Dangerous Maneuvers

Posted on Tue May 11th, 2021 @ 9:43pm by Lieutenant Commander Finnley Keating VII & Lieutenant JG FalenvralLi Zh’kyhrihr
Edited on on Wed Mar 23rd, 2022 @ 9:42am

Mission: By Artemis' Bow
Location: USS Athena - Dionysus Bar
Timeline: MD-02 Night
4987 words - 10 OF Standard Post Measure

It wasn't until she was most of the way to her quarters that Li realized her pace had increased from the confident saunter that had felt natural walking out of the holodeck to 'jogging'. She took a breath and shook out her arms. Just excited about my first night out on a new ship, she told herself. Plenty of time though.

Once in her room, she quickly stepped into the sonic shower then dug out her civilian clothing. A snug pair of jeans, tastefully worn threadbare in a few spots; a black tank top that almost reached the top of her jeans; topped off with her old flight jacket. The jacket wasn't heavy but had the appearance of a rugged canvas with an assortment of patches and pins from spaceship races she'd competed in and won along with a number of other mementos. She didn't cling to her pre-Starfleet life, but sometimes it was important to remember that everyone needed an out-of-uniform life too.

She checked the time and headed out, the doors to Dionysus sliding open for her almost exactly a half-hour after she'd left the holodeck.

Finn was already seated at a table in the back corner, next to the window. Outfitted in jeans, her favorite pair of navy blue chucks and a long sleeve shirt that casually fell over one shoulder. She waved as Li entered the bar. Most of her off-duty time up until recently had been spent in her quarters, reviewing schematics and reports, with the occasional outing for drinks with Paxton. Even she had to admit that the change of pace was nice. First Xavier and now Li, Finn was surprised by how much she enjoyed the growing friendships and company outside of the engineering department.

"Nice jacket," Finn said as Li arrived at the table. "Are those all ships you've served on?" She asked, impressed with the number of eye-catching ship designs lapeled onto the garmet.

Walking toward the back corner of the bar, Li laughingly dodged one pair of crewmen already dancing and skirted past a lot of unfamiliar faces before finding her way to the table. Finn was breathtaking, silhouetted against a field of stars and it took a moment to register what she'd asked. "Oh, this. No, mostly races I was in. Ship races, not skidders." She pointed at one in faded green with a purple insignia and said, "That's from the Orion Regatta. First one I ever finished. This one," She pointed at a mottled patch, "is from the Briar Patch Cannonball, which was really more around the Briar Patch, but it's the first race I ever won."

She slid into the seat across from Keating. "That's a good idea though. I mean, Athena's the first ship I've ever been stationed on, but I could come up with a patch for her. Maybe something for the starbase, the shipyard... Leave it to the Engineer to come up with a brilliant plan." After looking around for a moment and seeing the waiter wave acknowledgment while otherwise occupied, she focused back on Finn. "But enough about me racing. I mean, I really appreciated a chance to take you out on the ice, but what would you have been doing if we hadn't? What do you do for excitement around here without me?"

"Well if you decide to come up with a patch for the Athena, send me the replicator specs. I'd love one." Finn smiled. "What do I do for excitement? Honestly, not much. My life is not nearly as exciting as you might think," she chuckled. "I'd probably have been in my quarters reading some of the latest engineering studies or trying to lessen the pile of reports that seem to grow on my desk every day. I haven't been on the Athena that long either, so I don't know too many people yet. On occasion, I'll grab a drink with Ensign Paxton or some others from engineering. More recently, I've started to get to know Ensign Leiko and now you." She smiled as the thought of her list of friends growing. Although engineering schematics would always hold a fond place in her heart, it was nice getting to know her fellow crewmates.

Just as Finnley finished her response, an attendant came by to take their order. Never terribly adventurous with food or drink choices, Finn ordered her usual. A rum and coke to start and then a burger on replicated San Franciscan sourdough bread with a side of fries. Her mouth watered just thinking about it. All of that sledding had really built up her appetite.

"That burger sounds good. With a glass of water and a smokey whisky if you have something like that?" When the server left, Li confessed, "When I got to the Academy, trying different Earth foods became a hobby. Whatever my human classmates could come up with from different cultures. Never could quite stomach Coke though, somehow." She leaned back and glanced around the bar again. "That's right, you did say you were new to the job. I'm a bit surprised your social calendar isn't packed. Unless you prefer it that way - in which case, I'm honored you've taken the time with me."

