Was That You?

Posted on Mon Jan 14th, 2019 @ 5:30pm by Warrant Officer Koh Otassu & Lieutenant Commander Shaille Levine

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/5
Location: Primary Hangar

Koh was no stranger to combat. Though, truth be told, he preferred his combats in the air. There was ... *something* ... in the hangar with him, and he was certain they weren't invited. It didn't move so much as it skittered. It didn't sneak so much as just skulk. The shadow it cast was alien, and that mag-train of thought was coming from a Son of Ts'usu aboard an alien craft.

He drew his firearm, Starfleet issue. It felt weird in his hand, alien. There was that word again. He never knew how much he missed a pulse bolter before, but now wasn't really the time to reminisce. Closer and closer the Ts'usugi crept towards the creature, his ears perked and turned to get a better idea as to where it was. The sounds it made were so unusual. He tried to not use the word 'alien' again in his mental recount of the scene, mostly because by now, the word had long since lost its meaning.

He turned to get the drop on the creature, firearm pointed and ready to fire when there was a sparkle, a swirl, and a sound. When the dazzling display was finished, the Shalti invader was gone.

"Transporter." he muttered as he gave the region a quick scan. Nothing on visual, nothing on audio. Nothing...

He gave another look, then disengaged his phaser and considered his next course of action. He should report this in, naturally. Time to contact his contact in security, and so he tapped his comm badge. "Ensign Otassu to Lieutenant Levine. Reporting a sighting of an alien intruder in the hangar. Intruder departed by transporter. No damage to local systems."

'Acknowledged Ensign, I will get to you as soon as I can," Shaille replied calmly. "Levine out."

=/\=

It had been well over an hour since the Shalti threat had been disabled, yet Shaille was still going deck to deck, personally responding to every Shalti incident reported.

She had entered so many closets, scoured so many empty quarters, even reassured disgruntled wives that their husbands had not been inhabited by Shalti aliens and their transgressions, what ever they may have been, were their own.

Next on her list was Ensign Otassu. She paused for a moment, the name striking familiarity. Ensign Otassu? Koh! She found herself suddenly smiling as she made her way through the ship toward the hangar.

Walking into the hangar she suddenly realised that it had been quite a while since he had commed her, so chances are he wouldn't even be there, but still she was hopeful. "Ensign Otassu?" she called, glancing around for the unforgettably familiar face.

He was indeed still there. He had even taken up a rather well defensible position and seemed to be, for lack of a more appropriate term, holding the fort. "Lieutenant." he called over, and seemed to relax when she arrived. Reinforcements, perhaps. "Area secure. No sign of intruders from last point of contact." he seemed to be rather business at the moment, considering the events. He then took a breath and visibly relaxed a touch, a smirk crossing his features now, "So, was that something your team did, or did they withdraw?"

Shaille paused for a moment before speaking out. "It actually wasn't us at all," she said with a wan smile. "It was a combined effort from Medical and Engineering I understand. Regardless, the threat has now been mitigated, I believe with extreme violence..." She forced back a smile as she thought of the Shalti being fired on at point blank range from ship wide phasers. "Regardless Ensign, you can relax. Believe me, no one was more surprised to have them off the ship so suddenly than i was!"

With the word of the threat being over from security itself, he disengaged his phaser and holstered it. Only then, did he visibly relax. His ears drooped ever so slightly, and his whole posture just loosened. "Good to hear. Any threat to home that doesn't respond to diplomacy usually responds to aggressive diplomacy." he chuckled, and closed the distance. "Medical and Engineering, huh? Seems we owe them a drink or something. They do that here in the Federation, yes? Cause we do that back home, and it's a great tradition to carry over."

Shaille found herself suddenly grinning as she leaned back against a stack of cargo containers behind her, half crouching down. "Oh, we do that here in the federation," she said with a laugh. "'The drinks are on me' is a very common vernacular here, or at least, it is where I come from." She stopped speaking momentarily before her grin became more of a sincere smile. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I'm sure it can't have been easy for you to be here alone, facing down an unknown enemy, but you did it, and you didn't fuss when we didn't race immediately to your rescue. So, seriously, thank you." There was a raw honesty to her voice that few had ever heard, but at that moment, he was most definitely deserving.

