A Foiled Escape

Posted on Fri Jun 21st, 2024 @ 10:30am by Commodore Jacob Kane & Lieutenant Commander Finnley Keating VII

Mission: Into the Qniverse
Location: Legoria II
Timeline: MD-01
1100 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Almost an hour had passed and the party was now in full swing, which for Finn meant that it was about time to dip out. Though she enjoyed spending time with friends, larger crowds and parties were not exactly her scene and as the number of people in the courtyard grew, so did the dial on her social meter.

She looked across the beautifully decorated area and planned an exit route through more sparsely occupied spaces, with thoughtful consideration to pass by people that were already engrossed in group conversations as opposed to those just floating around looking for an excuse to talk to someone. She even spied an empty table close to the exit where she could discretely drop off her half consumed drink before slipping out of the courtyard. Then, feeling satisfied with her strategic exit so neatly laid out in her mind, she made a break for it.

"What's the emergency?" the voice called out to stop her in her tracks. Looming ominously, Kane watched from near an equally strategic column nearby. "The hors d'oeuvres aren't that bad are they, Ms Keating?"

"Commodore," Finn turned to face him. "No emergency, just..." Somehow she got the feeling that he knew exactly what she had been up to in trying to ditch the party and a small sigh escaped from her lips. "Was is that obvious?"

"Believe me, if there were a fast and justifiable escape route from a large social gathering, I would have mastered it by now," he retorted, a little more good-naturedly than his usual style. He glanced at everyone else, being sociable and having fun. "Want to know the best survival technique? It's called the Backwards Law."

"The backwards law?" She raised a brow in curiosity both interested to learn more but also intrigued in the more casual aura of their interaction. She'd never attempted to talk to any version of Kane than had been less the formal relationship that existed between an officer and their commander. "Let me guess...keep your back to everyone so no one approaches you to talk?" She chuckled.

"Nice try." He moved up closer, almost conspiratorially as they looked out across the partygoers. "Say someone ties your arms and legs and tosses you in a pool. Go with me here, the metaphor works. The most natural thing most people would do is panic and try to escape. But all that does is burn oxygen and you don't get anywhere. The more you try to escape, the worse you suffer. No - the trick is to let yourself relax, let yourself fall to the bottom, and then push yourself back up to the surface so you can catch another breath of air." He glanced at her momentarily, indicating the festivities. "The same applies to when you're drowning in people."

"I think I'd rather someone tie me up and throw me in a pool," the sardonic remark slipped out before she could think to stop it. "Besides, I did mingle, for almost an hour. Now I'm ready to push back to the surface...towards the exit," Finn sarcastically smiled. "You know what I think the best survival technique is?"

"I'm listening," he remarked back, curious.

"Team work," she replied with a shrug as if the answer were simple. "Clearly you enjoy these events as much as I do, so what if we made a pact? We go to these events, give it our best effort, and when we can't take it anymore one of us signals the other. We engage in what an outsider would see as a very in depth conversation as we casually make our way to the exit. Then, once successfully cleared of danger, we go our separate ways."

Kane paused, genuinely considering the offer for a few seconds. Then he turned back to face her. "Keating...if I didn't know any better I'd swear you were talking about running away." His eyebrow raised a fraction. "Didn't we talk about this before? Running away? It was my understanding you were going to try to be a little more fight and a little less flight..."

Finn was slightly taken aback by his response. She had assumed that at best he'd take her up on the offer and at worst he would've considered it a joke. Maybe he was joking? She wasn't entirely sure. The man could be hard as hell to read sometimes.

"Oh come on, it's a party not a high stakes mission. Put me in a fight with the gorn, assign me to make some engineering modifications, hell I'll even clean the transporter pad. Anything's better than being forced to mingle for hours on end and with synthehol no less." Finn raised her glass sarcastically.

Kane's mouth curled up just faintly. "I'll remember you said that..." he remarked quietly. "Someone recently reminded me that this crew stuck their necks out for me, you know. After all that nasty business at Starfleet Academy, these people were the ones that had my back. So...I figured I owe it to them to stick around - at least for a while longer. Don't you?"

She turned away to look at the crowd for a moment and noticed Xavier materialize across the room. Perhaps sticking around wouldn't be so bad after all, she thought as she looked back at the captain. "You really know how to ruin an exit," she chuckled, "but I suppose you aren't wrong. My team work offer is always on the table should you change your mind and for what it's worth, I don't think the crew stuck their necks out for you because you hung around a party a little longer. It's because of who you are when you command that ship. You inspire loyalty because everyone on the Athena knows you'd stick your neck out for them just as much as they would for you." Finn flashed a genuine smile and set her drink on the table. "I suppose if I am going to have to stick around, I'd better make the most of it. Good luck, with mingling...or hiding behind columns," she smirked.

"Not hiding. Tactically repositioning." He lifted his own glass in a subtle salute, a thin smile on his face. "And to you, Keating. I made sure there aren't any warp cores for you to drop while we're here."

"I'm just at good at causing explosions as I am at dropping warp cores. I'm sure I'll find something to do," a sly smile slipped across her face and without waiting for a response, Finn jogged off towards the bar.