the current version of this universe's Ashley Rogers.

"Carrying the burden of the having the fate of the multiverse in my hands...." she said nonchalantly. "Failure is never an option... Not as a Terran and not as a Temporal Agent. I would ask you about the other me, but I get a sense that you and her have a history."

Renee made the mistake of looking into the eyes of the woman she was going to marry at one point, briefly losing herself in good memories of their time together before remembering who was actually in front of her and why Renee came back to talk to her, "We do. We did."

"She hurt you, didn't she?" the Commander said, gently brushing a strand of hair from Renee's face. "She's a fool."

It was hard for Renee to not get lost in the past, "Damn right. And I'm not about to make the same mistake twice, Commander."

"I'm not her, surely you know that," the Commander said.

"All I know is that you are an Ashley Rogers, here for lord knows how long, and you share DNA with my ex fiance," Renee blurted out intentionally.

The Commander took a deep breath, "Good job other me for proposing... someone like you deserves it all. But what the hell happened?"

Renee glared at the other Ash, "Why don't you ask her yourself. Maybe you'll understand why, because I sure as hell still can't wrap my head around it."

"The other me has doubts... about who she is. This universe hasn't been kind to her. I've spent time going over the crew manifest. Mainly reading up on who I am here. And it's very clear that I'm not her. In the Terran Empire, people like me are respected. It's not the same in this universe. I feel bad for both of you," the Commander explained.

"Why are you here?" Renee asked. It wouldn't hurt to hear directly from this Ash what her alleged intentions are. It'll help her take her out if needed.

"Like I said, to save the multiverse..." she said. "As I told Raven, I'm here now to earn the trust of this crew so that when the time comes, we do what has to be done."

"And that is?" Renee questioned

"It's too soon to reveal that. I can't alter the timeline," she looked at Renee, "I know you can't drink on the job, but mind if I get an ale?"

Renee nodded and went to get the Commander her drink, "Aren't you changing the timeline by being here?"

"Yes and no. It's a bit of a gray area," she said taking a drink. "Which I'm sure you understand if you were engaged to a Section 31 agent... and were perhaps one yourself?"

Renee maintained a poker face, "Engaged to one yes, but I am not cut out for Section 31 life... its not who I am."

The Commander nodded, "i see... But it is who I am and who your Ash is. Whereas my universe allowed me to thrive in the the gray area, your's has suffocated her with rules and regulations and morality. And that is truly unfortunate... for both her... and you."

"And we're all supposed to take your word for all of this?" Renee said, composing herself.

"No, I don't expect you or my counterpart to trust me at all. In fact, the last time I saw you, you didn't have a bruised knuckle." She took Renee's hand and examined the swollen knuckle, "Let me hypothesize... you left here, to seek out my counterpart because seeing me made you angry... uncomfortable. You confronted her... and looking at that knuckle, punched her in the face. Now I'm also going to take this a few steps further. The big Romulan, Hatham, he doesn't trust me. He was your Ash's deputy security chief before she wa promoted. I know he doesn't trust me. For Raven to allow me to man the tactical station of this ship without assurances that I'm not going to take it for my alleged nefarious purposes is foolish. How close am I to the truth, Renee?" the Commander stares into Renee's eyes.

It took all of Renee's training as a Section 31 operative to evade revealing anything through body language, "You seem to have all the answers..."

The Commander smirked and downed the rest of her ale before she brought Renee's hand to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on the injured knuckle. She could tell that a part of Renee still harbored some feelings for her counterpart by her brief reaction to the affection before Renee shoved her away, "Thank you for dinner and the ale. You're not going have to worry about me trying to take this ship. That's not my mission." She leaned in closer to Renee, whispering into her ear, "And the next time we are this close... I'd much prefer it would be us getting to know each other better... rather than you trying to kill me. Because you're more likely to succeed with the former than the latter." She then stood up and walked out of the Mess Hall.

Renee stood there looking at the closing door, heart rate up for a multitude of reasons, "Shit."

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