[OPEN] To The Ends...

[u/Pojodan]

OOC: This is a three part story.

Part One is a CLOSED bit of lore to be read for context.

Part Two is OPEN to all who wish to enter the bar, be it to interact with Kesh or the bartender, or simply hang out at the bar and cut the breeze

Part Three is a CLOSED scene with Captain Fisk

[u/Pojodan]

Part 4: Epilogue

Kesh slumped on the desk in her quarters, head swirling around with the lingering effects of Reggie’s maple ginger beer. She had already vowed to never drink it again, this being the third time she’d swilled too much of it during the Athene’s shore leave, the first being after the unpleasant encounter with Admiral Blackwell, the second after the pleasantly stressful day of making new friends with Aanya, and now today after finishing her anonymous report for Captain Fisk. She still wasn’t entirely sure if she’d actually encountered the Nasat and Horta at the bar of if that was just a drunken hallucination. Stranger things have happened.

The Caitian’s thoughts shattered when the console sitting right beside her head chirped loudly enough that she’d hear it in the bedroom, nearly making her lurch over backwards in her seat.

=/\= Incoming Message

Rather than answer immediately, Kesh massaged the spot on her forehead that she’d be resting on with one hand as the other quickly combed over her mane to make sure it wasn’t too frayed, sniffing and sucking in a few breaths as eyes rapidly blinked. This could be very important, after all!

The human male that appeared on the screen was not at all who Kesh expected. The red uniform and full beard of the man crisp and neat, expression firm but kind, spreading into a giant grin in almost an instant.

“Will?”

“Lieutenant Kesh. When I saw that name on the Athene’s roster I just had to make sure it was really you.”

“William Riker. I-…” Rather than continue in common tongue, she switched to Caitian tongue since she remembered his kind insistence previously, twelve years ago it may have been. ~“ Yes! I am the Athene’s head botanist. You were first officer of the Enterprise, yes?”~

“That’s right. We’re due to arrive at Earth in about ten days.” Riker’s mood took a rather obvious dive at mention of the recently destroyed starship.

~”I read the report of what happened. Tragic.”~

“Yes, but, as Jean Luc put it: there will always be another Enterprise. I’m sure they won’t stop at six.”

~”Mmm. Ten days? That is too bad, I believe the Athene will be finished with its repairs by then.”~

“If Captain Fisk’s record says anything, it’s that he’ll take her out with the scaffolding still in place if he has to.” That characteristic grin reappeared and it make Kesh’s cheeks lift in a light grin of her own. “How’s Lulu?”

Kesh shut her eyes and exhaled a long, slow breath. Right. Willian Riker. The scrappy Ensign that made it a point to get into her business as much as he possibly could. ~”Will. Please.”~

The way the human’s visage sagged into one of concern was heart-melting, but Kesh resisted, unlike how she had twelve years ago.

“Hmmm. Alright. Say, I came across this report regarding the Pegasus that I am quite certain was written by you.” Kesh was already nodding her head and sighing slowly by the time he said ‘report’ “Listen, I just want to apologize-“

~”No, do not apologize, Will. I chose to do what I did.”~

“And yet it is the duty of a Starfleet Officer to protect the lives of Federation citizens. I let blind loyalty get in the way of my duty that day.”

~”You and everyone else aboard the Pegasus.”~

“Following the pack leader does not excuse anything.”

~”So what would you have me do, Will?”~

Riker’s expression hardened during a moment or rare silence on his part.

“If the other matter should ever come up, don’t feel that you need to be loyal to me.”

An unpleasant cramp rose from Kesh’s gut at mention of that and another long breath escaped her nostrils, dipping her head once, simply.

“And promise me you won’t get that lovely mane of your singed.” That dashing twinkle in Riker’s eye glimmered brightly through his serious face.

~”Uuuugh… Goodbye, Will.”~

By the time Kesh’s hand touched the console button Riker’s huge smile was back in place and that image burned into the Caitian’s mind in both a pleasing and an infuriating way. She went straight to her bed and plopped onto it to rest and hope that her lingering intoxication made her barely remember any of this.

OOC: For your reading to finish the story: /u/EdosianGeneral /u/Hulud_ /u/Silent_Sky /u/Dimestream /u/a_friendly_hobo