The Scavenger crew had been taken for debriefing pretty swiftly once the Knights landed but he’d managed to give Nina a mental note to reach out to him once settled.  While he was rather eager to see her again he wasn’t the green pilot he had been.  His shields and mental control had also improved.  He still struggled to reach out to non-sensatives but other humans with high esper ratings as well as non-human telepaths tended to be an easier task for him.  He also knew how to make it tough for other telepaths to read him if he didn’t want them to.  It was a useful talent given the state of the galaxy these days.  Gary Mitchell, he wasn’t.

He knew she had also changed based on the glance he got when he’d reached out to her.  Fighter pilots had a pretty low life expectancy since the war started.  So much so not many people outside of that job pool the squadrons drew from ventured to date people who earned the title of fighter pilot.   He knew he was likely hoping too much that Nina was in the same boat as him.  He’d earned the title of bachelor mainly because of his former CO and he had broken the rules initiated through no conscious decision only to be ended weeks before his transfer and promotion.   Marcus knew the decision had been one of necessity as well as one he earned instead of being from nepotism.   While they had hoped to see each other and reconnect war wartime romances could and did happen.

A couple of momentary flings and the one relationship he had all had one factor that tied them together aside from one Lt. Marcus David Ming.  All three women were dead.  Lost at the failed attempt to retake Betazed.  Maybe it was best that he and Nina had not stayed together.  In his mind, it seemed that anyone who’d been with him since they’d transferred off the Churchill had died.   Shaking the thoughts from his head he looked out the window toward the Vulcan star system.  What was that famous quote from Ambassador Spock?

Marcus smiled as he recalled it and murmured those famous words, “There are always….possibilities.”

After the medical equivalent of a debriefing, the normal one just added to Nina’s general weariness. Now in friendly territory, the unease needed time to bleed off.  The chances of her entanglement in deep space with Marcus were beyond luck. Her head was still swimming. The background of people’s thoughts was somehow calming but loud.

Her quarters would take time to sort out. For now, she was warm, clean, and not behind enemy lines. Hopefully, the Uglies would stay out of her dreams. She needed to do something. “Computer, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, green chiles not green bell peppers, extra sharp cheddar. Extra crispy steak fries. and play some instrumental guitar, starting with Classical Gas by Mason Williams. volume 55%.”

Ming opted to attempt a next-level welcome to his ship for a woman who had been a major part of his life.  After finishing his reports he got cleaned up and got dressed.  Black slacks, emerald green silken shirt, black boots. His semi-official long coat.  The jacket was black and had a department-specific stripe across the back, shoulders, and front which, in his case, was red.  His wings (winged parabola) were on the left side of his chest while the two pips of his rank of lieutenant were symmetrically located on the right side of his chest.

He straightened his uniform, and checked his gear, grabbing a smallish chest that contained a certain something that he kept stashed for just this occasion.   Back on the USS Churchill, he’d have been blatantly nervous.  Nowadays he was much more confident…..And was much, much better about hiding his nerves.

Chest tucked under his arm he marched confidently down the corridor and rode the turbolift down the level or two to where PO1 Chasu was quartered.  Once he reached the door, he thought with a silent broadcast, “Knock, knock.  I hope that I am not interrupting Petty Officer Chasu.”

Nina had changed into cotton jeans, and short sleeve sweatshirt. Hair pulled back into a ponytail and no makeup. Vocally said, “Enter”, so the computer opened the door.

“Computer pause music.” Getting up she hugged Marcus for a while. “Pulling back her brow furrowed. “Are you trying to show me up or is this an official visit?” She hadn’t sensed any apprehension in that area but it was a bit curious to her. “I’m not mad, but damn, read the room.” She said with a smirk, teasing him a bit. “Are you hungry?”

Marcus relaxed in Kannia’s arms as he held her in return.  His love for her never faded despite other dalliances.  He’d felt she was the one despite the uncertainty of war.  Once the embrace broke, which he did reluctantly, and said, “A little of both actually.  And I wanted to level up for you…Formal dress isn’t required.”

