Fengari IV, Beta Quadrant (Present)
"Sweetheart, what on God's green earth are you doing?" McCoy sighed, glancing at his wristband.
"Give me a moment," Adea huffed, pulling herself onto a boulder as she reached the top of the rocky hillside.
The exercise was straightforward enough. Navigate the terrain of planetoid. Locate a target within a 5 mile radius. Secure the target within the allotted hour. Avoid or eliminate rival teams. While she hadn't known the exact location of the exercise, a quick cross-search of uninhabited planetoids in the Beta quadrant had narrowed the possibilities down to twelve. Over the span of the week, she'd managed to narrow the possibility down to three. By the time they'd dropped out of warp above Fengari IV, Adea had known the planet's terrain like the back of her hand. She let out a relieved exhaled as she clambered onto the rocky ledge, standing slowly as she crept towards the edge.
She'd known it was a risky, time-consuming strategy to scale the steep ridge around Fengari IV's crater, but by some miracle, McCoy had agreed to follow her. Yet if it all went to plan… She smiled slowly as she spied her target, waving McCoy over slowly as inched towards the ledge.
"See," Adea gestured, smirking as she eyed the glowing orange beacon in the valley below, "It's there."
"Yeah, I can see it," McCoy grumbled, crouching hesitantly besides her as he eyed the cliff, "So what now? We jump 100 some odd feet?"
"Of course not," Adea replied calmly, removing a large compass from her utility belt, "First I'm going to even our odds."
"By yelling the wrong directions at the crew?" McCoy sighed, raising an eyebrow at the compass.
"Pass me a rock," Adea frowned, fiddling with the compass.
"So we're throwing rocks?" McCoy mused.
"Sometime today, Horatio," Adea sighed, smirking as McCoy raised an unamused brow.
"This planetoid, Fengari IV," she started slowly, taking the rock as she tilted the compass onto its side, "Used to be host to a several species until approximately 45 million years ago, when they were all wiped out in a catastrophic meteor strike which left the Lucrumi crater basin."
Adea paused, holding the compass steady as she used the rock to crack its metal frame. She dropped the rock as she lifted the compass, delicately picking apart the bent metal as she removed the glass lens.
"The terrain of Fengari IV remains uninhabited," Adea continued slowly, wedging the lens between two rocks at the cliffs edge, "Because in addition to a lack of resources and relatively low locational importance within the Beta Quadrant, the terrain is almost entirely flat. So in terms of defense, the ridge around the Lucrumi crater basin-"
"-is the only strategic terrain on the planet," McCoy concluded.
"Exactly," she smiled, satisfied with the sturdiness of the rock pile.
"You knew it was going to be here," McCoy stated, a impressed smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Educated guess," Adea smirked, lowering herself slowly onto her stomach as she stared through the lens at the valley below.
"And now?" McCoy questioned.
"We can't use standard issue phasers for the simulations, because even when they're set to stun they still pose a risk," Adea continued, removing the gun from its holster, "So they gave up a modified weapon which fires an infrared laser beam. Since EV suits are programmed to track changes in the vitals of the wearer, the sensors will register the concentrated heat spike of the lasers. Now if I can fire it through the lens, enhancing the laser's range-"
"You can eliminate the other teams before they reach the target," McCoy concluded.
"Offensive combat tactics 101," Adea stated, closing her left eye as she lined up her phaser with the lens.
"Brains and beauty," McCoy murmured, watching as her test shot hit the ground by her target.
"You can shut up about the sexy uniform strategy now," Adea tutted.
"And now we wait?" McCoy replied softly.
"You're catching on," Adea smirked, sitting up slowly.
"Not for long," McCoy replied, leaning against the boulder behind Adea as his wristband chimed, "Jim and Carol were eliminated."
"Already?" Adea questioned, glancing down at the notification from her own wristband.
"Eliminated by Lieutenant Uhura," McCoy continued, reading the message aloud, "She and Sulu must be close if they're on the same path this far into the exercise."
Adea nodded slowly in response, her eyes scanning the edges of the basin for signs of movement.
"So, what's up with you two?" McCoy asked slowly.
"Who?" Adea mused.
