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

[David Adams]

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

There wasn't much of the ship they could tour without while avoiding anything sensitive, like the bridge or the phaser range, but Serren Tan did his best to give Mikali sh'Shar a civilian flavoured top-to-bottom tour of the ship. Due to the nature of it that was mostly holodecks, some crew quarters, The Songbird, The Brew Continuum, and Sto'Vo'Kor, where they finally ended up.

Taking a table for two at the far end of the ship's bar, Tan got himself a cold, semi-fermented Trill heartmelon juice. sh'Shar got water, which raised a spotty eyebrow. Then he ordered a massive stack of pancakes for each of them, slathered in honey and butter. sh'Shar stowed her backpack to the side of her chair.

Tan: So. ::he chewed on a pancake bit thoughtfully:: What do you think of the ship?

She smiled, her antenna scanning the room, swivelling toward occasional bits of chatter.

sh'Shar: It's a nice one. I like it. It's much bigger than the Avandar, nearly a full third bigger. It has a nice noise to it. Pleasant to the antenna. ::she sipped her cold water:: I bet it's fast.

Very fast, but he wasn't at liberty to talk about exactly how fast. Regardless, it was an entirely reasonable, and strangely subdued, response from her. 

Tan: I was thinking, you know. We're on shore leave right now, so if you wanted to come down to Palanon with me, we could... Pal-around.

Mikali's antenna drooped. The smile evaporated.

sh'Shar: Ugh! Noooo, I just came from there!

Tan: Well... sorry. Offer still stands though.

He sipped his drink, the sweet juices feeling off and not so good to him. Alleran had loved the stuff. Not him. Maybe he should have just gotten water too.

sh'Shar: I'll consider it, okay? I mean... what would we even do?

Tan: I'm sure two enterprising idiots like us could think of something. Marshall suggested going rock climbing, which turned into a triathlon. If you actually wanted to go climbing, next time maybe, I'm sure I could snag a plus one if you wanted.

Mikali raised an eyebrow at that phrasing.

sh'Shar: People are going to talk if you do that.

Serren snorted. Thoughts of Sevo drifted back into his head. Yeah... they were already going to talk.

Tan: Fair point. ::he leaned in cheekily:: Might not do well to be seen with a scruffy ne'er do well like yourself.

sh'Shar said nothing and just sipped more of her water. He got not funny too soon vibes from that, so he changed the topic.

Tan: Hey, um... can I ask you something?

sh'Shar perked an antenna.

sh'Shar: Sure?

Tan: I know you caught the shuttle in with Rael and Vaala, but they scooted off together in an awful hurry. Like they didn't want to talk to me. They said we had important stuff to discuss. Something on your mind, Blue?

Mikali squirmed in her chair, taking an overly long sip of her water.

sh'Shar: Yeah. But hey, let's just catch up properly first, okay? How was your last mission?

He squinted.

Tan: You... already asked me that. Dinosaurs. Bitten on the butt.

sh'Shar's antenna jerked upward.

sh'Shar: Right! Dammit, I forgot. Okay, so, how's being a Security goon working out for you, then?

Serren considered.

Tan: I think Safine probably did a better job. Alleran would have hated it, too much walking, and Marlee... yeah. Let's just say she would never have liked it either. As for me? I'm living the dream.

sh'Shar popped a hunk of pancake into her mouth.

sh'Shar: You don't really seem like you're that convinced.

Mikali was certainly an idiot, but sometimes she could be insightful.

Tan: I... think this is the kind of path that is going to put me into conflict with people, physically. And I've never been a fan of that. It came up in the last mission, though, and I... I don't know. I did something I'm not proud of.

Mikali snorted.

sh'Shar: Yeah, I have no idea what's that's like at all. Doing things I'm not proud of.

Of course, she did.

Tan: I just... I think that I don't like the idea of violence because in fourteen years I've had four hosts, which is a pretty abysmal turnover rate. I seem to be going through hosts like a reckless driver goes through secondhard shuttles. I should be at least a few hundred years old now, but I'm still only coming up on a hundred and thirty. In Trill terms I'm too old to eat off the kids menu, but I'm too young to be old and crotchety.

He considered.

Tan: Every single Tan host has died a violent, blood-soaked death. Marlee in a shuttle accident, her arm ripped off. Alleran in a turbolift after isoboramine dropoff. Safine was shot--technically still alive, I suppose, so... ::he shrugged.:: To me she is dead. I know she isn't and that I literally just saw her in the shuttlebay, but in my mind, the last memory I have as her is staring up at the roof of Deck 20, laying in a pool of blood, feeling my blood soak the deck. And I hate being reminded of that -- reminded of the blood and loss and pain and that creeping, inevitable, inky blackness... the disorientation of waking up in a new body, the flood of memories, the pain and baggage thrust upon another young host.

Serren chomped on some pancakes.

Tan: So this host wants to live. It wants to live more than it wants to be reminded of all the death. ::he chuckled dryly:: But then again, any more puns from Commander Marshall and I think I might miss that sweet, sweet nothingness.

Mikali smiled.

sh'Shar: See, now you know how I felt for all those years we flew together, jammed into an FA-150 cockpit for hours with nothing but you and your "jokes". You're lucky I didn't crash the ship on purpose.

Tan: You know that's pointless. I would have gotten a new body. You, on the other hand... ::he blew out a raspberry:: Splat.

sh'Shar: Hah. Yeah.

Tan poured extra syrup over his pancakes.

Tan: Those were the days, huh?

sh'Shar's eyes darted to the side, and she made a point of sipping her water, avoiding looking at him.

sh'Shar: Yeah. Those... were the days.

--

Ensign Serren Tan

Security/Tactical

USS Gorkon

O238704AT0