He gave a nod, "Good to know that rewarding exemplary service with alcohol is universal." he chuckled, and then came back to the here and now, "You've got a whole ship to worry about, and I have to imagine that not everyone on this ship is as well trained in crisis situations as you and I are." he mentioned. "You kinda get taught a lot in the Ts'usu Navy. Isolation survival, crisis management, gotta figure not everyone has that exposure. So for that, I just called in the situation and bunkered down, waiting for them to come back." he recalled, then gave a bit of a nod. "You're welcome. I'm not a fusser." he paused, "That... doesn't sound like it translated right. Though in any case, threat resolved... free for a drink? On me."

Shaille laughed softly, feeling herself relaxing. "You know what, after the day I've had, a drink sounds fantastic! Honestly, you wouldn't believe how many closets I have crawled through, how many people were convinced that the Shalti were hiding under their beds..." she shook her head slightly. "Give them the slightest sense of unrest and suddenly everyone is seeing monsters under their beds and in their closets." She laughed suddenly. "Sorry, I'm rambling. It's been a long afternoon."

He actually chuckled, "You know, we have monsters under our beds too back on the home moons. So, to keep score, that's offering drinks and hiding monsters that are universal concepts." he smirked, "Though, give someone an excuse to panic, and usually they will. Though please..." he closed the distance to stand about ten feet from her, and relaxed against the wall across from her, "... keep rambling. I'll take it as a compliment, I promise."

"How do you feel about Whiskey?" Shaille suddenly posed. "I have a fine bottle of aged Aldebaran whiskey in my quarters. I can't be sure though I've been reassured it's got quite a kick. I don't know about you, but tonight I'm in the mood to find out. Want to join me?"

"Whiskey? Never heard of it." Koh responded. "Though, after this, I'm up for anything. Besides, could use something with a bit of a kick so sure." he motioned for her to lead the way, "After you."

The walk back to her quarters was rather short, possibly because of the easy flowing small talk between them. Once she walked inside her quarters, kicking off her boots and leaving them at the door, Shaille motioned to the largely impersonal space around them that was almost completely devoid of any touchy feely signs of history that most people held onto. "Make yourself at home," she said with an easy smile. "The bottle of whiskey is on the shelf just there with the glasses." she said, motioning to a small shelf on the wall in the general living area. "I'll replicate some glasses. Do you want a mixer or do you want it straight up?" she asked as she headed toward the replicator.

He lingered at the door for a moment before she invited him in with her permission to make himself at home. Then, he lingered near the closed door just long enough to remove his boots and leave them by the door. "Sorry, just... feels good to get out of those." he said, bouncing gently on his feet for a moment before he continued in further. Where she pointed, Koh easily found the aforementioned whiskey, "I have no idea, never had the stuff. The mixer sounds a little less dangerous off the bat, so let's start there." he said, claiming the bottle for his own and bringing it to the living area. Spartan no, but sparse perhaps. "Not a lot of pictures?" he gave a nod, "Children of Ts'usu travel light. All our reminders of home are actually part of the ships we serve upon." he mentioned, waiting for her to return with whatever a mixer was.

Shaille laughed suddenly as he removed the boots, shaking her head. "Honestly, if I were alone I would have had mine off before I even walked in the door," she said with a grin. "I usually start getting rid of unnecessary layers once I step out of the turbolift. I hate being restricted and confined. I just decided to play nice... you know, polite company and all," she said, returning to the living area with a large container of ice and an assortment of soda's and seltzers. "Some people like it straight up, some people like it on the rocks, which is basically with frozen rocks but I'm improvising with ice, which is also quite common. Some people like it with tonic or club soda... so I figured I'd just replicate everything at once." She set the tray on the small coffee table in the middle of the room before she unzipped her jacket and folded it over the back of the couch. "I love my job, but damn... some times it's just good to be off," she said with a shake of her head as she reached for one of the glasses and dropped a few ice cubes in it before filling it about a third full with the whiskey. "What do you want to try first?"

He smirked, "I'm a pilot. Cramped and restricted is essentially my field of operation. Though, the cockpit is roomy enough." he admitted, "As for the boots, they're Ts'usu regulation but still..." he motioned to his feet to bring them to attention. Large broad paws more than a foot. "It's good to actually be able to move. A little freedom never hurt anyone." he chuckled as he inspected the assortment of mixers. "Hmmm... dunno, dunno, dunno.." he chuckled again, and reached for a glass and put a few cubes in it as well as an experimental level of whiskey, "Let's see... how about... this one." Koh said, reaching for one of the sodas to add into the mix. "And I know that feeling. I love my job. Being a pilot is the most amazing thing I've accomplished. Being a pilot for both the Ts'usu Navy and the Federation? That there's really something special. So, on that note there." he held up his glass towards her, "Kanpai!" it seemed to be a chant or a calling of some form.

