Cecily/Max - Mixed Signals

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1100ish

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1100ish

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1100ish

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1100ish

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

"Pretty sure no matter how you lobby that, we're going to stay right where we are," Cecily told Max, and even though she was a little upset about what he had said, she still kept the smile on her face and stepped up close to him, looking him in the eye like a challenge. "If you need a scientist then you came to the right place and I assure you, Commander, you won't leave unsatisfied."

In fact as she stepped closer and sized him up she realized the words had a double meaning, but that didn't bother her because he was a very attractive man and she wasn't exactly shy. Besides, he was enticing her with knowledge and that was certainly a good way to get to a scientist--perhaps he knew that and was turning up the charm on purpose, and if so, she would play along and get what she wanted too. She grasped the PADD in her hand and smiled at him, keeping her eyes on him at all times and making sure to look at him with intent to see if he understood that he was also being charmed.

"I'll look at it," Cecily explained as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, "and after I've had my fun maybe I'll let you sneak a peak and if you like what you see then we'll both be happy."

Making sexual innuendo at the XO was probably frowned upon, but she was up for the challenge and greedy for the information in his hands because she could use it. She could impress Max, be put back to the place she had been before the accident on the station and then even perhaps feel better about how Lillian had cured that new virus in fifteen minutes while it had taken her hours to even come up with a temporary solution. Right now all she wanted was to figure out something and be more useful than anyone else and if that meant she also kind of got under Max's skin, that was a good thing too.

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1100ish

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

"Pretty sure no matter how you lobby that, we're going to stay right where we are," Cecily told Max, and even though she was a little upset about what he had said, she still kept the smile on her face and stepped up close to him, looking him in the eye like a challenge. "If you need a scientist then you came to the right place and I assure you, Commander, you won't leave unsatisfied."

In fact as she stepped closer and sized him up she realized the words had a double meaning, but that didn't bother her because he was a very attractive man and she wasn't exactly shy. Besides, he was enticing her with knowledge and that was certainly a good way to get to a scientist--perhaps he knew that and was turning up the charm on purpose, and if so, she would play along and get what she wanted too. She grasped the PADD in her hand and smiled at him, keeping her eyes on him at all times and making sure to look at him with intent to see if he understood that he was also being charmed.

"I'll look at it," Cecily explained as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, "and after I've had my fun maybe I'll let you sneak a peak and if you like what you see then we'll both be happy."

Making sexual innuendo at the XO was probably frowned upon, but she was up for the challenge and greedy for the information in his hands because she could use it. She could impress Max, be put back to the place she had been before the accident on the station and then even perhaps feel better about how Lillian had cured that new virus in fifteen minutes while it had taken her hours to even come up with a temporary solution. Right now all she wanted was to figure out something and be more useful than anyone else and if that meant she also kind of got under Max's skin, that was a good thing too.

Max's eyes narrowed a bit as she snatched the PADD from his hand. Feisty, are we? Well, that should make things more interesting. Still, he didn't mind it coming from someone in her uniform. Had it been a little more green than teal on the other hand…

He cleared his throat. "Why thank you ever so much for taking time away form your protoplasms, or what have you," the Intel officer said, a bit over-sarcastically. As he said it he himself was surprised at the tone. Why was that called for? Maybe he was protecting himself from becoming too involved with this intriguing new personality…but that didn't bear thinking about, given both his personal and professional situation at the moment. So he shook those thoughts aside and tried to continue in a more even tone.

"Some pretty fascinating energy readings there, so much that even my boys had to ask for help. Count yourself lucky, eh? Still…I don't suppose there's much point in asking for you to keep these findings confidential, is there?" he asked resignedly, seeming familiar with scientists and their methods. With a shrug he glanced around the labs, then returned his gaze to Cecily.

"Well Lieutenant, now that the big bad man in the gray uniform has dropped off his secret data, maybe I can talk to you in a little more pleasant persona…your friendly neighborhood Executive Officer. All joking aside…how are things on the frontlines of the Federation's war on ignorance?" Max said expansively, gesturing to indicate the starbase's labs and the research currently going on there.

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1100ish

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

"Pretty sure no matter how you lobby that, we're going to stay right where we are," Cecily told Max, and even though she was a little upset about what he had said, she still kept the smile on her face and stepped up close to him, looking him in the eye like a challenge. "If you need a scientist then you came to the right place and I assure you, Commander, you won't leave unsatisfied."

In fact as she stepped closer and sized him up she realized the words had a double meaning, but that didn't bother her because he was a very attractive man and she wasn't exactly shy. Besides, he was enticing her with knowledge and that was certainly a good way to get to a scientist--perhaps he knew that and was turning up the charm on purpose, and if so, she would play along and get what she wanted too. She grasped the PADD in her hand and smiled at him, keeping her eyes on him at all times and making sure to look at him with intent to see if he understood that he was also being charmed.

"I'll look at it," Cecily explained as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, "and after I've had my fun maybe I'll let you sneak a peak and if you like what you see then we'll both be happy."

Making sexual innuendo at the XO was probably frowned upon, but she was up for the challenge and greedy for the information in his hands because she could use it. She could impress Max, be put back to the place she had been before the accident on the station and then even perhaps feel better about how Lillian had cured that new virus in fifteen minutes while it had taken her hours to even come up with a temporary solution. Right now all she wanted was to figure out something and be more useful than anyone else and if that meant she also kind of got under Max's skin, that was a good thing too.

Max's eyes narrowed a bit as she snatched the PADD from his hand. Feisty, are we? Well, that should make things more interesting. Still, he didn't mind it coming from someone in her uniform. Had it been a little more green than teal on the other hand…

He cleared his throat. "Why thank you ever so much for taking time away form your protoplasms, or what have you," the Intel officer said, a bit over-sarcastically. As he said it he himself was surprised at the tone. Why was that called for? Maybe he was protecting himself from becoming too involved with this intriguing new personality…but that didn't bear thinking about, given both his personal and professional situation at the moment. So he shook those thoughts aside and tried to continue in a more even tone.

"Some pretty fascinating energy readings there, so much that even my boys had to ask for help. Count yourself lucky, eh? Still…I don't suppose there's much point in asking for you to keep these findings confidential, is there?" he asked resignedly, seeming familiar with scientists and their methods. With a shrug he glanced around the labs, then returned his gaze to Cecily.

"Well Lieutenant, now that the big bad man in the gray uniform has dropped off his secret data, maybe I can talk to you in a little more pleasant persona…your friendly neighborhood Executive Officer. All joking aside…how are things on the frontlines of the Federation's war on ignorance?" Max said expansively, gesturing to indicate the starbase's labs and the research currently going on there.

"Are you trying to say that you're two people, Commander? Seems...odd for an XO," she said honestly, meaning no disrespect.

Cecily was pretty sure that Max was saying that he was kind of two people and that was sort of true as intelligence officers were sometimes two faced. Faced with Max's attitude and the information at her fingertips, Cecily actually felt pretty good because she'd been around a time or two and was used to abruptness and obstinance. Besides, figuring Max out seemed like fun not just because of his 'relationship' with Lillian, but because his rude, grumpiness was kind of attractive.

On top of that, Cecily wondered if he thought ill of her because of Lillian, but he was more professional than that, wasn't he? He would never let a woman influence his job...right? He had a lot riding on his shoulders and she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt because it wasn't like scientists weren't somewhat avoided for various reasons.

"We're doing all sorts of things around here: charting, experimenting, creating. Vaccines, layouts--things most aren't interested in." Cecily explained with a shrug. "Let's move into my office, Commander. We'll be able to talk without prying eyes and keep it between the two of us, yeah?"

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1220

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

"Pretty sure no matter how you lobby that, we're going to stay right where we are," Cecily told Max, and even though she was a little upset about what he had said, she still kept the smile on her face and stepped up close to him, looking him in the eye like a challenge. "If you need a scientist then you came to the right place and I assure you, Commander, you won't leave unsatisfied."

In fact as she stepped closer and sized him up she realized the words had a double meaning, but that didn't bother her because he was a very attractive man and she wasn't exactly shy. Besides, he was enticing her with knowledge and that was certainly a good way to get to a scientist--perhaps he knew that and was turning up the charm on purpose, and if so, she would play along and get what she wanted too. She grasped the PADD in her hand and smiled at him, keeping her eyes on him at all times and making sure to look at him with intent to see if he understood that he was also being charmed.

