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Enterprise Asides Part 5 - The Untethered
Caithlin Dar felt simultaneously out of place and comfortable as she looked about at the people filling this ship’s observation lounge. Starfleet officers, Klingon warriors, mingling so casually, it almost seemed obscene in a way. A part of her wished there were some Romulans added to the mix, so she wouldn’t feel quite so alone, but then she remembered why she had accepted the posting to Nimbus III. She liked being on her own, forging new paths without the expectations of the Empire weighing her down. She was loyal to its ideals, of course, and would never betray any secrets to these Federation or Klingon types, no matter how congenial things were at present, but she valued her independence. She liked to stand out.
But even so, she would have liked to stand out here, in this strange oasis of peace between former enemies, with at least some familiar camaraderie, even if it was just so she could comment on the strangeness of the human food to someone who would understand where she was coming from.
“How are you getting along?”
She turned around. St. John Talbot raised a glass to her and smiled casually.
“This is strange, I guess, but I think I enjoy it.” They hadn’t had much time to talk these past few days, but the bizarre euphoria left by Sybok’s telepathy coupled with the chaos of being a prisoner and then a devout cultist and then suddenly a free agent with little to no explanation of what had really happened had given Caithlin, St. John, and Korrd a sense of fellowship that created the illusion that all three had been old friends for years.
Talbot chuckled and leaned against the counter. “I’m still deciding if I enjoy it. Starfleet vessels are not generally my favourite place to be. Too clean, too controlled.”
Caithlin turned and whisked a flute of a fizzing Earth drink from the tray of one of the passing catering staff, nodding her thanks. “A Federation diplomat who doesn’t like Federation vessels?” she said, taking a small sip from her drink. It had less of a bite than she expected, but it was pleasant in an inoffensive way. “How very odd.”
“Why do you think I was on Nimbus III, my dear?”
“I couldn’t guess. And please don’t call me, ‘my dear.’” She downed the rest of the fizzing drink and placed the flute on the counter to the left of Talbot.
He laughed, seeming suddenly years younger. Caithlin cocked her head, trying to guess what his actual age was. She knew humans didn’t live as long as Romulans, but Talbot was a curious mix of mature cynicism and youthful arrogance all roughed up with dust and a tinge of loneliness. “Noted for future reference.” He finished his own drink. “I was on Nimbus III because that was all anyone could think to do with me. I have trouble fitting in, you see. I’m too charming to be a politician, too irreverent to be a Starfleet officer, and two unfocused to find any other sort of stable career. I float from this to that, each one claiming to be that one job that would give me focus. And so, I was recommended to be an emissary of galactic peace . . . to a rock filled with abandoned miscreants. And what do I do? Settle in comfortably and vanish into obscurity like everyone wanted? Not at all, I have to go get myself kidnapped by a madman and create a galactic incident in which the famed Captain Kirk finds God.” He laughed bitterly and cast about for a new drink.
“I heard,” Caithlin said, leaning against the counter, “that it was some strange alien being who was impersonating a deity.”
“Oh, that’s probably what it was,” Talbot said, “That kind of thing is always happening to Kirk. Did you ever hear about that business with Apollo?”
“I haven’t heard much about him, to be quite honest,” Caithlin admitted, wondering who Apollo was..
“I’m surprised,” Talbot said without irony. “He’s had a few infamous run-ins with your people. Do they not curse his name on Romulus?”
Caithlin smiled, appreciating Talbot’s lack of pretense. He came by his cynicism honestly, and she felt much more comfortable talking to him than she did any of the uniformed officers with whom she had merely exchanged simple exchanges when needed. “I have only been to Romulus once, actually. I grew up on one of our colony worlds.”
“Oh really? I guess that makes sense. Would be rather silly if the Romulan Star Empire didn’t span much farther than two planets. So, how did you end up so far from home?”
“Oh, Romulus isn’t my home,” she said, careful not to name the colony lest Talbot gain any more information than he needed. “My father was stationed to a colony world, and I grew up there. I appreciated the freedom it gave us as I got older. That was the reason why I requested the posting to Nimbus III. I could be, well, myself.”
“Yourself.” he smiled. “How charming.”
“Not that I was really to do much once I arrived,” she continued, noticing how he was no hanging on her every word. “I’m curious what my government will say when I mention that I was kidnapped by a crazed Vulcan.”
“Oh, they’ll probably commend you for a job well done. You’re here, alive, and lovely as ever.”
“Is that really an appropriate thing to say?”
“What, that you’re alive?” Talbot smiled.
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I know what you mean. I apologize, of course. My manners are deplorable.”
“There’s a human phrase I once read. It didn’t translate into my language well.” She stopped to try and remember it. “Cad. Is that what you are?”
Talbot laughed at that. “Oh heavens, lay me open to the bone, why don’t you?”
“There’s no need for that. I find you oddly charming.”
“It’s taken years to cultivate such oddness, I assure you.”
“It’s work well spent,” she said, shaking her head and smiling. She enjoyed his honestly, and that he gave her space to call him out. The feeling that they were old friends returned.
Talbot adopted a mock serious expression. “I realize that this is a horrific breach of protocol and likely to cause a galactic incident, but might I take you out to dinner sometime, Ms. Dar? You seem a most charming outcast.”
Caithlin smiled at his naivete, and then noticed the glint in his eye. He knew just as well as she did that any kind of romantic entanglement would be out of the question, but until they returned to Nimbus III, or wherever else they might end up, they existed in a strange, free-floating space between duty and politics where they could play at flirtation for a short time.
“I believe there’s a buffet just over there,” she said. “I would be fine with you taking me across the room. Perhaps we could find a quiet table somewhere and continue our talk.” She made sure to put as much emphasis as possible on the “talk” part. A human and a Romulan, let alone two diplomats serving on the same posting, would never work, but for the next few hours, she allowed herself the chance to enjoy the fantasy of it.
“And what are you two conspiring about?” Korrd rumbled, joining them and drinking an amber liquid from his very small glass.
Talbot sidled closer to Caithlin, and she let him put his arm around her, all in the name of fantasy of course.
“We were just thinking,” Talbot said airily, as though they had been deep into a philosophical musing over recent events, “how far we’ve come in such a short space of time.”
Literally , Caithlin thought, remembering the strange sensation of crossing the galactic barrier.
“We certainly have,” the portly Klingon said, finishing his drink in one gulp.
“If you’ll excuse us, General,” Caithlin said, taking Talbot’s arm, “we were just about to sample the buffet.”
Korrd gave a sad shake of his head. “You can try, but it’s all dead and cooked. Nothing worth eating.” He glanced at his empty glass, “but there’s always drink.”
“Quite,” Talbot said, and the two of them moved away from the crowd.
Nothing could come from this, Caithlin thought, but it was nice to actually talk to a human without any political tension clouding the room. She could just be herself. She wasn’t an ambassador or a political manipulator. She was simply Caithlin Dar, a woman on an impromptu date with an interesting gentleman aboard a starship. She looked out the window and enjoyed the beautiful simplicity of this moment, savoring its fleeting presence. Today, the galaxy was a peaceful place free of spies, war, reparations, grudges, or agendas.
And she was determined to enjoy it.