Hard to Port, Part 2

Posted on Sun Aug 24th, 2025 @ 12:55am by Captain T’Kal & Lieutenant Commander David Erickson
Edited on on Thu Oct 9th, 2025 @ 7:53pm

1,903 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: ARYL 1X02: Simulated Pressure
Location: T’Kal’s Quarters
Timeline: The night after “Combat Drills”

Last time on Star Trek: Ark Royal

"I...I shouldn't say," he said, looking down at his lap.

“I will not force you to,” T’Kal assured him. “But we are friends, and just as you have been here for me, I am here for you. I believe you will feel better telling me.”

David sighed and poured himself another full glass, took a long drink, refilled again, then sat back in his chair. “It began almost three months after I arrived at the station.”

And now the conclusion….


“I’d been sitting in K-11’s main bar, nursing a drink and watching the room. I was still relatively new there, and the non-Starfleet locals hadn’t accepted me as one of their own yet. I was just the new, clean-cut Starfleet guy, potentially throwing a wet towel on the grey market in the area.

“I had been debating about starting up a card game, and thereby establishing my reputation among the locals, when someone sat down at my table. I looked over, surprised, and did a double take.” He paused and took another sip. “She was not short, nor was she blonde. She was, put simply, the most beautiful Orion I’ve ever seen.” He shook his head, smirking. “And she was smiling at me.”

“She suggested I buy her a drink, and I didn’t hesitate. We talked, she laughed at my jokes, and we flirted back and forth. It turned out her name was S’vana, and she was a security officer aboard an Orion trading ship that went back and forth across the neutral zone. I knew she was fishing for information, and I figured I would do the same, and kept talking.”

“One thing led to another and we wound up back at my quarters. I wasn’t worried, as I didn’t keep any information in my quarters. Of course, I didn’t tell her that. What followed was…a very intense evening.” He paused and took a sip.

“After she left, I figured that was the end of it. We’d both come away from it with no real information and a good roll in the sheets; we’d call it a draw. And I continued to think that until she sat down at my table again a week later.

“And so, we established a routine. Once or twice a week they would put in at the station to buy or sell some wares, and she and I would spend a day pretending to socially see each other, then go back to my quarters and attempt to use post-coital euphoria and pillow talk to garner intel. It worked like that for months. It was a game; we both knew it, and the intimacy was just the cover.

“And then, somehow, the game became the cover. I started looking forward to her visits. Little things changed: the way she held my hand if we were out together, the fact that I didn’t want to pull away when I kissed her, the tone in her voice when she said my name.”

He gave a slight laugh. “Hell, one time, I had an unexpected afternoon off, so I met their ship at the airlock. It was a bit reckless on my part, but I was all smiles standing there. And when she disembarked and saw me, she ran at me, jumped into my arms, and kissed me. I should have realized where things were headed then.

“It all came to a head about eight months in. I was sitting on my couch and the doors to my quarters opened. I assumed she’d figured out the door code long ago, but this was the first time she’d just openly used it like that. She dropped her bag like she lived there, came over and jumped onto my lap, a huge grin on her face.

“She said her ship had taken damage, and they were hiring Starfleet for the repairs, and we had a whole week together.” He swallowed back a lump in his throat. “That was the beginning of the end.”

“The first few days were heaven. We barely left my bed, let alone my quarters. They were pretty much our quarters. I realized a few days in that it wasn’t just about sex anymore. I enjoyed falling asleep next to her, waking up next to her. Little things like making breakfast, or just sitting together were wonderful. Morning of Day 5, I was lying in bed, listening to her breathing next to me. I started imagining this as normal. It was almost perfect, and I realized what was missing was a couple of kids with us. That thought made my brain cramp. I actually was thinking about having children. Hell, the day before, I was trying to figure out how I was going to introduce her to my mother!” He shook his head.

“That night, while we were having dinner, I realized we were in a bind. I couldn’t join an Orion ship, and she wasn’t about to leave her life to join Starfleet. And before I could stop myself, I blurted out the only compromise I could come up with. I asked her what if we just took a ship and set out for space? Started our own trade business, carved out a living, just the two of us.

“She laughed and said ‘sounds good. And then we can get married and raise a few kids while we’re at it.’ She saw the look on my face and just as she realized I was serious, I realized she secretly was too. Without realizing it, we were completely on the same page.” He let out a long breath.