He’d thrown in a warm smile and a wink at the end of the statement.  His stomach rumbled as a statement to the last question.  He said, “I do believe my stomach answered for me.  A Philly sounds….and smells amazing.  Onions, green bell peppers, and don’t be shy with the Provolone.  I also brought you a bit of a housewarming gift.  I got it a while back hopeful we’d see each other again. Looks like that wish came true.”

Ming openly shared his warmth for her and the pleasure of being together again.  He was careful regarding his hopes.  Chances were good they had both changed by the war however that could be a good thing rather than bad depending.

Nina went back to the replicator and asked for another cheesesteak sandwich. She also added another plate of fries. “I wondered if I’d ever get out of there alive and yet, as I sit here,  I cannot help feeling guilty about sidestepping the prisoner of war thing. Not that I had any illusions about surviving the experience.”  She paused, wondering what Ming brought.

“Now I am getting presents. It is all a bit surreal.” Nina added as she placed the food on the table.

“Yeah, I get that to a large degree.  I’ve seen too much death on the front lines both on the ground and in space.  I watched a few hundred friends and former crewmates die when the Fleet tried to retake Betazed.  There was little we could do to save them all.  The attack armada was too small and the attack plan was beyond insufficient.  My previous flight’s CO and the XO, who replaced me when I took over the Knights, died bare meters away from my fighter.  A member of my flight and another of my former flight got sent back to Starfleet Medical for care.  It was nothing short of amazing that as many ships and fighters got out alive as they did,” Ming said while shaking his head.

Some of the faces of people lost flashed through his mind as he spoke but with a small force of will stopped the precession.  He went on, “I’ve had moments of survivor guilt but I’ve been working past it.  The Knights haven’t had a single death since I took over despite the missions and scraps.  One severe injury and a few fighters that got shot to hell and gone but got down safely followed by the pilots walking away.   Now you’re back in my life…I’d venture to chalk it all up as a bit of skill and a whole lot of luck.”

He fixed Nina with a high megawatt smile and violet eyes, focusing on her before taking a seat at the table with her. The chest went to the third chair at the table, after which he patted it, saying, “And this…Is yours.”

Looking at the chest, she admired the intricate handiwork. She ran her hands over the surface before snapping the locks. Opening the container, it held an amber-colored gem the size of a lap dog. Brilliantly faceted and expertly cut, it was a thing of beauty. Her face twisted in confusion. “I don’t understand. I can’t accept that without an explanation. Talk to me, Marcus.”

“Years ago you and I crossed paths on the USS Churchill.  You helped me explore a part of me like nobody else ever could have.  We also shared feelings that I have never experienced before or since.  Rising tensions and the outbreak of war forced us into separate directions.  We’ve both made contributions to the Federation and allied efforts however my biggest regret was losing you as the most important part of my daily life.  I picked this up shortly after I arrived on the USS Tucson.  I saved it in the hopes that we’d one day be reunited.  I am unsure if we can rekindle what we had or not however I felt that should we ever cross paths again I wanted to be sure I leveled up for you…If nothing else then for one last time,” Ming said.

Marcus realized something as he finished speaking.  He realized he was a little scared.  He hadn’t known what to expect after all this time.  What he hoped for may’ve been wholly unreasonable.

Closing the lid on the chest, she said. “Still not sure about that. It is quite stunning to look at, and if it makes you think of me, then also incredibly flattering.” Placing her hand on his chest, she also added, “But slow down, cowboy.” She added with a genuine smile. “While I am not running away, it’s been a while, and we never went on THAT many dates.” She finished, by lightly poking Marcus in the chest.

“So, bug report. If you plan on taking someone to the Officer’s Ball. Fine. I’ll go put on my dress blues. Otherwise, I want something that doesn’t scream ‘fleeter’. I love my job and Starfleet, but my work-life balance might be a bit different. Suit. Tie. Slacks. Kilt even. No medals.”  Looking at him she was gauging his reaction. “I’m not saying no.”

