Posted by Lieutenant Jarred Alindor (Chief Engineer) in Alindor’s Quarters

Posted by Lieutenant Natasha Daye (Doctor) in Alindor’s Quarters

Posted by Lieutenant Jarred Alindor (Chief Engineer) in Alindor’s Quarters
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

<snip>

Jarred stared, unsure how to broach Kalani. While he had been single for nearly two years, the return of Cori even if it was’t the kind he expected was still fresh in his mind. They hadn’t gotten together, not like they were when she died the second time. He was still he friend but in many ways her return left them both come to closure and understanding of what they needed.

Still, Jarred hadn’t had a lot of chances to be romantic, either shot down or burn and disastrous. He often took chances, even silly ones but part of him wondered if he took too many chances right now. “I… no… Ralph is fine. ” he said as he looked down at the small fox. “God you are cute....” he finally blurted, almost as if by accident as his eyes got wide. He didn’t know what to do, he drank feelings way but he had no booze. “I mean, well you are but…” he said trying to regain balance as his cheeks flushed.

Alindor, CE

“But” she said feigned a frown. “Wow but. Conjunction junction whats Jarred function. To fix the utterance with something to get him very far,” she sang the children’s grammar song leaning back and against his arm. Well right now his arm was stretched more behind her than around her but that could change in a heartbeat. Kalani couldn’t help but think how easy flirting could be when you had an intellectual sitting beside you and not the athletic hunk with a low IQ score. Jarred so far was meeting every requirement for a second date but the night was still young. Nuzzling her back into the couch, Kalani wiggled just enough to make sure the back of her neck as laying on his arm.

Jarred felt a flow of relief, he used to be so much better at just being himself. Part of him felt like he lost that side of him, knowing how to just be normal was in many ways a foreign concept to him when it came to manners of affection. When everyone burned and fizzled when you got close to them, you became cautious. Cori’s return just shined in some ways to him how broken he had felt, so keeping his disastrous flirtation with Saterya in mind, and not trying to rush too much Jarred felt far more at ease.

“Hey do me a favor,” Kalani said leaning her head over towards Jarred. “Okay so ever since I can remember, whenever I watch this someone reads the words out loud. Want the first and third paragraph or all of it?”

“I will do you one better, I will read it all in Wookie!” Jarred said, smirking as he did. He remembered as a kid trying to imitate the Wookies from Star Wars, their guttural growls always a charming highlight to the film.

“Wrrhwrwwhw huurh uugggh uughghhhgh wuuh aarrragghuuhw uuh uughguughhhghghghhhgh huuguughghg hnnnhrrhhh uggguh uughguughhhghghghhhgh uughguughhhghghghhhgh raaaaaahhgh huuguughghg aaaaahnr wrrhw aaaaahnr raaaaaahhgh uughghhhgh aarrragghuuhw huuguughghg huurh uughguughhhghghghhhgh.”

Kalani could not manage to read her part. She was laughing too hard. Not the gentle chuckle or delicate female snort huff with a slight grin but a full-on belly laugh that shook her entire body. The series of gargles and growl like sounds would have had the directors back in the 1970’s shaking their head’s with a solemn face saying no for the sacred role of Alindorbacca but Kalani loved it. Partially because this guy did not seem intent on impressing her at all. He was laid back, happy, fun, light. If this was what movie night was like she would be over every night.

As his turn came up for the third, with grin in place trying to hold back the laughter he began again.

“Huurh uuh uughguughhhghghghhhgh aaahnruh uughghhhgh huuguughghg raaaaaahhgh raaaaaahhgh raaaaaahhgh raaaaaahhgh raaaaaahhgh uughghhhgh huuguughghg awwgggghhh aarrragghuuhw uughghhhgh wrrhwrwwhw huuguughghg wrrhw huurh uggguh uugggh aguhwwgggghhh huuguughghg aarrragghuuhw aaaaahnr huuguughghg wuuh huurh uughguughhhghghghhhgh”

Kalani said nothing when Jarred finished. There was no congrats or deep discussion on the use of his Wookie vernacular. Kalani just clapped in appluase. “I gotta tell you Jarred if we were on Kashyyyk you would have all the Wookie women swooning over that accent. Including me. Well not over the accent but simply because it was so freaking adorable,” she silently added.

Jarred said nothing, but felt grateful the room was so dark as he let the movie roll on. He could feel the redness of his cheeks as he sat there before he shifted and felt more comfortable with her next to him.

