A Night Out (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 06 Nov 2012 @ 8:35pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant Aria Rice

2,779 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 02 - Resupply
Location: Vega Colony - Club Vega
Timeline: MD 04 - 2110 hrs

[ON]

Lirha's Type-15 shuttlepod touched down softly on the landing pad in downtown Vega Colony. It was a busy area, with many more shuttles of various non-Starfleet configuration littering the tarmac, and to Lirha's displeasure, poorly parked. It had taken her several minuted to delicately maneuver her craft to avoid hitting the parked ones, and she exited her small shuttle grumbling to herself in annoyance. She gave herself a quick check in the shuttle's reflective window, and happily noticed that she looked...well, very nice. At least she thought so, anyway. Her shoulder-length black hair was let down and gently hugged the sides of her cheeks and chin, and her black dress was rather tight and revealing. Not by an Orion's standards, but probably from any other species'. Satisfied that she looked appropriate, she made her way down the street and to the nearest bar she could find. Several long minutes of walking finally revealed the place she was looking for: Club Vega.

Lirha had visited the place many times during her youth as a trader, and was somewhat familiar with the establishment and clientele. As she stepped through the doors, she realized things had changed a bit over the years. To say it had expanded was an understatement; there must have been close to fifty people hanging about near the front bar, and many of them noticed her entrance with googly eyes. The captain was used to getting stares, having spent much time on Earth as one of only few Orions, but to be openly coveted by so many strangers at once was...a bit disconcerting. Politely, she smiled and nodded her head at the various people in the bar as she squeezed her way past them and made a beeline towards the back bar. A wave of relief set upon her as she found it was less occupied, and she quickly found a stool and plopped herself down. The Bolian bartender quickly took notice of her and moved to greet her, pouring her an ample sized portion of Saurian brandy upon her request. Lirha smiled politely and tossed him several strips of latinum, then took a long sip of her drink and looked around.

Aria Rice had been dancing. The moment she had been let loose, she had gone out. With a net top, a corset top, black leather trousers and very high heels. She wore makeup too, properly with false eyelashes today. In other words, she was celebrating. She moved to the bar, with a warm smile. "Hey dude...gimme another one of those blue cocktails..." she smiled to the bartender, her eyes warm as she rolled her shoulders. "Mama needs a drink."

The sound of a very familiar voice caused Lirha to turn her head, and she did a double take as she took in the sight of Lieutenant Rice. She was...out of uniform, to say the least, yet very noticeable...in a good way. A long moment passed as Lirha looked her over, noticing her black and red outfit. Raising her green hand, she waved to the newly-promoted officer to get her attention, and flashed her a friendly smile.

"Hey! Cap'n!" Aria smiled as she saw her, moving to her side. "You look...better," she said, meeting her eyes easily. "More you. Feeling better I take it?" she chuckled softly. "If not, I suspect that your XO would have tied you down to the bed to make sure you rested..."

"Thank you, Aria." Lirha replied informally with a shy smile, "I do feel better, in fact well enough for a drink." she added, her green eyes twinkling amongst the reflection from the club lights. "As for being tied down...well, I don't think Commander Holliday is the bondage type." she mused.

"Shame," she said and smiled warmly, her eyes gentle. "I could imagine him going all 'Daddy'..." she sighed and took her drink, sipping it. "I have a running tab here."

Lirha laughed, the first time she had genuinely done so in many days. The mental image of Commander Holliday as a dominatrix was entertaining, to say the least. "No, the rest of your drinks are on me tonight." she replied, wanting to reward the former ensign for her hard work and dedication aboard Galileo. For helping save her from the grips of the Klingon Empire, buying her a few drinks was the least Lirha could do. "You look gorgeous..." Lirha said, complimenting the Human woman's style.

Aria smiled as she watched her, her eyes shining. "You think? I just...this is what I like wearing..." she admitted and moved close. "See? Not as short as I was before now. I wish I could wear these on duty..."

The captain looked down and noticed Aria's heels. They went up to her knees, with a thin stiletto heel and zip detail which fascinated the Orion. Indeed, she was taller with them on, about as tall as Lirha. "Well...they're not exactly standard issue...but I like them, and they look nice on you." she replied, hinting slightly to the possibility.

She laughed with excitement as she looked at Lirha. "Good! And I mean...I'd go more sensible on the heel on duty, obviously...these babies ain't worth kicking arse with..."

