Leaving Andor: we live to fight another day
Thithta returned, a swirl of iridescent robes that seemed to float. She spotted Thil, and headed over, finally joining hands with the tall shen.
She nodded politely to Dizi and company, and then said to Spiegel, "Thank you for looking after my sh'za."
Uncertain of how to respond, Spiegel blushed, and mumbled "You're welcome."
"I heard you made your dress, it's lovely," Diziara commented, trying to distract from her embarassed friend.
Thithta's pale face darkened momentarily, and she said, "It took a very long time, and is still not finished. But... thank you for your compliment."
Therav came back, and he hovered in the background, watching the group from several feet away. He avoided speaking with anyone for the moment.
Thithta and Thil were joined by their bondmates, who nodded to them. "Well, our train is leaving soon," Thil said. "You'll be hearing from me."
"But don't expect it to be for a while," Blue added, facing Spiegel.
“Bye now! Have good sex!" Diziara waved after the group.
After the qaud's exit, there was a dinner and dessert which seemed anticlimactic to all of the excitement that had led up to now.
Pukey chatted on and on about snowboarding.
Therav was as silent as a stone through dinner, and occasionally rubbed at his temples.
Looking around the room at all of the elder dignitaries at their tables, Noelle said, "You get the feeling we're at the kiddie table?"
“What's eating you?" Spiegel finally directed at Therav, eyebrow raised.
Therav looked up at Spiegel, his antennae raising slightly. "Nothing is currently eating me," he said. He lifted a glass to his lips that smelled almost like paint thinner.
"I've already been devoured, digested and excreted."
Spiegel sniffed a little, then his eyes lit up. "Where'd you get that? It seems like a better vintage than they've given me. A what, 1764. They seem to be only giving out the young stuff to the off-worlders..." Spiegel muttered the end of his statement in annoyance, and looked around.
"Oh, I can have Jake get you the good stuff," Pukey said.
"So they have been keeping back the good stuff." Spiegel sulked.
Noelle looked at Spiegel sympathetically.She chased the last berry around her dish with her spoon, before finally getting it, and eating it.
Sharad excused himself to go talk to various dignitaries.
"Think Tov held the fort down?" Noelle said, chuckling a little.
“Yeah, we're totally at the kiddie table," Diziara commented. "So, yeah, Puk- er, Quinn, where's your friend Jake with the better booze?"
"Assuming he didn't drive everyone else mad with his verbal sparring," Spiegel chuckled.
Quinn whistled and Jake came over like a faithful dog. "Yeah, hey, man, what's up."
Quinn said a few things in a low voice, and Jake said, "Gotcha" and came back with the "good sh#t".
"Alcohol is what makes most weddings go smoothly," Noelle said, and she chuckled again. "Or not."
Diziara grinned at Jake. "You are my best friend now," she told him.
Noelle looked at Therav for a moment. "I'll tell you later," he said, but she didn't voice the question.
"Oh, hey," Jake said, grinning, his teeth almost as white and gleaming as Pukey's. "Come back any time and we'll hit the slopes."
Tallana looked completely, utterly bored.
“What transport are we leaving on," she asked, flatly.
Spiegel produced a PADD from his suit pocket. "Not sure, but you should be able to check." When she looked confused, he explained. "It's got subspace access, ties into the fleet databases."
"You really do have everything in there, don't you?" Diziara asked, leaning close.
Therav rubbed his forehead. "Shuttle up to Starbase Seven in two hours, Horizon to Starbase Twelve, layover at 12 until Shingen makes port."
Think anyone would notice if we slipped out a little early?" Noelle asked.
"No," Therav said, still rubbing his temple and utterly nonplussed.
"Hey, if we're going to blow this popsicle stand, Jack, Corey and I found this awesome bar the other night... I'll buy the first round." Diziara offered.
"You will not," Therav said. He looked deadly serious, but then he reached into a pocket, and produced a voucher, and handed it to Diz.
"I'm going back to my room," he said. "You had better not miss the flight. None of you."
"Everyone will be there, even if I have to carry half the team myself," she promised, an amused smirk playing across her face.
Therav made his odd little back-of-the-throat noise, before turning his back on the group and walking off.
