Who is Holly?

Posted on Mon Feb 10th, 2025 @ 6:46pm by Lieutenant Connor Turner & Lieutenant Kaylee Serra

1,611 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 5 - The Cold War Ends
Location: Engineering
Timeline: MD01 - 1500

Kaylee was none too happy about the woman who seemed a bit too friendly. It just hit the red flags and her sense of there was subterfuge on the woman's part. Tapping on her combadge she uttered, "Computer what is the location of Lieutenant Turner?"

The computer answered simply, "Lieutenant Connor Turner is located in Engineering."

With a nod to herself, Kaylee headed for engineering.

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Engineering
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The door swooshed open to Engineering, revealing the woman clad in red uniform. Looking around she caught the attention of one of the Engineers there.

"Excuse me do you know where, Lieutenant Turner is?"

"He's in back, probably running yet another diagnostic. He's rather fastidious. Such a shame he can't seem to find someone to devote that kind of attention to." She gave a small, shy, wistful smile at Kaylee. "Do you want to head back there or bring him out here for you, Lieutenant?"

Kaylee thought it interesting that this engineer had given out a little bit of information where Lieutenant Turner was concerned. Deciding to not comment about that, she instead asked, "Would you go get him please?" She gave an encouraging smile towards the engineer. Kaylee will get a tour of engineering at a later time.

The female engineer gave a small nod and a slight gleeful smile as she headed back into the bowels of engineering. After several moments, a thin man, wearing ancient spectacles came walking towards Kaylee. He met her glance only briefly, preferring to look somewhere slightly over her shoulder to his right. "I heard that you were asking for me. I am Connor Turner. Unfortunately, Eve did not tell me who you are or why you requested me."

"My name is Lieutenant Kaylee Serra, and I am also Chief Strategic Operations Officer of the Station. I hadn't said my name during the first initial meeting that Captain M'Mira had called for," noting that he wasn't meeting her gaze, though for all intent and purposes he was.

"Oh, yes, I think I remember seeing you," Connor answered slightly abashed. "Then again, I try to stay out of briefings as much as possible. So, why did you come to see me?"

Kaylee glanced towards Eve then around at what seemed to be a busy engineering section. What she wanted to talk to him about would be considered private and she didn't want to stir up the rumor mill too much. "What I would like to speak to you about, it would not be something that you would want to be overheard. "

That was certainly unusual, Connor thought. While he was a private person, he was certain that he did not have any skeletons in the closet. However, Kaylee seemed to be concerned for him in some way. So, as a courtesy to her, for whatever courtesy she might be showing him, he simply said, "If you would like to come to my, well, temporary office. If that would be satisfactory to you? Once we get a real Engineering Chief, I will of course turn it over to that person, of course."

With a brief nod, "Lead the way." Kaylee followed after Connor.

The room was bereft of any decoration and seemed functional in every way. Usually people took the time to decorate their offices, but it was if Connor refused to do that because he understood he was just an Acting Chief Engineer.

Once they were inside the office, and the door closed behind them, Kaylee took a seat. " I'll just jump right into the reason why I am here. I ran into a woman who claimed to be your girlfriend, a Holly O'Brien she says she was wanting to open a bar on the station."

Connor sighed and his head dropped. "Well, you have gotten into a fine mess now."

He stayed silent for a long while his head looked at the desk. "Most likely, you met Candy Templeton, the FNS reporter. When I met her as a young ensign, she used the name, Holly. I didn't know her real name. We dated and then she disappeared." Connor decided to omit the part where he had intended to propose to her.

"When I came out here, she also ended up here.... Well, more correctly, she ended up on the planetary station to report. I recognized her and things became, um, well, complicated; but, we have not dated in over six years." There was some pain in his tone when he admitted the timeframe.

"Everything that Candy does is well considered. If she came to you and used that name, she had a purpose in doing it. She's wicked smart."

"Mmmhmmm so I see, and she's wanting to use you once more to get what she wants by doing name dropping. And probably wants to stir up trouble. Honestly, I do not have time for nonsense like that. I am sorry that you had gotten entangled with someone like that." Kaylee frowning.

"I doubt it is that simple," Connor told Kaylee, his eyes firmly on he desk. "And I'm not sorry that I was, as you call it, entangled with her, for a time. She did a lot for me. As I said, it was complicated." He sighed, wishing that he had better words to describe Candy but he knew of none.

"Well then, glad she did some good for you instead of a lot of harm. I get the sense that she would like to get in my good graces, to possibly gain information from me. It's not going to happen, and truth be told she is unfortunately irritating me, and that is a dangerous situation. I have had enough of someone trying to play games with me and try to entangle me in situations." Kaylee giving a growl. "Thank you for giving me that information."

Connor looked back up at Kaylee and actually looked her in the eyes for a moment as he said, "Who would play games with you and try to entangle you? I'm not a counselor but even I can see that something or someone is still hurting you. While I know we just met, I do not want someone that I will work with to be in pain. You heard about mine. Tell me yours."

Kaylee was quiet for a moment as she gazed back at Connor, then she spoke, with a tint of bitterness and sarcasm. "Just a stupid sad tale of thinking someone was one thing and finding out they weren't who they truly were. And I was stupid enough to marry them, leave a place that I loved, to follow said person to a more controlling environment. Once I wised up, I left, severing all ties," she huffed. "There you have it, my sad woeful tale, of which I am not going to be discussing anymore. Oh, and the cherry on top, said person was someone who generates trust in them, as they were a counselor." Her cheeks were red, not with embarrassment, but with anger, her eyes sparking with ire. "There you go, Lieutenant Turner, hope you are satisfied with that information."

While Kaylee normally would have a more diplomatic demeanor, Candy though had put her in a foul mood. Of which once again that angered her even more. Damned reporter, and the idea that Kaylee was actually reacting to her. Manipulative woman, she was cut from the same cloth as her ex.

"So, essentially your story is not much different from mine. I was going to propose and only a two year gap saved me from doing so." His voice was soft and reserved. "It must be more recent for you. I'm sorry that I have caused you more pain. That was not my intent. I am sorry." His eyes found the table again. "I should not have pried. I'm sorry."

He thought for a moment and said, "Oh, please call me Connor. I know we are on duty, but nobody else is around and we're having, or at least had, a personal chat. Right?"

Until she knew more as to what Connor was like and just how close of ties he still had with Holly, rather, Candy, Kaylee was rather hesitant in calling him by his first name. "Maybe later, I'll call you by your given name, Lieutenant Turner." She gave him a half smile. "Thank you for your time, I will take my leave now. And you have a good day at work." She prepared to take her leave.

"As you wish," Connor answered and rose from the chair. "I hope you feel better."

Kaylee could see as well, as feel his emotions, deciding to relent just a small bit. "I will sometime, Connor. And thanks for the information." The corners of her mouth rose upwards just a little. "Just, please don't let slip anything we spoke about, to Candy. Hopefully she hasn't had any access here and placed listening devices either."

"I doubt that she does," Connor thought thoughtfully, but smiling slightly and turning away as he recognized that Kaylee used his first name. "I would likely find them and, well, I wish I could explain it better, but I don't think she would want to offend me."

He straightened himself and again looked over Kaylee's shoulder. "No matter. I will not talk to Candy about anything we discussed. Alright?"

"Thank you." Kaylee giving a smile. "Take care, Connor." Once she said that, Kaylee walked out of the office. She thought as she headed down the corridor to the turbo lift that this was going to be a bit of a challenge, being the Chief Strategic Officer. However, she had hope things would work out.

 

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