"Your sister," McCoy clarified.
"What about it?" Adea replied dryly, her eyes fixated on the valley.
"I mean, I can assume why you wouldn't have mentioned her much at the academy," McCoy started slowly, "But even now aboard the Enterprise, you two barely talk."
"No, we don't," Adea stated curtly, charging the laser pulse of her phaser as she set it besides the lens.
"Did something happen between you two?" McCoy pressed cautiously.
"Why does something have to happen?" Adea snapped quickly.
"I don't know," McCoy shrugged, "It just seems tense."
"Well it is tense," Adea retorted coldly, glancing back at McCoy, "Besides what the hell do you know? All you ever mentioned was a nice sister with cute kids."
"You thought she's my only sibling?" McCoy mused, walking forward to join Adea on the ledge.
"She's only one you ever mentioned," Adea replied slowly, shrugging.
"Try one of six," McCoy replied, crouching down besides her.
"Six?" Adea repeated, breaking her gaze from the basin as she glanced at McCoy, "You have five sisters?"
"Three actually," McCoy clarified, "And two brothers. "
"I can't deal with one. How on Earth do you deal with five?" Adea continued, staring back at him.
"Beats me," McCoy replied, "Love 'em to death but they're a pain in my ass sometimes."
"Well, I stand corrected then," Adea sighed, turning her bemused gaze to the basin.
"See?" McCoy smirked, toyingly pushing Adea's shoulder, "You learn something new everyday when you take a break from sassing people."
"I guess I do," Adea replied, her smirk grew wider as she added, "Horatio."
"I'm gonna kill Jim when we're back on the ship," McCoy huffed, crossing his arms as he turned his attention to the valley below, "Let's hurry up and find them."
"There!" Adea whispered suddenly, her focus honing in on trickle of rocks slipping down the mountain, "Three o'clock."
"Sulu," McCoy observed, "Uhura must be close behind."
"Well if this works it shouldn't matter where she is," Adea sighed.
She closed her left eye, focusing in the silver stripe across the front of Sulu's gold uniform. She inhaled slowly, aiming her taser through the lens as she moved her finger to the trigger. She held her breath, waiting for the moment he paused, checking his wristband as he made his way to the target. She exhaled smoothly, firing a single shot into the basin below. She sucked in slowly, her heart beating in her ears as she waited in silence.
"Congratulations Annie Oakley," McCoy smirked, breaking the silence as their wristbands chiming, "Sulu and Uhura are eliminated."
"Perfect," Adea exhaled excitedly, dusting off her stomach as she stood, reholstering her phaser.
"And now?" McCoy asked.
"We have fifteen minutes to reach the flag," Adea smirked, skipping away from the cliff's edge.
"Fifteen?" McCoy huffed, frowning as Adea clambered quickly down the rocky ledge, "It took us nearly thirty to get up here."
"Gravity," Adea called back, disappearing behind another
"Gravity is not going to prevent you from breaking an ankle," McCoy frowned, climbing down cautiously as he looked around for Adea, "Or a leg."
He exhaled loudly as his warning was met sound of rocks slipping down the cliffside.
"Adi, I'm serious," McCoy sighed, jumping down cautiously on the rocky footpath that trailed down to the valley.
"I'm fine," Adea's voice sounded above him.
"Adi, where-" he trailed off short as Adea jumped from the ledge above his head, landing in the pathway in front of him.
"Dammit, Adi!" McCoy hissed, steadying Adea as she stood, "You're going to break something!"
"Lighten up, Doctor," Adea teased, dusting off her knees as she pushed the loose strands falling out of her ponytail from her face.
She smiled broadly, turning quickly as she continued down the path towards the valley. McCoy stared after disappeared around the corner, exhaling slowly as a familiar pang in his chest made his face run hot. What the hell was she doing to him? It was bad enough he liked toying with her as much as he did. Getting under her skin. Teasing her. Flirting with her. Anything to get a rise out of her. As if one last smile, or laugh, or frustrated blush would get her out of his head. But the more time he spend with her, the more he'd begun to feel like he was playing with fire, holding his hand closer and closer to a flame as he tried not to get burned.
But then he'd seen it….
