Cerulean Stars - Chapter 112

Chapter 112

Stardate 48489.7 - June 28, 2371 - 17:46:19

Having dealt with a number of Starfleet Admirals over the years, Kira Nerys liked to think she had something of a handle on how to do so without sticking her foot in her mouth. That knowledge apparently fell somewhat flat however when the Admiral in question also happened to be the adopted mother of one of their missing officers.

“O’Brien assures me the system log shows the transport was completed successfully.”

“And yet Spacedock sensor recordings show the transporter signal disintegrated immediately after you began the beam out sequence.” Admiral Brooks said, all but glaring at Kira through the monitor. “Given the four didn’t show up at their destination, it doesn’t seem likely that it’s our sensor records that are wrong.”

“If I may, Admiral?” O’Brien asked, glancing between Nerys and the Admiral on the monitor for permission.

“Go ahead, Mister O’Brien.” Admiral Brooks acquiesced with a nod.

“There was a surge in temporal energy seconds before I initiated the transporter sequence.” O’Brien began as Nerys gratefully ceded the position in front of the monitor to the engineer. “We think it was caused by the explosion of a microscopic singularity that was passing through the solar system shifting the chroniton particles lodged in the ablative armor matrix of our hull into a high state of temporal polarisation.”

Admiral Brooks nodded as he spoke, seeming able to follow the technobabble without the issues Nerys herself had. And by the end the older woman looked distinctly like she had bitten into an unripe moba fruit. 

“Please tell me you’re not saying you think the transporter beam was redirected temporally?”

“I’m afraid so, ma’am.” O’Brien confirmed with an apologetic nod. “Going by the readings I’d say we’re looking at least a couple centuries into the past.”

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Stardate -298336.6 - August 30, 2024 - 19:18:20

The 2024 Raine currently found herself in was distinctly different from the 2024 she originally lived through in a number of different ways. However it was still similar enough that she found herself almost unconsciously slotting into a more 21st century persona.

Which was why she was currently relaxing in the suite's hot tub with a bottle of Malbec while watching the newly released Terry Pratchett movie Making Money on Big Creek Plus.

“I know people constantly go on about how unchecked genetic engineering is terrible because it led to the Eugenic Wars.” Raine muttered to herself as she refilled her glass. “But it literally cured Alzheimers and let Terry Pratchett live to the ripe old age of ninety seven. So I'd consider that a wash at best.”

Though she supposed that was only true if you didn't consider the Eugenic Wars one of the primary instigating factors of World War Three. Something that she supposed most did since they lacked her knowledge of the fact the Eugenic Wars hadn't always occurred in the 21st century.

“Dax to Brooks.” The combadge she'd laid on the rim of the hot tub suddenly announced.

Setting her glass down and pausing the video, she picked up the badge and activated it with a pinch. “Brooks here, did something happen?”

“No.” Jadzia returned. “I just figured now might be a good time to have that talk since we don't exactly have anything better to do.”

Sliding into the water till her head was completely submerged, Raine let a few bubbles of air escape as she tried to think up some excuse to put off that particular discussion.

“Raine?” Jadzia called out, the water proving nowhere near deep enough to block out its sound. “Raine? Why do I hear splashing?”

She let her head surface as the realization settled in that short of flushing her combadge down the toilet she wasn't going to avoid this.

“I'm in the hot tub, I was relaxing with a bottle of wine while watching one of the lost human masterpieces.”

That was a bit of an exaggeration as to the movie's quality, but unfortunately not its lack of existence as World War Three really hadn't been kind to digital only media storage.

“You have a hot tub and wine” Jadzia asked, sounding oddly put out about those facts.

“The wine came in the gift basket.” Raine admitted with a shrug. “Guinan said it was too young for her and I wasn't really of the mind to be picky when it came to getting tipsy.”

Jadzia let out a sigh, and Raine could all but imagine the slightly annoyed look that must have been on the Trill's face at this moment.

“You're too much of a forbidden romance girl.” She finally said.

“What?” Raine asked, holding the combadge up in front of her face to stare at it in confusion as she tried to process the turn the conversation had taken.

