Rules
Posted on Wed Apr 29th, 2026 @ 6:38pm by Lieutenant JG Caitlyn MacRae & Captain Erik Norsgaard
1,238 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission: Friends and Traitors
After the crowd and the accompanying noise within Seven Knights, outside seemed insanely quiet. Which only intensified as they made their way away from the busier commercial and recreational business on the station’s promenade. Quiet did not mean empty and so before they left the bar she had squeezed his hand before letting go.
He was right, his rank and her new position on the ship added … complexity. And it would not do for the gossip mill to go into overdrive and they ended up hauled in front of -
Shaking off the thought she had walked alongside the Thunderbird’s CO, just about keeping up as they headed towards the ship.
Exercise and movement were the way he worked things out. Always had been. Witness the insane amount of firewood he'd stacked up at his brother's homestead or the way he walked his former ship at night, ending up in the most unusual places. Couple that with his naturally longer stride and it took him a minute to realize what he had been doing; when he realized, he shortened the length of his step to make it easier for her. He saw Security, tracking them, as they approached the ship and nodded to them both as he passed. Shore leave, mercifully, meant a skeletal crew which was good because he had no wish to spent time on anything other than Caitlyn. As they entered the turbolift, he said, "Deck 2" and waited, half-turned, his gaze on her. Private quarters were not covered by security cameras; command quarters were also sound-proofed so that sensitive conversations didn't leak out. He had never been happier about that than he was at this moment.
In the near silence of the turbolift, as they were carried through the ship towards Deck 2, it felt like time was playing tricks on them. “The slowest turbolift ever…” she declared, offering him a reassuring smile. It seemed like another hour passed before the lift slowed to a stop and the doors opened, revealing an empty corridor ahead.
When they reached his quarters, he opened the door and gestured for her to proceed him in. The room had been warmed up considerably by his choices of furnishings but everywhere, there was evidence of someone not given to leaving things out. He followed her in and stopped short as she turned around. "You were saying something," he said, "about kissing ...?"
“Didn’t you say something about ground rules?” she countered with a playful grin.
"Yes," Erik said as he moved away and found himself a spot on the sofa, "I certainly did. Have a seat because you're right, we should talk about this."
“Remind me to keep quiet next time,” she groaned and, with a dramatic sigh, seated herself beside him, reaching for his hand. “Rules. Do you want to go first?”
Erik held her hand in his and tried to get his thoughts in order. "Not sure where to start," he said as he flashed her a rueful grin. "Let's see. Chain of command complicates things. It's still possible because while there's a general policy, special permission can be obtained. So, possible. But that's a ways down the road maybe. I guess the first one is that the job comes first and we both respect our positions on the ship. So, outside of private quarters, there's no PDA. Strictly professional. You respect my position as Captain and I don't try to wrap you in cotton wool and protect you from the ... everything."
“Sounds very reasonable,” she agreed. “Other than that… I don’t know…? I’m better at breaking rules than making them.”
She turned to face him, “I know I have a lot of adjusting still to do and honestly, my experience with relationships is pretty limited. So I might mess up. And if I do, I apologise right now. Because the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you.”
He squeezed her hand lightly. "It's not about hurting me, Cait. It's more about making sure that Schofield doesn't come down on us like a ton of bricks. And I certainly don't want to scare you. Right now, we're just talking about getting to know each other better. Seeing where this could lead. But there is one other thing. Because of my position and all, if you want to date other people, I'm going to back way off."
She fell silent, frowning at him as if he was speaking an alien language. “Other people? Erik, I promise, I have no intentions of dating anyone else,” she assured him. “So no talk of backing off before it even starts. Unless you are reconsidering. Which is totally okay. I wouldn’t want to speak to Schofield either -“
"Not reconsidering," Erik said as he stroked her cheek. "Just making things clear up front. As to Schofield, I don't have any problem talking to him. I'm one of the captains he likes to use when he needs something tracked down. Investigated. That sort of thing. He says I'm a natural born hunter and I guess that's true enough. On my last ship, it was pirates. Pulled apart their operation. Now it's the Maquis. Thing is, we talk. I'm straight with him, he's straight with me. So, not afraid."
Not reconsidering… relieved to hear him say it, Caitlyn offered him a warm smile. “Those pesky pirates again,” she teased before adding, “so… we have our ground rules?”
"Yes," Erik said, returning her smile with equal warmth, "we do. And you're okay with all of this because, believe me, I'd understand if you wanted to just head for the hills."
“I’m okay with all of this,” she promised as she leaned in to kiss him. Stopping short as the comm channel chose that moment to come to life as a nervous sounding voice filtered through.
“Ensign Halliday to Captain Norsgaard… apologies sir but we’ve got station security advising of an incident on the station? I’m not really sure of the how, but they are escorting two of our petty officers back to the ship. Something about an alleged altercation which resulted in a member of a visiting Rhi … Rhyl… sorry, I don’t know how to say that… anyway, and I quote, covered in Tequila and the destruction of a prized topiary. The station commander is sending a full report but as the delegate is unharmed he - and I quote - wants them off his station.
Do you want them confined to quarters till the morning or straight to the Brig?”
"Straight to the Brig," Erik said, "and notify Commander Choi. Tell her where to find them and that I'll expect a report. Captain out."
He turned toward Caitlyn, regret flashing in the depths of his eyes, "afraid I'm going to have to talk to the Station Commander about all this. This is our home port so I'll need to smooth any ruffled feathers."
“Sad times,” she pouted as she leaned over and kissed him. It was gentle, a promise. “But it’s okay. We have plenty of time.”
He kissed her back, with enthusiasm, and then rose, reluctantly to his feet. "Gonna hold you to that."
Caitlyn stood, “these crewman better appreciate the trouble they’ve caused. And next time, remind me to disable the comm system.”
Captain Erik Norsgaard
Commanding Officer
USS Thunderbird
Lt. Caitlyn MacRae
Second Officer
USS Thunderbird
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