If only for a half second in the dim lighting of her room. It could have meant a thousand things. Maybe she'd forgotten about it. Maybe it meant nothing to her anymore. Maybe it wasn't even what he thought it was. But goddammit if he wouldn't drive himself crazy, imagining the grey sleeve he'd seen draped across the arm of her sofa meant more.
Crew drama and complicated past be damned. He was falling for her. He was going to get burned.
Adea waved at the light control, dimming it to power save mode as she exited the lab. The adrenaline of the exercise had long worn off as she'd returned to the lab, finishing her report on Tutar people. She rubbed her eyes slowly, glancing up as footsteps echoed in hall.
"There you are!" Carol sighed, appearing around the corner.
"What are you wearing?" Adea asked, raising an eyebrow at the deep v of Carol's blouse.
"Me?" Carol replied, gesturing to Adea's uniform, "What are you wearing?"
Adea stared blankly at Carol, exhaling slowly through her teeth as recognition flickered.
"Kirk's party is tonight, isn't it?" Adea groaned, running a hand through her hair.
"You think I break out this top out to inspect missiles?" Carol mused, stepping besides Adea as she pushed her towards her room, "Change."
"I'm not staying long," Adea sighed, shifting her PADD in her hands as she entered her keypad.
"Why the hell not?" Carol huffed, kicking her shoes off as she marched to Adea's closet, "You just set a bloody time Starfleet record for officer on-planet simulation time by two minutes. You should celebrate."
"So why can't I wear this?" Adea sighed, dropping her arms to her side.
"You know damn well what I'm going to say to that," Carol replied quickly, examining a red sweater in Adea's closet before tossing onto the back of her sofa.
"Carol-" Adea warned, frowning as Carol tossed a leather mini skirt over her couch.
"For the love of God, Adi," Carol exhaled, "Almost everyday since I've met you, you've been punishing yourself over one tragic relationship or another. You can't go out. You can't flirt with anyone. You can't move on. Getting dressed up is stupid. You deserve one night to go out, look nice, have fun, and stop worrying for once! Not this prude librarian routine."
"Prude librarian routine?" Adea repeated, crossing her arms.
"Yes, that's what I call it. Don't you dare question it," Carol replied, wagging a finger at Adea, "One night. That's all I'm asking for. One night."
Adea opened her mouth to answer, shutting it quickly as a loud knock sounded at her door. She glanced nervously at the door, her confused stare turning to a glare as she turned back towards Carol.
"Did you invite him here?" Adea hissed, frowning at Carol's smirk as she paced to the door.
"Of course not," Carol smirked, perching on the back of Adea's couch, "I invited reinforcements."
Adea frowned as she turned her attention to the door, opening it slowly to a familiar blue wink.
"You're wearing your uniform to a party?" Kirk sighed, stepping past Adea as he sauntered into her room, "What are you, Mini? A first-year cadet?"
"Told you it was bad," Carol replied, ignoring Adea's glare to stand cross-armed besides Kirk.
"This'll help," Kirk sighed, tossing Adea a flask from the inside of his jacket.
She caught the flask in the air, her nose wrinkling as unscrewed the lid.
"What is it?" She frowned.
"Try it," Kirk urged, "It's better than it smells."
Her frown deepened as she took in Kirk and Carol's hesitant stares, taking a small sip. The liquid burned the moment it hit her tongue, searing down the the back of her throat as she tried to swallow it. She inhaled sharply, barely refastening the lid before the tossed the flask back to Kirk.
"What the hell was that?!" Adea coughed, sputtering as she wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve.
"To better decisions, " Kirk shrugged.
"Better decisions?" Adea wheezed, inhaling dryly, "It tastes like lighter fluid!"
"Saurian Brandy," Kirk smirked, taking the outstretched flask as he took a swig, passing it to Carol.
"So it is lighter fluid," Adea frowned, eyeing Kirk cautiously as he handed her the flask again.
"Anything to prevent you from wearing that," Kirk sighed, propping his hands under his head as he fell back onto her bed, hanging his feet lazily off the edge of her bed.
"Is it honestly that bad?" Adea sighed, turning slowly to her closet.