"I can't say the burger is anything special. It's the sourdough that makes it fantastic, in my opinion anyway. I'm interested to see what you think of it," Finn noted. Not everyone loved sourdough, with its tangy flavor, but it was a delicacy that she had grown up with and loved.

Their drinks were dropped off on the table a moment later and Finn took a sip of the bubbly sweet drink that finished with a sense of warmth as the rum hit her system. "I can't believe you don't like coke! What a travesty," she chuckled as she put the drink down. "With four years to try different Earth foods, you must've tried some interesting dishes. What's been your favorite so far?" Finn asked her newfound Andorian friend. Interested to see what a foreigner's take on the variety of dishes might be and purposely ignoring the part inquiry on her social calendar.

Li picked up her whisky and took a sip, letting it rest on her tongue for a moment before swallowing. "This is close. Well, not this exactly," she held up the glass, looking through the amber liquid. "It's fine, but one of my classmates brought a bottle from his home . . . somewhere north? I forget the region name; it was like smoke melting on your tongue. But there was uni nigiri, pulled pork with vinegar barbecue sauce on a crusty bun, crawfish Étouffée, there was this lamb stew from northern Africa. . . but I can tell you the best meal I had. I spent a break backpacking with a classmate, Nguyen Chi. For days we were hiking through these lush forests - so green, so wet, so hot, so different from home. Early on the last day it started to rain and never stopped so by the time we finally got where we were going, his grandmother's house, we were soaked through. She had a pot of pho simmering on the stove that satisfied far more than my hunger."

Laughing, she added, "I may have gained some weight on Earth, but it was worth it." After another gulp of her drink, she set it down and looked across at Keating. God, she was beautiful and Li would never forgive herself for not taking a chance for something else, but if she kept hinting at things and wondering if those hints were too subtle or being deliberately ignored it might start to strain what could become a likewise cherished friendship. It was time to be more blunt. "So, drinks with crewmates. Ever considered... more? Is there anyone on board you've thought about testing a relationship of some kind other than friendship with?"

Finn took a large sip of her drink. She needed more rum to answer this question which seemed to have come up more often lately. She let out a sigh as she put the glass down. "Well, I thought Petty Officer Saghir had potential. He's cute and seems like a good guy, but every time I'm around him he's relatively unable to take command of his own speech patterns. So now I just torture him with my presence from time to time," she chuckled.

"To be honest, I haven't really thought about relationships that much. My career has always been my priority." Finn shrugged and took another sip before continuing. In truth, she had been in a serious relationship before and for years after that ended, had sworn them off until her latest assignment. "So, I'm certainly not opposed to it. The only thing I absolutely won't do is enter into a relationship with someone in my own department. Anything else is fair game I suppose." It was the truth. If someone came along and they seemed to click romantically, she wouldn't deny the relationship a chance. It was something she'd promised herself she would be open to again going forward. However, she couldn't see anything ever coming before work anymore. Engineering was her life, it was in her blood. Though, now that the question had been asked multiple times, she wondered if it would ever be possible for her to love a person more than engineering or her last love. She pushed the thought from her mind. If she was meant to be in another relationship, it would happen at some point.

"What about you? Any romantic interests on board? Or do you prefer to avoid the dating scene on a starship?" Finn asked in return.

"Poor Saghir," Li interjected. "I can't blame him for being a bit tongue-tied around you." She listened, nodding, to Keating's other thoughts. "Duty is important. And I totally get it - especially as Chief - you can't compromise your department with even the appearance of favoritism or risk the fallout of things going badly. But we're all busy and it's nice to have someone to share more than a drink or two with when you can both make the time. At least I've always felt that way. Not that I've found anything very serious - but meaningful? Sure. I don't see why being on a ship would change that."

"Of course, I just got here a few days ago so I haven't met all that many people." Li paused for a moment, watching herself slowly turn her half-empty glass on the table before looking up into Keating's eyes. "There is this one very pretty engineer I've enjoyed talking with though. Had fun being around. If she were looking for a friend that would be great but, if she were open to testing the waters for something more romantic, I would certainly be interested, yeah."

She's already met another engineer? Finn wondered as she evaluated the statement Li made. Wait...was she hinting at her? Finn knew her way around an engine room like the back of her hand. Navigating emotions was a completely different ball field and sailing through those waters with another woman was something she hadn't even really thought about, not that she had thought seriously about any relationships she'd had so far.

