Living on the Edge

[Chirakis 1]

Living on the Edge

A joint log by Cdr Chirakis, Nicolas Lepage, and Captain d’Ka.

 

Even with her back turned, Kirel sensed his approach. Despite his silent step, the swing of his arms against his uniform signaled a fluidity of movement not many achieved. The brush of his hair against the collar, and the sub-vocalization he used to acknowledged others’ presence Kirel had learned to listen for long ago. Her PADD reached the side table with a sharp click and she looked up. “Captain d’Ka,” she said in greeting, the subtext of irony coming through clearly. The last few meetings had been pretty much the same - but she recalled that at the very last she could barely talk - which, thankfully, was not a problem this time.

 

“Commander.” Part greeting, part obvious satisfaction at being able to relax for a change. He looked concerned. Definitely agitated. And worn - if that were even possible for a Sindar. He remained standing, arms crossed. “Up for a walk?” The tick of his head towards her boots, prominent on the white sheets of the biobed, indicated the question did not need an answer.

 

She had the ceremony down pat. Eye contact with the nearest physician. Affirmative or negative? Go? “Apparently so,” she replied, pushing herself more upright while easing her legs over the side.

 

A metallic cylinder retrieved from the side table slid neatly into her civilian tunic pocket. Though at this point standing took little effort, she moved slowly - more for the doctors’ benefit than anything else. Captain d’Ka shifted to her side, something that felt both comforting and disconcerting.

 

Independence was her safeguard. Dependence, as necessary as it was at times, often resulted in deadly mistakes. Not that his presence at the moment would result in a deadly mistake. Her uneasy feeling was an ingrained response learned long ago on a Cardassian mining colony. Dependence on anything or anybody was harmful. But she was still working out in which category her dependence on him lay - the positive or the negative.

 

=/\=

 

The clamor of business as usual spilled into the lift as the doors opened onto Missouri’s fighter bay. Captain d’Ka stepped into the lead, taking an even stride between three flights of the Federation’s newest border patrol P-70B Peacekeepers that faced off with a dozen A-85 Crusader attack fighters, some surrounded by avionics engineers and a few being prepped for routine patrol by crew captains.

 

A definite upgrade from the original, the USS Missouri carried the designation of Akira class for ease of classification. It bore little resemblance to its predecessors except for the exterior and some of the interior design. Launched in 2382, she was larger, faster, and more powerful, the first of this refit. Two more followed, with a third ready for launch within the next few years.

 

At the end of the line of Crusaders a burly CPO stopped scratching his head long enough to pipe, “She’s ready for ya, Cap,” and point to the far end of the bay where a shuttle stood out against the attack and patrol craft. On the opposite side, Chirakis was encouraged to see Aegis’ fighters getting a thorough inspection and work-over. A quick count told her they were all present and she spied a few familiar faces in the crowd.

 

D’Ka’s response to the bay chief came in passing. “Thanks, Chief. Keep it clear.”

 

“Always, Cap.” He threw an overly-suggestive grin at Kirel - one she did not appreciate but took in stride. She was, after all, the Captain’s guest. Sometimes the bay trolls needed divergent imaginations to escape the drudgery.

 

“Impressive array of craft,” she tossed out, more to draw her mind away from the bay chief than to make conversation.

 

“They serve their purpose.” An understatement. He seemed to be annoyed at the chief’s look as well. Or maybe annoyed that he, a man of peace, commanded a ship of war? Either way, he didn’t look too happy. “Impressive and intimidating,” he continued. “Enough to stop all but the most aggressive adversaries short of combat.”

 

“The ultimate goal.” Though she preferred a good solid fight.

 

“Always.” He stopped at what appeared to be a door to a smaller, more secure bay, paused with his hand on the scanner, and turned to face her. “I received a priority one message from one Risami Ogura, Starfleet Corps of Engineers. Her credentials and codes were in order, but what we retrieved for her from Aegis was... quite interesting.” The scan long-since completed, he entered his code and the door slid open to reveal a series of TALIS drones, heavily guarded by Missouri personnel. “Verification?”

 

And that, apparently, was his concern. “They do belong to us, if that’s what you mean, Captain,.” she replied, automatically slipping into formality and keeping her tone even, despite the edge on his. “And Risami Ogura is...” She wanted to say attached, but that was not entirely correct, so she opted for “... working in conjunction with Aegis personnel.”

 

D'Ka visibly relaxed. “Good.” The door slid firmly into place, a slight click signaling its secure lock.

 

A short walk across the bay brought them to the captain’s personal shuttle. Once inside, the bay chief’s suggestive look made sense. Two glasses, a decanter of cognac, an ash tray, and easy chairs spoke of leisure not often available on a ship of war. Yet here they were.

 

“Thytrin,” he remarked, waving her into a chair as soon as the door closed. He never was one to mince words. Probably why he had been given this command on the edge of nowhere. Taking a glass from the warmer he lifted the decanter and paused before pouring. “You called me that. Why?” Definitely agitated. Definitely not mincing words.

 

The unmistakable bouquet of a very fine cognac drifted from the warmed glass he handed her before pouring one for himself. “Your term. Not mine,” she reminded him. Adara IV, though desolate, had its memorable moments. “Solitude does strange things to people.”