"I'm your captain," Kirk smirked, closing his eyes as he tossed the flask across the room Adea, "Don't dress like a goddamn cadet, Mini. That's an order."
Adea exhaled slowly, glancing towards Carol as she shrugged innocently. She frowned, picking up the flask as is she turned her attention to her closet as she began moving the hangers with her free hand. One night. What harm could it cause? She took a swig of the flask, shaking her head quickly as the burning subsided.
"You need better alcohol Kirk," Adea coughed, passing the flask back to Carol.
"Then change faster," Kirk sighed, rotating onto his stomach as he pulled her pillow under his head.
"I'm not changing with you in here," Adea grumbled as she continued flipping through her closet, pausing as her eyes caught a familiar black dress.
"I like that one," Carol hummed, flicked back to the dress as she pulled it out of the closet.
"The hem is tempermental on that one," Adea replied quickly, reaching forward for it slowly as Carol spun out of reach.
"I rather like it," Carol smiled, "Not too much. Short enough to be flirty. You can't go wrong with a black shift dress."
"Well I'm going to need something else to drink if I'm going to wear this dress," Adea sighed, exhaling steadily as Carol pressed the hanger into her hands.
"Good it's settled," Carol sighed, moving her attention to Adea's jewelry box as she gestured to the bathroom, "Now go change so we can go."
9:41 pm.
Adea felt like she was floating.
She'd barely made it in the door when Kirk had begun, plying them overly full glasses of whatever he had in the apartment as he gave them a quick tour. She had managed to switch a good bit of the vodka out for water when Kirk wasn't looking. But what she hadn't managed to switch was slowly catching up to her.
She glanced with a raised eyebrow towards her sister, keeping to her reserved corner with Spock a green woman who glare intermittently at Kirk. God they looked like annoyed chaperones at a middle school dance. Nyota was probably still pissed from this morning, though Adea could care less if her sister wanted to keep her distance. Though she could infinitely replay the look on her sister's face when Spock stated she had indeed won by strategy not cheating.
Across the room, McCoy, Sulu and Scotty had spent the night locked in a debate over the comparative merits of Bourbon, Scotch, and Japanese whiskey. Nonetheless she'd caught him smirking at her from time to time. It was probably for the best that he remained in his debate. The tipsier she was, the harder it was not to stare back.
She glanced up at Chekov, wondering how long she'd zoned out as she tried to follow his sentence. London air taxis? Wasn't he talking about the food in St. Petersburgs? Anything was better than the weird flirty phrases he'd been teaching her in Russian. She leaned away from Chekov as he looked away suddenly, struggling to translate a word. She excused herself quicky, crossing the room quickly. She ambled into the kitchen, pouring herself another drink as a low whistle sounded behind her. She turned slowly, her heart racing as she caught sight of McCoy leaning in the doorway, his sleeves rolled casually to his elbows. He sauntered towards her slowly, his green eyes trailing her short black dress.
"Now you are wearing that dress like you're doing it a favor," he drawled, taking a sip from his glass.
"You do know Nyota's around that corner somewhere," Adea countered slowly as he came to a stop a few inches from her, leaning against the counter.
"That's what the bourbon's for," he smirked, taking another sip, "Besides she's not the one I have to be worried about."
"Is that so?" she laughed, clinking his glass with her own as she took a sip.
"I mean, have you noticed this evening?" McCoy sighed.
"Don't even start," Adea replied slowly shaking her head.
"I mean I can't see how you haven't," McCoy continued, leaning towards her, "Poor boy all but has his nose pressed against your face, and here I was, thinking Scotty was the drunk close talker."
"Really, Lee?" Adea smirked, suppressing a laugh.
"Who knows?" McCoy teased, "Did you see those angelic curls? Could be you thing."
"Nooo," she laughed, shaking her head as she looked up at McCoy, "Not going to happen."
"I blame the dress honestly," McCoy drawled,
"What is it with you and this dress?" Adea mumbled into her glass, smirking as confusion flickered in McCoy's eyes.
She rolled her eyes at McCoy, ignoring the scent of his cologne that lingered as she made her way back to the living room. She let out a breath of relief as she noticed Sulu had taken Chekov's place in her absence, taking a seat besides him.
