The Trifecta

Posted on Wed Oct 22nd, 2025 @ 6:01pm by Lieutenant Commander David Erickson & Lieutenant Karane Inda

1,653 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: ARYL 1X03: The Listening Post
Location: Karane's Quarters/David's Quarters
Timeline: Before arrival at Kannok

David hated not having a plan. More accurately, he hated having a plan that relied on someone else's participation without knowing said plan. While he had made the case that planning for the unknown ahead was literally his job description, it didn't ease the tension in his stomach.

It had been a couple of days since the get-together and he'd once again given things time to marinate. Now, he had one more card to play, and then decisions would need to be made.

He stopped in front of Karane's door and pressed the chime.

Having the afternoon off, Karane had been relaxing at home. Dressed in a cropped camisole and shorts she sighed at the chime. She crossed her quarters and opened the doors.

When the doors opened, he smiled at her, albeit nervously. "I would like to ask you out on one more date. Tonight," he said. "No tricks, no subterfuge, no conditions, no hanky panky. My quarters, 2000 hours. What do you say?"

"I guess that's fine. But I'm going to need to change." Karane responded referring to her very casual attire.

"You look great," he said, maybe a bit too quickly. "That is to say, It's not exactly a formal affair." It took him a moment to realize she agreed without an argument. He blinked as he realized that was not high on his list of probable outcomes and readjusted. "So, 2000 hours tonight. I'll see you then," he said, grinning.

"Yeah, sure."

---

1959 was a good year, depending on whose side you were on, but a lousy time on the clock. The last few minutes had David pacing. Everything was set up, but now it was just waiting. He'd never liked waiting. When the chime rang, he nearly jumped out of his skin, but composed himself and walked over to the door, opening it and smiling. "Hey," he said.

"Hi..." Karane said a slight blush coming to her cheeks.

David stepped aside and pulled a black cloth to the side. His quarters were largely obscured by a large, black tent he'd erected in the center of the room. Inside the tent were two, cushy looking pads to lie on with a pillow, and between them was a short, white and grey machine, almost like a snow globe and a camping lantern had a child.

"Take whichever side you like, and make yourself comfortable," he said.

"So.... camping? On a Starship?" Karane asked curiously.

"Something like that," David said. As she stepped inside he let the tent flap fall back and they were suddenly, completely in the dark. "Oops, sorry," he said, reaching down blindly and tapping the side of the device in the center. It lit up with a soft glow, giving them some light to see by.

David gestured for Karane to make herself comfortable, then sat down on the other mat, lying back. "You mentioned" he said, "how romantic the stars could be. I agreed. So, I wanted to show you some stars."

Karane raised an eyebrow. "I did say that didn't I..." she looked over at the small viewport. "But why here? There's plenty of viewports on the ship..."

"Well, these stars are special," he said, tapping a button on the device. The overall light disappeared and now a night sky was projected onto the roof of the tent. He looked over at her. "What do you think?"

Karane shuffled into the make shift tent. The stars above them seemed familiar. "Wait, is this a view from Earth?"

"It is," he said, lying back and looking up. He smiled at her as she stood fully upright, not needing to lie down to see the ceiling. "I thought you might appreciate a familiar view."

"Wait, how did you find out what town I was from?" She asked as she laid back to stare upwards. "Actually, don't answer that..."

David smiled also lying back. "Nothing invasive, I promise. I just checked your personnel record for public information, same as mine." He let her gaze a moment. "What do you think?" he said.

"I used to look at these all the time, dreaming of visiting them all. Now... They remind me of something else." She said simply. "Woah, that was cheesy..." she looked at him. "So, why?"

"Well, I wanted to share something special with you," he said. "Your stars and mine." He tapped the device and the star field shifted. "This is what it looks like from Ectu over my house," he said, smiling at the stars above. "Some constellations are similar, most are shifted, though. Still...I find comfort in them."

"To look up at the sky is a view into history. You see light from stars that may no longer be there. Is that what comforts you?" She asked softly.

