CHAPTER 9

"I'm liking this new ship. And I particularly like the name you gave it."

"The Dann'e?"

He chuckled. "It's a perfect name."

"Well, I couldn't think of a more perfect man to name it after."

He smiled, and kissed her. Her combadge twirped, and she answered.

"Pernicious II, er...Dann'e to the Captain. New bridge officer on deck."

"Understood. On my way."

"Pernici-Dann'e, out."

She laughed. "It's going to be interesting listening to the transporter chief adjust to the new name."

"So, I assume you're my new bridge officer?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The Vulcan saluted, her brunette hair glowing under the light of the transporter room.

"Very good. Your name?"

"Vailo, ma'am!" The female returned to attention.

"Excellent. Now," she smiled, "first things first, you'll find I don't like the whole 'Ma'am, Sir' thing. Just call me Cara, or Captain."

"Yes, ma'am! Er...Cara!"

"Very good. Now, if you'll follow me, I'll show you around the ship."

She hummed to herself, as she knelt by the extraterrestrial plant.

"Captain, I was not aware that you knew Pachelbel's Canon in D. Exquisite."

She smirked. "Yes, Vailo, I know that piece. I know a lot of classical."

"Fascinating. We may have to compare knowledge."

"We may well have to, Vailo." She stood. "How is your tricorder reading?"

"Typical tundra findings, Captain. However, there's minor fluctuations in triolic activity. Permission to comm the science officer and confer?"

"Very well. I'll just collect a sample of the vegetation."

The landscape of Zenik, a small planet in the Celes Sector, was relatively barren, except for sparse trees which sprawled their scrawny arms into the sky, and the occasional village. Also dotting the area were cocoons which appeared to house moths of some sort.

"Captain, Jucsoi recommends we conclude our search. The triolic waves appear to be emanating from the cocoons, as though the creatures inside are communicating with a central hive mind. Fascinating."

"Understood, Vailo. Let's beam up." She touched her combadge. "Dann'e, this is Cara. Two to beam aboard."

"Understood, Captain. Beaming aboard."

"So, Starfleet, what's cooking?"

"I'm not sure if you're meaning that in a 'you want me to cook something' way, or 'you want us to cook something' way."

"I would prefer the latter."

Another voice broke their silence. "I'd prefer neither." A hiss rang out, and the alien female fell, a sizzling hole in her chest.

Dann'e stepped back, mouth slightly agape. "You..."

"I killed her."

"You killed Teya."

"I killed the Klingon intruder who came aboard this ship to kill us all, and ended up trying to wedge herself between you and I." She tossed the phaser to the floor. "Yes, I killed her."

"Cara, I..."

"Dann'e, I just killed another being. I really don't think you want to get me agitated."

"I understand that. Can I just be alone and think things through?"

"Yeah, sure...as you wish."

She sat at the bar, the empty shot glasses around her indicating the time that had passed.

A familiar face appeared in her drunken vision. She turned to face it, and, as her bloodshot eyes focused, she grinned a toothy grin reserved for those moments when her inhibitions had fled her.

"Oh, hi, Essan!"

"Hello, Cara. I can see you are...inebriated."

"Yer danged right I am! Proud t'be, too!"

"Are you certain you should be drinking?"

"Oh yesh, absolutely! I'm fine..." She wavered in her chair.

"As much as I value your opinion, my fine friend, I do believe I should escort you to your ship."

"How about yours?" The words slurred all too easily, and Essan was sure she knew little of what she was saying right now.

"Ah, no: my ship's medbay is currently undergoing repairs."

"I'm not talking about the medbay, silly." She batted her eyes. The action had the opposite effect on the rear admiral, partially due to the fact that because her bloodshot eyes had rolled halfway into her head, he was more concerned with keeping her liver intact than any form of intercourse. At this point, he was certain another word would kill her.

"Cara, you need medical attention. I'm beaming you aboard your ship."

He touched the combadge on her uniform, which produced a giggle from the drunken female. Part of him wondered if it had been the touch of his hand near such a usually private area, or merely the internal ravings of a nearly unconscious alcholic.

"Dann'e, this is Vice Admiral Essan Loo. I am hailing on behalf of Captain Cara Kyote, who is currently inebriated beyond simple medical help. I am requesting she and I be beamed to the medbay, where she will be placed in stasis and any alcohol be pumped from her system."

"Permission granted, Admiral. Beaming aboard."

"Wha...what happened...?"

"You had your stomach pumped, m'love. Thanks to Essan here."

"Really, it was no problem. I was concerned for your life, so I had you beamed aboard."

"I...appreciate it. How many drinks did I have?"

"Well, your alcohol content was about three hundred percent above healthy levels. Had your stomach not been pumped, your liver would have failed. You were out for nearly a day."

"Well, thank you, I suppose."

"You are very welcome," the Rear Admiral muttered to himself. To Cara's recovering mind, he seemed distant, almost.

"Essan...what's wrong?"

He snapped back to the conversation at hand, and she wondered what had happened to cause him to be so listless. "Nothing, Cara. Nothing is wrong. I...I must beam aboard my ship." He tapped his combadge, and dematerialized from their view.

Dann'e lightly grasped her hand. "Cara...he's okay. He's just thinking about what happened last night."

"But what happened, Dann'e? What did I do?"

"Apparently, you tried to seduce him."

"Oh." She nervously glanced around the room. Staring full into his eyes, with tears brimming over, she clutched onto his hand. "You're not...mad, are you?"

Dann'e's heart melted as she stared at him. She was acting childish, but he was concerned that it wasn't just a temporary state of mind. "M'love, no. I am most definitely not mad at you."

She wrapped her arms around him. "Good. Hold me?"

I could learn to enjoy this, he thought to himself. He shifted his weight onto the bed, and wrapped her in his arms. To her, she felt...safe. She hadn't felt safe since...well, since Kai. Part of her wanted to whimper and curl into a ball, but the part of her that now controlled her made her cling on to him more. She began to weep softly, yet uncontrollably.

He was puzzled at her. She had gone from emotional to...he didn't know. But he just held on to her.

"Cara, m'love, what's wrong?"

No response from her, but more sobbing and a hand clutching the fabric on his chest.

"M'love, do you need to rest?"

She shook her head in affirmation, and he guided her into a fetal position. He pulled the blanket over her, and stood.

"No! Dann'e...stay...with me...please?"

He sighed, and pulled off his uniform, and pulled the blanket over him.

She sniffed, and wiped a tear away. "Dann'e...I love you."

"I love you too, Cara. I always will."

"Dann'e..."

"Yes, m'love?"

"When are we going to have kids?"

A/N: Yes! I return! Mwuhuhahahahaha...okay. So yes. Things happen. You can take this as a sign that Cara is spiraling out of control, but you'll see where I go with this later. :3

((Sorry for the formatting, or lack thereof! I blame the Internet!))

~Ky