"I'll look at it," Cecily explained as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, "and after I've had my fun maybe I'll let you sneak a peak and if you like what you see then we'll both be happy."

Making sexual innuendo at the XO was probably frowned upon, but she was up for the challenge and greedy for the information in his hands because she could use it. She could impress Max, be put back to the place she had been before the accident on the station and then even perhaps feel better about how Lillian had cured that new virus in fifteen minutes while it had taken her hours to even come up with a temporary solution. Right now all she wanted was to figure out something and be more useful than anyone else and if that meant she also kind of got under Max's skin, that was a good thing too.

Max's eyes narrowed a bit as she snatched the PADD from his hand. Feisty, are we? Well, that should make things more interesting. Still, he didn't mind it coming from someone in her uniform. Had it been a little more green than teal on the other hand…

He cleared his throat. "Why thank you ever so much for taking time away form your protoplasms, or what have you," the Intel officer said, a bit over-sarcastically. As he said it he himself was surprised at the tone. Why was that called for? Maybe he was protecting himself from becoming too involved with this intriguing new personality…but that didn't bear thinking about, given both his personal and professional situation at the moment. So he shook those thoughts aside and tried to continue in a more even tone.

"Some pretty fascinating energy readings there, so much that even my boys had to ask for help. Count yourself lucky, eh? Still…I don't suppose there's much point in asking for you to keep these findings confidential, is there?" he asked resignedly, seeming familiar with scientists and their methods. With a shrug he glanced around the labs, then returned his gaze to Cecily.

"Well Lieutenant, now that the big bad man in the gray uniform has dropped off his secret data, maybe I can talk to you in a little more pleasant persona…your friendly neighborhood Executive Officer. All joking aside…how are things on the frontlines of the Federation's war on ignorance?" Max said expansively, gesturing to indicate the starbase's labs and the research currently going on there.

"Are you trying to say that you're two people, Commander? Seems...odd for an XO," she said honestly, meaning no disrespect.

Cecily was pretty sure that Max was saying that he was kind of two people and that was sort of true as intelligence officers were sometimes two faced. Faced with Max's attitude and the information at her fingertips, Cecily actually felt pretty good because she'd been around a time or two and was used to abruptness and obstinance. Besides, figuring Max out seemed like fun not just because of his 'relationship' with Lillian, but because his rude, grumpiness was kind of attractive.

On top of that, Cecily wondered if he thought ill of her because of Lillian, but he was more professional than that, wasn't he? He would never let a woman influence his job...right? He had a lot riding on his shoulders and she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt because it wasn't like scientists weren't somewhat avoided for various reasons.

"We're doing all sorts of things around here: charting, experimenting, creating. Vaccines, layouts--things most aren't interested in." Cecily explained with a shrug. "Let's move into my office, Commander. We'll be able to talk without prying eyes and keep it between the two of us, yeah?"

"Now you're speaking my language," Max said, following her into the office. "Don't worry, all the hidden recording devices in here are mine. And I must say, they've picked up some interesting things lately," he teased. Leaning against the wall, he watched Cecily with a wry smile, trying to disguise his increasing interest in the woman with a haughty, somewhat disinterested exterior.

One thing she mentioned caught his attention though. "Did you say vaccines? Isn't that more of a job for Medical? Unless you're synthesizing it based on their recommendations I suppose," he offered with a shrug. "But now that I think about…your department did have to work on some inoculations a while back, when that virus was going around. More of that sort of thing then?" He sniffed, seeming to think for a moment. "Hmmm...I've read the reports on all that, but now I'm curious: how do you feel your department responded to that little crisis? Think your people are ready for that sort of unexpected assignment in the future?" He held his hands up and quickly added "Don't worry, I'm not planning layoffs, just trying to plan future station resource allotment."

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1220

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

"Pretty sure no matter how you lobby that, we're going to stay right where we are," Cecily told Max, and even though she was a little upset about what he had said, she still kept the smile on her face and stepped up close to him, looking him in the eye like a challenge. "If you need a scientist then you came to the right place and I assure you, Commander, you won't leave unsatisfied."

In fact as she stepped closer and sized him up she realized the words had a double meaning, but that didn't bother her because he was a very attractive man and she wasn't exactly shy. Besides, he was enticing her with knowledge and that was certainly a good way to get to a scientist--perhaps he knew that and was turning up the charm on purpose, and if so, she would play along and get what she wanted too. She grasped the PADD in her hand and smiled at him, keeping her eyes on him at all times and making sure to look at him with intent to see if he understood that he was also being charmed.

"I'll look at it," Cecily explained as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, "and after I've had my fun maybe I'll let you sneak a peak and if you like what you see then we'll both be happy."

Making sexual innuendo at the XO was probably frowned upon, but she was up for the challenge and greedy for the information in his hands because she could use it. She could impress Max, be put back to the place she had been before the accident on the station and then even perhaps feel better about how Lillian had cured that new virus in fifteen minutes while it had taken her hours to even come up with a temporary solution. Right now all she wanted was to figure out something and be more useful than anyone else and if that meant she also kind of got under Max's skin, that was a good thing too.

Max's eyes narrowed a bit as she snatched the PADD from his hand. Feisty, are we? Well, that should make things more interesting. Still, he didn't mind it coming from someone in her uniform. Had it been a little more green than teal on the other hand…

He cleared his throat. "Why thank you ever so much for taking time away form your protoplasms, or what have you," the Intel officer said, a bit over-sarcastically. As he said it he himself was surprised at the tone. Why was that called for? Maybe he was protecting himself from becoming too involved with this intriguing new personality…but that didn't bear thinking about, given both his personal and professional situation at the moment. So he shook those thoughts aside and tried to continue in a more even tone.

"Some pretty fascinating energy readings there, so much that even my boys had to ask for help. Count yourself lucky, eh? Still…I don't suppose there's much point in asking for you to keep these findings confidential, is there?" he asked resignedly, seeming familiar with scientists and their methods. With a shrug he glanced around the labs, then returned his gaze to Cecily.

"Well Lieutenant, now that the big bad man in the gray uniform has dropped off his secret data, maybe I can talk to you in a little more pleasant persona…your friendly neighborhood Executive Officer. All joking aside…how are things on the frontlines of the Federation's war on ignorance?" Max said expansively, gesturing to indicate the starbase's labs and the research currently going on there.

"Are you trying to say that you're two people, Commander? Seems...odd for an XO," she said honestly, meaning no disrespect.

Cecily was pretty sure that Max was saying that he was kind of two people and that was sort of true as intelligence officers were sometimes two faced. Faced with Max's attitude and the information at her fingertips, Cecily actually felt pretty good because she'd been around a time or two and was used to abruptness and obstinance. Besides, figuring Max out seemed like fun not just because of his 'relationship' with Lillian, but because his rude, grumpiness was kind of attractive.

On top of that, Cecily wondered if he thought ill of her because of Lillian, but he was more professional than that, wasn't he? He would never let a woman influence his job...right? He had a lot riding on his shoulders and she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt because it wasn't like scientists weren't somewhat avoided for various reasons.

"We're doing all sorts of things around here: charting, experimenting, creating. Vaccines, layouts--things most aren't interested in." Cecily explained with a shrug. "Let's move into my office, Commander. We'll be able to talk without prying eyes and keep it between the two of us, yeah?"

"Now you're speaking my language," Max said, following her into the office. "Don't worry, all the hidden recording devices in here are mine. And I must say, they've picked up some interesting things lately," he teased. Leaning against the wall, he watched Cecily with a wry smile, trying to disguise his increasing interest in the woman with a haughty, somewhat disinterested exterior.

One thing she mentioned caught his attention though. "Did you say vaccines? Isn't that more of a job for Medical? Unless you're synthesizing it based on their recommendations I suppose," he offered with a shrug. "But now that I think about…your department did have to work on some inoculations a while back, when that virus was going around. More of that sort of thing then?" He sniffed, seeming to think for a moment. "Hmmm...I've read the reports on all that, but now I'm curious: how do you feel your department responded to that little crisis? Think your people are ready for that sort of unexpected assignment in the future?" He held his hands up and quickly added, "Don't worry, I'm not planning layoffs, just trying to plan future station resource allotment."

