Dinner For Two Pt II

Posted on Sat Aug 8th, 2015 @ 10:59pm by Staff Warrant Officer Nexi & Lieutenant Daln Hadren
Edited on on Sat Aug 8th, 2015 @ 10:59pm

Mission: The New Sydney Fiasco

Daln tried to hide the pity he always felt when someone hadn't known their parents, knowing instinctually that someone like Nexi would not appreciate it. Tamping it down, he considered how to answer. "Well, during your childhood, it is really annoying to be told what you can and can't do by your parents, where to go, how to dress, who you can talk to, but when you grow up, you learn that they were just trying to raise you to be a good person. Only you never appreciate that until you're grown up and out in the world." He paused for a moment, thinking of his parents, and how he really should talk to his mother again. She had tried to contact him several times, but he had always put her off. "Sisters, I have no idea because I don't have one. I have one brother, and he was really annoying when we were kids. I was a few years older and he always wanted to play with me and my friends, but he was too little at first. Then he got bigger and more devious. I started getting interested in girls, our cousin Ranel started getting interested in guys, and when we're together we look like triplets." He paused a moment. "Our dads are identical twins and we happen to all look like them. But Vien would bring Ranel's boyfriend to where I was making out with my girlfriend, or my girlfriend where Ranel was making out with his boyfriend and we both just wanted to kill him," he said, laughing. "But no matter what, we always had each other's backs. It is nice to know you can count on someone no matter what."

"My mom died when I was little and our world was in debt so I was taken as a slave to help pay for my mother's debt. Sometimes I have trouble remembering what she looked like, but I've never forgotten her voice..." Nexi wasn't certain how that made her felt. She'd been without family for so long, it wasn't like she missed her mother, and yet somehow that made her sad because she felt she should miss her. "When I found out about who my father was, I looked him up and saw he had a life and a family that didn't involve me. I didn't want to cut in where I wasn't wanted, but I tried to keep an eye on them, make sure they were okay and stuff, but... Well, now Aewia and I are all that's left of our family..." She didn't know why she was sharing all this with him. Maybe it was because he'd shared so much with her or maybe it was simply because she finally wanted to share this with someone. She just hoped she wasn't trusting the wrong person with this.

Daln thought a minute about what to say. This was definitely not his area of expertise. He was a fighter, a protector, not a counselor. "I remember the accident. My family was sad to see them go. Even me, and your stepmom thought I was a delinquent. My mom was good friends with your dad, but I don't know much about him because I was usually out of the room."

Nexi could feel his awkward reservation and she stiffened up. She had gone too far... Dammit! "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you all that," she said, rapping her fingers against the table uneasily. Fuck, now she'd ruin the date with all this family talk! "Look, forget I said anything. Can we, I dunno, start over?"

Daln nodded. "If it will make you comfortable."

"Well, I thought I made you uncomfortable," Nexi said. "I'm just not used to this talking and socializing thing. I don't usually share stuff about myself. I think you know more about me now than anyone else I know." And that was saying something. She'd barely told Daln anything, which meant the people she knew knew next to nothing about her. Nexi sighed. "Really, I just wanna go back to my ship," she admitted in a somewhat defeated tone.

Daln nodded. "You want me to come? I'll grab some mead and the ale," he said with a wink. "It's really good."

"I guess," Nexi said with a hesitant nod. She didn't usually let people onto her ship and she was hella choosy when it came to the Engineers who helped her maintain it, but she'd let him tag along. She rose from her chair leaving her dinner barely touched. "I'm sorry if I've made a mess of things."

Daln stood, then looked down at his clothes. "Maybe I should change," he said self-consciously. "Maybe some jeans?" he asked. He disappeared into the bedroom and came out three minutes later in a black t shirt, dark blue jeans and boots. In his hands were two bottles and a couple of mugs. "Grab the wine and we'll go."

Nexi grabbed the bottle with a crooked grin; she was already feeling better about this. She led him through the ship, well away from the shuttle bays, to Cargo Bay 3. At first glance, it looked like any other cargo bay with the external doors, but with the Hera being designed for works in Intel, this cargo bay had a few secrets, one of which being Nexi's ship, the Wandering Star. She touched a wall panel that was keyed in to her biometrics and the wall opened up to reveal her ship there.

"This is my baby, Wandering Star," Nexi introduced to Daln as she led him up the ramp and into her ship. "She's Starfleet in origin, but a defect in her torpedo tubes found just after her launch had her mothballed. Picked her up a few years back second-hand and she's been my home ever since." She hoped Daln could appreciate what this meant for her to invite him in.

Daln picked up what it meant alright, and looked around the shuttle with interest. "Any special modifications that you made?" He grinned at her. "Sometimes people like to tweak things."

"Yeah, I tweaked her plenty," Nexi said as she led him inside through what used to be a small cargo bay but was now two holding cells. "I tend to work in bounties, so more often than not I'm hauling people around, so I put in holding cells that can put Starfleet standard issue cells to shame. Got a workbench over there," she pointed to her workbench nearby, "where I make my blades. And I turned the bunks into a bedroom." she led him into a sort of common area, whose original function had been a situation room/armory/med center, but was now a kitchen with table and a couch. "Cockpit is pretty standard issue, except I swapped out the displays with Ferengi displays. I don't read Federation Standard English all that well," she admitted sheepishly as she flopped down onto the very comfortable couch. Many a naps had been had on this couch, as evident by a spot or two of drool on one of the cushions. "Oh, and I managed to get my hands on an old Klingon cloaking device. One of the Hera's Engineers helped me restore it to better condition and it works like a dream!"