"Kanpai," Shaille repeated, hoping she at least got it phonetically correct as she sank into the seat, tucking her feet up under her as she turned to face toward him, motioning for him to join her on the couch. It wasn't comfortable, but hey it was somewhere to sit. "I'll have to take your word for it with the pilot stuff," she said easily. "You know, I can hit a penny across the room with a projectile weapon and my aim with a phaser is pretty much the same... but put me in charge of a shuttle and I'm likely to fly straight into a skyscraper. Me and flying just don't get on," she said with a laugh, taking a sip of the drink and wincing. "Oh Gods, yeah, I think it needs a mixer," she said reaching for soda, any soda, to water it down with.

He scooted up, and joined her on the couch. Once settled, yeah it wasn't comfy but he didn't seem to object. Maybe it was comfy for her? It *was* her couch after all. He took a sip after the toast, and the face he made was virtually priceless. "Yeah, keep adding. When you think you have enough, add more." he took the soda when she was done with it, and mixed his drink a little further. "Phew... okay, so..." he took another sip, and found the second sip a little more to his liking. Less like drinking sandpaper anyway. "Well then it seems your issue is atmosphere flight. When all this blows over and we've got some time, I'll take you for a trip in my fighter. It's cozy, I'll warn you, but she's fun." he smirked.

Though her mentioning phaser accuracy actually reminded him, "Yeah funny about that. We had projectile weapons ages ago, some places still do, but we've got something like a phaser all our own. You know what, I'm done with all the similarities our people have." he chuckled. "Folks everywhere have good ideas, and that's alright." he took another sip, and winced slightly less this time. In fact, each sip was a little less painful. He gave her a glance, letting her see the weirdest part of Ts'usugi biology: Their Eyes.

Ts'usugi eyes didn't reflect light. No shine, no luster. They just looked dull, almost like a faded painting. Everything else shined and gleamed. It was just the eyes.

Catching glimpse of his eyes momentarily, Shaille smiled suddenly, taking another sip of her drink and looking away, though she was unable to help herself from glancing back at his eyes as she spoke. "Projectile weapons are much harder to aim properly," she said with a shrug. Something about the smaller size of the projectile and the tube it's launching out of in comparison to the wider beam of the phaser." She glanced at him again, her gaze turning straight to his eyes. They really were like nothing she had ever seen before. They were dull, almost lacklustre, yet surprisingly intense. "Though, to be honest, going to the range with an assortment of weapons is probably safer than taking me out in your fighter," she said with a quick grin. "Seriously, I'm likely to fly straight into the side of the ship."

He smirked, "Sounds fair. I work the console, you enjoy the view." he snickered, and took another sip. "We're trained with bolters. They're energy weapons, like phasers." he shook his head, "Damn it, another comparison." he took another sip. Less of a wince each time. "Though, I do like the sound of this arrangement. I provide the air support, you keep the ground clear. Sounds perfect."

He paused to refill his glass. About the same amount of whiskey as the first time, but now he knew how much soda to put into it to make it tolerable. He was no lightweight, but this alien alcohol was different from whatever he had back in the fleet academy. "I have to say, as for this whiskey stuff. It's odd, I mean, who makes a drink that tastes exactly like how a punch in the teeth feels?" he joked, offering her a smile.

Shaille laughed at his very apt comparison, leaning forward to refill her own glass. "Someone with a very sick sense of humor," she said with a shake of her head. "I'm almost tempted to say lets hit the replicator for something else, but synthahol tastes even worse... and hey, it might taste like a mule's kick in the face, but it gets the job done!" She shuddered slightly as she took a sip from her second glass. It wasn't quite as horrific as the first, indeed the taste was quite growing on her.

He gave a chuckle, "You want terrible? Try an Insipp unit." he remarked. "Our old fabricator units, invented by the esteemed Imaginary Sciences team lead by Doctor Insipp. Some of our older ships still used the Insipp units, but there's a sweep for a refit for Dalacari fabricators. Insipp units could produce anything, but when it came to food, it made very nutritious food that tasted like it was cooked in a boot." he shook his head, "That's why most of us jump at the chance to ride escort for the Dalacari. It's the food." he smiled.

