DTR - Drinks/Talk/Reunion

Posted on Sun Feb 18th, 2024 @ 3:23pm by Captain Mira Rodale & Commander Kevin Lance

Mission: Guilty Pleasures
Location: Risa
Timeline: Immediately after Bailed Out

on:
{Honor's Beginning}

The Klingon waiter poured two glasses of Blood Wine and placed the carafe in the middle of the table. Kevin expressed his thanks to him and was treated with a snarl of disdain. It had been his bad luck that the closest place to the detention center to get a drink was a Klingon restaurant. Kevin was immediately out of his depth but Mira had come to the rescue by insulting the maître-de and aggressively demanding the best table in the house. She was certainly in her element amongst the race, Kevin reflected.

They had walked the short distance from the detention center to the restaurant in silence. Kevin’s own thoughts were a disorganized jumble that had him so distracted that he wasn’t fully aware that he had entered a Klingon establishment until it was too late.

He looked across the table at Mira who returned his gaze with expectant curiosity. He was about to speak when his hand picked up the glass of Blood Wine and presented it for a toast. Mira, somewhat surprised, picked up her own and the two vessels clinked together. Kevin took a long quaff from his glass hoping to fortify his courage but instead received a stinging pain from the cut on his lip and a cloying aftertaste that was most unsatisfactory.

Finally, he ventured to speak. “I am so bad at this. I don’t even know where to begin.”

Mira sighed. "You first notice me in Greenland? I noticed you on outpost 382." she smiled, playing with her napkin."You .... " she shrugged."Your insights on the Undine were intriguing. Our talk helped change how I lead that mission."

“I noticed you the moment I was assigned to the ship!” Kevin protested, “It was in Greenland, where I least expected to see you, that I lost my heart to you. At first, I thought that your affections were returned but later I was in doubt.”

He was clearly affected by the memory.

"I had planned to give you a kiss when the fireworks went off." She narrowed her eye for a moment."You pulled away when we got locked in that house." She bit her lip." I can't ah.....well, I can't deal with being locked up. I don't even lock my quarters." she gave a little shrug." I was locked in a cell for 3 weeks before the Orions took us to be sold. I still have problems with it."

The admission by Mira put her apparent rejection of him at the time in context but he found himself saying, "My family was spared that indignity when the Orions attacked us." The recollection brought back the memory of hiding in the ship's ventilation system, too scared to prevent the attack.

She looked around them.

"I am uncertain as to why you picked here?" She laughed, then leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I thought you hated klingon food?"

That brought a frown to his face. She hadn't meant to do that. Did he pick here for her? "I am used to klingon food. I am used to a lot of food that most people would find appalling. it was now I was raised. Eat what is in front of you, or you starve." She frowned a moment "Zimia.....well she brought it to my attention. I can order food now."

“I ate a lot of Klingon food as a child,” Kevin confessed, then he paused in his recollection before continuing, “My parents had many business dealing with Klingons.”

"I have heard different stories of your meeting with and marriage to Kolar, enough to piece together what is probably close to the truth," Kevin stated hesitantly, "I would have thought that, given your marriage, your would have been more interested in Konnelti."

Mira laughed. "When I met Kolar, when I was 19. He was 43. I had just gotten out of the Academy and assigned as a communications officer to finish my training. Kolar was good to me, he protect and rescued me. Eventually, I loved him. "

Kevin was suddenly and irrationally jealous of the dead Klingon.

She was quiet, then figured she might as well tell it all. "He wanted to have kids and, being older, wanted them now. I wasn't ready. We never had the marriage ceremony. Every time we would set up something happen. "

Mira made a confused face, "my commanding office sent us on a vacation. She thought it would be good for us. I had just found out I was pregnant and told Kolar on the ship we were traveling on. Of course, he was happy. I got up from my chair, and I hadn't realized an Orion was standing behind me. I guess I walked right into his blade. Orions had gotten on the ship, and there was a battle. I remember Kolar getting me to medical. The doctor had told him that he would be able to save me, but I had lost the baby. He just left to fight. Revenge was all he could think about. That, or he thought a glorious battle would get his child in Sto'Vo'Kor. He didn't stick around to protect me. The shuttle I was put on was attacked, and I crashed on hell."

Her hands crushed the napkin as she closed her eyes. Swallowing hard, she changed the subject, thinking she had said too much.