“So lose the jacket. Get informal or reschedule this. Since I know you know what I look like cleaned up, fed, and otherwise not behind enemy lines.” Nina added still next to him.

Marcus chuckled softly, “We can talk business later.  Right now is time with the most beautiful and amazing woman I have had the pleasure of ever meeting. ”

He slipped off his semi-official jacket to reveal nice-looking but otherwise casual attire.  He slipped his jacket off, and placed it over the back of the nearby sofa.  He turned to face her gazing into her eyes and thought, “You’re still the most beautiful woman I have ever met Kannina.  One step at a time but…I hope you will forgive me if I strive to level up…Someone quite important to me taught me to do that.”

Looking back she offered, “Okay my list of starters, I am assuming you have at least one for me. You really need to let me at that closet. You wanna dress up Cosplay, fine. On duty. Off duty, I better see more normal choices off duty. I don’t think that is too much to ask. I might even join you, on occasion.”

“and two, I am freaking starving. So, I’m going to go eat before I collapse. Computer, hot french fries with fry sauce.” Kannina offered, pecking him on the cheek, before making a beeline for the food.

Marcus chuckled and followed Nina saying, “Computer, one medium order of some onion rings.  Ranch dip Ming 34 to go with it.”

The sidedish materialized, and he brought the plate with the sauce cup to the table. He chuckled as he surveyed the table before saying, with happy seriousness, “This might be one of the better spreads I have seen in quite a while. And I’m unsure I could imagine  better company.”

Starting with several fries before they even hit the table, Nina added salt and started dipping them into the mayo/ketchup mix. “Yeah yeah, Flyboy. Catch me up. You leave out some of the dismal failures.  Nina teased and asked him at the same time. You can flatter me later.”

Marcus shrugged as he dipped a couple of his fries into a ranch/chipotle tabasco fry dip and he munched them very happily.  He shrugged, “After I got uncerimoniously transferred off of Churchill I got transferred to a Peregrin wing on the USS Tucson.  I was there for around a year which, a bit over half that time, the Dominion war broke out.  Suddenly I got promoted to JG and to XO of the wing.  By the end of that year I got transferred to Denver with another promotion to full Lieutenant and took command of this ship’s wing.”

He paused again to take a bite out of his philly and chewed it thoughtfully before continuing, “We’ve had a lot of luck during our missions.  Some of it was self made while the other was pure, stupid luck.  The Universe seems to work in strange ways sometimes.  The worst was when the Fleet made a failed attempt to retake Betazed.  Too few ships and the general plan was equally lacking.  It cost a lot of good people as well as well as much needed ships.  The Tucson was one of those ships with most hands lost.  The Knights were able to catch up with my old flight.  My old CO and the XO who replaced me died while we attempted to get them back to Denver.  One of my pilots as well as another member of my old flight got heavily irradiated by a well-placed Jem’Hadar torpedo.  Both are recovering at Starfleet Medical…It wasn’t fatal but it’s a long recovery process.  My former wingman joined the Knights while the other surviving Ranger was shipped back to Starfleet for debriefing and reassignment.”

The pain of that memory was impossible to hide even with all his practice and training.  He said more quietly, “I lost a lot of friends during that battle.”

Annoyed at hiding since she had just escaped from behind enemy lines, she softened and said. “I’m sorry Marcus. There is more than enough pain to go around.” Nina said, finishing off her cheesesteak. “So. Here is the plan since all my crap was destroyed back on Betazed.” She got up and opened a small cabinet. “Not a fan of the cabinet, but the gift inside, I could do with..” She took out two glasses. “Not Saurian brandy, but some very old German stuff that does the same trick.” She poured each of them a generous finger and a half. Handing him one, she raised her close to his and said, “I need to get the heck outta here.” Clinking her glass to his she upended the large shot like a pro.

Getting up she said, “Now, I have a few things I can put together. If you would be a doll, and throw the food in the recycler. Then go put on some a bit more casual. I can look very good in the right sweater and jeans.”