"Though, Insipp units could certainly make alcohol. It was hard to ruin the taste of something that you didn't care what it tasted like."

Shaille laughed again, shuddering through another sip of the whiskey. "I shall make sure I make a mental note of that," she said easily. "If I ever get the chance, check out the Dalacari fabricators, and avoid Ts'Usugi Insipp units. Though I find it hard to think that anything could taste worse than Starfleet ration packs. Even facing starvation I'd still hesitate before having to eat them again!" She shook her head quickly. "So why did you decide to become a fighter pilot?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

"I think we should put that to the test." he smirked, "Get some fighter rations and some Starfleet rations and see which ones deflect the most rounds." he chuckled, taking another sip. It didn't hurt as much the fifth time. "I'd say bring some Dalacari rations but, funny thing. They use robots." he shook his head, "Now, no offense to them. I've flown with their drones. They're fine machines, just... they're just that. Machines. I get a chill in my teeth when a drone makes the decision to take the shot. Know what I mean?" he inquired.

"Personal combat should be that: Personal." he shook his head, "Listen to me, talking about matters of the soul. Now, why did I become a pilot? Well, back home everyone serves, and Blink Pilots are kinda like stars to kids. Zooming through the sky, showing up to shows, streaking through the stars... I wanted to be one the moment I saw them at a show. The very *moment*." he emphasized that moment. "I studied my tail off, I took every aptitude test, drill after drill until finally I got my shot." he gave a smile, and took the first sip of his alcohol where he didn't wince. "I'll never forget the commencement at my graduation. The local air marshal came to the podium, gestured to us all, and he said..." and he started to speak. Though it wasn't in any tongue that humans had heard. It was the tongue of the Ts'usugi. Melodic, almost musical.

"Roughly translated, he greeted us as star fighters, and reminded us of our sacred duty. To defend the Empire and her allies from all threats and enemies." he took another sip, "One of the happiest days of my adult life."

"It sounds like you made your own dreams come true," Shaille replied with a smile. "That's actually very impressive. So many people go through life not achieving any of their most fundamental desires let alone their biggest dreams..." She turned her glass in her hand, watching the deep amber liquid swirl in the glass around the ice. "Now I *really* want to see you fly," she said with a grin. "See what it is that makes you Blink pilots so fantastical to the kids and all..."

"No one else is going to make your dreams cone true for you." Koh smirked, "I mean, that's what they always say. If you want to seize your dreams, you have to reach."

"As for seeing me fly, it would be my pleasure. Blink pilots walk along the edge between here and the speed of light. Oh, listen to me, giving the sales pitch." he chuckled, and took another sip. "What about you? Any dreams to reach for?"

Shaille finished her drink, the taste no longer bothering her. "Not really, I guess I've never really been into fairy tales. I always knew I'd go into Starfleet, it was kind of a given. I was born on a starship, both my parents were in Starfleet." She laughed, shaking her head as she poured another drink before offering the bottle to him. "It honestly never occurred to me that I could do anything else. Marksmanship has always been my strong point, so I guess security and tactical was kind of an obvious choice, which is probably a good thing considering I failed sciences rather spectacularly, and like I said, I can't fly to save my own life let alone anyone elses!" She took a sip of her drink, tilting her head to one side slightly. "You know, it really doesn't taste all that bad now... either that or I've just completely destroyed all my tastebuds!"

He actually went from a chuckle to an actual laugh, "Oh, I though it was just me." he gave a good laugh, then calmed down and returned to the here and now. "You've found your talent and your calling then." he accepted the bottle, and poured some more into his drink. "You know, fairy tales are weird, because there's always that nugget of truth to each of them."

"Except that bit about rabbit feet being lucky." he smirked, "You need the WHOLE rabbit to get lucky." he paused, and then laughed, "Oh sweet ancestry, I just heard what I said..."

Shaille barely managed to swallow the mouthful of alcohol she had just taken before she tried to laugh, managing a strangled choking sound instead at his words, tears pricking her eyes as she gasped and laughed at the same time. "Oh my..." she finally managed to speak. "Now that's a double entendre if ever I heard one... I guess it just depends on exactly which kind of lucky you're referring to?" she asked, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

He gave her a glance, those lusterless eyes just pools of color. "That's the danger of space travel. When you meet someone who could say your cute little sayings are racist." he smirked, "Now, that IS an interesting question. Cause I think you're interesting. Fun, sporting, attractive. BUT, I ... I don't know how much of this is the whiskey, and how much of it is honest."