Had he pushed too far? She didn’t have to share something so personal. Kevin knew that he wouldn't have. But maybe she felt safe revealing her secret to him. Maybe she trusted him. He reached across the table to take her hand in his.

"Kronnelti is a good friend, but I was never interested in him like that. He found his mate and got her pregnant all in a few days here on Risa. " she shook her head. " I'm not sure how all that happened so quickly, but I hope they will be happy."

"Wait! Kronnelti got married and is going to be a father?"

Mira nodded.

"Of all the crazy things," Kevin shook his head, the weigh of their previous conversation forgotten momentarily, "His current shared quarters aren't going to be suitable for a married couple let alone a family with a baby. I haven't moved into the Second Officer's quarters yet. I could let them have it. It would give them a little additional space and dismiss the necessity to find another arrangement for his current quarters mate."

Mira laughed, "He has his own quarters just like I do, and the size of the rooms are all the same. Him moving into different quarters wouldn't change the size. The Captain’s quarters are only slightly different, but if I measured it . I believe they are the same. I already made that point to them and had Kronnelti take her to the ship to see what she was getting into."

"She doesn't care. Once the baby comes, maybe they will see it, but they are too happy to care. "

She shrugged her shoulders. "She is a brave one. I will give her credit for that. We were at the fire dancers' show. One of my friends was trying to get me up there, but..." She leaned forward and whispered."Last time I was training for that position, I ended up setting a building on fire." She laughed "I promise not to try again. So I filled in as one of the other dancers in a different show. " Mira smirked "It's what I meant on Greenland I don't know how to dance like them. I learned here."

She blushed "anyways " getting back to the story "Kronnelti wanted to try. I told him it was like the Mok'bara and he did amazing. So much so that Dianna asked him out and well she is now mated and expecting." Mira finished with a chuckle.

"Given your experience with marriage and motherhood," Kevin asked tentatively, "what are your plans for the future? So few active Star Fleet officers choose to pursue starship duty and building a family."

Any response was interrupted when a tall Risan male came running up to the table and put a horga'hn down on it. "There Tank said it was an emergency and you need that like yesterday."

Mira covered her face with one of her hands then looked back up at Ruon. "He told you it was an emergency?"

Kevin's face darken at the intrusion. He would need to ensure Tank was repayed for his "consideration".

Mira had been doing her best not to laugh but her eyes meet Kevin's and she couldn't hold it in any longer. Careful she reached for the Horga'hn and slipped it into her backpack.

Ruon was getting the feeling he had been duped into something but he wasn't sure how. He looked over at Mira's and a human male's joined hands then raised an eyebrow.

He held out his hand "Greetings and welcome to Risa my name is Ruon"

Kevin shook the hand "Kevin Lance."

Ruon's eyes widened at the name then looked back to Mira "Kissy face?"

He mocks you, the voice from deep inside him said. As the grip was released, Kevin's right hand instinctively moved towards the knife.

"Oh gees don't you start calling him that because Rico couldn't remember his name."

Mira told him as she slipped her hand back into Kevin.

Ruon chuckled "Do either of you need anything else.....like instructions? Diagrams? Supervision?"

Mira's jaw dropped and Ruon closed it with his fingers "Just trying to be helpful."

Cochran damn the man, Kevin thought, this is hard enough without nosy busybodies interfering. Debts would need to be repaid.

Ruon retreated with peels of laughter. Kevin took a couple of moments to regain his composure.

"I have only been faced with the possibility of marriage and family once," Kevin confessed, "It ended when we both choose duty over our relationship."

Mira nodded her understanding. "It's possible to have both with the right person." She said thoughtfully. "You still want to be in Starfleet as do it. Having someone to walk through life would be very special. I would like to see where this is going. If you are willing. I value your opinion with the ship and crew. We would be the captain's right and left hand."

She sighed "I recommend you to the position not because of my feelings for you but because of the way you have of thinking outside of the box . I learned everything I know from captain's that thought only the way Starfleet taught us. I wanted us to be able to give the captain different view points on the same issue. I know the Romulan incident upset you. I had to make a snap decision to keep two federations ships safe and to keep the federation safe from the Romulan's time destroying machine. I did my duty as best I could and how i have been trained, then went to my quarters and fell apart."