 

He stopped pouring, held the bottle a second longer, then placed it carefully in the center of the tray. “Still, not a term to be taken lightly.”

 

“I never did.”

 

Glass in hand, the corners of his mouth upturned more than usual. he turned and raised it towards her. After a moment’s thought he said, “To... saving your sorry ass. Again.”

 

“Is this five?” she said as the liquid slipped down her throat and Jerit sat, the chair barely giving way as he settled in to retrieve his cigar. Kirel was way ahead of him, holding hers out for a light.

 

“Frankly, I’ve lost count," he replied, the lighter poised between them. "But after a few, what’s one more?”

 

“Point well taken. Here’s to no more saves.” As soon as the words were out she knew they were a bad choice. Very bad choice. The flame stopped just short of her cigar.

 

“Here’s to no more sorry... asses,” he corrected, his tone firm, his hand steady. After a beat he lit her up, gently brushing the back of his hand against hers as he withdrew. “Thytrin it is, then.”

 

=/\=

 

After Mimi’s comm Nick had meant to look in on Chirakis. He was surprised to find her bed empty. His inquiries revealed that the Commander had left sickbay in the company of Captain d’Ka. This was just as well. It seemed like their paths had crossed before. Maybe they were even friends. Nick’s musings were quickly interrupted by the familiar swish of the opening doors. He turned around to see Commander Chirakis enter.

 

The air scrubbers in the shuttle hadn’t completely taken care of the cigar, and she purposefully had not cleared her cognac palate, but she didn’t care. She and d’Ka had partaken in a pilots’ most sacred ceremony and consummated a hard-won friendship. No more need be said. Nothing explained. So, with even stride, she entered sick bay as Captain d’Ka reentered the lift for his quarters.

 

“I see you’ve taken a walk, Commander,” Nick said with a grin. The smell of cigar smoke and alcohol didn’t escape his notice but he wasn’t yet sure whether he was going to call her on it.

 

“Yes.” She left it at that, brushing past him as though he did not exist, though to slight him was not her purpose. The walk and its accompanying activities had tired her considerably. She needed to rest.

 

Nick waited for Chirakis to sit down. “Been celebrating, I see...or rather smell.” His tone was more amused than reproachful. After everything Chirakis had been through lately it was important for her to get back to something resembling normalcy. He wasn’t prepared to declare her fit for duty just yet but he was definitely not opposed to her catching up with old friends.

 

“Yes,” her reply was less curt as she pried off one boot, then the other, and swung her legs onto the biobed. “The scrubbers in the Captain’s shuttle could use an upgrade, and his cigars are the finest quality.” Her grin was one of satisfaction and she had a certain glow about her as she reclined. Fine cigars, fine cognac, and the best conversation had reminded her that life did exist beyond Aegis, something she’d found difficult to imagine in the last few months.

 

Then she had a passing thought about her fighter, wondering if it was still intact. She’d not taken it out for... she couldn’t remember how long.

 

Observing Chirakis carefully as she lay back down, Nick remained standing silently for a moment. Then he pulled up a chair, leaned back and looked at her. “I heard of your... let’s say bad dream.”

 

“Bad dream?” She thought a moment, then realized that her intimate contact with d’Ka had erased much of the horror of her recent experience. “Yes. I did have a few... bad dreams.”

 

“Maybe you should talk to someone.” He didn’t really expect her to talk to him but that didn’t matter much. As far as he was concerned, anyone would do, a counselor, d’Ka - he didn’t care.

 

“I have.” She’d leave it at that. No need to elaborate. Apparently it had served its purpose.

 

Nick simply nodded. “That’s good provided you didn’t just talk about anything.”

 

Her expression as she cocked her head in his direction, hands laced under the pillow, bordered on rebuke as she fought back a few choice comments. Another reaction that took her by surprise. Instead she said simply, “We did not talk about... anything.” He could fill in the blanks.

 

“Hmmm.” He fell silent again and a couple of minutes passed until he spoke again. “I mean you need to talk about what happened. To Aegis. To you.”

 

Her gaze returned to the ceiling. “What happened to Aegis was unavoidable. What happened to me is past. I believe, Doctor, that we could do well to focus on the future.” The subtext was clear. End of discussion. Old self returning. She felt better. More in control.

 

Nick understood that Chirakis didn’t want to continue their conversation. However, he didn’t feel like playing by her rules this time. “Even things that are unavoidable may be hard to deal with sometimes. Yes, it is past but it will have repercussions on the future. Don’t try to fool yourself pretending you’re alright. I know you’re not and so do you. These things take time and it doesn’t hurt to get some help.”

 

Unavoidable. Like annoying physicians. Repercussions. Like one swift kick....

 

Reality check. Brandy. Man who was just as responsible for saving her life as d’Ka. Still, she allowed her “Yes, Doctor,” to come out just mocking enough for him to let it pass. Her eyes closed, drifting her off into a relaxing sleep.

 

Nick didn’t know if he had accomplished something. Be that as it may, he had at least tried. Quietly, he got up and left the room.