Daln looked at the brig cells. "Those look great." He came in to sit down by Nexi. "This is an impressive ship. I don't have a shuttle, but I do have a motorcycle."

"Of all the potentially dangerous things I have done, and I could probably set some records for some stupid shit, I have never ridden a motorcycle," Nexi admitted with a grin that hinted that she was now quite interested in his motorcycle.

Daln's radar perked up. "Really? I may have to show you next time I go to the planet. Nothing like riding a bike along cliffs. I'm trying to restore an old automobile, too, a classic 1963 Thunderbird hard top, but I can't just make a gasoline engine, you know? And cars are different than bikes."

"Thunderb-" Nexi started and then rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I don't know much about autos, or different vehicle models. Motorcycles have always appealed to me because they are fast and dangerous, but I'm rarely planet-side long enough to need transportation, and I still don't know much about them." But maybe they could load his bike onto her ship and they could go find a nice place for a ride.

Daln's smile widened as he picked up her thoughts. Let's go get Lia, then, he said to her. He led the way out, turned and held his hand out to her for her to follow.

"Lia? that is the name you have given your motorcycle?" Nexi asked as she opened the ramp for loading cargo on their way out. "We wouldn't happen to be lucky enough for your bike to be stored in Cargo Bay 3, would we?"

He shook his head. "Yes, Lia is her name. And she's in cargo bay 2, with Gretchen, the Tbird. But she is close." He took a chance and took her hand, hoping she would be okay with it. He left his grip loose so she could release it if she chose.

Nexi looked down at their hands for a moment. Unaccustomed to holding hands with anyone, she initially wanted to pull her hand away, but on a whim she let him keep hold of her hand. The warmth of his hand became... comforting, and she gave his hand a slight squeeze to signify her acceptance of this contact and continued on beside him. "Maybe you can get Lia stored in Cargo Bay 3 so we can take her out regularly?" she offered as they walked.

He looked at her, considering. Knowing how big a step holding hands was for her, he agreed. "Sure. We're above a planet for shore leave. You want to take her out now?"

"I thought that's what we were doing!" Nexi replied with a lopsided grin. She couldn't wait to see his motorcycle. She'd seen a number of vehicles and they all looked boring to her. Except motorcycles.

They entered Cargo Bay 2 and Daln led her over to where Gretchen was. She was candy apple red with a tan interior and she looked complete, but it was a lie: the engine was not even near ready. Around a corner behind the car was the motorcycle. It had a long black leather seat and was black, with thinner wheels than on newer motorcycles. He let go of her hand and pressed his thumb to a scanner hidden on the bike. The motor purred to life and she began to shake subtly.

Nexi smiled as Lia rumbled to life. She approached the bike and reached out to touch the body of the beast, almost lovingly. She could tell right away that he had put as much care and attention into this machine as she had put into her ship. This wasn't just a bike, it was an extension of Daln, just like 'Star was for her. "She's beautiful," she said simply.

Daln turned her off and, taking the bike by the handle and seat, kicked up the stand and backed her out. "Before we take her down, we should both get a leather jacket. We can replicate them from your ship this time, but they need to have a rod of metal down the back and a bit of padding to them. Road rash is very uncomfortable." They arrived at the shuttle and he set Lia up in the cargo bay.

"I got a jacket," Nexi said as she helped secure Lia in what was left of the Wandering Star's cargo bay. Nexi had a tendency to fly a bit haphazardly, so she wasn't taking any chances with Daln's bike and made certain is was secured. "If you already have a jacket then go get it. I'll warm up 'Star and get clearance to leave," Nexi added.

Daln gave her another smile and headed to his quarters. He grabbed his jacket and his two helmets, then ran back to the cargo bay. "Got it!" he said. He couldn't wait to take her on a ride.

Nexi closed up the cargo ramp and led him to the cockpit, sitting him beside her at the navigational controls. Everything had been cleared for their departure and 'Star was ready to go, so she carefully maneuvered her ship out of Hera's cargo bay, and as soon as they were a safe distance out, she went to damn near full impulse. Nexi was grinning like an idiot as the inertial dampeners failed to keep up with the sudden acceleration, but once they had it was smooth sailing. "Alright, pick us a good spot," Nexi said as she piloted the ship towards the planet.

Daln brought up a display of the terrain, and found a spot where cliffs wound along a sea, with the time in the afternoon. "Here. Take us in, Hot Rod," he said with a teasing smile.

"Hot... Rod?" Nexi asked as she took them into the atmosphere towards the coordinates he had picked out.

Daln shook his head, grinning. "Nevermind." They landed at that moment and Daln stood, putting on his jacket, a stupid grin on his face at the thought of fender fluff on Lia.

Nexi put her ship on standby and grabbed her own jacket. It wasn't her usual leather jacket, that was back at her quarters, but this one was a little better suited for what they were doing anyway, it was a little thicker and made to take a beating. she tied her hair back in a leather strap as she followed Daln to the small cargo bay and helped him unload his bike. "I heard you gotta lean on these things to turn?" she said, somewhere between a statement and a question, mainly just looking for him to confirm it.

Daln pushed the bike out towards the cliffs but still close to the shuttle so Nexi could shut Star and lock it. "Yeah, you lean into the turn. If you want to turn right, you lean to the right. It's the same for the left. Turn left and you lean to the left. Not too much, though, or we'll fall over."

Nexi nodded and locked up her ship, then joined Daln by the bike. Already her heart was racing in anticipation and she couldn't wait to give this a try!

TO BE CONTINUED

Lt Daln Hadren
Chief Sec/Tac Officer
USS Hera

Nexi
Infiltration Specialist
USS Hera