“The problem was, we both knew it wasn’t possible. Starfleet might buy the line that I met a girl and wanted to go settle down, but the Syndicate would never allow her to just leave like that. And neither side would be happy with the idea that we both left to be with each other’s mark.”

He sighed. “We had one more day together. It was pure emotion…I’d never seen her cry before. We barely left each other’s arms. When she returned to her ship, I saw her off. We said goodbye…I hated that part. That was the last time I saw her.”

He sat in silence for a moment. “And I spent the next year letting go. I threw myself into work, being a bit of a rogue on the station, chatting up the locals. I had other women in my quarters, but none of them were more than ships crossing in the night.”

He finally looked at T’kal. “I haven’t felt a flicker like this in nearly a year and a half and I want to see where it leads me. Not because she’s ‘my type,’ but because…of how she looks when she smiles. I find myself wanting to see that smile again.”

T’Kal had been listening quietly. Her friend had always been honest and direct with her. And when he revealed this very emotional experience, she knew to listen.

“I hope this works out for the two of you, David,” she said. “Whether that means you two form a meaningful relationship, or it means you do not work out romantically but remain friends.” She reached for another piece of gruyère. “She is your type though.”

He nodded. "Just wish I knew better if I was hers."

“Do you want me to ask?” T’Kal asked him, a single eyebrow raised, a very slight smirk on her lips.

"What are we, eight? I need you to go ask a girl if she likes me?" he said, chuckling a bit. "You're welcome to try, but I think she'll be more incensed that I'm discussing it with the Captain than forthcoming."

"Do not worry, David," she assured him. "It was another attempt at humour."

David eyed her. "See?" he said. "Told you you were getting better at it."

"It pleases me to hear that you're feeling such things as love, David," T'Kal said. "And I do hope that your relations work better than mine. Since last we served together I have not seen any need to see or speak with Sten. Indeed, back on Earth I had my Yeoman or Miss Larose screen his messages. Hmm...I should perhaps ensure that Lieutenant Gehente has instructions about this as well." The port was starting to have an effect.

David's eyebrows bobbed in agreement with the sentiment. He sat silently for over a minute, chewing thoughtfully. The subject of Sten was one of the few that kept him speechless, mostly because it had largely all been said. An arranged marriage to a complete dickhead is not the foundation of a load-bearing relationship, and they'd lamented that more than once. David didn't pretend to understand how a species that upheld logic and ethics could put so much weight on what was, essentially, a politically-motivated union. "I appreciate the sentiment, despite how low a bar you've set with that hope," he said, wryly. "Hopefully I won't inspire any of her friends or family to throw a punch." He rubbed his knuckles self-consciously, the memory of the day he met T'kal's mate causing a phantom pain. He had learned two very important lessons that day: first, that there are twenty-seven bones in the human hand, and punching a Vulcan in the jaw was a sure-fire way to break half of them, and two, the pillows for the cots in the brig were actually better than the ones in his old quarters.

"Maybe you should let Karane respond to his messages," he said. "Perhaps an overflow of emotion will give him enough of a migraine that he won't keep harassing you." He gave her a small smile and, despite the social taboo, reached over and patted her hand affectionately. "Either way, don't waste your time on him."

The corner of T’Kal’s lips curled upward slightly.

David looked at her and smirked. "Now, now. Don't start gushing like that." He saw her lips twitch again. "What?" he said.

“I am pleased you accepted my offer to join my crew, David.” T’Kal picked up the nearly finished bottle and gestured to their nearly empty glasses. “There is no sense in keeping this.”

David took the bottle and looked at it. "Of course there is," he said. "Now the next time you're angry with me, I know exactly how much port it will take to get you to admit you're appreciative of my company." He grinned at her and downed the rest in one go. "And on that note, I should get some rest before this kicks in, and I wind up in Engineering saying something stupid and ruining my master plan."

“We would not want that, would we?” The Captain stood and walked her friend to the door. “Good night, David.”

The door closed behind him and T’Kal looked at the mess of food and dishes in her living space. It can wait. She left it alone and went to her bed, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.


END

Captain T’Kal
Glad to have a friend on board

David Erickson
A friend indeed

 

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