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Cptn Swain

Dropping Rain and Memories of Pain

 

Rain fell on the small collection of buildings that passed as a spaceport on Kaira IV.   Inside one of the  industrial structures,  a rowdy chorus of an Irish drinking song drowned out the sound of  rain pinging against the roof.  

“He said he’d meet us here?”

“Yes. I am sure he’ll be along. He’s never been late before -- “

“What if he was caught?”

“You worry too much.”

“Aren’t those basically famous last words?”

Kai Emaril glanced disapprovingly towards the other young man seated next to him in the corner table of the Rusty Stembolt. Maybe he had made a mistake in bringing him. He sighed inwardly -- there was little use in self-doubt. “Look,” he finally said. “We’ll give him another ten minutes and then we’ll go back to the shuttle.”  

“What did you tell Horran we were using the shuttle for anyway?”

“I told him we were going to get a little fresh air and get a drink. I didn’t lie to him.”

“Good,” the young man said, crossing his arms. 

“Why are you so uptight? People take shuttles for trips like this all the time.”

“I‘m a Lieutenant, Kai, it’s different.”

“You never you used to worry this much about stupid stuff -- Asher, besides here’s our man now.”

Their “man” was really a tall, slender Bajoran female.  She looked them over for a long moment before taking a seat opposite them, waving off the waiter as he approached.  

“Sorry to keep you waiting -- the spoonheads have made getting through the checkpoints more difficult the last few weeks. Something about the murder of some high ranking Gul.”

“I am sure you’re torn up about that.”

“Absolutely in mourning,” she said with a wry grin.  “Though I understand your friend here might be able to help us out with all these -- traffic difficulties?”

Kai looked to Asher, who was trying to hide his apprehension. “If you have the data, Asher can make it work.”

“Good. People’s lives depend on this. If we can’t navigate the nebula, people are going to die. The spoonies are trying to starve us out.”

“Don’t worry,” Asher said finding his voice. “I can do it. Just -- give me the data.”

She  looked him over again before producing a small data-rod. “This is everything we’ve been able to get on their detection net. When you’re ready, Kai knows how to transmit the data back to us.”

Asher nodded, palming the data rod and slipping it into his coat pocket.

“Like I said, we’re counting on you. Don’t screw it up kid.”

--

Morning light snuck through cheap blinds, striking out towards the small bed in the corner. 

“Uggg.”

“What is it?”

“You need to go.”

“Go where. It’s...”

“It’s already morning -- you’re on duty in like half-an-hour and it will take you at least that to get across town.”

“Screw that.”

“No,” Asher said sitting up in bed with a tired yawn. “You can’t miss another duty shift this week. N’awel will have you up on report and then you’ll be in the brig and then I’ll be alone...”

“Screw N’awel. My head hurts,” Kai buried deeper into the covers. “Go for me. It’s not like you can’t walk around with a phaser for a couple of hours looking tough.”

“I have my own crap to do today. I have to meet that horrible Doctor ... what was his name? Ornn --- whatever -- I have to meet him at the ruins.”

“Oh right; you’re mister important scientist guy and I am just the grunt.”

“Basically. Now, get up and get a shower.  We both smell like too much booze and I think I got a new tattoo last night.”

“You did,” Kai said, finally emerging from the covers. 

--

It had been nearly three weeks since they’d met with the Bajoran female -- who Asher had learned was named Maier. Sitting alone at the bar of Starbase 63’s Pipyard bar, he frowned at the nearly empty glass of whiskey. 

“Another?”

“Please.”

The Pei Xiu had been laid over at the aging space station along the Federation-Cardassian border for nearly a week after their navigational array  had been damaged in an ion storm. 

“How much longer do you guys expect to be here,” the bartender -- a scruffy, three-eyed Albertian simply named Golic said as he filled Asher’s glass. 

Asher shrugged. “Engineering says they need another couple days to calibrate something or the other. You know how it is.”

“Ah,” Golic said, “Not that I mind.  It’s been nice to have your people here -- good for business. With this on again off again war, it’s pretty variable. I remember when this place first opened -- before the fighting with the Spoonheads started --” 

Just as Asher feared he was going to be drawn into a long conversation with the racist bartender,  he felt a hand on his waist and shoulder and soft lips on his neck. “Hey there,” Kai’s smooth voice followed the kiss. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“Mmm,” Asher mumbled as he finished off the whiskey. “Where else did you think I’d be.”

Kai slid to the stool next to Asher and motioned to Golic for a drink.  “Knowing you? Working. I looked all over after my shift.”

“You could have just asked the computer,” Asher said dryly. 

“That ruins the fun. Anyway,  Mjar wants to see us tonight.” 