Tallana didn't look very amused by the thought of communal drinking. Noelle said to her, "I hear Therin Park is beautiful this time of year, could you show me?"
"You're not going to leave me with just Spiegel and the Puke-meister, are you?" Diziara asked in disbelief.
Noelle weighed things. "Alright. What the heck, I'm not driving anyway.”
“Driving? What?” Pukey asked.
“Nevermind.”
Therav by now had disappeared behind the doors of a hotel.
"Can I ask you a question, Diz?" Noelle asked, in a low voice. "What happened? I mean... I wasn't there, I didn't see. How bad was it?"
"What? On the mission?"
"What happened to Shan? Did you see?"
"I was forced to watch, unable to do anything. I couldn't get a clear shot at Shrav without risking hitting the bastard. Regardless of what I think of the man, it was my obligation to bring him back alive if at all possible. Shrav snarked, shot him up a good bit, and had his goons rough him up a bit. If you and Spiegel hadn't gotten the lights out when you did, I might not have been able to grab him soon enough," Diziara explained.
They walked to the bar that Dizi had picked, and some time later, showed up, back in uniform, at the shuttle that whisked them to Starbase Seven.
Noelle penned a letter to her children. Therav curled tightly into an uncomfortable chair at Starbase Seven, and fell asleep. Pukey listened to the never-ending stream of Tallana's complaints, occasionally nodding his head and saying “Mm-hmm, yep, see what ya mean.”
The trip back was routine, and uneventful, apart from Horizon arriving early and Shingen's arrival being delayed by two hours.
“Well, I'm looking forward to my own bed,” Noelle said.
Pukey started to speak, but thought the better of it, and grinned.
Noelle remained behind in the lift as Dizi got off. “Going to check on Tov,” she said.
Sadik boarded the lift; Tallana asked him a few questions.
“What was it you were going to 'tell me later'?” Noelle asked Therav.
He looked at his boots. Finally, he looked back up, but at that moment, the lift doors opened.
He offboarded, then turned, and said, “After you check on Lt. Mor?”
She nodded, and continued up to Engineering.
Life went on, aboard the USS Takeda Shingen.
The team members reported, one by one, for their required physicals.
Debriefings took place.
Shingen resumed her patrol of the Canopus sector, and that, for now, was very much that.
She nodded politely to Dizi and company, and then said to Spiegel, "Thank you for looking after my sh'za."
Uncertain of how to respond, Spiegel blushed, and mumbled "You're welcome."
"I heard you made your dress, it's lovely," Diziara commented, trying to distract from her embarassed friend.
Thithta's pale face darkened momentarily, and she said, "It took a very long time, and is still not finished. But... thank you for your compliment."
Therav came back, and he hovered in the background, watching the group from several feet away. He avoided speaking with anyone for the moment.
Thithta and Thil were joined by their bondmates, who nodded to them. "Well, our train is leaving soon," Thil said. "You'll be hearing from me."
"But don't expect it to be for a while," Blue added, facing Spiegel.
“Bye now! Have good sex!" Diziara waved after the group.
After the qaud's exit, there was a dinner and dessert which seemed anticlimactic to all of the excitement that had led up to now.
Pukey chatted on and on about snowboarding.
Therav was as silent as a stone through dinner, and occasionally rubbed at his temples.
Looking around the room at all of the elder dignitaries at their tables, Noelle said, "You get the feeling we're at the kiddie table?"
“What's eating you?" Spiegel finally directed at Therav, eyebrow raised.
Therav looked up at Spiegel, his antennae raising slightly. "Nothing is currently eating me," he said. He lifted a glass to his lips that smelled almost like paint thinner.
"I've already been devoured, digested and excreted."
Spiegel sniffed a little, then his eyes lit up. "Where'd you get that? It seems like a better vintage than they've given me. A what, 1764. They seem to be only giving out the young stuff to the off-worlders..." Spiegel muttered the end of his statement in annoyance, and looked around.
"Oh, I can have Jake get you the good stuff," Pukey said.
"So they have been keeping back the good stuff." Spiegel sulked.
Noelle looked at Spiegel sympathetically.She chased the last berry around her dish with her spoon, before finally getting it, and eating it.
Sharad excused himself to go talk to various dignitaries.
"Think Tov held the fort down?" Noelle said, chuckling a little.