"Oh, uhm," Finnley chuckled nervously, eyes wide with surprise. She took a large sip of the rum and coke, finishing it off. "You flatter me. I mean, I think. Were you talking about me? Sorry, you just caught me off guard." She put the now empty glass down and took a breath to compose herself. "I have to be honest, I've never been in a relationship with another woman. Not that I'm against it. I've only been in a couple of relationships with a guy at that, but I just don't know right now." Li was beautiful and skilled. Plus they had so much in common and Finn had enjoyed her company immensely, so a relationship wasn't something she wanted to dismiss completely. "Maybe we start as friends and see what happens?" She asked apprehensively, hoping she hadn't just ruined the whole moment.

Li marveled at the effort it seemed to take Keating to make the connection. Had she been that oblique? Subtlety wasn't something she normally considered one of her own charms but, presumably, anything can come out of nowhere if you're turned away from it. "Oh, I was certainly talking about you." She downed the rest of her drink and steeled herself not to act too dispirited.

"I guess some traditional Andorians have a bit more of an expectation of intimacy between those of similar gender than humans, though it's not always romantic or certainly sexual. I'm sorry if that was culturally insensitive of me." Li began turning her glass again, wishing it was full once more. "I'm not exactly sure how 'seeing what happens' works. I've generally found that things only happen when you do something to make them happen. But here's to friendship, for sure. I meant it when I said that would be great."

Afraid she was going to ramble on and start sounding as sorry for herself as she felt, Li sighed with relief when their food arrived. The fries looked crisp and she was curious to try a burger on sliced bread rather than a bun as she'd seen it presented before. "Thank you," she said, "Could I get another whisky too?" She held up her glass for the server.

"And another rum and coke for me please," Finn said, feeling desperate for more of the numbing liquid. She took a bite of the burger before attempting to speak any further. The familiar taste of the sourdough felt comforting and instantly her head felt a little clearer as the hunger started to dissipate. The server swiftly returned with their refills and Finn washed down a couple of fries with her drink.

"Li," she finally spoke with a more clear thought process this time. "Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. You're beautiful, and I've had so much fun today. I'm not saying that I'm not interested. For me, personally, I've always preferred to develop at least a base level of friendship first," she smiled, hoping that Li could at least understand that her answer didn't mean no forever. More that she just needed some time to get to know Li and evaluate her own feelings on the situation more.

"Anyway, what do you think of the sourdough burger?" Finn asked, thinking perhaps a change of subject at this point was the best route forward.

Li sipped her water and looked down at a burger on slices of bread. It just struck her as wrong, but she wasn't going to judge it too harshly before tasting it. She picked a piece of the bread off and set it in her mouth. Not bad. Different. Interesting. "Maybe you have it right, I don't know. Maybe that's why the longest relationship I've been in ended when I was 16. I mean, I've stayed friends with people after being in a relationship with them, but I'm not sure how to think about someone who is a friend but might become more at some point."

With a shrug, she lifted her burger and took a bite. "Oh. Oh, wow you are right. This bread really does make the burger."

Finn smiled with a hint of pride. "The trick is if you ever want to order it again, make sure you order the San Franciscan sourdough. It's different from other types. More tart, in my opinion. I'm glad you like it!" She took another couple of bites herself before continuing the conversation. "Is your family back on Andoria?" Finn asked, eager to know more about her new blue friend.

Her mouth full of fries when Finn brought up her family, Li finished chewing and then took a healthy swig of her whisky before replying, eyes on the rest of her burger. "Yeah. Yeah everyone's on Andoria. Last I heard from my little brother they're all doing well." She looked up and put on a smile. "What about you? You come from a long line of Starfleet Engineers you said. Does that mean a lot of shipboard life? Do you have any sort of family homestead or is everyone . . ." her hand fluttered, indicating motion and sprawl.

"Oh, yea, they're mostly all over. We have a home in California, but we often moved from starship to starship. I do have a few aunts and uncles that are retired and have settled in one place or another, same with about half of my cousins." Finn munched on fries and she gave a short overview of her location history. "Does anyone else in your family fly like you do?" She wondered if there was some sort of heritage surrounding Li's skills.

"California is... where San Francisco is, right? The Academy, this bread? Seemed like a nice spot, though it was hard to get used to the idea of all that moving, liquid water right next to you." She took another bite of her burger but didn't try to push this off any longer. "One of my Dads was a pilot. Ethas. I guess he was in the Andorian Defense Force when he was younger but he never really talked about that. By the time I came along he had a cargo ship and spent most of his time out here between the stars. We didn't see him much but it was always a celebration when he did come home. He taught me a little. Let me fly the obsolete fighter he was using as a shuttle. Sit in the Captain's seat on the cramped little bridge of his freighter. They never let me leave with him though."