“You're too much of a forbidden romance girl.” Jadzia repeated. “It's why we'd never work out, you want the whole Masai and Tulle epic love story.”

The oddest feeling suddenly hit Raine that Jadzia was dumping her, even though they hadn’t actually been dating.

“I don’t know that one.” She admitted.

“It’s a fictional romance about an Initiate and their Field Docent who fell in love in the face of tradition, stole a warp-shuttle when the Symbiosis Commission tried to break them up, and then flew off to have a number of morally dubious adventures together.” Jadzia explained. “And you’re Masai, just waiting for the right Tulle to come around and give you the excuse so you can run off and have morally dubious adventures together.”

Frowning at the combadge, Raine couldn’t help but feel like her entire romantic history had just been painted in less than accurate light.

“That’s only happened twice you know.” She put forward, pushing herself up a bit more so she could properly glare down at the combadge. “The whole asking me to run away with them thing, and in both cases I turned them down.”

And she was pretty sure Jellaa’s offer had just been perfunctory, because Raine had made it very clear to the Orion woman beforehand that she had absolutely no desire to leave Starfleet.

“But how does this have anything to do with us having sex!?” Raine demanded, feeling distinctly like they had lost the plot somewhere.

“Well.” Jadzia began testily. “I just figured that the reason it took you so long to finally decide we should talk about us having sex was that it was so good you had fallen deeply in love with me and were trying to decide on how to go about confessing it.”

Raine's eye ridge twitched as the sudden urge hit to chuck her combadge into the tub's lightly steaming water.

“That is not even close to the reason I didn't want to talk about it!” She angrily hissed.

“Oh?” Jadzi pressed. “Then what was it? Because we've known each other for three years, and in all that time being in love is the only thing I've ever seen turn you into that much of a blushing maiden.”

It was Raine's turn to let out a sigh. “Of course you noticed that. You could have just asked though instead of going on about our long term romantic prospects.”

“Could I have?” Jadzia inquired in an expectant tone. “You're remarkably good at dodging around things you don't want to talk about.” 

Which was mostly because the things she tended not to want to talk about involved her life before Q had snapped her to Earth. But that wasn't something she could just say without making people even more curious.

And Jadzia was right, Raine had been planning to try and dance around any questions of why she was so uncomfortable with what had happened. Something which in retrospect was more than a little unfair to Jadzia given the intimate nature of their encounter.

“You're on the mental list of people I told myself I shouldn't sleep with.” She admitted, a feeling of embarrassment all but radiating off her at the words.

“That's it?” Jadzia asked, disbelief clear in her voice. “Everyone has one of those, though if I'm being honest a tad offended to be on yours.”

“You, Sisko, Kira, Odo, Bashir, O'Brien, Keiko, and Garak.” Raine listed off, really not wanting Jadzia to think it was something about her in particular.

“And you secretly want to sleep with all of them too?” Jadzia prodded impishly.

Raine's shudder wasn't even remotely feigned. “God no. Sisko has too much dad energy, Odo has a stick up his ass the size of galaxy class nacelle, Bashir is waaay too much of a white knight, and O'Brien and Keiko are very married.”

Jadzia gave an intrigued hum. “So it's just me, Kira, and Garak who you secretly want to sleep with.”

“At this point it's not exactly a secret that I wanted to sleep with you.” Raine deadpanned, more than a little relieved the rest of the station seemed content to pretend the whole event never happened. “Nor that you wanted to sleep with me.”

“I've wanted to sleep with you since I was Curzon.” Jadzia offered with a giggle. “And that wasn't exactly a secret given how many people we've both told that story too.”

“Yeah, but you're not Curzon.” Raine said as she set her communicator back down on the edge of the tub. “Because he never had a chance with me.”

“Only because you don't like older men.” Jadzia shot back teasingly. “If Curzon had been sixty years younger I bet he would have swept you right out of those lacy black panties you like so much.”

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Author’s Notes: Well, at least they had something of a talk about the whole issue. Even if it involved Jadzia more or less reading Raine like a book and forcing the issue.