"Yes, not exactly the most combat-worthy of boots I would guess." she replied with a grin, then watched as the bartender finally brought Aria her blue cocktail and set it down on the bar top. Lirha took hold of it and delicately passed it to Aria, but not before taking a sip first and trying it for herself. "Mmm...what did you get?" she asked, wondering what was in the tasty concoction.

Aria smiled as she sipped her drink. "A bikini martini..." she said and winked. "Just tastes a bit sharp, but I like cocktails like that...what about you?"

Lirha looked down at her own drink, a snifter of brandy. "I'm a bit more straightforward," she replied and held up her drink for Aria to see, "This is just brandy. Saurian. Served neat with no mixers. Would you like a sip?"

"No...thank you though. Not quite there for a neat brandy," she giggled and sipped her drink, leaning against the bar. "So what are you here for, Lirha? Some fun? Dancing away your position and reputation? Because I am so totally game for that tonight. Party as if it is the change of the century a bit early, that sort?"

What was she here for? the captain wondered to herself. That was a good question, one which she wasn't entirely sure of. "Some fun, perhaps." she replied, giving Aria a tiny wink. "Truthfully, I suppose I needed a break from the desk for a while." she added with a shrug, then glanced around the large and crowded club before turning back to her. "You know, I used to visit this place often when I was growing up...before I moved to Earth."

Aria smiled gently as she watched her, nodding gently. "I've only ever been to places like this since I joined..." she confessed softly. "I like this. It's more real, you know? Luna is so...sterile. A lot of terraformed places are like that. Where I am from, it is all...white...and see through. And minimalistic and all so clean and..." she grimaced, shaking her head. "No. It's fake. That is what it is."

Lirha took a long sip from her glass, savoring the potent aroma and flavor of the brandy. "It's no Earth, I will admit." she agreed, "I rather enjoy visits to Luna, however I've never spent a great deal of time there so I can imagine that it gets a bit bland after a while." she added, then glanced around the bar again. "So did you come here by yourself?" she asked, wondering if anymore of her crew were present nearby.

"I did," she admitted as she met her eyes. "Seen a few familiar faces, but I don't travel in groups. Much more for just...going out there and rocking on," she winked before the smile faded. "Especially after everything. Needed a bit of distance from the rest."

"I understand. I feel the same way and came by myself, as well." Lirha replied, then took another long sip from her glass. "I never got the chance to thank you for the other night...I wasn't exactly myself, and it was comforting to have you with me." she added, squeezing Aria's arm gently just below the elbow.

Aria smiled as she met her eyes, shaking her head as she covered the hand with her own. "Ma'am...Lirha..." she said, her voice soft. "I wanted to be there for you. I...didn't think anyone should have been sent home alone after that."

Lirha's eyes drifted downward for a brief moment before looking back up into Aria's. "You're a good friend." she said in an equally soft voice, then looked to the pale hand which was now resting on top of her. Lirha definitely felt a connection with her, but wasn't sure exactly what kind. With a deep breath, the captain smiled and changed the subject. "So...would you like to dance?" she offered with a raised eyebrow, partially hidden by her loose hair which flowed down the side of her face and to her shoulders.

Aria's eyes lit up at the offer, and she smiled, nodding. "Sure thing!" she said, finishing her drink as she took her hand properly. "I'd love to dance with you."

Nodding and following in kind, Lirha downed the last of her brandy and stood up from her seat. Intertwining her green fingers in between the Human's, she motioned to the bartender with her other hand to signal that she would be back shortly, then walked with Aria through the crowd and squeezed her way to the dance floor. The music was loud and the subwoofers were on full blast, sending a wave of energy through her as she turned close to Aria and began to dance in rhythm with the beat.

Aria smiled warmly, keeping herself close to her as she moved, her hands stretched up to the ceiling as she laughed. "I love this!" she smiled, taking Lirha's hand, holding it up as she met her eyes. It was the music, it was the people...it washed away all those days of stress, of trying to just keep sane, of sleeping in dead people's beds. And here, right here and now...she was just Aria, dancing with Lirha, another woman. No ranks. Nothing.

A big grin slowly spread across the captain's lips as she watched the junior officer enjoying herself. Lirha had to admit, there was definitely a thrill to being away from duty and being able to enjoy the simple things in life. With her hands in the air, the captain bent her knees and bounced along with the music, her hips swaying gently from side to side as her dark hair tumbled from side to side across her face.