As the last of the words were read, laser blasts began to fill the screen with a loud pew pew sound erupting in thte room. It was then Kalani and Ralph learned Jarred liked surround sound. Ralph let out a small mewling sound before looking at the screen. The image of a man in head to toe back sparked a series of low growls fom the small canine. Ralph’s ear dropped until they stood lateral to his head instead of straight up.

Ensign Kalani Kane, science

Jarred looked down at Ralph, “He’s Vader, big old meanie… for now… but he can’t hurt you little guy.” he said, as he gave some comforting pets with his free hands as he looked over and smiled softly at Kalani. “Everyone is afraid of the Darth the first time they see him aren’t they?” he says as he found himself feeling more at ease in this moment, there didn’t seem to be much pressure. It was a movie with a girl and her pets, what’s strange about that?

Alindor, CE

“Not everyone and while all the girls I grew up with looked to Wonder Woman for inspiration I just pulled out my inner Leia when times got tough. I mean if you can stand up to a guy that requires you to wear a neck brace because he is so freaking tall who can’t you handle. Crag was just lucky,” Kalani said cockily. “You want to know what I would have done if you were there helping me get my needed plastic Aluminum to my people?”

Ensign Kalani Kane science

“Oh so fierce aren’t you? Take the galaxy all on your own. Too bad Vader is kind of a pansy ass outside of the armor. Anikan and his sand, dude you grew up on a sand planet of course it gets everywhere!” Jarred said, seeming to have issues with the prequels and how they portrayed everyone. “That said, Maul is always my favorite Darth.”

Alindor, CE

“I hate sand. Of all the places to just hang out the desert is not my top choice. I am more of a jungle or woodsy type girl. I would have settled down on the forest moon of Endor myself with a nice comfy vacation spot on Nar Shaddaa. I have always imagined that place to be like Las Vega.” As the movie continued past Princess Leia telling Luke he was her only hope and Han Solo boasting about his ship, Kalani became more and more relaxed. She was always on the go and the rare times she sat, she often nodded off. Not out of boredum but more because she was simply sitting still. As the movie ventured into the intrepid trio followed the Princess into the garbage shoot, Kalani decided it was time to lean back and test the waters. Her head rested on the back of the couch fully letting it snuggle into the crook of Jarred’s elbow resting there. Not quite a full on cuddle but she had just met the guy. Watching Leia plead with Luke to forgive himself, made Kalani think.

“You ever blindly followed someone and then regretted it,” she asked him almost in the same tone Leia was using on screen.

Ensign Kalani Kane Science

“Yeah… my…” Jarred paused, he wasn’t sure how far he wanted to get into his ex wife Lilly, I mean that wasn’t great topic in a situation like this. He let his hand wrap a little tighter around her, enjoying the closeness but not wanting to push. “It’s not really important I guess, but… you?” he said as he looked down at her, curious as to where she was going with the question.”

Alindor, CE

“I’m a twenty-six-year-old Ensign. What do you think,” she said her voice laced with sarcasm. “I made a mistake once. I followed someone when I should have been smart enough to say no or at least think about what she wanted me to do. Instead, I went in full bore with idealism as my conscious. It ended with me losing my junior lieutenant status, an investigation into a possible court-martial about involuntary manslaughter. I am not naive enough to say I would not do it again. I am savvy enough to say I would do it again just smarter the next time.” Kalani paused here. She just gave Jarred a lot of information to process. If he porbed further she would tell him. If he let it drop so would she.

Ensign Kalani Kane Science

“That would be a hell of a story… I maybe able to beat you somewhat, I was engaged… then fiance’ left me, got married to another woman and she left me the day after we got married, dated two other women, one who died and another one who went into a coma for three years. Oh then then the one who died, came back to life… for the second time mind you, and then I realized what I loved about her was the past and not the present and then broke up with her to rediscover myself…” Jarred said as he looked at Kalani, wondering if he just had verbal diarrhea to far.

“Okay so you have me beat for best daytime soap opera,” Kalani said trying to process how quickly he had spit out the information to her. One day she would slow him down but not tonight. She got the gist of his story. He had been dumped hard and was on the rebound.

“Oh I always do… it’s… well it’s a very strange life… but… I got to meet you cause of it and you brought me pizza and foxes so it can’t be that bad right?” he said with a small wink as he felt more calm as he spoke about the past, it was a lot of baggage to throw down at once on someone.