"Speak of the devil," Kirk mused, stealing her glass as he took a sip, "So were you planning on telling us your hold the Academy's score record for sport shooting?"
"It was in my file," Adea shrugged, snatching her glass back.
"In my file, my ass," Kirk replied, "You need to learn how to brag, Mini."
"Next officer's exercise we're forming a team," Sulu smirked, clinking her glass.
"Unless Kirk steals my teammate again," Adea sighed, shooting a mock glare at Kirk.
"I have no recollection of the events in question," Kirk declared, reaching forward suddenly for a champagne bottle on the table in the front him. He stood abruptly, the room falling silent as he popped the cork loudly.
"A toast!" Kirk called out, stepping onto the coffee table, "This mission, like any other we've done before, will be full of unknowns. Where we'll go. What we'll encounter. But one thing is certain. There is no place I'd rather be and no one I'd rather be around than here in the Enterprise with this crew. To a good crew, good friends, and good adventures!"
The room raised their glasses, cheering.
"Hey, Mini! Do me a favor?" Kirk called out, filling the handful of empty glasses on the table, "There should be spare glasses in the kitchen. Could you bring them?"
Adea walked back to the kitchen, frowning at the identical cabinets. She searched for a moment, finally locating the glasses on a high shelf. She stood on her toes, swearing as her fingers brushed the glass. She tried again. As her fingers finally made contact, the glass slipped, cracking against the counter as it tumbled to the floor. Adea swore, hastily fiddling with the glass shards as she began cleaning.
"You ok in there, Mini?" Kirk called out, appearing in the doorway.
"Yeah," she mumbled angrily, tossing the glass into the bin, "I'm sorry. It fell."
"Hey, it's fine. It happens," Kirk added, grabbing a towel to sweep the glass from the counter.
"Fuck," Adea swore, a large shard slicing her palm.
"Jesus, Mini," Kirk said, "You ok?"
"I'm fine," she mumbled, wincing as she flexed her hand, "Do you have a first aid kit?"
"Yeah, it's in the bathroom under the sink," Kirk replied, frowning at the dark red cut across her palm, "I'll get it."
"No," Adea replied quickly, wincing again, "It's not that bad. I can get it."
"It's fine. Not worth making a scene about," she repeated, shaking her head as Kirk tried to protest, "In the bathroom, you said?"
"It's under the sink," he added, "But, seriously Mini, let me-"
"I got it," she called out, leaving the kitchen.
Adea made her way to the bathroom in the corner of Kirk's bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. She sat the kit on Kirk's sink, fumbling awkwardly with left hand to open it. She finally succeeded, unfurling a roll of gauze when someone knocked.
"I'm fine, Kirk" she answered, frowning as she fought to wrap the bandage with one hand.
"Kirk said you were in the bathroom," McCoy started, slowly opening the door. His brows furrowed as he watched Adea fight angrily with the bandage, "Here, let me help you."
"I don't need help," she replied, her voice strained as she tried to tie the bandage into a knot, "It's fine."
"Really?" McCoy mused as Adea swore, her knot unraveling.
She exhaled slowly, rolling her eyes at McCoy's cocky smirk. She relented, pushing herself up to sit on the counter, as she held out her injured hand.
"Looks like you were just fine, Dr. Ele," McCoy mused, unwrapping the tangled ball of gauze from her hand. He searched in the kit for a moment, pulling out a silver canister.
"Fucking hell!" she swore, jerking her hand back as McCoy sprayed the wound on her hand.
"Hey, don't swear at me. I'm not the one who decided to cut their hand open at a party," he teased, wrapping gauze around her palm, "It should stop stinging in a moment. The spray has a topical analgesic."
She wriggled her fingers as the pain began to fade, watching McCoy as he tied off the bandage gently, securing it with a piece of tape. Her looked up at her, his dark eyebrows raised in amusement, "Think you can keep yourself in one piece the rest of the night?"
"I'm not clumsy," she replied boldly, teetering precariously as she hopped off the counter.
McCoy reached forward quickly, steadying her with a hand on her waist.
