The Arizona was on the homeward leg of the mission, and Tarik was elated at the results. Not only had the Son'a been driven away from the B'aku world, they'd also been able to dispatch a band of potentially dangerous (if incompetent) pirates. And they'd done it with only one fatality and three minor injuries. Not that Gutierrez's family is going to be particularly happy, but that's a job for the priests and the counselors. My people need to blow off some steam!
Tarik tapped his combadge. "Major Tarik to all Marine personnel--there will be a gathering at the mess hall at 2000 hours tonight. You know what this is for, so if you don't show up it's your own damn fault!" he said, smiling. Now, for one other guest...
Tarik walked to Kassia's quarters. She'd been busy studying the whole day, working toward the day when her honorary commission would be made permanent. He chimed the door.
"Enter," she called out, still engrossed going over everything she could about science. Her Away Mission has sparked her interest and she poured over the material she was to learn with zeal.
"Hey love!" Tarik said with unusual zeal. "We're having a party tonight in the mess hall--2000 hours. That's 8:00 PM for the civilians in the room. Oh, wait--there aren't any anymore!"
She giggled as her eyes met his. It was hard for her to tear herself away from the PADD, but she did set it down. "Cute!" she replied, her green eyes dancing. "So there's going to be a party? For what?"
"If I recall correctly, this is the 420th anniversary of some obscure Earth country's independence from colonial rule. But more importantly, it's a celebration of a successful mission! Remember that I told you I would show you how we blow off steam after a mission? Tonight's the night!"
"Ah!" she smiled. "Okay . . . Is there anything special I should wear . . . or not wear?"
"Just come as you are," Tarik said. "I want to introduce Starfleet's newest officer on this momentous occasion as well!"
She laughed again. "Okay, I will definitely be there! In fact, I'm looking forward to it!"
Tarik spent most of the next few hours making arrangements with the mess staff for use of the private section of the mess hall for the unit party. He managed (somehow) to replicate a keg of beer, several bottles of various liquors and wines, and hors d'oerves. Tarik was sure everyone would show up, but he was hoping Kassia would appreciate the event for what it was. More than any of them, she needed this. In fact, Tarik would have held off and celebrated with the entire 28th had it not been for Kassia. She needs to be shown a good time right now. So do all of these guys--they've all done a great job!
It was nearing 20:00 as Kassia checked herself in the mirror. She wasn't particularly vain, but she did want to look good tonight. For Tarik, if for no one else. As she gazed at her reflection, she pushed her hair back away from her face, showing off the way her spot framed it. Her uniform was in good order, and not wrinkled. But as she looked at her cheeks, a shudder ran through her. She remembered how sore they had been from the blows the Son'a Commander has given her. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the thought away as best as she could. "I'm going to have a good time tonight and this is NOT going to interfer with that . . ." she said quietly to herself. Once her emotions were reigned back in, she walked from her quarters and to the mess hall . . . not sure exactly what to expect.
The mess hall had been partitioned into two areas: one a public area for people wishing to grab a late meal or who were coming off shift and wanted dinner, and another behind a portable wall. There was an old-fashioned door in that wall, through which Kassia entered. She found herself in the middle of a party already getting under way, music in a foreign language playing.
"That's a type of music from Lance Corporal Gutierrez's homeland, a place on Earth called Mexico," Tarik said, taking Kassia's arm amidst a chorus of catcalls, whistles, and more than a few comments about "the Old Man getting some." For now, and only for now, Tarik would ignore those. This was an extremely informal occasion. Uniforms were worn only because those were the only clothes most of the Marines had with them at the moment. "It's called ranchera music. I have no idea what they're singing about, but it is pretty," he said to her.
She nodded. The comments the others had made had not escaped her notice and she blushed lightly as she smiled. "It is very nice . . ." she replied, enjoying the sensation of the music, so different from what she was use to listening to.
Tarik went to the refreshment table and tapped a beer from the keg for himself, and poured some wine for Kassia. The environment was extremely racuous--which is exactly what he wanted. He handed Kassia her drink, and then stood up on a table.
"If I could have your attention for just a moment," Tarik said. There was some laughing and hooting, but things died down. "We're here to celebrate a very successful mission. Not only did we defeat the Son'a--" Tarik said, pausing as the group began to cheer.
"Not only did we defeat the Son'a, but we managed to rescue three of our own from their grasp!" he said. More cheering commenced. "Now, Lieutenant Vasser is still in sickbay, and Lieutenant Deveraux's in the brig--"
"When is Deveraux not in the brig???" Hartman, just as polluted as everyone else, asked.
Everyone laughed. Tarik raised his hand slightly, and the group calmed down slightly. "But I have here with me our third contestant, the lovely Kassia!" he said, pulling Kassia up on to the table with him. The crowd cheered even louder with that.
Her breath caught as she looked around at all the men watching her, and smiled self-consciously. "Oh my god . . ." she replied. "Do I say something?" she whispered to Tarik, as her eyes roved over the crowd.
"Work the crowd! You know how--or is someone else managing to sell all the stuff in that store of yours?" Tarik said, laughing.