She closed her eyes but tears still streamed. "I will have to live with that. Kira made a program for me and I am up to 623 on other possibilities I might have chosen, all ending so far in the loss of one ship, both ships, all three ships are destroyed and one that the federation is destroyed by the Romulans. I can't seem to let it go and I worry it might affect the next choice I make by over thinking it. Then there is the whole we had an impostor running the ship and I didn't know it. That's on me to." Mira took a swig of the blood wine "I should not have dumped all that on you."

"You can always rely on me to give you my best counsel regardless of position or whether or not we are a couple," Kevin promised, "And I will always be yours to share your burdens with."

Her vulnerability was endearing her to him all the more. He had no greater desire than to enfold her in his arms and kiss all her troubles away. He stood and leaned across the table towards her.

Mira closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss.

"Seventeen! What are you doing here?"

Kevin was arrested mere inches from Mira's lips by a voice that he could never forget.

"Shen?"

"In the blue!"

Kevin stood up straight and turned to the Andorian with a beautiful Risan woman on each arm. "What are you doing here?"

"Indulging in hedonistic delights!" Shen gave a leer and an overly dramatic wink. "The real question is what YOU are doing on Risa, Mr Two-Bottles-of-Schnapps-and-a-Can-of-Peaches"

Kevin stabbed an accusatory finger at Shen and said, "It was one time and was a prank we were pulling on you as a plebe. Where in the Universe did you get them?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets", the Andorian Replied, "but who is this alluring creature?"

Of course he would zero in on Mira. Kevin gave a heavy sigh and said, "Commander Rodale, this is Shen Th'rosk, a classmate from the Academy."

"Lieutenant Th'rosk, Blue Flight Leader, USS Chester Nimitz." He disengaged from the two Risans and approached Mira. "Enchante mon chere," he said before lightly kissing the back of Mira’s hand.

Rather than getting angry, Shen's two companions giggled and whispered to each other. Great Cochran, Kevin thought, how does that man do it?

Mira gave a polite and professional smile "je ne suis vraiment pas ta chérie" she gently but firmly pulled her hand from Shen's. She had her fill of Andorians. Seeing as the man's face hadn't changed she figured he didn't really speak French. Only enough to try to impress. " je suis désolé"

"Tu n'as pas besoin d'être désolé mais donne-moi la chance," Shen replied, his grin getting wider. Kevin remembered Shen had become proficient in French while at the Academy

Mira laughed as she stood moving closer to Kevin "Sorry I forget some times people don't speak 32 different languages or is it 34? It's hard to keep track." She looked at the Risans not the they could be insulted.

"There are hardly a dozen languages in known space that are worthy of being used as love tongues. The rest?" Shen gave a dismissive shrug.

"That whole conversation went over my head," Kevin complained. He had barely gotten through Cardassian with a satisfactory grade at the Academy and remembered very little of it. Besides Federation Standard, the language of the Odinskus was the only one that he had any proficiency in.

"I simply said I was not your darling." She snapped her fingers as she looked up at Kevin "That's right I still have the Risan's symbol on my forehead. I'll have tell Ruon off later for that. He thought it was adorable but its been a huge source of annoyance on our vacation."

"Lovely as that adornment is," Shen continued, "I knew you weren't Risan from your lovely spots."

"Why are you really here, Shen?" Kevin asked wearily, "And why don't you leave us alone?"

"Can't do that, mon ami. I am here for an informal thrusterball tournament and now that I found you, I am not letting you go.
Gentle Lady, did you realize that you were sharing wine with the second best striker in Academy history?"

"Second best?" Kevin protested.

"I scored more goals in my senior year than you did," Shen pointed out.

"Only because I graduate and my replacement wasn't half as good. And you never beat my rookie season," Kevin pointed out.

"Quibble," Shen replied, "So are you in?"

"Come on, Shen, I haven't played in seven years," Kevin objected.

"Oh, its like falling off a bike," Shen countered.

Kevin knew from experience that the only way to get rid of Shen was to agree to whatever hare-brained scheme that he had latchef on to. He looked at Mira apologetically. At least he had been able to express his interest in her and get confirmation of hers for him. Now the hard part could begin.

:off

Lieutenant Commander Kevin Lance
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Chuck Norris

and

Commander Mira Rodale
XO
USS Chuck Norris

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