Finished his drink immediately after his date then he smiled, “Will do.  And I remember quite well how nice you can make those look.  We’d had less time than I would’ve liked but you made one hell of an impression.”

Ming grinned impishly at Nina.  It wasn’t the first time she’d seen that one before.

She returned the smile. “Computer, play some Marc Antoine, starting with Cruisin, volume six.  The speakers started playing the lively tune as Nina moved into the bedroom, then the sonic shower, the door closing behind her.

Marcus watched her go not bothering to hide he enjoyed the view.  He’d seen and even met some beautiful women before and since their last incounter.  Kannina Chasu was still the one who pegged his his mind’s revvs at the high end unlike anyone else.

He chuckled and shook the thoughts out of his mind.  Well, at least to the proverbial back burner.  He slugged back his beverage and brought the dishes to the replicator before issuing the order, “Computer:  reclaim the materials currently in the replicator.”

The Knight’s CO watched the dishes vanish into a sparkling swirl which faded and left nothing.  He smiled and had a thought buried well behind his mental shields.  He said softly, “Computer:  Replicate patch – 335 fighter squadron, Knight Flight, Ground Crew shoulder patch.”

The requested article appeared in another swirl and, once materialized, he placed it on the table closest to the bedroom door.  He adjusted the chair a bit to make it more visible to someone coming out of the bedroom.  He also replicated a padd which he signed in to before heading to the sofa and getting comfortable.  The officer tapped at it thoughtfully as he navigated to the appropriate spot, entered some information, then moved that screen to the background and brought up some pictures of  New Berlin as well as Flagstaff on Earth.  He flipped through the nostalgia as he enjoyed the music and waited for someone he hoped to spend much more time within the not-too-distant future.

Drying off, she pulled out a cotton pecan-colored turtleneck tank sweater. Then choose light blue straight-leg jeans and a brown leather belt.  Adding a pair of lightweight lace-up high-heel Converse style sneakers with an 80mm heel. She didn’t have to worry about towering over nearly anyone even then. A light spritz of perfume and a denim jacket that matched her jeans.

Sitting down she brushed out her hair. She pulled it back with a simple diamond headband and added diamond studs to match. Makeup was last. Simple foundation, lipstick, and eyeliner.  Checking her appearance in the mirror one last time, she walked back to the main room.

“Ta da.” Nina said, Spinning to make a point.

Marcus smiled and took in the view.  He admired her for much more than her looks however her looks were a big draw for him.  He was nothing if not honest with him.  Along those lines he said, “You still do a great job of making those cloths look freakin amazing, Nina.  I always knew that you are beautiful and quite possibly the best crewchief I ever worked with.  Chief Xellath is up there but he doesn’t make it  good nearly as good as you. If I may be so bold as to say of course.”

He smiled and winked as he felt the sincere warmth he always had felt for her.  As he did so a thought crossed his mind.  He blinked a couple of times as he thought about it before asking, “That has me thinking.  Has the Fleet given you your next assignment yet?”

Nina bit her lip. “Not as of yet. I barely got finished with the debrief. Probably want to screw up my career and make me an Academy boy, like you.” She teased. “Comparing me to Chief Xellanth, hmm, not sure how to feel about that one. ”

“Come on. I don’t want to be cooped up in quarters.” Nina said, taking his hand and heading for the door.

Marcus squeezed her hand in return and grinned, “That I understand.  I was thinking, though.  Xellath has expressed interest in a transfer.  Apparently, he’s had an offer from Starfleet Academy to train enlisted ranks in the field.  Wouldn’t be interested in working on Denver would you Petty Officer Chasu?”

“I told you no shop talk. I meant it,” Nina said as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “The way you and your pet children fly my ships, you can’t afford to be without me.”

“I’ll put in both tomorrow….End of shop talk.  I’m quite glad to be back together again if I may be so bold,” Ming said with a lopsided grin he reserved for a select few.