Of all the Gin Joints in the Universe...

Posted on Thu Jan 27th, 2022 @ 5:45am by Commander Kyle Reece

Mission: Season 5: Episode 3: CAPETOWN
Location: USS Elysium, Paddy's Loft
Timeline: MD 08 / 1943 hours
1810 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Kyle was enjoying a beer at the bar in Paddy's Loft, an Irish pub that he used to frequent a lot, the last time he was on the Elysium. The beer, actual alcohol included, tasted just as delicious as he remembered.

He was waiting for Vanessa to join him, but, she had just sent a message to his PADD, stating that she was running a little late, and that she would make it up to him later, when they were alone. Smiling as he read the message, he replied that he was looking forward to it.

So, he stayed where he was, slowly enjoying his beer, waiting for the woman he loved to arrive.

A few minutes later, he heard a woman's voice behind him. "Commander Reece?!"

Turning, he started to reply. "Actually, it's Captain now..." he paused, seeing a smiling face from his past. "Debra?!"

Debra Villanova nodded excitedly when she saw that it was her old Strategic Operations Chief, from Cheron Station. When she had been given orders to the Elysium, she never would have thought that he would be here too! She suddenly felt butterflies flutter, deep inside of her core. 'He remembers me!!' She quickly thought to herself.

"Well, Captain," she said in a flirtatious tone. "I see the universe has brought us back together." She blushed slightly as she heard her own words. Oh, how she hoped that they would be brought together. A whole lot closer.

Kyle leaned against the bar and grinned, unaware of the thoughts going through his former assistant chief's mind. "What brings you to Elysium?"

She shrugged slightly as she replied. "I'm the new addition to the Strat Ops department. Are you in charge of it this time too?"

Kyle chuckled softly and shook his head. "No. I'm the new Commendant of the Academy, here on the Elysium."

"Oh!" Debra grinned coyly, her eyes moving down his tall form, then back up. "Very impressive, Sir. I bet the female cadets all swoon when you walk through the corridors." Suddenly, someone behind Debra tripped slightly, knocking her forward.

Into the strong arms of Kyle Reece.

"Oh! Excuse me," she said as she casually looked up into his eyes from under her eyelashes. When she inhaled, she took in a lungful of his cologne. It was spicy and rustic in its aroma. She thought that it was perfect for him.

"Good evening." Vanessa was watching them in each other's arms. Suffice to say she was not that pleased. Alindari emotions could get subtle. But still Vanessa would show no jealousy. That was a juvenile emotion meant for girls. Not a woman such as herself. Tripping into Kyle was an accident. Now this woman was spending too much time in her man's arms. She gave Debra a look that told her to collect herself.

Alpha women did not put up with Betas in their mates arms.

Hearing Vanessa's voice, Kyle smiled even larger. "Hey, sweetheart!" He felt that something was off, but wasn't sure what exactly. Moving Debra back up onto her feet, at arm's length, he released her and turned to give Vanessa a kiss.

Debra saw the stunning woman moving towards Kyle. She then saw his reaction to her. 'Of course he's taken again!' Taking in the vision of beauty that Vanessa was, Debra, a gorgeous woman herself, suddenly felt like an ugly duckling in comparison.

Vanessa kissed him for an unusually extended period of time. Just long enough to show Debra there was no competition. Kyle was hers. Besides, she could not handle Kyle. "I apologize for being late my dear. I had to see to a disciplinary matter."

Kyle flushed slightly at the intense kiss Vanessa gave him, suddenly forgetting that Debra was standing right in front of him. He leaned in and whispered in Vanessa's ear. "You keep kissing me like that and we will have to take dinner to go." Leaning back, his brain kicked back in. "Oh! My manners! Sweetheart, this is Debra Villanova. She was one of my people back when I was Chief Strat Ops, back on Cheron Station. Debra, this my better half, Legate Vanessa Alcean an Vantar, Diplomat to the Alindari and Diplomatic Professor here, at the mobile Academy on the Elysium."

Debra felt her heart drop into her feet when Kyle introduced the stunning woman as his better half. Her social anxiety started to flare up heavily as she extended her hand in greeting. "H-hello, Legate. P-pleasure to meet you. I didn't realize that Kyle," she closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. Opening her eyes again, she continued. "I mean, Captain Reece, was with anyone!" Her cheeks flushed a deep red of embarrassment.

Vanessa smiled. "My dear, it is alright. You did not offend in any way." She held out her hand. She proved what she was to Debra. Now she was making Debra her friend.

Debra hesitated for a beat, unsure of herself. Then, she shook the offered hand. The grip was warm and friendly, though, it held a bit of added strength too. She was unsure of how to proceed. All she wanted to do was run away and curl up into a ball.

