Aaaaaaaaaaaa

Posted on Wed Apr 20th, 2022 @ 11:25am by Lieutenant Alisha Reno & Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair

2,055 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Trade Troubles

Alisha stormed into her quarters, where she’d arranged to meet Jane to get ready, but walked right past her girlfriend on the couch and straight into her bedroom. She buried her face into a pillow and screamed as loudly as she could. The noise, though muted, was loud enough to hear from the lounge area and sounded like someone who was frustrated beyond all belief. The raw, throat-searing sound was one that would shelled someone’s voice, especially a voice that was supposed to be singing in public within the next few hours like Alisha, as Elena Girardi, was due to be doing at the official opening of the Five-Forward that evening. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!” She shrieked, before collapsing onto the bed in frustration.

“What’s happened?” Jane asked, getting up from the couch and going to Alisha’s side. She stood by the bed, uncertain about what was happening.

“That goddamned fucking bitch of a Captain is what happened!” Alisha shouted, again into the pillow so it came out muffled, then pulled it away from her face, “All that planning, the coordination, the plausible deniability of me not being on the ship? Down the toilet. We’re rendezvousing with Brunel, transporting aboard what we were supposed to onload from Utopia Planitia, then immediately leaving the system to go to the Klingon Neutral Zone.” She covered her face with the pillow to scream once more, then pulled it away again, “The pregnant asshole could delay us for a goddamned fucking day so she could RE-do her wedding, but hold on a few more hours so that I could entertain the crew? Noooo, that was just too damned much to wait for.”

“Okay,” Jane said, trying to be reassuring. “Deep breaths.” She climbed into the bed behind Alisha and held her as the big spoon.

Alisha jerked at the touch, but settled down as Jane snuggled with her, but one hand clenched the blanket in a fist, "It's just not fair, Jane, you know how much I was looking forward to this? This was literally the one thing I was really hoping to do. I arranged to have the lounge upgraded, to get all of the proper authorizations for a civilian visitor, and we just 'had' to leave, we 'couldn't delay our departure because it was too important.'"

“There was always a risk of this,” Jane said softly. “We’re Starfleet Officers first, right? Orders are orders, and they can come at any time, for any reason. And they might be selfish, or at least seem that way, but she has that prerogative.”

"I want to slap her across the face so hard she sees stars." Alisha snarled with a sob, "What's she going to do after she gives birth? Stop at a planet to give the kid a few hours on a beach? Breastfeed at a staff meeting? Where does it end? If she can't keep to something as minor as four hours when she spent a whole DAY to recreate a wedding that had already happened? God... I'd even finished composing a new song JUST for this concert, I'd been working on it for a while, but I made an effort to finish it in time for this."

“I know this means a lot to you,” Jane said. “And I’m sorry that she’s done this. But I don’t think we have much recourse, except to adapt.” She gently kissed the back of Alisha’s head. “Do you want me to listen, or do you want my help? I can be here for you in either capacity.”

"Help, please, for the love of God, help." Alisha said softly, finally releasing the blanket from her fist, "Not to rail at her, because yes, even I know that it isn't fair to blame her, she's just... A convenient target. I love to sing, to act, it's just so much fun for me and I like to think that my audience has just as much fun with it."

“Oh, to be clear, you’re within your rights to blame her,” Jane said. “You’re just also obliged to accept it. But you can still sing and act the part, even if we can’t stay in Mars orbit for the concert.” She went quiet a moment to think. “We can change the plan so Elena is staying aboard for a day. I’m sure the Captain will authorize you being sick for twenty-four hours while your alter ego sings, dines with the crew, and signs some autographs before her shuttle picks her up as we pass Wolf 359 or something like that.”

"That would require telling the Captain who I am." Alisha shook her head slowly, "Right now the only three people on board that knows I'm her are you, Pratt and Karen." She sighed heavily, "We can't just say that Elena happened to board from Brunel and there won't be a civilian rendezvous or even another starship en route that we can predict. I don't think that would hold much water if we tried to explain it that way."

“Well, maybe a holo concert then?” Jane suggested. “Brandon and I install some holo projectors in the lounge, and we say the concert is being projected in from Mars since we couldn’t stop. Really it’s just you there, or if you really needed to sell it, you in the holodeck, being projected into the lounge. The cover story is you’re in the holodeck for that briefing that you couldn’t get out of.”

"For the person who claims I'm her best friend in their entire galaxy?" Alisha snorted with a slight laugh, "I mean, there's another option as well.. But it would mean giving up a hell of a lot of... Myself." She spoke hesitantly, "I could just be... Me. I could go in there and look just like this, let it be known that I am who I am, and more than that."