“Just tell me you aren’t into Birkenstocks and eat humus when you are on the lookout for the new and improved you. Trust me going native is not the way. Nor is meditating. Been there, done that and have like ten t-shirts from those mental trips,” Kalani replied with a half laugh shaking her head. “Besides I don’t really get the idea of finding yourself. Don’t get me wrong. I am not belittling your story at all. I just think people use the phrase finding themselves as a catch all. My thought is you always know yourself. What you don’t know is how crazy the people around you are. They are the ones that get you lost. Piece of advice from a total stranger....don’t let crazy in. Next thing you might discover is a brunette sitting next to you and a fox in your pocket,” Kalani said seeing Ralph nuzzling Jarred pocket of his pants and trying desperately in his half-asleep state to burrow into his cargo pants.

“A what?” Jarred asked, looking at her perplexed as he looked down, finding himself in an awkward position. “I have to admit I am happy to see you but this is just a fox in my pants.”

“Since it is our first movie I’me glad. Six months from now that could make me sad,” she gave him a wink. “Let me get him settled.”

“It’s okay little buddy. I got you,” Kalani said moving off Jarred’s arm and the couch. Walking over to her book bag, she pulled a dark brown fleece blanket from the bottom. “Mind if I get a cup of coffee,” she asked hooking a thumb at the replicator.

“By all means, just leave me with a fox on my junk” he said as she began to walk off, sticking his tongue out in a playful jest.

“So how did you lose the pips exactly?” he said, switching the moment back to her in quick haste, feeling himself feel odd he opened so much just then.

Alindor, CE

Getting the drinks she moved back to the living room. “Fennec’s are burrowers. They like the safety of walls when they sleep. Since Ralph doesn’t particularly like cages this is the next best solution. May I,” she asked holding the blanket up. In another month or so, Kalani would just toss the blanket to Jarred. This time, however, she felt it was easier to show him what needed to be done than try to explain it.

Tucking the blanket rather tightly around Ralph, Kalani gave the yawning fox a scratch on the head before adjusting a bit of fabric over his face like a flap.

Now it was her turn for show and tell. Kalani took a sea but this time a bit farther from Jarred. Turning to face him by sitting sideways on the couch she took a sip of her coffee before starting. “I was just off my cadet cruise. We went to the jungle planet of Ravi VI. It was one of those working but R and R stops. So I completed my assignment and went to the local watering hole. A few shots later I met a man named Justin Wright. He was,” her cheeks reddened a bit, “easy on the eyes and I was an easy target.” Kalani wasn’t sure if she was more embarrassed about telling the rest or that she just let him hear this detail.

“Anyway he gave me the standard pick up lines about an animal in trouble and how he needed someone to help. You know what I mean right,” she looked at Jarred sincerely.

Ensign Kalani Kane

“Yeah, I do… I take it didn’t end entirely well?” he asked her, giving her his full attention. All he wanted to know more of the woman who just wrapped his fox up. “And… you don’t have to tell me either, I don’t want to feel I am prying. I don’t want to make you feel quid pro quo or anything silly like that. I just want to get to know you.”

Alindor, CE

“No,” she said. “I hate secrets. There is nothing worse than thinking you know someone and then finding out you know diddly. So Justin,” she got back to her story. Kalani felt like a fool telling him this story. She just liked Jarred enough not to have to explain later why she kept it a secret if she was really innocent. “He seemed like a nice enough guy. We hung out a few times…talked. So about a week after I met him I told him I would be gone for a few days. We were studying a critically endangered Ravis IV Pangolin. There was only like 40 or so left on the planet. They were hunted for their scales. People thought it was magical if they ground them to dust,” Kalani went on a bit of a tangent circling the topic but not getting to it. She had no idea why she started this topic. Jarred Alindor was essentially a stranger. It was the thought that he had the possibility of being more that made her continue.

“So we hike out to the area and set up a base camp. We studied the last pod of pagolins… say that three times fast,” Kalani threw in a small joke tucking a lock of loose hair behind one ear.

“It was that night things happened. Jonas showed up. At first I thought he had scoured the jungle looking for me. Kinda silly huh but we were in the middle of no where. Heck we had a five-mile hike to get to the base camp after a one hour flight to a clearing in the jungle.” Kalani felt her stomach doing flip-flops. It was as if she had to sell the idea that she was helpless before she even began for Alindor not to be uncomfortable with what happened. “My happiness to see him turned out to be my biggest nightmare.”

Ensign Kalani Kane