Anna and Mark stepped out from the massive dining hall and onto the overhead terrace of Vrax's estate.
The sun was just starting to set, and the glass buildings of the Capital City of Bath'lor gleamed bright red in the setting sun.
The city itself had been spared of any real damage thanks to FMC's pin-point shooting and OSP strikes, some of which Mark fired himself on Texas.
He sat down cross-legged on the terrace while Anna leaned against the railing. The 37-year-old Irish Councilwoman, only two years older than Mark, looked surprisingly good, given the circumstances.
She had tied her red Irish hair back in a ponytail and was wearing a simple, yet elegant, red blouse, a black knee-length skirt, black thigh-high nylon socks, and rather than business heels, a pair of Bootneck issued combat boots, a practical and yet stylish outfit for the next Federation President.
If this had been a different life, Mark might have been tempted to take a pass at her.
But she had been married to Sean McClair, an authority on Vulcan Bonsai Trees, for twenty years, and Mark himself was well spoken for with his purple-haired Starfleet Captain.
Besides, he thought to himself, we're too close of friends for that sort of bullshit.
Instead, he took a pack of Marlboro's from the vest of his TAV and lit one up with an infrared lighter, blowing a heavy drag towards the red sun of Bath'lor.
"Smokin' darts used to be a crime in the Federation, ya know," Anna said, noticing the lit smoke.
"I know. Then Big-D Enterprise found that dude from 1984 who ran Phillip Morris. Now there's smoking clubs all over the Federation. My new retirement plan is to open up for myself, maybe even back home in Leth," Mark replied, gently blowing the smoke from his nose.
Anna scoffed, "A new plan? And the fuck do ye know about growing tobacco?"
"Alesha's family descended from Virginia tobacco plantations. Besides, this is the 25th Century. You can grow anything, anywhere, and hyposprays deal with nasty things like nicotine addiction or cancer. They call it the Gentleman Smoker, kinda like a renaissance movement," Mark explained.
"And Black Star?" Anna asked with a tease.
Mark shrugged, "Black Star ECS belongs to Salimov now, for the official record. Just don't look too close at my tax records, Madame President."
Anna laughed and returned her view to the setting sun.
Mark blew another smoke ring and spoke softly, "Nice night, eh?"
"Aye. Almost reminds me of home."
"Less rolling hills and more Klingons though. At least you still have your stout."
Anna smirked, "There's a fair number livin in Derry now of all places. Quite popular at the pubs they are. Have a taste for the hurling of all things too."
Mark laughed again, "An all-Klingon Hurling team, eh? I'd pay a year's salary to see that."
Anna leaned her back on the rail and winked, "I'll take ye to a match sometime then."
Mark mockingly put his hands in the air while holding his smoke between his lips, "I'm assuming Sean and Alesha are invited too? Your husband and my girlfriend may not take kindly to us hurling together, pun intended."
"Of course, ya daft bastard. I may like to look at the menu, but I always eat at home."
Mark smiled and stretched his legs, "Same boat, my old lass. So, what's on your mind, Anna? Or did you just wanna look at pretty sunsets with an old merc?"
Anna sighed, deeply, and lowered her head.
When she looked up again, her gaze and tone were much more serious, "When were yer planning on telling me about Rain, Mark?"
Still assuming the conversation was jocular, Mark kept his gaze to the skies "Tellin ya what? That she appreciates you fast-tracking the adoption papers? Fairly sure you're already at the top of Clan Kaimeao's Christmas list, Anna."
Anna stood straight up, "That she's an Augment."
In a flash, Mark went from jocular to serious.
He straightened up and put his smoke out instantly on the terrace.
"Come again?"
Anna took a step towards him, "Ye know fuckin well what I'm talking about. Don't play games with me, we've known each other too long for that shite!"
Mark asked, with cold seriousness, "How did you find out?"
Anna crossed her arms, "She was evaced to Avalon, and Starfleet Docs treated her wounds. One of the wee little nurses sent an urgent subspace telegram to Starfleet Medical by way of Hood. I managed to catch it 'fore it got on ship wide, but ye better tell me why it is I didn't pass it down the chain."