She laughed and turned her attention back to the crowd. "Thank you!" she said, her eyes sparkling. "I'm glad that I could be here tonight . . . If nothing else, to give you guys something to tease Major Tarik about!" She laughed again and they joined her among some outstanding cat calls. "But seriously . . . I would also like to thank you all . . . If it weren't for you, chances are, I wouldn't be standing here right now . . . I would probably be dead at the hands of the Son'a . . . So I have a lot to be grateful for and especially for you rowdy bunch of guys!" Another set of giggled broke forth as the men cheered yet again.
"Now, some of you might wonder why Kassia's dressed in a Starfleet uniform--particularly one in that disgusting shade of blue!" Tarik said as the group began booing. The Marines, who usually wore red or green, and the Science/Medical branch of Starfleet enjoyed something of an unofficial rivalry. "Normally we see her dressed much better!"
The crowd switched just as quickly from booing to cheering. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, and those of you in between, allow me to introduce the newest officer in Starfleet--brevet Ensign Kassia, our new Counselor!" With that, the crowd broke out in cheers and applause. Tarik wasn't sure, but he thought some of the folks in the open section of the mess hall were cheering as well.
"Now, we don't usually get on with counselors that well, but I'll let you folks in on a little secret. Any telepaths in the house tonight?" Tarik asked, knowing the answer. A young Betazoid PFC raised his hand.
"Good. Private Jax can confirm this for us. While Kassia was being held prisoner by the Son'a, she was using some special abilities of hers to confound, confuse, and otherwise screw around with their alleged minds! She's a lot of the reason why we were able to overrun them so easily. So this is a counselor with some teeth!" The group laughed and applauded even more after that.
"For this reason, she has been recommended for not only the Prisoner of War citation, but also a commendation for conspicuous bravery. The exact level of commendation has to be determined by Starfleet Command, but I'd say she's earned it!!!"
The whole group cheered and began chanting her name.
Surprise went into her eyes. "What?!" she asked quietly, as she turned to Tarik. "I've been what? but I'm not even a real Officer yet!"
"It doesn't matter," Tarik said. "You wear the uniform, you get everything that goes with it. Even if you were still a complete civilian Starfleet would have done something for you. We don't forget our own!" he answered. "Paul and I signed off on the recommendation before he went into the brig; Private Jax provided additional evidence. Damn hard to recommend someone based on telepathic evidence, but I've seen higher awards passed out for less, and on less evidence!"
She was stunned, and smiled. "I don't know what to say . . ." she said, as she looked out toward the crowd. "This is such an honor . . . One I would have never expected . . . I guess, the only thing left for me to say, is . . . get me another drink!" she laughed.
The whole crowd cheered! "Are you sure she didn't sign up for the wrong branch?" someone asked.
Someone passed Kassia a glass of--something. "Now, Madame Kassia--and I expect her to be addressed as such at all times on duty--will be joining us periodically for some basic training. We don't want this valuable Federation asset to fall into enemy hands again, do we?" Tarik asked. The crowd booed. "She may be a counselor, but she's not going to be one of those wimpy-assed counselors the Fleet's always sending us! She's going to be the Real Deal! We're going to teach her to shoot, move, fight, and think like one of us!" Tarik said. That sent the crowd into paroxysms of cheering once again.
She took a sip of the strong drink someone had passed her and grimaced, keeping the smile on her face. It hit her system quickly, and she laughed. "So when will my training start?" she asked. "Because I am going to be the best damn counselor any of you have ever seen!" She was definitely enjoying herself. She realized that the alcohol was definitely lowering her defenses just a bit as she played the crowd just a little.
"As soon as I can draw up a schedule for you that makes sense," Tarik said. "We can get started when we get back to the station. I'll have to draw some equipment for you but that doesn't take long." Then, to the crowd: "Along with all the fun tonight, we also have a serious matter. Our comrade, Lance Corporal Ramon Mendoza Gutierrez, was killed in action. As we speak, a priest is headed to the station to claim his body when we arrive. He was one of our best, and we will miss him. That's why the music tonight: this was music of his homeland, a place he's now returning to, even if he must see it from the afterlife. A moment of silence, for Gutierrez."
Kassia was sobered for a time as the room grew silent. Loss of life was a difficult thing for her to deal with, but she knew it was something she was going to be facing. She vaguely remembered seeing Gutierrez' face as he had walked through the station on several occasions. In fact, one time he had even come into her shop . . . He had been interested in several rosaries she carried. Tenderly, she grabbed Tarik's hand, for her own comfort as well as his.
"Fiat voluntas tua," a voice at the door said. It was one of the mess staff. Tarik looked over and saw the woman crossing herself.
"Well spoke, ma'am. Folks, Ramon would want us to party, so let's get back to it! Come on in!" Tarik said, waving to the woman at the door. The mess attendant reluctantly entered the room, where she was immediately swept off her feet by one of the Marines, dancing to music that wasn't even playing.