"Yes, California is where San Francisco and the Academy are. Our family home is in Santa Barbara though." Finn sipped on her drink as she contemplated the last portion of Li's response. Her knowledge of Andorian family groups was limited, but to be without one father, even if there were others, would be difficult. "That must've been hard, to have one of your dads gone so often. You know, I can't say I'm very familiar with what Andorian childhood is like. What did you guys do for fun? Besides skidding of course."

Li eyed her whisky but took a sip of the water instead. "Growing up, it seemed great. I mean, I missed him when he wasn't around but it's not like we didn't hear from him. And it was exciting when he came back. I guess the adults were more bothered by it though. They felt like he was being selfish. Not just because his work kept him away but. . . I don't want to sound like I'm denying or minimizing the grief they felt but, I think when his ship was destroyed they felt sort of vindicated. It's what they'd been worried about all along."

She shrugged. "I'm not sure I know enough about Human childhood to compare. I mean, we played games other than with sleds. Fishing in underground streams. We went swimming in geothermal vents. We had community fitness and defense training that wasn't always terrible. Of course, when we got older, we'd sneak off into empty caverns to party. Drink and make out." Grinning - but trying to hide it at least a little - Li asked, "What about you? What sort of trouble did little Finn get into growing up on a starship?"

"I spent most of my time outside of school getting sneaking into engineering or hanging out with my best friend. Sometimes my dad would let me help with something engineering related, or he'd bring projects home that we could work on together. Those are perhaps some of my best memories." She paused to finish off her burger and made a mental note to try to contact her family this week. "When I wasn't doing that, I'd hang out with my best friend. We got into the usual mischief that starship kids get into I suppose. Modified holodeck programs, made 'adjustments' to replicators, encased visiting Klingon bat'leths in jello. The usual," Finn chuckled. It was the second time she'd discussed her childhood antics in the past week, but it brought a smile to her face every time.

With a chuckle, Li realized that, for as short a time as she's known Finn, it wasn't hard to believe that her happiest childhood memories included an engineering department. Nor that kids raised in Starfleet would think of "modified holodeck programs" as mischief. The bat'leths evoked a laugh though. "Sure, the usual. I'll bet the Klingons deeply appreciated your reverence. I've heard they're known for their sense of humor about that sort of thing."

She took the final remaining sip of her whisky and said, "So, are you still close with your dad? Being in the family business and all, I'll bet he's thrilled with where you are now. Chief Engineer on a starship. What more could a parent want?"

"As close as we can be, stationed on separate starships. We write or chat as often as we can, though it's been a couple of weeks," Finn shrugged. "Sometimes we all just get busy and caught up or can't communicate for whatever reason. What about you? Still close with your family?" She asked as she dipped the last of her fries in ketchup.

Li struggled to keep her antennae from standing at attention in keeping with the stress she felt. "No. No, like I said I heard from my little brother not too long ago. He'll be looking at college soon for logistics or something related. We sneak messages back and forth sometimes." She looked at her empty glass and pushed her plate, with only a few scattered fries left, to the side.

"But my moms, my dad, pretty much everyone else. . . " She shrugged. "We didn't see eye-to-eye on much when I lived with them. Once Ethas died I didn't really feel like I had any allies left in the family. They made it clear that I had - what seemed to me - very limited options and I wasn't about to take any of them. So I left. They haven't spoken to me since. Federation records still show my surname name as Zh'kyhrihr, but clan kyhrihr has told me never to claim membership. That's part of why I really just go by Li." She looked up and smiled weakly, as though she couldn't quite make the effort to pretend it didn't all bother her. "I'm pretty well disowned."

Finn raised an eyebrow, it wasn't an answer she expected. "Well, it's clearly their loss. Who wouldn't want to claim a pilot as talented as you?" She shrugged and changed the subject, assuming that Li didn't want to linger on it. Neither did Finnley really, emotional topics made her awkwardly uncomfortable. Sure, she felt bad for those that were wronged but expressing that was an entirely different beast. "Ok, so you've told me your favorite Earth dishes, what's your least favorite that you've tried so far?"

Li's faint smile tightened and she nodded slightly at Keating's attempt at a positive spin on her family situation. She didn't dwell on it or try to hide it, but it was painful. Her expression turned pensive at the return to culinary questions. "Hm. Well, you've already heard my shocking opinion of Coke. Some of my classmates were aghast to learn that Andorians can't eat chocolate, so there's that too." She took a sip of water, still thinking. "Oh, there's also," she shuddered, "macaroni and cheese. So bland and gooey and ergh..." Her tongue stuck out at the memory.