Vanessa gave her a tight squeeze. "You can call me Vanessa. That is what my friends call me. You are an impressive woman," she said reassuringly. She didn't want Debra to leave and feel inadequate.

Clearing her throat slightly, Debra responded. "Th-thank you. You can call me Debra. Or Deb. Whatever you want. I..uh...don't have many friends." She finished speaking in almost a whisper.

"Well, it looks like you have a friend, Debra." Vanessa mentioned. "And you don't have many friends, you say? That won't do..." Vanessa noted. "You are young and filled with life. Yes, Indeed. Introducing you to some of my friends I've met in my travels should result in a marked improvement to your social life. Meet me at 1600 after my Interstellar Relations class is dismissed... And I will take you shopping. I can't really go shopping with Kyle. Even though he holds much of the bags... Perhaps we can use him to carry things during a shopping expedition in Paris."

Kyle had a sudden odd look on his face. "I am not simply a pack mule for you, my love."

"Or course you are not a pack mule, my love. Why would I kiss a pack mule. But if you miss out, you may not see many things you would like when I ask your opinion on dresses." She smiled.

Debra couldn't help but snicker at Vanessa's comment. While she still had feelings for the man in front of her, there was something about Vanessa that put her at ease. She shugged slightly as she replied. "I..I don't usually go shopping. I either just wear my duty uniform or sweats usually."

"Now that's unheard of. You are an amazing woman Debra. I think it's time to address your wardrobe. You might meet many friends if you do. Some might be very interested in you." She smiled at Debra letting her hint materialize in her mind. Besides, Vanessa probably knew Debra couldn't probably handle how rough Kyle was in bed.

Debra's cheeks turned bright red. She started to fidget slightly. "I...I'm not good with people usually." He voice was very soft.

Kyle looked over at Vanessa and nodded. "She's right. Both on the Nimitz and on Cheron Station, she tended to be very quiet around big groups. But, you give her tactical and strategic information to crunch, she'll do it better than the computer will, ten times out of ten. She is one of the smartest officers that I have ever had the pleasure of working with.

Hearing Kyle praise her thusly, Debra started to perk back up. She even smiled a little.

Vanessa smiled. "My dear Debra.. I will teach you how to tango like royalty. Stick with me and you will be as breathtaking in the social arena, as you are smart and beautiful. Meet with me tomorrow."

While a little unsure, Debra decided that it would be an interesring experiment, if nothing else. "Alright. I'll see you tommorow, afteryour class is over. Have a pleasant evening." She gave one more shy grin to Kyle, then left.

Vanessa nodded and then spoke. "I couldn't leave her like that, Kyle." Vanessa noted. "She's fond of you greatly, so much that she would have self destructed had I left her. It would have been terrible to behold. There's an Alindari saying. 'Make your best friends from your greatest foes.' We built an imperium that spanned the beta quadrant with that maxim."

After Debra left, Kyle turned to face Vanessa fully. After loosely wrapping his hands around her waist, he pulled her to him, between his legs as he leaned against the bar. "So she is your foe then?" He arched an eyebrow and smirked slightly.

She kissed him."I'm trying to help her... She's obsessed with you, I can feel it. But her lack of a social life has driven her into a rut." Vanessa noted. "It will end badly for her, and if we leave her to her own devices, who knows what she will do to herself. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin, Kyle. I should know this after watching Arrianna grow up." Vanessa noted. "Arri is brilliant.. Extremely intelligent, even by Alindari standards. But she never knows how to deal with her emotions very well. That led her into trouble during her formative years."

Kyle thought back over the their years at the Academy. Arri did always seem more than just driven in her goals. Sometimes, if one looked at it through clinical eyes, it could be considered borderline obsessive. "She is brilliant, of that there is no doubt. However, when she sometimes focused on a goal, it seemed as if everything else simply vanished."

"I fear my cousin losing herself in her mind so much. If she put her mind to it, she could create great wonders... or great horrors..." Vanessa mentioned. "Debra also has that unique gift."

Nodding, Kyle replied. "Yeah, I can see that. Debra scored off the charts in her strategic planning. Hell, she scored higher than my scores even!"

Vanessa smiled. "Debra is practically Alindari, all she needs is the spirit of one. One we need to re-invigorate in my cousin."

Kyle smiled warmly at Vanessa. He was imlressed at just how concerned she was for a woman that she not only just met, but knew had an infatuation for him. "You truly are wonderful, sweetheart." He pulled her to him and kissed her. Then, after breaking the kiss, he leaned his forehead gently against hers and whispered, "So, do you want to eat out, or in private?"

~OFF~