Mark shook his head, "God dammit. I told her to bring more medics with her."
"Answer the questions, Mark! Ye fuckin knew didn't ya? That's obvious from yer tone. When were ya planning on cluein' me in?"
"Yes, I knew. And if I could get away with it, I wasn't ever going to tell you."
Anna let her jaw drop, "Do ye have the slightest fuckin clue of what level of shite this puts both of us on?! Do ye?!"
"The LA would be up me arse with a plasma coil, be it Justin or Jessica Reams, at the barest fuckin minimum. I signed her fuckin adoption papers, for Christ's good sake Mark! I'd be lined up and shot with the pair of ye if that report had made it to Douglas' desk. Augmentation is one of only four cardinal fuckin sins in this Federation."
Mark, without thinking, had his hand on his assault phaser.
He replied in an ice-cold tone, "You were there the last time they came for her, Anna. You know we'd shoot back."
Anna turned away from him and crossed her arms again, "Oh fuck yer tough guy attitude Mark. Of course I was fuckin there. I was standin beside the pair of ye if ye fuckin remember. I know ye'd go ta Hell for any one of yer Marines, and so would I!"
"Then why are we even having this discussion, Anna? Why hasn't Dougie beamed down every guy he has in orbit to put me and Rain in irons? Why aren't you explaining to Auntie Lynna why her nephew is on his way to 4028 for the rest of his life?"
Anna turned, walked towards Mark, and stopped just inches from his face, "Are ye fuckin deaf as well as stupid?! He'd have to throw me in right along with the pair of ye! I'm an accessory to this whole shite affair now!"
"What is it you want me to say?"
Anna slapped him as hard as she could.
Mark still stood in place, but the slap hurt his face as much as it hurt his heart.
In tears, she screamed at him, "Ye fuckin lied to me! I trusted ye with the Marines, and ye fuckin lied to me face! I thought ya was me friend, Mark!"
Without noticing, Mark had a single tear rolling down his face.
And the confident Marine General had nothing to say.
Anna stared at the ground.
Both were silent for a long time, before Anna broke the silence, "Say fuckin somethin. Anything."
Mark took a deep breath before he spoke again, "If you hate me now. I get it. If thirty years of friendship ends here…I get it. If you plan to put me in a cell over this… I get it."
"Just don't punish Rain for that. She didn't do anything wrong. She's an Augment. But more than that, she's a friend too. More than that, even…she's… my family. And you remember what I said that night to Dougie at the gates of camp?"
"Ye look after yer family, no matter what."
"I just wanted to protect her. Rain's made a life for herself now, and you made that happen for her. That has to mean something to you," Mark said, with another tear joining the first.
Anna walked over again and slapped Mark, harder.
She then threw herself into a hard hug, and Mark in turn crushed into her.
After forever, they separated, and Anna looked hard into his eyes.
"Ye are a fuckin bastard! Ye know that eh?" Anna said, with a weak smile and less hate than teasing.
"Alesha tells me the same thing. And so does Rain. Seems to be a recurring theme with women in my life,"
The two shared a much-needed laugh.
After a few seconds, silence again passed between them.
Mark broke it this time, "So now that you know, what happens now? Do I resign? Does she? I think it's safe to say that none of us are going to jail, or we wouldn't still be talking."
Anna shook her head, "I made her a promise too. It ends with me. I'll have that nurse reassigned somewhere far and away, and if Douglas says anything, I'll fire him too. There are no other copies of the report, just this."
She held up an isolinear chip that contained the report.
She took a step back, threw the chip onto the terrace floor, and waved one arm at Mark, "Would ye do the honours, General Castle?"
"Aye, Madam President."
He then took out his assault phaser and fired a single beam through the chip.
The little chip vaporized seconds later, its secrets lost to the same hell occupied by the Kinshya.
"Of all the things I've shot, I've never felt better about shooting that," Mark said with a deep sigh.
He holstered the phaser and turned to face Anna.
She walked up, and placed a single hand on his cheek, "There are two conditions to this though. Rain comes to me office in Paris tomorrow, alone, and she looks me in the eye and tells me her story. And ye never fuckin lie to me again, about anything. Clear?"