"It's a big step," Jane replied. "You wouldn't be able to contain your secret to just the ship. Too many people would know. It would be out there permanently. But...maybe that's the next step for you. To be recognized for the amazing things you've done."

“My biggest question is going to be professionally.. If I come out like that, which would be at the end of the performance mind you, because I am after all a drama Queen,” Alisha managed a hint of a smile away from Jane, “Would it compromise my future undercover assignments?”

"It might," Jane admitted, "if you were planning on using Alexis or Elena as covers. But that's just taking one tool from your toolbox. Most infiltrators don't have public profiles to fall back on. And you'd only have been able to use that once. It would be compromised after your mission, I should think, if you were using the public side of it."

“It’s amazing how far a celebrity can get somewhere based purely on name and face recognition.” Alisha wriggled on the bed to face Jane, “Admittedly, my press secretary at the time did say I’d retired to join Starfleet, but no details other than that. But I tried to keep it separate. I’m just afraid that I’d be a distraction to the crew, you should have seen Pratt when I first met him and he recognized me, fanboy much? I swear he was drooling over meeting me.”

“Need me to punch him in the face?” Jane asked, grinning and sticking her tongue out. “I’ll defend your honour, luv, if people make you feel uncomfortable with your secret out.”

"Oh, I've got him handled, it's more me rolling my eyes about him, I'd be more concerned if he and I were both civilians." Alisha took a deep breathe, then let it out slowly, "I think I'll do it. I'll have to change the list a bit, because I've got the perfect song for the last one, Then at least I won't have to shush people to keep my secret, right?"

“And that will feel good, right?” Jane asked. “I’d think it would feel liberating.” She shifted her head forward and gave Alisha a gentle peck on the lips.

That settled Alisha down a fair bit, with a scrunch of her face and a nod, “It will, it’ll just be… Awkward. All the time I spent hiding one side of me, it’s not going to be easy at first. At least you never had to try to work that balance beam in life. You’ve always been Jane Sinclair,” Alisha smiled more naturally, “I’ll get used to it, eventually.”

Jane grinned. “Well of course I’ve always been Jane Sinclair. Jane Sinclair is awesome! Women want her, men want to be like her!”

"And I've got her!" Alisha giggled, "And you've got me. And imagine what sort of real power couple we could be, Jane Sinclair and Alexis Silverstar? The influence we could have?"

“Top picks of roles for you, and vehicle sponsors for me, because they know if they get one, they get both,” Jane replied, playing along. “Making or breaking careers with a dinner invitation, or a word to the News Service. ‘Darling, you must meet us for tea at the Silverstar ranch. We want no one but you to dress us for the gala.’ Boom, new star in fashion.”

"Might even be worthy of resigning from Starfleet." Alisha joked, though only part of it was actually her joking about it. A life of that sort of influence was what she'd once dreamed about. Being the superstar that everyone talked about, having someone with her that she loved and loved her in return? And not someone who would be in her shadow, but a true equal in every way? It was tempting, VERY tempting.

Jane blushed at the suggestion. It wasn’t a bad idea, but also she knew why she was in the fleet. She loved to fly, and she loved to fly fast, but more importantly she loved to fly for something. It had been for glory, but for six years, brief interludes for races aide, it had been for the cause of Starfleet.

“So what is the plan?” Jane asked more directly. “And how can I help?”

Alisha closed her eyes for a few seconds as she took a deep breathe and exhaled slowly, then opened them again, “Tonight is a wash… We’re going to be en route for the next couple days at least, so let’s shoot for a matinee early tomorrow afternoon? We’ll say Elena came on board from Brunel,” in case anyone asks how a Vic ie got on board. I’ll officially be in a sector-wide Intelligence briefing on sub space, so I can’t be there in person.”

Jane nodded. “The transition between Alpha and Beta shifts, maybe? That will let some people catch the beginning and others to get the end?”

“I even think the shifts can be worked for most interested people to attend and people who don’t want to be there don’t have to!” Alisha suggested, “Maho won’t know how a civilian got on board until it’s too late and then the final reveal! I’ll actually have to wear a wig, rather than my normal coloring of this.” She brushed at a strand of her blonde locks, “But if I’m gonna do this right, I gotta do it right.”

“I believe in you,” Jane said. “And if you need logistical help, just say the word.” She smiled weakly. “The only thing I can’t do is keep Tristana off your back. That’ll be on you. Speaking of on you…” Jane grinned and rolled the two of them so Jane was on top and looked deeply into Alisha’s eyes, a mischievous glint in her eye.

Alisha’s eyes had a similar glint in them, but she dramatically cast her gaze around and threw the back of one hand to her forehead, the other flat on the bed, “Oh no,” She deadpanned, “I have been captured, help, help.” She giggled as she reached up and caressed Jane’s cheek, “Let’s see what trouble we can get in for now.”

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