Dinner and a Favor, part 3

Posted on Thu Feb 11th, 2010 @ 8:39am by Commander Raven Adams & Khiy Tal'ehrihn

1,487 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: FORGING AHEAD
Timeline: current

[OLD]

She once again leaned in close. She was enjoying this game they'd started. ~You can always try...~ Not even Khiy knew everything she could do. Nor would he, unless she got to the point where she could trust him implicitly. Right now, she knew he couldn't be trusted with much.

[NEW]

She stayed there just long enough for him to get uncomfortable, then she smiled and moved back. "Now that business is over, would you like some dessert?"

Khiy folded his arms and a smile crept across his face. "That sounds lovely."

Raven folded her arms, mimicking his stance and smile. "You have your choice. Chocolate, chocolate or chocolate."

"In that case, I’ll have banana cream pie." he shrugged in jest.

She laughed merrily at that. "That would come right after chocolate. I can replicate a slice if you wish or there's chocolate volcano cake, chocolate mousse and chocolate ice cream. Pick your poison."

"I kind of like the sound of that chocolate ice cream. I haven't had a bowel in quite some time."

Raven nodded and went into the kitchen to dish up two bowls of chocolate ice cream. She set one in front of Khiy and took the other to her seat, sitting back down at the table.

"So," she asked, beginning to eat her ice cream, "what have you been doing for the last decade?" It had been closer to 12 years, which surprised her. It hardly seemed like she'd been in Starfleet that long.

"Well." He started after pulling the spoon out of his mouth. "When we first met I was just starting to get good at smuggling weapons behind Dominion lines. After the war ended so did my work for Starfleet. Ever since then I’ve worked for the underground, black market, Orion Syndicate, that sort. Fortunately I was good enough at my trade where I could say no. A lot of the smaller players had no choice but to accept dirty jobs and they were the ones who ended up being owned by a cartel."

"Owned or killed," Raven replied softly. She'd lost a couple of friends that way. It was one of the things that helped her decide to join Starfleet. If it had just been her parents, she would have run away before doing something she hated. But, she found a niche where she could be herself and please her parents -- mostly.

Khiy nodded in agreement. "You don't keep friends for long in this business." He mentally tallied the number of dead or captured friends throughout his time as a runner. The fact was, there only remained a few close associates and most of them were a part of his crew. "So," He continued, breaking his line of thought "I've been doing that ever since. It's only been in the last year or so that I’ve decided I wanted a change of pace."

"Do you think you'll be satisfied with a change of pace?" Raven asked as she continued to eat her ice cream.

"I think so." Khiy said after a moment's thought. "The freighting business will always require attention to securing and maintaining those cargo contracts. Routine transfers are brain dead; anyone can haul goods from one location to another. We are going to act not only as a transportation service, but also as a purchasing agent; it means larger margins and harder work.†He shrugged. “If that doesn’t work, I can always start trolling for pirates.†He flashed a grin and leaned back in his chair again. “The other portion of my enterprise should keep me on my toes by fending off thieves on cargo runs.â€

"It sounds profitable." She wondered how much of his new venture would include old business. "I hope it meets your expectations."

"It will." He said confidently. "What about you though? I obviously know you turned to Starfleet and your parents had something to do with it, but I can't wrap my head around the reason for you sticking it out. You and your friends had a pretty good operation going on when I last saw you." He finished by putting another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

She knew this question was coming. "I still keep in touch with my friends. I haven't changed all that much." In fact, a few of them were on the Starbase. "What I do is a little more... official now. I still deal with some of the same people now, too." She shrugged. It was true. She maintained some connections for professional reasons. Others were strictly personal. She looked at Khiy, not willing to say more.

Khiy looked up at her eyes and caught the way her explanation ended short. Her reasons were largely her own and didn't need explaining, he could identify with that. "Well," he said after a moment "Now you are on a Starbase and running a department. Certainly a roundabout journey to get here." He looked down to his bowl and took a couple more spoonfuls of the treat. When he looked up he took a quick glance around her apartment. "Interestingly those journeys haven't uncovered a significant other."

Raven had been watching Khiy as he spoke. When he looked around her quarters, she did as well. "I'm too strange for most people and not strange enough for others," she said with a shrug. She hadn't met anyway she wanted to be a 'significant other' yet. She shrugged. "Smuggling was too dangerous and now that I'm in Intelligence, too many people run away."

"Even other Starfleet officers? I thought you all stuck together...some more literally than others." He allowed a smirk.

Raven stood and spread her hands out to her sides. "Me? Are you kidding? I'm not the ideal Starfleet officer. I'm 'unique,' Khiy. I'm 'different.' Some would say I'm even 'weird.' I don't fit in with most Starfleet personnel." Granted, she'd met more 'misfits' on Typhon than at any other point in her career, but even here she wasn't sure how she and her extracurricular activities would fit in.

"Well it's their loss then." He tapped the side of the bowel with his spoon "They are missing out on some REALLY good ice cream."

Raven chuckled and picked up both their empty bowls. As she reached past Khiy she whispered, "That's no reason to spend time with a person." As she straightened she added. "Do you want seconds?"

"No thank you. It was an excellent way to finish a meal. I know such things are no reason to spend time with others, but," He patted his stomach "they can be a damn good incentive."

Raven chuckled as she put the dishes in the kitchen to wash later and walked back. "I'll remember that next time I want to invite you to dinner. I'll just mention ice cream and you'll say yes."

"Oh I don't know, you have proven to be interesting company this evening. It has been some time since I have talked to anyone from the old days. I should think you wouldn't need to bribe me for dinner arrangements...although, mentioning ice cream couldn't hurt." He joked.

"Thank you for letting me know where I stand," she said wryly. Then she smiled. "It was nice talking to someone from the old days. Thank you for coming to dinner. And thank you for your help."

"It was my pleasure on both counts. He stood from the table and slipped his jacket back on "Hey, if those arrangements I asked for are met, I will be sticking around the station. If that's the case, I might be available to do both again sometime."

"The arrangements will be met, Khiy. I can promise you that much. As for the rest.. Well, you and your help are always welcome," Raven replied with a warm smile.

Khiy smiled back and walked over to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you. I'll be seeing you around."

"Thank you, too," she replied. "I'll let you know when I get more information on OreCo." She walked with him to her door. "I'll also see if I can find someone to apply there as a pilot. I might have someone who could do that..." Someone she once worked with who was now on the Starbase.

"I look forward to the news. Send this pilot my way if you need help building their credentials. 'Till then," He turned and began to walk away "Goodnight." His hand came up and waved with his back turned to her.

"Good night," she replied as she watched him walk out the door. She stood there for a minute, watching the closed door. That had been... interesting. It brought back a lot of old memories. After another minute she walked back into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

OFF

Lieutenant Commander Raven Adams
Chief Intelligence Officer

Khiy Tal'ehrihn
Trans Galactic Trading

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