"What?!" Finn's jaw dropped in shock. She grabbed her chest, feigning a heart attack as Li mentioned her distaste for what was likely the best dish to ever come from human civilization. "How can you not love mac and cheese?! Wow. I just. This is never going to work Li," she held a serious expression before letting out a laugh. "I'm kidding, but I have to say I'm disappointed. You don't like coke or mac and cheese," she shook her head. "It's a real shame."

One eyebrow raised, then her grin widened as Finn reacted to Li's culinary preferences. "It's not even like I don't appreciate the ingredients. much of lasagne is pasta and cheese, but it has flavor and texture!" She managed a chuckle. "I suppose we will just have to find something to bond over other than Earth food."

"Clearly," Finn joked. Then she tilted her head as a thought occurred. "So you pilot vehicles, do you ever fix them up or build your own? I fixed up quite a few antique shuttles with my dad growing up. It was always a fun activity. If you're interested, maybe we can find a program on the holodeck and build our own ship to fly around in. I mean, it couldn't leave the holodeck, but it might be a fun project."

"That sounds like quite a long term project." There was a "yes" right on her lips, but Li took a moment to think about it. Would she say yes to an idea like that if she didn't have some hope of this turning into more than friendship? Was it fair to either of them for her to go into it with motives like that? Not that she hated the idea, nor that she'd never go along with a friend's passion. But something involving that much work that would never leave the holodeck?

"My repair skills don't go much beyond replacing blown plasma relays or hacked together patch jobs. When I finally got a flight engineer on the old fighter I was racing she was astounded I hadn't blown myself up." She took a breath, then continued, "But maybe it would be a good chance to learn if you can stand a student too dim to actually work in engineering. Flying it afterwards does sound fun."

"Well, we can always stick to skidding too. Or I'd love to so a holodeck simulation of one of your favorite races you've done!" Finn smiled, realizing that Li didn't seem sold on the repairing idea. In all fairness, not everyone was into repairing things like she was. Besides, she couldn't deny the fact that skidding and racing sounded just as fun as repairing old shuttles. "I could certainly use some practice there, plus it was a total blast. Maybe sometime next week we can checkout another program together?" She finished her drink as she waited for Li's reply.

"I'm sorry," Li said, realizing that her lack of enthusiasm had shown through pretty clearly. "I would love to check out another program with you next week and it does not have to be all about me. You pick; whatever interests you will be interesting to me if only for that reason. We can weld panels or race space ships or whatever you want. Think about it and let me know if I need to do anything to get ready ahead of time."

Glancing at the bar around them, Li saw that they weren't the only ones mostly done with dinner. The atmosphere in the bar was changing from mealtime to late night. The music was a little louder. More people were dancing now or lounging by the bar than seated at tables. "For now though, what do you say? A little dance - with a friend - to cap the night off?"

Did she say dance? Finn ran through the question once more. She was not a dancer. Not even close. The only time Finn had danced was as a kid in a holodeck program and her best friend was quick to tell her that her dancing style looked like a flamingo having a stroke. "You do not want to see me dance, trust me," Finn chuckled, trying to play it off as though dancing in public was just something she didn't care for. In reality, it may have been one of her worst fears.

"It is getting quite late though and I think we both have early shifts in the morning, plus I have a few more reports I'd like to get signed off." Finn swiftly hopped up from the table. "I really can't thank you enough for the fun time on the holodeck. I had a blast. I'll look into some programs and send you some ideas for next week. I'm sure that we can find something we both like," Finn smiled and turned towards the door. "I'll see you later!" She waved over her shoulder.

Watching panic fill Keating's eyes, Li arched one eyebrow, her antennae sagging to either side playfully. "Oh, if there's one thing I've learned tonight that I really do want to see..." But the engineer was swiftly making her departure. It was all she could do to turn in her seat and say, "See ya!" with a little wave as she watched her leave.

Li turned back and slumped in her seat for a moment. Well, that had gone maybe not as badly as possible if not as well as she'd hoped. It'd been fun. She checked the time and decided that, while Keating might think it time to turn in, she needn't be quite done with the night. The bar was getting busier when she elbowed in to order one more drink, which she downed quickly. The song playing shifted from something light and poppy to one of the new wave of Bajoran punk that was becoming popular. Maybe not the best dance music, but it was frenetic and innovative enough to draw her onto the floor. Her own dancing wouldn't win any awards, but she moved to - or around - the beat. Of the music. Of the crowd that surrounded her. Of the social life on her new home.