Mark nodded, "Clear, Anna. Still friends?"
She smiled, and gently patted his cheek, "Still friends. And I'll be expectin ye and Alesha both for the All-Ireland Finals at the end of the month. Belfast GAA vs Dublin's Targs, in Belfast. I'm even draggin Sean and his wee Vulcan trees to the pitch. Don't be late."
"I'll be there."
Anna smiled once more and walked to the door, holding it open, "Are ye comin in? Looks like Vrax is about to challenge Gunny Bagsley fer the final can o' stout."
"Keep my seat warm, I want another smoke first."
Once alone, Mark leaned against the terrace railing and lit another smoke.
The red sun had finally set, and the stars were in the night star.
He looked up and could almost make out Daedalus on the horizon.
The poor girl looked like Mark felt on the inside.
He had just revealed a deadly secret to Anna, one that could get him, Anna and Rain all killed if not handled carefully.
No choice now, Mark thought, I have to trust her. My life, and Rain's, are now quite literally in her hands.
Before long, Alesha broke his quiet contemplation.
She walked up beside him, hopped up on the terrace with her back to the sky, and smiled at Mark, "You was out here a long time, I was startin to get worried that Ms. Prez had worn ya right out."
She took Mark's smoke and gently scratched the side of his neck.
"I swear on my honour as a Marine, Captain Dixon, that we were only talking," he replied with his own smile.
Alesha rested her head on top of his, smoke between her lips, "That's the right answer, hun. Kitty only broke up round one. Don't you think I'm finished with ya just yet…I still got those pink boxers on ya like so much."
Mark put his hand on her inner thigh and could indeed feel the outline of those pink boxers he loved so much.
Sighing, he replied, "What did I ever do in my life to deserve something as perfect as those boxers?"
Alesha jumped off the terrace railing, put her own hand on Mark's waist, resting teasingly just above his duty belt, and licked the side of his face.
Once finished, she returned the smoke to his lips and giggled, "Canadians are just lucky boys, ain't they? So, what was ya talkin' about?"
Mark took a drag and dropped the ash on Vrax's lawn below.
"Just business, nothing to worry about really. Oh, and we're going to the Hurling finals at the end of the month with her husband. Box seats."
Alesha cocked her head to the side, "What in the hell is Hurlin? Some kinda Irish boxin match?"
Mark laughed, "It's like hockey, but no ice, and smaller sticks. And dudes whack each other with those sticks."
"Hell, I can barely follow hockey as it is. I'm a NASCAR and fishin gal all the way. But I guess it ain't gonna be so bad if yer there too."
Mark put his arm around the purple-haired Captain. Alesha crushed into him for a long time, and then looked deeply into his eyes before planting a long and fiery kiss on his lips.
While kissing, a very disturbing thought entered Mark's mind.
I'm seriously considering getting married again.
But before he could face his fear of domestic tranquillity, Alesha directed his attention to the door, "Ya hear that?"
Through the din of the dinner party, Mark heard two screaming voices.
One was Vrax.
And the other was Gunnery Sargent Mike Bagsley.
"Unhand that can or prepare to enter Sto'VoKor human!"
"Like fuck. This acorn belongs to the Squirrels now! Stand to, boys!"
Mark sighed, "Fucking Squirrels. I better get in there before the stupid bastard gets himself killed for a can of stout."
"I'm comin too! This'll be the funniest part of the night!" Alesha said, beating Mark to the door and dragging him through by the hand.
And for several more hours, the party continued.
The Squirrels and The Grizzly Bears joined forces, and together, for the honour of the forest, they defeated the Klingon Horde in the fierce Battle of the Final Can of Stout.
Broken tables and broken bones littered the floor of the grand dining hall, but everyone had the party of their lives.
Later that evening on Kitty Hawk, Alesha dragged Mark into her cabin, opened the half-empty bottle of Captain Mo's, threw her pink boxers next to his pants on the floor, and for three straight hours rode him for all he was worth.
Only this time, it was Virnas who interrupted the couple, entering the cabin and declaring that he had "news" for the General.
Mark came this close to finally shooting him.