The Fine Art of Stress Testing.

[diziara]

"I managed to get the girls away for a day. We went to a beach resort, as I'm sure you can see," Noelle answered Diziara's question, then looked over Spiegel's shoulder. "What did they do to the phase inducers, Lucas?"

"They adjusted the power of the magnetic fields involved, reduced it, it looks like," Spiegel muttered.

"That's not going to be

Comments

[chaosphaere]

"He really doesn't cross my mind that much anymore," Noelle said, while making adjustments. "There, there. Be good for me? Aw, knew you could. Good girl," she murmured for a moment, in the same tone she'd used with the zabathu on Andor.

"There. Dizi, look at your panel. Now see if you can't make whatever tweaks you'd like."

Continuing on the previous topic without blinking, "I think about Marek when I have to... like, when visitation comes up, and he wants to give me his usual bullshit."

She put on her goggles, and lifted the panel off of a console, to expose the circuitry beneath. The others didn't see what she did, but she said, "There, there. That'll hold nicely."

"That said, I think I'm ready to move on... it's been a while, and I think I've seen all of Risa there is to see. Good spas, though. And good food."

[diziara]

"Good food? Is that what they're calling it these days?" Diziara ribbed as she tweaked a few last things on her panel, and brought the craft up. "We need some good alcohol to celebrate the virgin flight of this baby. What do you have for me, oh wondrous living booze locker?" She piloted the craft to buzz the engineers who had been gawking ever since the trio headed for the craft. Most of them scattered as Diziara aimed the craft so that it was about a meter above the head of the tallest one. A big burly human just stood with his arms crossed, watching silently. As they pulled away, Diziara quickly toggled the main view screen to look at him, and found he was clearly laughing and waving at them.

"Hmm, I think this would be worth digging up the century old Romulan Ale I've been ferreting away," Spiegel muttered, and shoved his arm into his pocket.

"Century old?" Diziara turned her head and gawked at Spiegel as he pulled the bottle out of his pocket. "Who'd you sell your soul to in order to get that?"

"Oh, I just made friends with a

[chaosphaere]

"Oh, if I'd meant sex, I would've said sex," Noelle said, chuckling.

She had her head buried in her work as Dizi and Spiegel discussed the Romulan ale.

She looked up for a moment. "Drinking during the test? You sure that's a great idea?"

[diziara]

Diziara looked up from the bottle of Romulan Ale and looked at Noelle as if she'd just grown a second head, and Spiegel laughed. "What's wrong with celebrating the new toy's virgin flight?"

"I told you as we were heading out, her sobriety, or lack thereof, doesn't seem to effect her hand-eye coordination and reflexes. I could feed her this whole bottle, point her into an asteroid field, and feel safe that we'd come out alive and craft intact on the other side," Spiegel explained. Diziara shook her head at him. "Though she might not remember it once she sobered up again."

[chaosphaere]

Noelle laughed, and said, "Oh, I just want it on the record that I objected. Let me see..."

She held out her hand to Diz...

[diziara]

"I'll be sure to note it in my log," Diziara assured Noelle as she grinned and handed the bottle over. "Spiegel, find the lady some glasses, she's pouring for us today. Who wants to come up with the christening toast?"

"Err, rub a dub dub, three lunatics in a space tub?" Spiegel started, pulling out the champaign flutes. "Why don't you take it, Noelle?" He offered up the glasses, which had little platinum and gold circuit diagrams inlaid on the base, stem and bottom of the bowl.

"The quality of the stuff that comes out of your pockets is more amazing than the quantity," Diziara commented, helping herself to one of the champaign flutes to inspect.

[chaosphaere]

"Do they make a shot glass like this? I'd love to get one for my dad," Noelle said, while pouring the glasses. She raised her own glass, then thought about it for a moment, and finally said: "To journeys."

[diziara]

"To journeys," both Spiegel and Diziara echoed, raising their own glasses. Diziara inspected her glass further as she considered the Romulan Ale she'd sipped, while Spiegel rolled his mouthful over his tongue. They both grinned at the same time.

"What's the name of this friend of yours?" Diziara asked him as he took another sip.

"Vuran. I think he said he was retiring from the military after the Dominion war, but I suspect he was just being recruited into the Tal Shiar and couldn't tell me," Spiegel said with a shrug. "I haven't heard from him since I received the Romulan Ale, at any rate."

"You make the most unusual friends," Diziara said, shaking her head. "Where did you get these glasses anyways?"

"Sky gave 'em to me, kind of an early wedding present for Jenni and I. Jenni didn't appreciate them, one of the few things she let out of her clutches during that messy divorce," Spiegel explained. "If I ever get the chance to talk to Sky again, I'll ask her if they make shot glasses like this, Noelle."

[chaosphaere]

"If you want an ex to have something to keep in their clutches, try children," Noelle said. She looked a little haggard and weary. "Bottoms up."

She raised her glass to her lips, and downed her Romulan Ale in a single swallow, then made an amusing face. "I'll probably regret this."

[diziara]

Spiegel wasn't sure what to say to that, so he emptied his glass along side Noelle. Diziara turned back to her control panel, and took the Obama out of autopilot.

"Let's see what this darling can do, hmm?" she murmured as she emptied her glass, and her free hand flew across the console. "Are you going to have any problems if I lower the inertial dampeners to ninety-five?" Diziara directed at Noelle, offering up her glass for a refill as Spiegel refilled his and Noelle's glasses.

[chaosphaere]

"She can handle a lot more than that," Noelle chuckled. She stroked a panel with her free hand, and said, softly, "Course you can, can't you. That's a good girl."

[diziara]

Diziara laughed, "Oh, I wasn't asking if the Obama could handle it. I was making sure you were going to be fine now that we've introduced some Romulan Ale into your system."

"Most fleet pilots are pretty boring, unless they have to get creative to save their own necks. I don't think she understands what she's in for," Spiegel commented, as he offered Diziara back her refilled glass.

"In that case, just warn us if we push your limits before I find the Obama's," Diziara instructed. "The Denorios belt seems like a good place to play, what do you guys think?"

[chaosphaere]

Noelle laughed. "You have a long way to go before you find my limits, missy. Denorios belt? Go for it."

She laughed a little too long, which would make Spiegel or Dizi or both wonder if she'd already reached her limit with the alcohol.