“Yeah, we're totally at the kiddie table," Diziara commented. "So, yeah, Puk- er, Quinn, where's your friend Jake with the better booze?"
"Assuming he didn't drive everyone else mad with his verbal sparring," Spiegel chuckled.
Quinn whistled and Jake came over like a faithful dog. "Yeah, hey, man, what's up."
Quinn said a few things in a low voice, and Jake said, "Gotcha" and came back with the "good sh#t".
"Alcohol is what makes most weddings go smoothly," Noelle said, and she chuckled again. "Or not."
Diziara grinned at Jake. "You are my best friend now," she told him.
Noelle looked at Therav for a moment. "I'll tell you later," he said, but she didn't voice the question.
"Oh, hey," Jake said, grinning, his teeth almost as white and gleaming as Pukey's. "Come back any time and we'll hit the slopes."
Tallana looked completely, utterly bored.
“What transport are we leaving on," she asked, flatly.
Spiegel produced a PADD from his suit pocket. "Not sure, but you should be able to check." When she looked confused, he explained. "It's got subspace access, ties into the fleet databases."
"You really do have everything in there, don't you?" Diziara asked, leaning close.
Therav rubbed his forehead. "Shuttle up to Starbase Seven in two hours, Horizon to Starbase Twelve, layover at 12 until Shingen makes port."
Think anyone would notice if we slipped out a little early?" Noelle asked.
"No," Therav said, still rubbing his temple and utterly nonplussed.
"Hey, if we're going to blow this popsicle stand, Jack, Corey and I found this awesome bar the other night... I'll buy the first round." Diziara offered.
"You will not," Therav said. He looked deadly serious, but then he reached into a pocket, and produced a voucher, and handed it to Diz.
"I'm going back to my room," he said. "You had better not miss the flight. None of you."
"Everyone will be there, even if I have to carry half the team myself," she promised, an amused smirk playing across her face.
Therav made his odd little back-of-the-throat noise, before turning his back on the group and walking off.
Tallana didn't look very amused by the thought of communal drinking. Noelle said to her, "I hear Therin Park is beautiful this time of year, could you show me?"
"You're not going to leave me with just Spiegel and the Puke-meister, are you?" Diziara asked in disbelief.
Noelle weighed things. "Alright. What the heck, I'm not driving anyway.”
“Driving? What?” Pukey asked.
“Nevermind.”
Therav by now had disappeared behind the doors of a hotel.
"Can I ask you a question, Diz?" Noelle asked, in a low voice. "What happened? I mean... I wasn't there, I didn't see. How bad was it?"
"What? On the mission?"
"What happened to Shan? Did you see?"
"I was forced to watch, unable to do anything. I couldn't get a clear shot at Shrav without risking hitting the bastard. Regardless of what I think of the man, it was my obligation to bring him back alive if at all possible. Shrav snarked, shot him up a good bit, and had his goons rough him up a bit. If you and Spiegel hadn't gotten the lights out when you did, I might not have been able to grab him soon enough," Diziara explained.
They walked to the bar that Dizi had picked, and some time later, showed up, back in uniform, at the shuttle that whisked them to Starbase Seven.
Noelle penned a letter to her children. Therav curled tightly into an uncomfortable chair at Starbase Seven, and fell asleep. Pukey listened to the never-ending stream of Tallana's complaints, occasionally nodding his head and saying “Mm-hmm, yep, see what ya mean.”
The trip back was routine, and uneventful, apart from Horizon arriving early and Shingen's arrival being delayed by two hours.
“Well, I'm looking forward to my own bed,” Noelle said.
Pukey started to speak, but thought the better of it, and grinned.
Noelle remained behind in the lift as Dizi got off. “Going to check on Tov,” she said.
Sadik boarded the lift; Tallana asked him a few questions.
“What was it you were going to 'tell me later'?” Noelle asked Therav.
He looked at his boots. Finally, he looked back up, but at that moment, the lift doors opened.
He offboarded, then turned, and said, “After you check on Lt. Mor?”
She nodded, and continued up to Engineering.
Life went on, aboard the USS Takeda Shingen.
The team members reported, one by one, for their required physicals.
Debriefings took place.
Shingen resumed her patrol of the Canopus sector, and that, for now, was very much that.