Serren Tan & Mikali sh'Shar - Andorian Blues: The Deal, Part V

[David Adams]

(( Sto'Vo'Kor, USS Gorkon ))

Tan just slowly nodded. Yes, the litany of sins numbering nearly one hundred and fifty did sound bad, said all together.

Mikali seemed upset, but she had pushed him into it. Why?

sh'Shar: ::grumbling:: Well your memory is better than Alleran's at least. Dammit.

Tan: Thank you. Shall I keep going? We can make it a thousand things if you like. During my promotion to Lieutenant Commander you were picking your nose. You then flicked a booger at Ensign Sutel and it hit his combadge, so when he went to tap it, his fingers--

sh'Shar: ::groaning:: Nah, I get the point. ::she folded her arms defensively:: So okay. Now you should say something nice about me.

Serren smiled cheekily.

Tan: Your lifespan is finite, so eventually this nightmare you impose upon the galaxy will end.

sh'Shar: Hah! Okay. Now say... seven nice things.

Tempting, but he had a better idea.

Tan: How about one big thing. You're loyal. Fiercely loyal. Every single time I needed you -- as in, genuinely actually needed you -- you never let me down. Not once. You were there when Safine was shot, even though that must have been a massive inconvenience to you, you still made the trip. Neither have you ever let down anyone else. When Sutel needed help with his Warp Mechanics exam, you stayed up all night with him, working through his books endlessly. You bought him food, you took care of him, right when he really needed you. When Alleran was lost after the Independence, you transferred with him just to keep him company and out of trouble.

That seemed to surprise her, so he continued.

Tan: Out of all that you've ever done throughout your life, as an adult with control over your circumstances, the only person you've ever truly hurt is yourself. You cared enough for your daughter to send her away when you were... sick. To protect her from what you were doing to yourself. That couldn't have been easy. You're dumb as a bag of hammers, impulsive, gross, even mean sometimes... but you're also the kind of person who will never abandon anyone who needs them, no matter what they've done. No matter what it costs you, if a friend needs you, you'll be there. You could be a wonderful officer if you wanted to, and if someone put a disrupter to my head and told me I needed to pick the best helmsman in the galaxy, that person would be you. There you go. One big thing.

sh'Shar actually had nothing to say, and just sat there. She squinted slightly, looking away, as though trying to figure out if this was maybe some kind of trick.

Tan: You okay? You're not going to ask me to name five other good things now, right? Because that's going to be a challenge.

sh'Shar still said nothing and just stared at a bulkhead.

sh'Shar: No. That one's enough. Thank you.

He beamed.

Tan: You're welcome. Everyone deserves a seventy-nineth chance, you know? Fool me seventy-eight times, shame on you. Fool me... well, you can't get fooled again. 

Mikali giggled and grinned at him.

sh'Shar: Yeah. Seventy-nineth time is the charm, a'right.

Something wormed its way back into his mind. Some detail he was forgetting. Mikali only ever giggled when she was nervous. It was high pitched and childlike, and it reminded him of... something else. Someone else.

Tan: Hey, that reminds me. Benna. ::he laughed goodnaturedly:: Where's the kid, huh? She coming in later? I'd love to see her again.

She craned her head.

sh'Shar: Huh?

Serren's eyes widened in mild frustration.

Tan: The kid. Benna. Your kid. The one I mentioned you "sent away". Where's Benna? You know I freaking love kids. I think about her all the time. You leave her with a sitter or something? ::he struggled to remember:: Luna Walker was keeping an eye on her, right?

Mikali was silent for a moment, her eyes flicking to one side.

sh'Shar: She's... in a better place.

Oh. Fire gods.

Tan's eyes widened, his back straightening. All the playfulness in his voice evaporated instantly.

Benna had been sh'Shar's whole world, someone she cared deeply about and the kind of person who gave her a reason to keep on going. Someone who he had a personal investment in her wellbeing. To hear that...

Tan: O... oh ashes, Mikali, gods. I did not know that. That... I am so sorry. I am so sorry. ::softly:: I didn't know.

An awkward silence. Mikali stared down at the table.

Tan: How... how did it happen?

Mikali's face screwed up in confusion, looking up at him.

sh'Shar: Huh? What do you mean, "how did it happen"? What are you talking about?

Tan just stared. Blinked. Stared some more.

Tan: Benna. I'm talking about Benna. You said she was...gone. What happened to her?

sh'Shar: Nothing. I just said she's in a better place. ::beat:: I mean physically. Physically she's in a better place. She's on Andoria with the other parents from my group. Which is a better place than this sector. ::she stared:: She's fine. Just literally in a better place. Alive.

Fine. Fine?!

Even though she hadn't really meant it, the sudden lurch in his stomach turned into anger.

Tan: Oh HELLS Mikali. I thought... when you said... ::his face flushed with frustration:: W-Why would you say it that way?! You made me think she was dead!

The colour drained out of Mikali's face.

sh'Shar: Dead? What? No! I just said it literally! Literally she's not here, literally she's in a better place! A better place than this! ::she groaned:: What the hell do you want from me, Spots?

Tan pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing it angrily. This would have to be added to the pile of Mikali sh'Shar's sins.

Tan: Fire gods alight, smoke and dust are my breath. Okay. Well... just to clarify and make clear, your daughter, Benna sh'Shar: she's safe and healthy, then?

sh'Shar: Yeah. I mean, I presume so.

His eyes narrowed.

Tan: You... presume?

sh'Shar: ::frostily:: Can we talk about something else? Benna's fine. Probably. Now leave it.

Tan: Okay.

There was a brief, awkward silence.

sh'Shar: You're looking great by the way.

This again.

Tan: Thanks. Again.

sh'Shar: I didn't think it was possible to be hotter than the previous you, but you pulled it off. Meow. You look like a goddamn underwear model. Abs like that could cut transparent aluminium.

Previous you...

Tan: You mean Safine?

sh'Shar: Yeah. Wish I could spin her wheels. So much more delicious than Alleran. Num num num.

Tan: ... thanks. Uh, I think.

sh'Shar: But seriously, you're not just taller and stronger. More confident too. More... ::she waved her arms in a weird circle:: Complete.

In a previous life, Tan would have been embarrassed, or deflected using humour. Not this time.

Tan: Thank you. I appreciate it.

All the compliments were weird though.

sh'Shar: Yeah. I'm trying a new thing. Being nice to people and seeing where it gets me.

He chortled, not believing that for a second, but something on Mikali's face spoke to him. Said that it was more than simply complimenting the looks of his new host.

The giggle. The compliment. Dodging questions about Benna who wasn't here. Pushing him to talk about their past. Something was up.

Mikali wanted something.

Maybe she realised he knew, too. The mood became more muted. Somber. Almost as though his blue friend was hiding her face behind the drink...

Tan: ::softly:: Why are you really here, Mikali?

--

Ensign Serren Tan

Security/Tactical

USS Gorkon

O238704AT0