"See," she laughed, looking up at him, "Not clumsy."
They stood there for a moment in silence, a slow burn rising to Adea's cheeks as she grew increasingly aware of how close they now stood and his hand on her waist. She inhaled shakily, the ever-present voice in her head fading away as he reached up slowly, his fingers trailing the side of her face as he tucked her hair behind her ear.
"God, you're beautiful Adi," McCoy whispered softly, stepping closer.
Adea inhaled shakily, as she stared back at him, his dark green eyes burning into hers. She reached up suddenly, her hands cupping his face as she pressed her lips against his. The kiss barely lasted a second before Adea pulled away sharply, her heart pounding in her ears. What the hell was wrong with her? She inhaled rapidly, her lips still parted in shock as she stared back at unreadable expression on his face. She looked away from his eyes, staring forward as his chest as the room seemed to sway.
"Lee, I-"
Adea's breath caught in her throat as he leaned down quickly, his hands tightening around her waist as his lips crashed against hers. He kissed her tenderly, tilting her chin with his thumb to deepen the kiss. She gave in slowly, responding to this kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her heartbeat raced in her chest as stumbled back into the counter, gasping against his mouth as he lifted her sit on the counter. She pulled him closer as he cupped her face, her grip on time and space slipping away as the kiss grew more fevered.
A low moan escaped her lips his hand dropped to her waist, pulling her against him as his tongue teased the entrance to her mouth. Adea whimpered softly as his tongue flicked against hers, her hands trailing slowly under his sweater to the bare skin of his back. Adea could feel him growing hard as he pressed his hips against hers, trailing kisses down her neck. She leaned her head back as his tongue traced circles into her necks, the room blurring as the final remnants of her self-control shattered.
Her hands tangled in his hair as he gripped her thigh, a whimper slipping from her lips as he dragged his thumb up her inner thigh. She gripped the edge of the counter as his free hand snaked around her waist, wrapping her legs around him as he pulled her hips forward to his. Her breath caught in her throat as his hand pushed higher, his thumb grazing the lace fabric between her legs.
"Fuck, Lee-"
His name barely escaped her lips as his thumb brushed against her, trailing small circles across the thin damp fabric. Adea moaned as his lips met hers again, her hands fumbling to unfasten his jeans as her mind straining to focus on anything but the sensation rippling through her core with each pass of his thumb.
She stifled a loud groan against his neck as he pulled her forward sharply, his thumb barely moving the damp fabric as he thrust into her. Adea gasped as he rocked his hips against hers, waves of pleasure rolling through her with each thrust. Everything seemed to fade as the room begin to spin, her nails dragging along his as the tingling heat building between legs threatened to send her over the edge. She leaned her head back, his name slipping from her lips as the thrusts grew faster. She barely felt him tense when the sensation burning in her core erupted, blissful waves rippling through her body in the brief moment she seemed to float back to ground beneath her feet. Her heart thudded heavily in her chest as she panted. For a brief moment she could have sworn she was dreaming. Then reality, like the thumping pain in her right hand, came flooding back.
They separated quickly, McCoy refastening the buckle of his jeans as Adea hopped down from counter. Adea stared wordlessly at the floor, methodically running her un-bandaged hand through her hair to smooth it. She pulled the strap of her dress onto her shoulder, smoothing down its wrinkled front as the room spun dangerously. A wave of regret washed over she glanced away from her reflection as quickly as she'd seen it, her face burning as she wiped her hand over the lip gloss smudge around her mouth.
"I should go," she mumbled quickly, barely opening the door before she slipped out of the bathroom, closing it firmly behind her.
She hesitated as she reached the bedroom door, exhaling shakily as she leaned against the wall of Kirk's room. What the hell did she just do? Her breathing increased as she ran her hands over face, desperate to ignore the numbing tingle that still flow through her legs. She glanced nervously towards light seeping from under the bathroom door, swallowing dryly as she turned toward the low buzz echoing from the living room. This had to be a dream. Some Saurian brandy-fueled nightmare. She sucked in suddenly as clenched her injured pain, a sharp pang shooting through her arm.
No.
Reality.
And one, no amount of Saurian brandy could ever prepare her for.