Tarik stepped down from the table and helped Kassia down. Now they were just another pair of revellers as the party went on. Suddenly, on impulse, Kassia caressed Tarik's face. She then leaned toward him and kissed him. She didn't care who saw . . . The crowd hooted and cheered. Tarik didn't care either.
As she pulled away, her cheeks flushed as she looked at the crowd, and back at Tarik. She bit her lower lip and looked up at him through her dark lashes. "Time for another drink?" she asked tenatively.
"Always!" he said. "I almost forgot--Hartman, did you bring that package I asked you about?"
"Yes, sir!" the old noncom replied. He was still wearing his ancient "smokey bear" campaign hat. The man can't be human--that hat's got to be part of his skull! Tarik thought, although he knew the reason why Hartman kept it on. Hartman reached over to the table and retrieved an oblong gift box, which he handed to Tarik. Tarik handed the box to Kassia. Kassia took the box with surprise, and almost dropped it. It was much heavier than she suspected. She opened it and found a Son'a combat dagger with sheath. On the standard-issue sheath were engraved some alien characters.
Curiously she lifted the knife from the box, then took it from its sheath, looking at how it glinted in the light. As she held it, she got images of the Son'a Commander who had interrogated her. With a sharp intake of breath, she saw him come at her to strike her, but tried to distance herself from the memory. "This belongs to that Commander, doesn't it?" she asked.
"It did," Tarik said, "but he doesn't have much use for it now. The denizens of the underworld require a bit more than a dagger to hold them at bay."
Tarik put his arm around her. "Now it's yours. See those markings?" Kassia nodded. "That's your name, in Rihannsu. I had Hartman engrave it on the hide sheath--he's got more talents than being obnoxious, it turns out! It's yours now. Nobody but you will ever use it again. There are legends--on Earth, among my people, and in a lot of other places--that if you take a weapon from an enemy, that enemy will never have power over you again. Take that to heart, my dear."
She took a deep breath in as she watched it glint off the lights again. Quickly she shealthed it. "I'll try," she replied and placed it back in the box for safe keeping. "Thank you . . ." she said, tenderly caressing his face.
"It's never easy, but it is possible. That's why we do stuff like this," Tarik said, indicating the party. "If you can laugh at it, and laugh about it, it has no power over you. Have you ever wondered why I like to eat--why I'm constantly trying new foods?"
"I never thought about the reason why . . ." she replied. "I figured it was something you enjoyed doing . . ."
"I was one of those kids who was nearly impossible to feed when growing up. My parents used to have the worst fights with me about eating this thing or that," Tarik said. "At the Academy, too, I was finicky. Then I got captured and held for three months by the Cardassians. They starved me in an effort to reveal information I didn't have. When I was finally released I had lost nearly 30 percent of my body weight. It took me two years to get back up to where I should have been. But while I was in that prison camp I swore that I would never turn away food again! The gods must have a perverse sense of humor, because it was a Klingon unit that picked me up. My first meal after I was released was rokegh blood pie and gagh'!!!! So now I don't complain too much about food. I appreciate everything for what it has to offer. That my dear is the secret to getting past these things. Appreciate what every day has to offer, and don't let the bastards take more than they have!"
She smiled and nodded. "I understand . . ." she replied. "Now if I could just get the nightmares and flashbacks to go away!" She laughed again. For the first time able to laugh at what she was going through, though she suspected a lot of that had to do with the alcohol.
"Those will go away too! Just hang in there; you'll be fine!" Tarik said, still sober despite his fifth beer. "Computer, play the Official Anthem of the 28th Marine Expeditionary Force!" he ordered. The crowd began cheering on that announcement. The computer began playing for the group a very old song, from 20th-century Earth. One that began with a series of bass chords, then descended into pure manic excitement...
Kassia managed to drink yet another alcoholic beverage handed to her and she felt a flush cover her. She enjoyed the sounds of the music and when the Marines cheered, so did she! She also broke into laughed wheverever something struck her as amusing. But she never left Tarik's side.
The party wound on, with everyone getting increasingly drunk. Finally, it was well past 0100, and time to call it a night. Without a word, without an official announcement, the whole crowd broke into song, Tarik leading with a surprisingly strong baritone. "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me...."
Kassia knew this song and joined in. As the song drew to an end, she turned to Tarik once more. "Can you accompany me back to my quarters?" she asked softly.
"Of course. That was, after all, our official stand-down," Tarik said. "We're not always a bunch of irreverent louts!" He took Kassia's arm and led her out.
As they reached her quarters, she reached out pulled him to her, kissing hims deep and passionately. Not only did she want his touch, but she didn't want to be alone . . . She wanted him to be with her, to be beside her . . .
Tarik understood completely and entered the room with her. It was a small room, meant only for one, but two could manage it if they didn't mind being close.
She caressed his face. "Can you stay the night with me?" she whispered as she peppered his cheeks and lips with kisses.
"Do you have to ask?" he replied.
She smiled, and unzipped her tunic, letting it fall to the floor. "Good . . . " she replied, nibbling on his ear. "Then be with me . . ."
Tarik said nothing as wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply.