Manager's Office

Solanna's

Nerkit 1

"More Kali-Fal? Or perhaps a bit of ale from home?" Solanna asked as she went to the cabinet.

"How do I know it's not poison?" Kayla asked as she sat down on a large lounging chair.

"Surely, I've earned your trust, Kayla. And you can smell it from there, can't you?"

"Plenty of poisons with no odor," Kayla responded.

Solanna smiled and took a sip, waiting for a long moment before smiling.

"Satisfied?"

"I have a Romulan sister, there's plenty of substances that are harmless to Romulans that are instantly lethal to Humans. Copernicum for one," she said.

"I'm allergic to it. Do you see any rashes?" Solanna asked, holding out her hands.

Kayla sighed, and instead took a glass. She gulped it down quickly and knew instantly that the glass wasn't poisoned.

"Not bad."

Solanna again smiled.

"I'm pleased. I made that myself. Ale Brewing is one of my few tranquil hobbies."

After a moment of silence, Solanna spoke again as she poured two more glasses.

"To answer your first question, yes. I am what your people call an Augment. A product of selective genetic engineering, designed to enhance certain desirable traits to make a more effective operator."

Kayla tried to hide her shock, but her voice betrayed it.

"Wow. I didn't think there were Romulan Augments."

"Just the one, me. One of many schemes of the Tal Shiar that never actually came to anything meaningful. In fact, I was made from the same program that produced Shinzon. The agent that retrieved Jean-Luc Picard's DNA samples also managed to acquire classified historical data regarding a certain Khan Noonien Singh. Have you heard of him?"

"Everyone like me has. Augments like him almost ended Humanity in a nuclear war."

"Might have saved my people some trouble," Solanna said with a wink.

She passed Kayla another glass, "The Tal Shiar aimed to produce their own version of Khan. An operational asset that was not only stronger than any other soldier or spy she might come across, but more intelligent and resistant to interrogation."

"And how did that work out?" Kayla asked.

"As happened frequently on Romulus, a new government came to power, and with it a re-shuffling of the Tal Shiar. It was decided that I was too much of a liability to operate without control. Unlike Shinzon however, sending me to a Reman mine wasn't assurance enough. I was instead taken out the back of Tal Shiar headquarters and placed on my knees, to be shot."

"I'm guessing they missed?"

"They did, after I broke each of their arms of course."

Kayla had to smile. The story sounded just a little too familiar.

"Something amusing?" Solanna asked.

"Nothing," Kayla smirked, "You remind me of my mom."

"Your mother sounds like an equally interesting woman."

Solanna sat down on the lounge chair next to Kayla, stretching her legs out beside the Marine.

Despite the many potential suitors who had evoked both Rain and Mark's wrath from her time at Sandhurst, Solanna didn't elicit the same reaction. She felt strangely comfortable next to the Romulan Augment – about her age by the best estimate – and smiled as Solanna raised her glass.

"Cheers," Solanna offered,

"Cheers," Kayla replied.

After each took a sip, Solanna stretched her arm around Kayla's shoulder.

"Not that the idea of meeting someone like me, particularly as beautiful as you, isn't exciting. But you've come a rather long way from home. Is there something you need?"

Kayla took a long look into her eyes, resting the back of her head in the crook of Solanna's arm. Almost orange, with a perfectly lit glow from the overhead lights.

"You look pretty too, Solanna. But I'm here because of a mission. My ship was sent to put a stop to Orion Pirate raids. A Republic convoy was ambushed by an OSN Corsair, commanded by someone named Tetro. We were told that you might know something about that."

Solanna sighed deeply and drained her second glass of ale. Her entire posture had shifted into annoyance.

"She's… a competitor," Solanna explained, "We do what we must to survive out here, Kayla. I draw the line at firing on civilian transports, but I can't pretend I'm any Jhu."

"There is such a thing as dark angels," Kayla replied, taking her own sip, "But I'm not interested in your business. Is there anything you can tell me that would help us find Tetro?"

"A shame. You'd be rather useful to my business. Are you sure I can't convince you to reconsider?"

In a moment she wasn't quite ready for, Solanna stood up, draped her left leg over the lounge chair, and straddled Kayla's lap.

Solanna draped both her arms around Kayla's neck and leaned just inches from her left ear.

"You and I would be unstoppable, Kayla."

If it was the effect of her breath on her ear, or the incredibly tempting offer, Kayla found it very, very difficult to stay focused.

But somehow, after an eternity of exactly thirty seconds, she found her focus again.

"I'm sure, for now. How about Tetro?"

Solanna leaned back – slightly – and sighed.

"Well, you're just no fun at all. She's not exactly someone I can call up on a whim. Once in a while, Corsair stops by for shore leave. If you're patient, you may find what you need."

Kayla smiled, stood up, and finished her glass of ale.

"Well, I will say thank you Solanna. That's more help than I expected. And thanks for the drinks… and the memories."

"You're very welcome. It's very, very rare indeed to have a guest in my club as…unique as you."

Solanna walked closer, and closer, to Kayla, stopping just inches away from the Marine.

One hand went to her waist, and the other to the back of her neck, pulling Kayla in. Her training told her that she should be engaging CQC. But her instincts let it happen.

Their faces drew closer, until finally their lips were almost touching.

But the door to the office suddenly swung open, and Rei was standing in the doorway.

"Rei!" Kayla said suddenly.

She drew away from Solanna and turned away from Rei to hide her blushing face.

"Am I interrupting something?" Rei asked with a coldness in her voice.

For her part, Solanna smiled and tried to act friendly.

"Good evening, Captain. I am Solanna. I hope your night is going well in my establishment?"

"Charmed," Rei said coldly before looking at Kayla again, "Can I borrow my Major for a minute?"

Kayla shuffled over and tried to look innocent.

"Look, Rei. That wasn't what you think it was."

"You mean you weren't about to kiss her?"

"I don't know. It just kind of happened, alright?"

Rei scoffed.

"Don't care. Is there any particular reason you aren't answering your wrist comm?"

Kayla looked down, and realized in a moment of sheer embarrassment that she had switched her wrist comm to silent mode.

"Sorry, I forgot about that. What's up?"

Rei shook her head.

"Your sister managed to get some intel at the Tongo table. You ready to head out, or should I come back in fifteen minutes?"

"Rei," Kayla started to say. But she was cut off by an explosion at the front door.

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