Asher’s eyes widened a bit. “Tonight? We can’t --” he stopped and looked around to make sure the bar was still empty. “We can’t get a shuttle to Kaira in three hours. That’s assuming we could even talk Horran into letting us take it out again.”

Throwing back the whiskey, Kai turned to Asher and kissed him again. “You’re thinking too much again.”

“One of us has to.”

“I know that -- which is why I do it. Mjar is here and I made reservations for us at that Bolian place you like.”

“It was okay.”

“Whatever -- this whiskey is pretty good, Golic  -- we’ll meet her there. You should wear that outfit you wore to Lexa’s reception it makes your ass look good.”

“My ass always looks good,” Asher said getting up from his stool.    

  “Where are you going -- “

Asher kept walking.  Frowning at the freshly poured glass of whiskey, Kai exhaled and ran after him. 

“What wrong?”

Pushing away, Asher kept walking. “It’s nothing. I have work to do. Go back to the bar or whatever.”

“Don’t be like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like that!”

Asher stopped. He bit his lip. Son of a ...

“Is this about tonight?”

“What gives you that idea? Of course it's about tonight. How could it not be about what you just told me!”

“Why are you being so moody. You’re going to make a scene.”

Turning, Asher brought himself within a few inches of his lover, pressing himself close. “Oh and meeting with your Bajoran terrorist on a Starbase is conspicuous as hell,” he kissed Kai for a long moment before releasing. “How stupid are you?”

“You’re worrying again  -- “

 “One of us needs to worry I know you don’t give a damn about....”   He paused and started kissing him again as someone walked by the airlock. 

“What don’t I care about?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll see you tonight.”

--

The brig cell was cold. Cold and smelled like booze. Booze and maybe blood. No it wasn’t blood, well human blood anyway. Too coppery --  Vulcan blood?  Asher blinked open his eyes and stretched.

“I see you’re awake.”  

Definitely Vulcan blood.

“Oh -- Taven. Uh... what...?”

Sitting in the corner, a tall, lanky Vulcan male sat cross-legged in what Asher only could assume was a meditation pose with a trail of dried green blood from his bulging lip. His right eye had also swollen. 

“You and Ensign Emaril required my, assistance.”

Blinking again, Asher felt his head throbbing with every pulse of the electromagnetic field that cordoned off their cell.  “Oh -- right. Thanks for that. Where is Kai anyway.”

“I was simply doing what a... friend... does for another friend.”  Tevan said closing his eyes. “As for Ensign Emaril  -- “

“Kai’s being held by the planetary authorities.”

N’awel’s nasal intonation didn’t help Asher’s hangover and what he thought might be a broken rib. Asher glanced over, feeling a whinge of pain as he took a deeper breath. Yeah, broken rib.  “.”

“Yeah, that’s a good word for it. Captain’s none too happy.”

Asher started to protest, but between the headache and the rib, he just nodded. “Of course, sir.”

“Turns out the dude you two started---”

“We didn’t start...”

“Got into a fight with,” N’awel corrected himself, with a roll of all four of his eyes.  “He was some sort of courtesan or something and a personal friend --”

Asher snorted, but N’awel continued. “A personal friend of the Regent. You two really couldn’t have picked a worse time for this either. Negotiations were already delicate... and now you get into a bar fight with the Regent’s...”

“I know -- I know.”

N’awel rolled only his upper set of eyes. “Fine I’ll spare you the speech, but only because Captain’s going to dress you down when she gets done getting Kai out of their clink.”

“Why is Taven still here. He was only...”

“He should have shot you both and drug you out of there....”

--

The pneumatic doors to his quarters had barely swished open when Asher felt a heavy, unfamiliar hand on his shoulder. 

“Lieutenant Swain” came a commanding voice. “We need to talk,”

“It’s okay Asher. “ Commander Roberta Seclair followed up. “But we should go inside.”

Compliant, Asher nodded and stepped slowly into his quarters, his heart fluttering faster than a Mabrizi Hummingbird’s wings.  Inside, he found himself opposite of tall, blonde-haired man in a dark suit and the stoic Seclair. 

“Sorry for the theatrics Lieutenant, but we’ve been waiting for you sometime now.”

He should have been anxious, frightened or scared, but instead his first thought had been to the state of his quarters. Still, Asher swallowed. “Can I -- I am not sure what this is all about?”

Secliar nodded to the tall blond, crossing her arms. “No reason to screw around with him, John. I told you, he’s a good kid.”

‘John’ nodded. “I suppose a more formal introduction is in order.. My name is John Lendover, Starfleet Intelligence and I need to talk you about your friend... Mister Emaril and your mutual associate you’re supposed to meet tonight.”

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