"Oh, so those were your bugs I found," Cecily said with a smile on her face. "I was wondering if they picked up on video as well as audio because you got quite a show the other day--maybe that's the real reason you came down here..." She winked at him and then shrugged a little bit. "Vaccines are a natural part of science, even if medical does the same thing. After what happened last time, we're just doing what we can and if we run into a medical problem, we talk to the CMO because that's her jurisdiction. Still, we're functioning and we've recovered and we're better prepared for the future--I wouldn't be much of a Chief if I couldn't get my people under control."

She was having more fun than she wanted to admit trying to keep Max on his toes but she knew that he had come for a reason and it wasn't to be badgered and teased. That was all fun, but not the time nor the place and she had a feeling that Lillian would delight in these kinds of unprofessional games and the last thing she wanted was to be compared to Lillian Crae. So, instead she just smiled at Max so he knew nothing he said could possibly get to her, and nodded at the information in her hand when they were safely tucked away, just the two of them.

Deciding to change the subject to business, she looked Max in the eye. "So...do you know what's causing the readings? I wasn't born, yesterday, you know. I've been at this job a while."

|Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1220

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

"Pretty sure no matter how you lobby that, we're going to stay right where we are," Cecily told Max, and even though she was a little upset about what he had said, she still kept the smile on her face and stepped up close to him, looking him in the eye like a challenge. "If you need a scientist then you came to the right place and I assure you, Commander, you won't leave unsatisfied."

In fact as she stepped closer and sized him up she realized the words had a double meaning, but that didn't bother her because he was a very attractive man and she wasn't exactly shy. Besides, he was enticing her with knowledge and that was certainly a good way to get to a scientist--perhaps he knew that and was turning up the charm on purpose, and if so, she would play along and get what she wanted too. She grasped the PADD in her hand and smiled at him, keeping her eyes on him at all times and making sure to look at him with intent to see if he understood that he was also being charmed.

"I'll look at it," Cecily explained as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, "and after I've had my fun maybe I'll let you sneak a peak and if you like what you see then we'll both be happy."

Making sexual innuendo at the XO was probably frowned upon, but she was up for the challenge and greedy for the information in his hands because she could use it. She could impress Max, be put back to the place she had been before the accident on the station and then even perhaps feel better about how Lillian had cured that new virus in fifteen minutes while it had taken her hours to even come up with a temporary solution. Right now all she wanted was to figure out something and be more useful than anyone else and if that meant she also kind of got under Max's skin, that was a good thing too.

Max's eyes narrowed a bit as she snatched the PADD from his hand. Feisty, are we? Well, that should make things more interesting. Still, he didn't mind it coming from someone in her uniform. Had it been a little more green than teal on the other hand…

He cleared his throat. "Why thank you ever so much for taking time away form your protoplasms, or what have you," the Intel officer said, a bit over-sarcastically. As he said it he himself was surprised at the tone. Why was that called for? Maybe he was protecting himself from becoming too involved with this intriguing new personality…but that didn't bear thinking about, given both his personal and professional situation at the moment. So he shook those thoughts aside and tried to continue in a more even tone.

"Some pretty fascinating energy readings there, so much that even my boys had to ask for help. Count yourself lucky, eh? Still…I don't suppose there's much point in asking for you to keep these findings confidential, is there?" he asked resignedly, seeming familiar with scientists and their methods. With a shrug he glanced around the labs, then returned his gaze to Cecily.

"Well Lieutenant, now that the big bad man in the gray uniform has dropped off his secret data, maybe I can talk to you in a little more pleasant persona…your friendly neighborhood Executive Officer. All joking aside…how are things on the frontlines of the Federation's war on ignorance?" Max said expansively, gesturing to indicate the starbase's labs and the research currently going on there.

"Are you trying to say that you're two people, Commander? Seems...odd for an XO," she said honestly, meaning no disrespect.

Cecily was pretty sure that Max was saying that he was kind of two people and that was sort of true as intelligence officers were sometimes two faced. Faced with Max's attitude and the information at her fingertips, Cecily actually felt pretty good because she'd been around a time or two and was used to abruptness and obstinance. Besides, figuring Max out seemed like fun not just because of his 'relationship' with Lillian, but because his rude, grumpiness was kind of attractive.

On top of that, Cecily wondered if he thought ill of her because of Lillian, but he was more professional than that, wasn't he? He would never let a woman influence his job...right? He had a lot riding on his shoulders and she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt because it wasn't like scientists weren't somewhat avoided for various reasons.

"We're doing all sorts of things around here: charting, experimenting, creating. Vaccines, layouts--things most aren't interested in." Cecily explained with a shrug. "Let's move into my office, Commander. We'll be able to talk without prying eyes and keep it between the two of us, yeah?"

"Now you're speaking my language," Max said, following her into the office. "Don't worry, all the hidden recording devices in here are mine. And I must say, they've picked up some interesting things lately," he teased. Leaning against the wall, he watched Cecily with a wry smile, trying to disguise his increasing interest in the woman with a haughty, somewhat disinterested exterior.

One thing she mentioned caught his attention though. "Did you say vaccines? Isn't that more of a job for Medical? Unless you're synthesizing it based on their recommendations I suppose," he offered with a shrug. "But now that I think about…your department did have to work on some inoculations a while back, when that virus was going around. More of that sort of thing then?" He sniffed, seeming to think for a moment. "Hmmm...I've read the reports on all that, but now I'm curious: how do you feel your department responded to that little crisis? Think your people are ready for that sort of unexpected assignment in the future?" He held his hands up and quickly added, "Don't worry, I'm not planning layoffs, just trying to plan future station resource allotment."

"Oh, so those were your bugs I found," Cecily said with a smile on her face. "I was wondering if they picked up on video as well as audio because you got quite a show the other day--maybe that's the real reason you came down here..." She winked at him and then shrugged a little bit. "Vaccines are a natural part of science, even if medical does the same thing. After what happened last time, we're just doing what we can and if we run into a medical problem, we talk to the CMO because that's her jurisdiction. Still, we're functioning and we've recovered and we're better prepared for the future--I wouldn't be much of a Chief if I couldn't get my people under control."

She was having more fun than she wanted to admit trying to keep Max on his toes but she knew that he had come for a reason and it wasn't to be badgered and teased. That was all fun, but not the time nor the place and she had a feeling that Lillian would delight in these kinds of unprofessional games and the last thing she wanted was to be compared to Lillian Crae. So, instead she just smiled at Max so he knew nothing he said could possibly get to her, and nodded at the information in her hand when they were safely tucked away, just the two of them.

Deciding to change the subject to business, she looked Max in the eye. "So...do you know what's causing the readings? I wasn't born, yesterday, you know. I've been at this job a while."

"Yeah, they picked up all kinds of interesting video of you going over macrocellullar growth reports and the like," Max scoffed, but was secretly curious about what she might have been up to. Maybe he should really have bugs installed in her office. But no…where was the fun in that? Much better to find out the old fashioned way. "Sounds suspicious though. Perhaps I should plant a sleeper agent in your department. Let's see…who to deploy? Who can I trust?" he mused. "I suppose there's only me. At least I know my way around a tricorder…I think," he grinned, starting to give in to her flirty demeanor. "And I'd like to see if you really can keep your people under control," he added salaciously. Still, Max pretended to frown at her change of subject.

"What kind of a scientist are you, that doesn't want to figure it out on her own?" he teased. "Well, I suppose plenty of academics are eager to usurp each other's findings, come to think of it. Still, I expected better of you. If you must know, it's a Tholian invasion fleet. They'll be here in an hour, so, ah, time is of the essence. How do you say…chop-chop?" he offered flippantly, the look of seriousness on his refined features slowly cracking into a genuine smile.

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1220

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

"Pretty sure no matter how you lobby that, we're going to stay right where we are," Cecily told Max, and even though she was a little upset about what he had said, she still kept the smile on her face and stepped up close to him, looking him in the eye like a challenge. "If you need a scientist then you came to the right place and I assure you, Commander, you won't leave unsatisfied."

In fact as she stepped closer and sized him up she realized the words had a double meaning, but that didn't bother her because he was a very attractive man and she wasn't exactly shy. Besides, he was enticing her with knowledge and that was certainly a good way to get to a scientist--perhaps he knew that and was turning up the charm on purpose, and if so, she would play along and get what she wanted too. She grasped the PADD in her hand and smiled at him, keeping her eyes on him at all times and making sure to look at him with intent to see if he understood that he was also being charmed.

"I'll look at it," Cecily explained as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, "and after I've had my fun maybe I'll let you sneak a peak and if you like what you see then we'll both be happy."

Making sexual innuendo at the XO was probably frowned upon, but she was up for the challenge and greedy for the information in his hands because she could use it. She could impress Max, be put back to the place she had been before the accident on the station and then even perhaps feel better about how Lillian had cured that new virus in fifteen minutes while it had taken her hours to even come up with a temporary solution. Right now all she wanted was to figure out something and be more useful than anyone else and if that meant she also kind of got under Max's skin, that was a good thing too.

Max's eyes narrowed a bit as she snatched the PADD from his hand. Feisty, are we? Well, that should make things more interesting. Still, he didn't mind it coming from someone in her uniform. Had it been a little more green than teal on the other hand…

He cleared his throat. "Why thank you ever so much for taking time away form your protoplasms, or what have you," the Intel officer said, a bit over-sarcastically. As he said it he himself was surprised at the tone. Why was that called for? Maybe he was protecting himself from becoming too involved with this intriguing new personality…but that didn't bear thinking about, given both his personal and professional situation at the moment. So he shook those thoughts aside and tried to continue in a more even tone.

"Some pretty fascinating energy readings there, so much that even my boys had to ask for help. Count yourself lucky, eh? Still…I don't suppose there's much point in asking for you to keep these findings confidential, is there?" he asked resignedly, seeming familiar with scientists and their methods. With a shrug he glanced around the labs, then returned his gaze to Cecily.

"Well Lieutenant, now that the big bad man in the gray uniform has dropped off his secret data, maybe I can talk to you in a little more pleasant persona…your friendly neighborhood Executive Officer. All joking aside…how are things on the frontlines of the Federation's war on ignorance?" Max said expansively, gesturing to indicate the starbase's labs and the research currently going on there.

"Are you trying to say that you're two people, Commander? Seems...odd for an XO," she said honestly, meaning no disrespect.

Cecily was pretty sure that Max was saying that he was kind of two people and that was sort of true as intelligence officers were sometimes two faced. Faced with Max's attitude and the information at her fingertips, Cecily actually felt pretty good because she'd been around a time or two and was used to abruptness and obstinance. Besides, figuring Max out seemed like fun not just because of his 'relationship' with Lillian, but because his rude, grumpiness was kind of attractive.

On top of that, Cecily wondered if he thought ill of her because of Lillian, but he was more professional than that, wasn't he? He would never let a woman influence his job...right? He had a lot riding on his shoulders and she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt because it wasn't like scientists weren't somewhat avoided for various reasons.

"We're doing all sorts of things around here: charting, experimenting, creating. Vaccines, layouts--things most aren't interested in." Cecily explained with a shrug. "Let's move into my office, Commander. We'll be able to talk without prying eyes and keep it between the two of us, yeah?"

"Now you're speaking my language," Max said, following her into the office. "Don't worry, all the hidden recording devices in here are mine. And I must say, they've picked up some interesting things lately," he teased. Leaning against the wall, he watched Cecily with a wry smile, trying to disguise his increasing interest in the woman with a haughty, somewhat disinterested exterior.

One thing she mentioned caught his attention though. "Did you say vaccines? Isn't that more of a job for Medical? Unless you're synthesizing it based on their recommendations I suppose," he offered with a shrug. "But now that I think about…your department did have to work on some inoculations a while back, when that virus was going around. More of that sort of thing then?" He sniffed, seeming to think for a moment. "Hmmm...I've read the reports on all that, but now I'm curious: how do you feel your department responded to that little crisis? Think your people are ready for that sort of unexpected assignment in the future?" He held his hands up and quickly added, "Don't worry, I'm not planning layoffs, just trying to plan future station resource allotment."

"Oh, so those were your bugs I found," Cecily said with a smile on her face. "I was wondering if they picked up on video as well as audio because you got quite a show the other day--maybe that's the real reason you came down here..." She winked at him and then shrugged a little bit. "Vaccines are a natural part of science, even if medical does the same thing. After what happened last time, we're just doing what we can and if we run into a medical problem, we talk to the CMO because that's her jurisdiction. Still, we're functioning and we've recovered and we're better prepared for the future--I wouldn't be much of a Chief if I couldn't get my people under control."

She was having more fun than she wanted to admit trying to keep Max on his toes but she knew that he had come for a reason and it wasn't to be badgered and teased. That was all fun, but not the time nor the place and she had a feeling that Lillian would delight in these kinds of unprofessional games and the last thing she wanted was to be compared to Lillian Crae. So, instead she just smiled at Max so he knew nothing he said could possibly get to her, and nodded at the information in her hand when they were safely tucked away, just the two of them.

Deciding to change the subject to business, she looked Max in the eye. "So...do you know what's causing the readings? I wasn't born, yesterday, you know. I've been at this job a while."

"Yeah, they picked up all kinds of interesting video of you going over macrocellullar growth reports and the like," Max scoffed, but was secretly curious about what she might have been up to. Maybe he should really have bugs installed in her office. But no…where was the fun in that? Much better to find out the old fashioned way. "Sounds suspicious though. Perhaps I should plant a sleeper agent in your department. Let's see…who to deploy? Who can I trust?" he mused. "I suppose there's only me. At least I know my way around a tricorder…I think," he grinned, starting to give in to her flirty demeanor. "And I'd like to see if you really can keep your people under control," he added salaciously. Still, Max pretended to frown at her change of subject.

"What kind of a scientist are you, that doesn't want to figure it out on her own?" he teased. "Well, I suppose plenty of academics are eager to usurp each other's findings, come to think of it. Still, I expected better of you. If you must know, it's a Tholian invasion fleet. They'll be here in an hour, so, ah, time is of the essence. How do you say…chop-chop?" he offered flippantly, the look of seriousness on his refined features slowly cracking into a genuine smile.

"Mmm, naked," she agreed, the teasing continuing.

Smiling, she settled into her seat and then she glanced at the PADD again as she figured out what it was that she wanted to say to him. This was a very interesting encounter and she didn't know what else to really say on top of all of her flirting, which was a lot of fun for her she had to admit. Still, she had a feeling that he was here for a reason and the flirting was simply to get his way. Intelligence officers normally were rather versed in coersion and Max was no exception to that.

"Seems to me that you'd get better readings if you tweaked the sensors a bit," Cecily told him with a nod. "Just a simple callibration and with better readouts I could help you further. Whatever you're looking for or have stumbled upon, seems a bit extensive though and some parts aren't adding up...should I be worried about what you're dipping into? I suppose it's above my pay grade though...so I might have to charm you over dinner to tell me your exciting finds. Or just take you to dinner because I'd like to."

Never let it be said that Cecily Branton wasn't forward...

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1220

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

"Pretty sure no matter how you lobby that, we're going to stay right where we are," Cecily told Max, and even though she was a little upset about what he had said, she still kept the smile on her face and stepped up close to him, looking him in the eye like a challenge. "If you need a scientist then you came to the right place and I assure you, Commander, you won't leave unsatisfied."

In fact as she stepped closer and sized him up she realized the words had a double meaning, but that didn't bother her because he was a very attractive man and she wasn't exactly shy. Besides, he was enticing her with knowledge and that was certainly a good way to get to a scientist--perhaps he knew that and was turning up the charm on purpose, and if so, she would play along and get what she wanted too. She grasped the PADD in her hand and smiled at him, keeping her eyes on him at all times and making sure to look at him with intent to see if he understood that he was also being charmed.

"I'll look at it," Cecily explained as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, "and after I've had my fun maybe I'll let you sneak a peak and if you like what you see then we'll both be happy."

Making sexual innuendo at the XO was probably frowned upon, but she was up for the challenge and greedy for the information in his hands because she could use it. She could impress Max, be put back to the place she had been before the accident on the station and then even perhaps feel better about how Lillian had cured that new virus in fifteen minutes while it had taken her hours to even come up with a temporary solution. Right now all she wanted was to figure out something and be more useful than anyone else and if that meant she also kind of got under Max's skin, that was a good thing too.

Max's eyes narrowed a bit as she snatched the PADD from his hand. Feisty, are we? Well, that should make things more interesting. Still, he didn't mind it coming from someone in her uniform. Had it been a little more green than teal on the other hand…

He cleared his throat. "Why thank you ever so much for taking time away form your protoplasms, or what have you," the Intel officer said, a bit over-sarcastically. As he said it he himself was surprised at the tone. Why was that called for? Maybe he was protecting himself from becoming too involved with this intriguing new personality…but that didn't bear thinking about, given both his personal and professional situation at the moment. So he shook those thoughts aside and tried to continue in a more even tone.

"Some pretty fascinating energy readings there, so much that even my boys had to ask for help. Count yourself lucky, eh? Still…I don't suppose there's much point in asking for you to keep these findings confidential, is there?" he asked resignedly, seeming familiar with scientists and their methods. With a shrug he glanced around the labs, then returned his gaze to Cecily.

"Well Lieutenant, now that the big bad man in the gray uniform has dropped off his secret data, maybe I can talk to you in a little more pleasant persona…your friendly neighborhood Executive Officer. All joking aside…how are things on the frontlines of the Federation's war on ignorance?" Max said expansively, gesturing to indicate the starbase's labs and the research currently going on there.

"Are you trying to say that you're two people, Commander? Seems...odd for an XO," she said honestly, meaning no disrespect.

Cecily was pretty sure that Max was saying that he was kind of two people and that was sort of true as intelligence officers were sometimes two faced. Faced with Max's attitude and the information at her fingertips, Cecily actually felt pretty good because she'd been around a time or two and was used to abruptness and obstinance. Besides, figuring Max out seemed like fun not just because of his 'relationship' with Lillian, but because his rude, grumpiness was kind of attractive.

On top of that, Cecily wondered if he thought ill of her because of Lillian, but he was more professional than that, wasn't he? He would never let a woman influence his job...right? He had a lot riding on his shoulders and she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt because it wasn't like scientists weren't somewhat avoided for various reasons.

"We're doing all sorts of things around here: charting, experimenting, creating. Vaccines, layouts--things most aren't interested in." Cecily explained with a shrug. "Let's move into my office, Commander. We'll be able to talk without prying eyes and keep it between the two of us, yeah?"

"Now you're speaking my language," Max said, following her into the office. "Don't worry, all the hidden recording devices in here are mine. And I must say, they've picked up some interesting things lately," he teased. Leaning against the wall, he watched Cecily with a wry smile, trying to disguise his increasing interest in the woman with a haughty, somewhat disinterested exterior.

One thing she mentioned caught his attention though. "Did you say vaccines? Isn't that more of a job for Medical? Unless you're synthesizing it based on their recommendations I suppose," he offered with a shrug. "But now that I think about…your department did have to work on some inoculations a while back, when that virus was going around. More of that sort of thing then?" He sniffed, seeming to think for a moment. "Hmmm...I've read the reports on all that, but now I'm curious: how do you feel your department responded to that little crisis? Think your people are ready for that sort of unexpected assignment in the future?" He held his hands up and quickly added, "Don't worry, I'm not planning layoffs, just trying to plan future station resource allotment."

"Oh, so those were your bugs I found," Cecily said with a smile on her face. "I was wondering if they picked up on video as well as audio because you got quite a show the other day--maybe that's the real reason you came down here..." She winked at him and then shrugged a little bit. "Vaccines are a natural part of science, even if medical does the same thing. After what happened last time, we're just doing what we can and if we run into a medical problem, we talk to the CMO because that's her jurisdiction. Still, we're functioning and we've recovered and we're better prepared for the future--I wouldn't be much of a Chief if I couldn't get my people under control."

She was having more fun than she wanted to admit trying to keep Max on his toes but she knew that he had come for a reason and it wasn't to be badgered and teased. That was all fun, but not the time nor the place and she had a feeling that Lillian would delight in these kinds of unprofessional games and the last thing she wanted was to be compared to Lillian Crae. So, instead she just smiled at Max so he knew nothing he said could possibly get to her, and nodded at the information in her hand when they were safely tucked away, just the two of them.

Deciding to change the subject to business, she looked Max in the eye. "So...do you know what's causing the readings? I wasn't born, yesterday, you know. I've been at this job a while."

"Yeah, they picked up all kinds of interesting video of you going over macrocellullar growth reports and the like," Max scoffed, but was secretly curious about what she might have been up to. Maybe he should really have bugs installed in her office. But no…where was the fun in that? Much better to find out the old fashioned way. "Sounds suspicious though. Perhaps I should plant a sleeper agent in your department. Let's see…who to deploy? Who can I trust?" he mused. "I suppose there's only me. At least I know my way around a tricorder…I think," he grinned, starting to give in to her flirty demeanor. "And I'd like to see if you really can keep your people under control," he added salaciously. Still, Max pretended to frown at her change of subject.

"What kind of a scientist are you, that doesn't want to figure it out on her own?" he teased. "Well, I suppose plenty of academics are eager to usurp each other's findings, come to think of it. Still, I expected better of you. If you must know, it's a Tholian invasion fleet. They'll be here in an hour, so, ah, time is of the essence. How do you say…chop-chop?" he offered flippantly, the look of seriousness on his refined features slowly cracking into a genuine smile.

"Mmm, naked," she agreed, the teasing continuing.

Smiling, she settled into her seat and then she glanced at the PADD again as she figured out what it was that she wanted to say to him. This was a very interesting encounter and she didn't know what else to really say on top of all of her flirting, which was a lot of fun for her she had to admit. Still, she had a feeling that he was here for a reason and the flirting was simply to get his way. Intelligence officers normally were rather versed in coersion and Max was no exception to that.

"Seems to me that you'd get better readings if you tweaked the sensors a bit," Cecily told him with a nod. "Just a simple callibration and with better readouts I could help you further. Whatever you're looking for or have stumbled upon, seems a bit extensive though and some parts aren't adding up...should I be worried about what you're dipping into? I suppose it's above my pay grade though...so I might have to charm you over dinner to tell me your exciting finds. Or just take you to dinner because I'd like to."

Never let it be said that Cecily Branton wasn't forward...

Max had adopted a neutral expression, the better to hide his curiosity at her mention of being naked at certain times. Still, it cracked under the pressure of her suggestive comments. He laughed, fluttering his hand then. "Ah yes, the old honeypot tactic, this old spy's only weakness. A tried and true tactic of intelligence and counter-intelligence. Wherein a beautiful enemy agent seduces yours truly in order to gain access to his most classified secrets, professional and personal," he gasped dramatically, clutching his heart for added effect.

Suddenly Max grinned wolfishly and placed his hands on Cecily's desk and leaned close to her. "But you should be careful in the event that yours truly has been trained in reverse honeypot tactics, don't you think?" he asked quietly, then stepped back, the move made. "Still, in case you'd like to try your best to beat the master at his game, let's say…2015 at the Bajoran diner?"

As soon as he said it, he was surprised that he had. Something had come over him during this brief encounter, something he had not expected. What was happening to him he wasn't sure. It couldn't possibly be that this comely young science officer was trapping him in a personal honeypot. Her personnel file was checked and double checked with the big boys at Starfleet Intelligence Command, nothing there. So what was it? He was feeling strange lately, what with the post-away mission stress and subsequent elation in his realization that Lillian could not logically choose Taylor over him. He had it all…yet he was doing this instead of being aloof and professional. Why?

Resolving to trust his apparent instinct in this matter, Max held the smile and nodded slightly. "What do you say? You're shift ends at 2005, doesn't it?" he asked casually, suddenly remembering that Lillian would be right in the middle of her shift then. But why was that important?

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1220

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

"Pretty sure no matter how you lobby that, we're going to stay right where we are," Cecily told Max, and even though she was a little upset about what he had said, she still kept the smile on her face and stepped up close to him, looking him in the eye like a challenge. "If you need a scientist then you came to the right place and I assure you, Commander, you won't leave unsatisfied."

In fact as she stepped closer and sized him up she realized the words had a double meaning, but that didn't bother her because he was a very attractive man and she wasn't exactly shy. Besides, he was enticing her with knowledge and that was certainly a good way to get to a scientist--perhaps he knew that and was turning up the charm on purpose, and if so, she would play along and get what she wanted too. She grasped the PADD in her hand and smiled at him, keeping her eyes on him at all times and making sure to look at him with intent to see if he understood that he was also being charmed.

"I'll look at it," Cecily explained as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, "and after I've had my fun maybe I'll let you sneak a peak and if you like what you see then we'll both be happy."

Making sexual innuendo at the XO was probably frowned upon, but she was up for the challenge and greedy for the information in his hands because she could use it. She could impress Max, be put back to the place she had been before the accident on the station and then even perhaps feel better about how Lillian had cured that new virus in fifteen minutes while it had taken her hours to even come up with a temporary solution. Right now all she wanted was to figure out something and be more useful than anyone else and if that meant she also kind of got under Max's skin, that was a good thing too.

Max's eyes narrowed a bit as she snatched the PADD from his hand. Feisty, are we? Well, that should make things more interesting. Still, he didn't mind it coming from someone in her uniform. Had it been a little more green than teal on the other hand…

He cleared his throat. "Why thank you ever so much for taking time away form your protoplasms, or what have you," the Intel officer said, a bit over-sarcastically. As he said it he himself was surprised at the tone. Why was that called for? Maybe he was protecting himself from becoming too involved with this intriguing new personality…but that didn't bear thinking about, given both his personal and professional situation at the moment. So he shook those thoughts aside and tried to continue in a more even tone.

"Some pretty fascinating energy readings there, so much that even my boys had to ask for help. Count yourself lucky, eh? Still…I don't suppose there's much point in asking for you to keep these findings confidential, is there?" he asked resignedly, seeming familiar with scientists and their methods. With a shrug he glanced around the labs, then returned his gaze to Cecily.

"Well Lieutenant, now that the big bad man in the gray uniform has dropped off his secret data, maybe I can talk to you in a little more pleasant persona…your friendly neighborhood Executive Officer. All joking aside…how are things on the frontlines of the Federation's war on ignorance?" Max said expansively, gesturing to indicate the starbase's labs and the research currently going on there.

"Are you trying to say that you're two people, Commander? Seems...odd for an XO," she said honestly, meaning no disrespect.

Cecily was pretty sure that Max was saying that he was kind of two people and that was sort of true as intelligence officers were sometimes two faced. Faced with Max's attitude and the information at her fingertips, Cecily actually felt pretty good because she'd been around a time or two and was used to abruptness and obstinance. Besides, figuring Max out seemed like fun not just because of his 'relationship' with Lillian, but because his rude, grumpiness was kind of attractive.

On top of that, Cecily wondered if he thought ill of her because of Lillian, but he was more professional than that, wasn't he? He would never let a woman influence his job...right? He had a lot riding on his shoulders and she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt because it wasn't like scientists weren't somewhat avoided for various reasons.

"We're doing all sorts of things around here: charting, experimenting, creating. Vaccines, layouts--things most aren't interested in." Cecily explained with a shrug. "Let's move into my office, Commander. We'll be able to talk without prying eyes and keep it between the two of us, yeah?"

"Now you're speaking my language," Max said, following her into the office. "Don't worry, all the hidden recording devices in here are mine. And I must say, they've picked up some interesting things lately," he teased. Leaning against the wall, he watched Cecily with a wry smile, trying to disguise his increasing interest in the woman with a haughty, somewhat disinterested exterior.

One thing she mentioned caught his attention though. "Did you say vaccines? Isn't that more of a job for Medical? Unless you're synthesizing it based on their recommendations I suppose," he offered with a shrug. "But now that I think about…your department did have to work on some inoculations a while back, when that virus was going around. More of that sort of thing then?" He sniffed, seeming to think for a moment. "Hmmm...I've read the reports on all that, but now I'm curious: how do you feel your department responded to that little crisis? Think your people are ready for that sort of unexpected assignment in the future?" He held his hands up and quickly added, "Don't worry, I'm not planning layoffs, just trying to plan future station resource allotment."

"Oh, so those were your bugs I found," Cecily said with a smile on her face. "I was wondering if they picked up on video as well as audio because you got quite a show the other day--maybe that's the real reason you came down here..." She winked at him and then shrugged a little bit. "Vaccines are a natural part of science, even if medical does the same thing. After what happened last time, we're just doing what we can and if we run into a medical problem, we talk to the CMO because that's her jurisdiction. Still, we're functioning and we've recovered and we're better prepared for the future--I wouldn't be much of a Chief if I couldn't get my people under control."

She was having more fun than she wanted to admit trying to keep Max on his toes but she knew that he had come for a reason and it wasn't to be badgered and teased. That was all fun, but not the time nor the place and she had a feeling that Lillian would delight in these kinds of unprofessional games and the last thing she wanted was to be compared to Lillian Crae. So, instead she just smiled at Max so he knew nothing he said could possibly get to her, and nodded at the information in her hand when they were safely tucked away, just the two of them.

Deciding to change the subject to business, she looked Max in the eye. "So...do you know what's causing the readings? I wasn't born, yesterday, you know. I've been at this job a while."

"Yeah, they picked up all kinds of interesting video of you going over macrocellullar growth reports and the like," Max scoffed, but was secretly curious about what she might have been up to. Maybe he should really have bugs installed in her office. But no…where was the fun in that? Much better to find out the old fashioned way. "Sounds suspicious though. Perhaps I should plant a sleeper agent in your department. Let's see…who to deploy? Who can I trust?" he mused. "I suppose there's only me. At least I know my way around a tricorder…I think," he grinned, starting to give in to her flirty demeanor. "And I'd like to see if you really can keep your people under control," he added salaciously. Still, Max pretended to frown at her change of subject.

"What kind of a scientist are you, that doesn't want to figure it out on her own?" he teased. "Well, I suppose plenty of academics are eager to usurp each other's findings, come to think of it. Still, I expected better of you. If you must know, it's a Tholian invasion fleet. They'll be here in an hour, so, ah, time is of the essence. How do you say…chop-chop?" he offered flippantly, the look of seriousness on his refined features slowly cracking into a genuine smile.

"Mmm, naked," she agreed, the teasing continuing.

Smiling, she settled into her seat and then she glanced at the PADD again as she figured out what it was that she wanted to say to him. This was a very interesting encounter and she didn't know what else to really say on top of all of her flirting, which was a lot of fun for her she had to admit. Still, she had a feeling that he was here for a reason and the flirting was simply to get his way. Intelligence officers normally were rather versed in coersion and Max was no exception to that.

"Seems to me that you'd get better readings if you tweaked the sensors a bit," Cecily told him with a nod. "Just a simple callibration and with better readouts I could help you further. Whatever you're looking for or have stumbled upon, seems a bit extensive though and some parts aren't adding up...should I be worried about what you're dipping into? I suppose it's above my pay grade though...so I might have to charm you over dinner to tell me your exciting finds. Or just take you to dinner because I'd like to."

Never let it be said that Cecily Branton wasn't forward...

Max had adopted a neutral expression, the better to hide his curiosity at her mention of being naked at certain times. Still, it cracked under the pressure of her suggestive comments. He laughed, fluttering his hand then. "Ah yes, the old honeypot tactic, this old spy's only weakness. A tried and true tactic of intelligence and counter-intelligence. Wherein a beautiful enemy agent seduces yours truly in order to gain access to his most classified secrets, professional and personal," he gasped dramatically, clutching his heart for added effect.

Suddenly Max grinned wolfishly and placed his hands on Cecily's desk and leaned close to her. "But you should be careful in the event that yours truly has been trained in reverse honeypot tactics, don't you think?" he asked quietly, then stepped back, the move made. "Still, in case you'd like to try your best to beat the master at his game, let's say…2015 at the Bajoran diner?"

As soon as he said it, he was surprised that he had. Something had come over him during this brief encounter, something he had not expected. What was happening to him he wasn't sure. It couldn't possibly be that this comely young science officer was trapping him in a personal honeypot. Her personnel file was checked and double checked with the big boys at Starfleet Intelligence Command, nothing there. So what was it? He was feeling strange lately, what with the post-away mission stress and subsequent elation in his realization that Lillian could not logically choose Taylor over him. He had it all…yet he was doing this instead of being aloof and professional. Why?

Resolving to trust his apparent instinct in this matter, Max held the smile and nodded slightly. "What do you say? You're shift ends at 2005, doesn't it?" he asked casually, suddenly remembering that Lillian would be right in the middle of her shift then. But why was that important?

"You'll find I'm more than you think," she told him.

Everything in her told her not to take this bait and not because she wasn't attracted, but because she was working and this wasn't like her. Sure, she was forward, but that was off duty and only when she felt the need to be--she never let her personal life interfere with her professional life sans her issues with Lillian and right now it was hard to resist the temptation. She stood and walked around the desk, taking hold of Max's duty jacket as if to seal a deal of some sort.

Afterall, he'd just accepted her proposal.

Before she could stop herself to second guess again and chastise herself for her unprofessional behavior, she kissed him. This was going to come back and bite her in the ass, but she wanted to keep challenging him and it had been awhile. Still, why was she doing this on duty? And with the XO for crying out loud! There were rules against this!

"Anywhere you want, Commander," she found herself saying. "I can even get off early if all goes according to plan today." Yeah, something was wrong if she was offering to abandon work for a man. "I'll make the challenge worth your while..."

||Starbase 12
||Intel Offices >> Science Labs
||August 27, 2387
||1220

"Just look at that sir. All lined up in a row. And not the standard refits either. It looks like they've got STS weaponry to me. Starbase killers, by the look and design," the young Intel ensign gestured eagerly at the LCARS, which displayed a small fleet of warships of original Cardassian design, but now in the hands of one of the various independent 'militias' operating in one of the various power vacuums in the sector. It was partially hidden in a stable asteroid field, but only on the fringes to avoid casual detection. Of course there were any number of Federation spy satellites pointed at them at all times, but that seemed to give the colonials more of an incentive to build up their forces.

Si vis pacem, para vellum and all that perhaps, Max wondered. Where did it end? Still... He glanced over the screen and the data readouts and eventually gave a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about those. They're probably not serviceable at any rate." With a sniff he started to move on, but his subordinate called out for his attention once more.

"Sir! There, ah, there is one more thing. These ships are emitting some kind of graviton scattering field that is preventing the observation satellites from getting a clear energy reading on their drive systems. All kinds of screwy signals instead, making it look like they've got anything from an old model ion drive to the latest Romulan experimental slipstream engines...all of it garbled of course. And if we can't get a clear look at that, who knows what else they might be concealing…" the ensign let that sentence hang in the air, and gave the CIO a meaningful look.

Max was annoyed. Normally he should have praised this kind of intel-gathering initiative, but at the moment he was busy with drafting new personnel allocation forms, and this seemed an unnecessary distraction. Still, in the end he knew he needed to discharge his duties as CIO to the utmost until such time as he was upgraded to a dedicated XO position. Why would they trust him with the one if he couldn't already handle the both?

So he sighed, and turned around. "All right Ensign, good call. Download the field specifics to a PADD, I'll take it down to Science and see what they can make of it. They're probably more qualified to look it over anyway. Just make sure you include only the data on the field, and not what's emitting it!" he said severely, always careful with classified sensor data.

And with that in mind and PADD in hand he soon made his way to the Science Labs. It was not a place he enjoyed going, since the academic interests of scientists often had a way of clashing with his own deeply held political beliefs. But he took the opportunity to survey the place with his XO's eye, and examine the activity and existing personnel hierarchy. They could stand to lose a few people to staff cuts in confirmation of what he had told the Captain earlier, he noted with satisfaction.

"Ensign!" he called out to a passing researcher. "Where's the Chief Science Officer?" If he wanted results on this data, Max figured he'd have to start at the top.

Cecily heard her name as she walked around a moment observing some things as the rebuild on this place was really going as planned and she loved this stuff--the fixing of her labs. More than anything, being in the labs made her feel at home and yet when she saw Max there, something inside of her twisted and she didn't know what to do about it because...well people talked. After the Away Mission women seemed to either want to go for the CIO and the MCO, or back off until Lillian made her choice between the two of them like she owned them or something. Cecily didn't know whether to hate the two men because of Lillian, or 'steal' them from her to make herself feel superior. She'd see how this conversation went.

"You need me?" Cecily asked him with a smile on her face.

Her uniform was smoothed down, her long blonde hair in a low ponytail as she worked away trying to make everything work really well after the last fiasco. Things were tight around here after what had happened and everyone tried really hard not to let anything happen like that again and she really wanted to make sure that nothing like that happened again. People had gotten sick under her care and while it had been a saboteur, she had taken it personally and was working to make things around here so much better. Now she was being sought out by the men in gray and that meant that maybe she could redeem herself...just maybe.

"I bet I could find the time in my busy schedule to help you out," Cecily said as her eyes twinkled at him.

Max looked up from his PADD in surprise at the sound of her voice. "You're the CSO? What happened to - oh, right…" The away mission. He reminded himself he needed stay on top of this sort of thing, as CIO and of course as XO. So maybe it was good he was finally getting down to the labs to look around. This wasn't exactly a good start for him though, so Max decided he needed to dial up the charm and also reinforce the image of the friendly Executive Officer that everyone (with the exception of a certain Marine) would look up to and open up to. So he put on his well-practiced winning smile.

"Well, I was all set to come down here and shut down all these foolish energy-wasting experiments of yours to divert power to the infinitely more vital Intel computers, but I suddenly find myself in need of your…services," he grinned, a bit captivated by the unexpected sight of a pretty young science officer. Something about the combination of the blond ponytail and the uniform. Then again, Lillian wore the same uniform and was also captivating. What did that mean?

Max cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think. "Or more accurately, your department's service, I mean. Yes. We're picking up strange readings from the Taraby Asteroid Belt, and some of my people are getting a bit antsy about our inability to penetrate the jamming of one of the local militia fleets parked in the area. So I was wondering if you and your people could take a look at it, maybe suggest a sensor modification to help us get a better look at what sort of weaponry and engines they're packing?" he asked coyly and held the PADD up before her, but still far away enough to where Cecily would have to step closer to him to retrieve it. Just a little test.

"Pretty sure no matter how you lobby that, we're going to stay right where we are," Cecily told Max, and even though she was a little upset about what he had said, she still kept the smile on her face and stepped up close to him, looking him in the eye like a challenge. "If you need a scientist then you came to the right place and I assure you, Commander, you won't leave unsatisfied."

In fact as she stepped closer and sized him up she realized the words had a double meaning, but that didn't bother her because he was a very attractive man and she wasn't exactly shy. Besides, he was enticing her with knowledge and that was certainly a good way to get to a scientist--perhaps he knew that and was turning up the charm on purpose, and if so, she would play along and get what she wanted too. She grasped the PADD in her hand and smiled at him, keeping her eyes on him at all times and making sure to look at him with intent to see if he understood that he was also being charmed.

"I'll look at it," Cecily explained as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, "and after I've had my fun maybe I'll let you sneak a peak and if you like what you see then we'll both be happy."

Making sexual innuendo at the XO was probably frowned upon, but she was up for the challenge and greedy for the information in his hands because she could use it. She could impress Max, be put back to the place she had been before the accident on the station and then even perhaps feel better about how Lillian had cured that new virus in fifteen minutes while it had taken her hours to even come up with a temporary solution. Right now all she wanted was to figure out something and be more useful than anyone else and if that meant she also kind of got under Max's skin, that was a good thing too.

Max's eyes narrowed a bit as she snatched the PADD from his hand. Feisty, are we? Well, that should make things more interesting. Still, he didn't mind it coming from someone in her uniform. Had it been a little more green than teal on the other hand…

He cleared his throat. "Why thank you ever so much for taking time away form your protoplasms, or what have you," the Intel officer said, a bit over-sarcastically. As he said it he himself was surprised at the tone. Why was that called for? Maybe he was protecting himself from becoming too involved with this intriguing new personality…but that didn't bear thinking about, given both his personal and professional situation at the moment. So he shook those thoughts aside and tried to continue in a more even tone.

"Some pretty fascinating energy readings there, so much that even my boys had to ask for help. Count yourself lucky, eh? Still…I don't suppose there's much point in asking for you to keep these findings confidential, is there?" he asked resignedly, seeming familiar with scientists and their methods. With a shrug he glanced around the labs, then returned his gaze to Cecily.

"Well Lieutenant, now that the big bad man in the gray uniform has dropped off his secret data, maybe I can talk to you in a little more pleasant persona…your friendly neighborhood Executive Officer. All joking aside…how are things on the frontlines of the Federation's war on ignorance?" Max said expansively, gesturing to indicate the starbase's labs and the research currently going on there.

"Are you trying to say that you're two people, Commander? Seems...odd for an XO," she said honestly, meaning no disrespect.

Cecily was pretty sure that Max was saying that he was kind of two people and that was sort of true as intelligence officers were sometimes two faced. Faced with Max's attitude and the information at her fingertips, Cecily actually felt pretty good because she'd been around a time or two and was used to abruptness and obstinance. Besides, figuring Max out seemed like fun not just because of his 'relationship' with Lillian, but because his rude, grumpiness was kind of attractive.

On top of that, Cecily wondered if he thought ill of her because of Lillian, but he was more professional than that, wasn't he? He would never let a woman influence his job...right? He had a lot riding on his shoulders and she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt because it wasn't like scientists weren't somewhat avoided for various reasons.