"You know, there are some people who think that alcohol just takes away your inhibitions and gives you the courage to tell the truth in situations you normally wouldn't." She shrugged slightly and took another sip of her drink, watching him over the rim of her glass. "You know, you really do have the most interesting eyes," she finally said quietly.

He gave a smirk, "They say the shine in our eyes was taken from us as punishment for our hubris. Or something." his smirk became a smile, then he turned to fully face her and leaned in a touch. "Honestly, the real reason is a lot more boring than the fairy tale. In any case, I'm glad you like them. I hope you don't mind if I admire your eyes right back." he took another sip from his drink, never once breaking eye contact.

Resting the edge of her glass against her lips, Shaille remained silent as she continued to meet his gaze. She took another sip of her drink, surprised to find the taste of the whiskey was actually quite starting to grow on her. "Sometimes shiny things are over rated," she finally said with a smile.

Another sip, this time a bit deeper than the last, and Koh decided... or perhaps his decision was assisted... that now as the time. He gathered his courage, and took the last bit of the distance in as he leaned in closer to her. Her gorgeous hair, her shiny eyes, everything about her was interesting to him. The sight, the scent, everything. He leaned in that last distance, lips close, noses closer, and then he finally took the plunge as it were, and committed to the moment.

He gently placed his forehead against hers.

The warm, soft fur of his forehead. The heat radiating from his lengthy ears. But that was all it was: Contact. Soft, gentle contact, forehead to forehead.

The contact was surprising, but not in any way unwelcome. In fact, it was quite the contrary. She closed her eyes, her free hand moving to his shoulder, her thumb moving to trace softly over the fur on his shoulder.

He took a breath, holding it for a moment before he closed his eyes as well. Such a simple thing seemed to just relax him utterly. Touch.

His free hand came up to gently move along her shoulder, resting at the crook of her neck softly. Soft fur gently ran along her shoulder and neck , while his ears just seemed to relax and lay against her hair. Another deep breath, but he never made any motion to move beyond this point. Though his ears, she could feel the faint race of his heartbeat, and the warmth of his entire form.

"I find you quite interesting, and quite shiny." he whispered, hardly a breath.

There was something deeply reassuring about his form, his warmth. A rush of warmth ran through her, the feel of his hand at the back of her neck making her almost shiver with delight. His touch was completely unlike anything she had ever felt, but she knew she wanted more.

Another deep breath, slowly his eyes opened to look at her. Distorted by proximity, but just knowing she was still there, still in contact with him, was all the reassurance. He couldn't find a spot to put his glass down, but that hardly mattered at the moment. She was here with him, he was here with her. He gently shifted his head, his forehead gently nuzzling against her. He took another breath, her scent almost intoxicating to him. She was a joy for all of his senses. He shifted just a little bit closer to her, and pulled himself into something of a half-embrace, just enjoying her closeness.

He'd apologize about overstepping a boundary on a simple invite for drinks. Later.

Shaille pulled away just enough that she was able to take his glass, leaning away to set both glasses on the floor in front of the couch before returning to his embrace, moving her position just enough that they would both be more comfortable. Returning her forehead to his, she moved her newly free hand to brush softly over his ear, down onto his shoulder and along the length of his upper arm, a smile of contentment dancing across her lips.

The same smile spread along his features when the embrace resumed, as he held her close, as he felt her tease his ear. A shiver went along his spine, from tail to eartip, at the teasing caress. He brought his newly freed hand up along her side, content to hold her close. Another deep breath, and another content sigh of a very relaxed Ts'usugi.

He looked her as much in the eye as he could, and still smiled as he looked upon her. He relaxed into the couch, hardly comfortable but he didn't care at this point. She was very comfortable, and he was just enjoying her comfort. His hand moved from her neck up to the top of her head, just to caress along her scalp gently, to run his hand along her hair. A thousand sensations of touch, of contact. So alien and new, and yet familiar.

"I can stay." he offered, in a whisper meant only for her.

She drew in a shaky breath, not entirely sure she could trust herself to speak. "Yes," she finally managed to whisper in reply, her voice barely audible as she ran her fingers down the length of his ear again before tracing her fingertips down the side of his face.