Aria smiled as she moved with her, her free hand going to Lirha's waist, to keep her close as she moved, even when the music changed. "I love this song..." she said, just above it, throwing her head back as she laughed.

Lirha laughed. "Me too!" she replied, though her voice was drowned out by the loud speakers. In truth, it reminded her of back home on Rigel, where she would go dancing every night with her older sister. But unlike Livana, Aria had a youthful and jubilant quality to her, which the captain began to feed off of. Feeling a hand on her waist, Lirha put one of hers on Aira's shoulder and moved closer as she changed her dance motions slightly to accommodate the new beat.

Aria watched her with warmth, feeding off the crowd, the beat, the drink and the warmth. It was better than anything else she knew...just letting go of it all.

The captain closed her eyes and let her body take over, moving subconsciously as she threw her head back and whipped her hair from her face. Sweat had begun to form on her forehead as she danced, and the temperature on the dance floor was steamingly hot from all of the body heat around. Suddenly, the beat changed again, this time to a slower and more couple-ish style. Lirha opened her eyes and stared into Aria's as she moved even closer and wrapped both of her arms affectionately around her neck. It wasn't quite a slow dance, but close enough, she thought.

Aria smiled as she wrapped her arms around her in return, holding her eyes as she smiled. "Babel," she said, just above the music. "I love a line in this song...'and I believe in grace and choice'...sort of sums us up. The Galileo I mean..."

"Mmm...it does, doesn't it?" the captain replied as she listened to the lyrics. "But for tonight...let's pretend we're not Starfleet officers." she added with a wink as her hand snaked under Aria's hair and stroked the back of her neck.

She smiled as she leant into it, watching Lirha's for a long moment. "Alright...then...I'm Aria. Just Aria..." she said and laughed warmly.

"Yes...and I don't want to hear you call me 'captain' or 'ma'am' for the rest of the night." she replied in a playful manner with a twinkle from the club's lights in her eyes.

"Promise, Lirha," she said and smiled, holding her eyes as she arched an eyebrow.

Lirha watched her intently for a long moment, gauging her body language and facial expressions. Her eyes looked over Aria's features and took in her makeup, skin tone, then her gaze drifted down to her lips. She wanted to kiss Aria right there in the middle of the club, but was a bit hesitant. She remembered the feeling of rejection which had sent her into turmoil the night after her return to Galileo, and the last thing she wanted to do was make a fun and comfortable evening turn sour. But ultimately, she couldn't deny the feelings which were beginning to flood through her.

Aria smiled as she danced with her, oblivious to the other woman's inner turmoil. She leant close, resting her head against her as they moved to the slower music.

The Orion sighed softly with content as her friend lent against her. If nothing else, Lirha figured a compromise would be good. Leaning down with her head, she placed her lips gently against Aria's cheek and gave her a slow kiss before moving her lips to the woman's ear and whispering. "Do you...want to go somewhere a bit more...private?" she asked. "And have some fun?"

Aria let out a shaky breath at the offering, her eyes gentle. Her hands tightened on the other woman, as she turned her face to watch her. "I can't...do a relationship," she finally said, before smiling gently. "But I can do friends with benefits?"

Moving her hand up to stoke the side of Aria's face, Lirha smiled. "I would like that." she replied simply, still holding her close. "Would you like one more drink before we go? I know a good hotel we can stay at...several blocks down the road..."

"I think we could just go now," Aria said and smiled warmly, her eyes shining. "Because seriously, a few more drinks and I will have to sleep here!"

Lirha nodded. "Well I wouldn't want to drag you back home tonight...so sure." she answered happily with a chuckle. "My bag is still at the bar and I need to pay our tab." she added.

"Come on," she said and smiled, taking Lirha's hand to drag her with her. "Come on!" she laughed, with warmth and humour.

Letting herself be dragged through the crowd, Lirha followed her and the two of them squeezed back through the masses and finally arrived back at the bar. Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out two strips of latinum and placed them on the bar counter. The Bolian bartender smiled warmly in appreciation, one which Lirha returned in kind and then collected her bag. She turned to Aria to see if she was ready to go. "All set?" she asked with excitement in her eyes.

Aria nodded and watched her before leaning close, kissing her tenderly as she moved her hand to caress Lirha's hair. "Mmm...yes, I am all set..."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Aria Rice
Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

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