"We're doing all sorts of things around here: charting, experimenting, creating. Vaccines, layouts--things most aren't interested in." Cecily explained with a shrug. "Let's move into my office, Commander. We'll be able to talk without prying eyes and keep it between the two of us, yeah?"

"Now you're speaking my language," Max said, following her into the office. "Don't worry, all the hidden recording devices in here are mine. And I must say, they've picked up some interesting things lately," he teased. Leaning against the wall, he watched Cecily with a wry smile, trying to disguise his increasing interest in the woman with a haughty, somewhat disinterested exterior.

One thing she mentioned caught his attention though. "Did you say vaccines? Isn't that more of a job for Medical? Unless you're synthesizing it based on their recommendations I suppose," he offered with a shrug. "But now that I think about…your department did have to work on some inoculations a while back, when that virus was going around. More of that sort of thing then?" He sniffed, seeming to think for a moment. "Hmmm...I've read the reports on all that, but now I'm curious: how do you feel your department responded to that little crisis? Think your people are ready for that sort of unexpected assignment in the future?" He held his hands up and quickly added, "Don't worry, I'm not planning layoffs, just trying to plan future station resource allotment."

"Oh, so those were your bugs I found," Cecily said with a smile on her face. "I was wondering if they picked up on video as well as audio because you got quite a show the other day--maybe that's the real reason you came down here..." She winked at him and then shrugged a little bit. "Vaccines are a natural part of science, even if medical does the same thing. After what happened last time, we're just doing what we can and if we run into a medical problem, we talk to the CMO because that's her jurisdiction. Still, we're functioning and we've recovered and we're better prepared for the future--I wouldn't be much of a Chief if I couldn't get my people under control."

She was having more fun than she wanted to admit trying to keep Max on his toes but she knew that he had come for a reason and it wasn't to be badgered and teased. That was all fun, but not the time nor the place and she had a feeling that Lillian would delight in these kinds of unprofessional games and the last thing she wanted was to be compared to Lillian Crae. So, instead she just smiled at Max so he knew nothing he said could possibly get to her, and nodded at the information in her hand when they were safely tucked away, just the two of them.

Deciding to change the subject to business, she looked Max in the eye. "So...do you know what's causing the readings? I wasn't born, yesterday, you know. I've been at this job a while."

"Yeah, they picked up all kinds of interesting video of you going over macrocellullar growth reports and the like," Max scoffed, but was secretly curious about what she might have been up to. Maybe he should really have bugs installed in her office. But no…where was the fun in that? Much better to find out the old fashioned way. "Sounds suspicious though. Perhaps I should plant a sleeper agent in your department. Let's see…who to deploy? Who can I trust?" he mused. "I suppose there's only me. At least I know my way around a tricorder…I think," he grinned, starting to give in to her flirty demeanor. "And I'd like to see if you really can keep your people under control," he added salaciously. Still, Max pretended to frown at her change of subject.

"What kind of a scientist are you, that doesn't want to figure it out on her own?" he teased. "Well, I suppose plenty of academics are eager to usurp each other's findings, come to think of it. Still, I expected better of you. If you must know, it's a Tholian invasion fleet. They'll be here in an hour, so, ah, time is of the essence. How do you say…chop-chop?" he offered flippantly, the look of seriousness on his refined features slowly cracking into a genuine smile.

"Mmm, naked," she agreed, the teasing continuing.

Smiling, she settled into her seat and then she glanced at the PADD again as she figured out what it was that she wanted to say to him. This was a very interesting encounter and she didn't know what else to really say on top of all of her flirting, which was a lot of fun for her she had to admit. Still, she had a feeling that he was here for a reason and the flirting was simply to get his way. Intelligence officers normally were rather versed in coersion and Max was no exception to that.

"Seems to me that you'd get better readings if you tweaked the sensors a bit," Cecily told him with a nod. "Just a simple callibration and with better readouts I could help you further. Whatever you're looking for or have stumbled upon, seems a bit extensive though and some parts aren't adding up...should I be worried about what you're dipping into? I suppose it's above my pay grade though...so I might have to charm you over dinner to tell me your exciting finds. Or just take you to dinner because I'd like to."

Never let it be said that Cecily Branton wasn't forward...

Max had adopted a neutral expression, the better to hide his curiosity at her mention of being naked at certain times. Still, it cracked under the pressure of her suggestive comments. He laughed, fluttering his hand then. "Ah yes, the old honeypot tactic, this old spy's only weakness. A tried and true tactic of intelligence and counter-intelligence. Wherein a beautiful enemy agent seduces yours truly in order to gain access to his most classified secrets, professional and personal," he gasped dramatically, clutching his heart for added effect.

Suddenly Max grinned wolfishly and placed his hands on Cecily's desk and leaned close to her. "But you should be careful in the event that yours truly has been trained in reverse honeypot tactics, don't you think?" he asked quietly, then stepped back, the move made. "Still, in case you'd like to try your best to beat the master at his game, let's say…2015 at the Bajoran diner?"

As soon as he said it, he was surprised that he had. Something had come over him during this brief encounter, something he had not expected. What was happening to him he wasn't sure. It couldn't possibly be that this comely young science officer was trapping him in a personal honeypot. Her personnel file was checked and double checked with the big boys at Starfleet Intelligence Command, nothing there. So what was it? He was feeling strange lately, what with the post-away mission stress and subsequent elation in his realization that Lillian could not logically choose Taylor over him. He had it all…yet he was doing this instead of being aloof and professional. Why?

Resolving to trust his apparent instinct in this matter, Max held the smile and nodded slightly. "What do you say? You're shift ends at 2005, doesn't it?" he asked casually, suddenly remembering that Lillian would be right in the middle of her shift then. But why was that important?

"You'll find I'm more than you think," she told him.

Everything in her told her not to take this bait and not because she wasn't attracted, but because she was working and this wasn't like her. Sure, she was forward, but that was off duty and only when she felt the need to be--she never let her personal life interfere with her professional life sans her issues with Lillian and right now it was hard to resist the temptation. She stood and walked around the desk, taking hold of Max's duty jacket as if to seal a deal of some sort.

Afterall, he'd just accepted her proposal.

Before she could stop herself to second guess again and chastise herself for her unprofessional behavior, she kissed him. This was going to come back and bite her in the ass, but she wanted to keep challenging him and it had been awhile. Still, why was she doing this on duty? And with the XO for crying out loud! There were rules against this!

"Anywhere you want, Commander," she found herself saying. "I can even get off early if all goes according to plan today." Yeah, something was wrong if she was offering to abandon work for a man. "I'll make the challenge worth your while..."

Max tensed as Cecily came around towards the desk at him, wondering what it meant, but that became clear soon enough. When it happened he accepted the kiss as a matter of course, sure that it was a natural result of his recent surge of professional and personal ambition. After he had made the decision to take charge of his destiny, fate was always on his side and ensured his success in all things. Max wasn't sure how he knew this to be a certainty, but he did, and now more than ever. So when she broke the kiss and mentioned making the challenge worth his while, he knew things were once again working out to his advantage.

"Will you now?" he asked smoothly, smiling down at her. "Well, I suppose you can get off early…if you finish those analyses for me first. You do that, then I promise you I'll be delighted to tackle whatever challenge you throw my way." That was the trick. Make her want to please him, make her work for it. That was what he needed to do, he was sure of it. With the possibility of a reward at the end, of course. And what greater reward than the pleasure of his company? It was amazing how clear this was all becoming lately. "You should know I love a challenge," he added, with just a hint of suggestiveness thrown in.

The lure was dangled, and now he needed to make her run after it. So Max broke away from Cecily, stepping back and giving her a confident grin. "So, Cecily my dear, what say you get to work on that? The sooner you finish the sooner we can have dinner. Oh, and make sure you allow yourself time to change into something really nice. Now that I think about it, the Bajoran diner is a bit too low-class for what I have in mind. It'll be a surprise, but a pleasant one, don't you worry. Now then…" he spun her around and gave her an affectionate pat on the bottom to encourage her to get to work. "…see what you can find out, yes? You know where to reach me. I'll be waiting for your call," he put in finally, and with an insouciant wave of his hand turned and sauntered out of her office, feeling like he could defeat that potentially hostile colonial militia fleet with nothing but his wits and phaser rifle. He had taken charge of his destiny, and nothing could stop him now.

(Anything to add?)

Good and ready to be posted ^.^