Dinner Pt 3
Posted on Fri Nov 5th, 2021 @ 3:27am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Remal Kajun
Mission:
*CD*
Location: Captain's Quarters
The rest of the meal was spent in companionable conversation, tossing random subjects around the table as they finished their plates and then cleared the table and began the dishes.
Later that evening, as Remal finished packing his bag he moved into their living area with a PADD in hand. With his head hung low, he had not even noticed what she was doing when he commented, “I just got news. You remember I mentioned the one legged Zio Larr? She was found dead along with her children in what the authorities are calling a gas leak at her home. Her husband was seen recently with a local group talking about an end to the Prophets.”
He looked up to see what she was doing before holding out the PADD so she could see the picture, “Look, do you see anything you recognize in the picture?” The picture was of a group of three people in the town square rallying the people. All three of them wore similar gray or black cloaks with a simple red stripe and all of them wore their ear-ring on the opposite side of the norm.
She looked at the image, shuddering as she recognised one of those she saw. "That's one of the men who came to the house just before it burnt" she recognised his eyes.
He turned the PADD back around and stared at the men, committing them to memory. After a moment in silence he looked at her, “So one way or another your gut feeling was correct. Either Larr’s husband was one of them, or he went against them and was murdered. Either way, I can’t believe they’ve ceased the investigation already.”
“ I had hoped not, but it appears the game may very well be afoot.” She sipped the remnants of the spring wine in her glass and considered the padd again “ I let Savar know we’d be off the ship for a few days, I have a feeling it may be longer than that” She rubbed her chin and set the glass down “ Resources in that province are stretched thin with the rebuilding efforts after the war. So many have left for fear of another invasion, there’s not enough boots on the ground to make a difference.” She said sadly. “ It’s going to be up to us to figure this out”
“Well, my contacts have offered room & board wherever we need, for however long we need. It’s a small shame we won’t have any time to work on the cabin, but that is par for the course I suppose.” He shifted as he tossed his shirt over towards the recycler and missed. “You’re confident your XO is up to the task?”
“ I think so” She mused thoughtfully as she considered Savar as acting Captain for what may end up being a protracted period “ I have a feeling this isn’t going to be a few days….but he’s more than up for it. I have already prepared an announcement to the crew leaving him in charge” There was a certain hesitancy, a realisation that she was indeed leaving behind a life in the stars to work on something closer to home. Whilst the intention was for it to be temporary, it had the potential to be much more.
“A few days, a week, I’m not sure what the two of us have the power to do down there. So, where is the Sunfire heading? Back into the Gamma quadrant looking for the reason the Cardassians were in that ion cloud?” He slid off his trousers and tossed them into the recycler before slipping into his pajamas.
“ We have the power to find out whoever or whatever is going on and to do something about it” Rhenora said decisively, crossing her arms in front of her “ Sanctioned or not we have to protect our friends. As for the Sunfire, they’re heading back to the Gamma Quadrant as soon as repairs are completed, but Savar’s trial is in 3 weeks so they’ll be back for that” Her eyes travelled along Remal’s torso as he changed into his sleeping attire.
He stopped and looked at her, “Sanctioned or no, we are but two people trying to solve a mystery. Promise me that if we get in over our heads, we will have a backup plan, of any kind.” As she bent over he eyed her tiny backside, had it grown some? It seemed a bit wider somehow.
“I promised to keep Commander Savar apprised of our progress and any details we may uncover, and have a feeling he’ll be keeping his own eye on us. You have no idea how tough it was to convince him not to allow a security detail to accompany us” She recalled the conversation with a smile. She took note of Remal’s eyes as she changed out of her uniform. “ This is your doing remember” She patted the small swell of her stomach.
He couldn’t help but grin. “You’ll hear no regrets from me. Though constant contact with Savar and the Sunfire while they are in the Gamma is of little comfort when we could find ourselves minutes away from disaster.” He was ready to climb into bed, the wine in his system still making his face feel flush. A part of him was feeling the desire between them, despite the reality of their world or perhaps because of it.
“ I took the liberty of filling in Kira as well, if we need assistance, she can provide it” Rhenora stretched, trying to relieve the ever growing pressure in her lower back. “But I’m confident we’ll be fine, they don’t know that we know if you know what I mean” She climbed into the bed beside him, snuggling in and laying her head on his chest, her hair cascading over his shoulders.
His heart raced, thoughts and worries burning in his mind, sleep would be an uphill battle this night and he knew it. His only confort was the small bundle of warmth on his right, her small frame like a puzzle piece next to his own. They had faced dogs and demons, environmental disasters and a mother from hell, but this was different.
This was personal. He leaned over and kissed the bridge of her nose, allowing the tips of his fingers to sooth and caress the smooth skin of her lower back, up and down in small movements.
She sighed at his touch, relaxing as the muscles in her back released to his touch, she snuggled closer, determined to make the last night in their bed a comfortable one.
OFF