"That's part of it. Knowing they've been there for so long, and they'll still be there tomorrow, that is a comfort. They're like...familiar landmarks. That one building or sign or hill in the distance that says 'you're home' now." He smiled as he traced constellations with his eyes. "Someday," he said, somewhat hesitantly, "I hope I can lie back and show these stars to my children. Show them what it feels like to lie on the grass and feel the rotation of the planet, to see the stars move overhead, make up stories about the constellations." He paused, blushing and glanced at her. "What are your thoughts on children?"

"As in, what do I think about children in general, or are you asking if I plan to have any?" Karane asked simply.

David looked at her for a moment, genuinely unsure if she was giving him a hard time. "Have any," he said. "It's not something I'd really given thought to until a couple years ago, but now...it's something I'm hoping for. And if I'm going to ask you out in any serious capacity, I figure we should know if we're on the same page on that.

"I wouldn't mind having kids one day." Karane responded. "But, not on a starship. I'd have to retire from Starfleet for that. Its far too dangerous to have children on starships. Bit, it's not like I'm getting any younger either..."

Never a simple answer, David thought. Then again, it isn't really a simple question.

David sighed and stared at the stars another moment, then turned on his side, propping his head up on his hand and looking at her directly, no longer dancing. "Would you be interested in pursuing a more romantic relationship and a less adversarial one? Or should we just remain shipmates and leave it at that? I ask because I get the feeling if I keep trying to be subtle in getting to know you, you will delight in torturing me with vague answers and shrugs." He gave her a wry smile.

"I thought that was already what we were doing?" Karane responded. "And I enjoy 'torturing' you at times. You fall for it so easily, makes you... you know... cute and attractive." She blushed and looked away. "But, if you're asking me out officially... then... my answer is... yes."

David shrugged, trying not to smile too much. "I am, officially," he said, lying back down and reaching out with a hand, offering it to her. "And we were doing that, yes...but I wanted to give you the option to back out in case I didn't turn out to be as 'cute and attractive' and charming as I so clearly am." He grinned at her, watching her blush.

"Well, if I wasn't attracted to you. I wouldn't be doing this..." she smirked. She quickly shot up and moved over him, sitting on his lap, her hands resting on his chest. She was still bright red in the face as she looked down at him. "I... got you..."

Humans had several words to describe the concept of shock and surprise--several hundred, in fact. David couldn't think of one that adequately described how he felt, looking up at Karane above him. "You....you do indeed," he finally mustered up. He put his hands on her waist and looked her in the eyes. "Be careful, Karane," he said, slowly, his brain trying to catch up with the rest of him. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were attempting to introduce 'hanky panky' into things," he teased. He decided he'd never have a better chance and, courting Death once again, leaned up and kissed her.

Karane didn't complain, nor did she resist. Instead she kissed him back. After they broke free she looked down at him a mischievous smirk spreading across her face. "Is that a hyperspanner in your pocket..." she said softly as she shuffled slightly upon him. "Or are you excited that I'm sitting on you?" She winked.

David regretted not having the foresight to actually have a hyperspanner in his pocket just so he could pull it out and completely mess with her, but this was not a scenario he'd anticipated. "The word 'excited' doesn't begin to describe it," he said, honestly, kissing her again and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close.

Karane once again kissed him back. After she whispered into his ear. "Well, if its a 'hyperspanner', or even if it's not. The Chief Engineer needs to ensure it's up to 'operational standards'," she teased him. "And don't you dare joke about this! Its my... first... you know!"

David put a hand on Karane's cheek. "I would never joke about an engineer's first hyperspanner," he said, dramatically, then smiled. "But I reserve the right to tease you about your height and how adorable it makes you look when you're annoyed." He reached over and lowered the emitter, dimming the stars above them and softening the lights before taking her back in his arms.


Lt. Cmdr. David Erickson
Chief Navigator

Lt. Karane Inda
Chief Engineer

 

RSS Feed