Spark Of A Chance

Posted on Fri May 22nd, 2020 @ 12:34pm by Nollel Livaam (*) & Chief Engineer Michael Burnstein

Mission: Mission 11 - Prospecting
Location: New Laurium - Crew Bar
Timeline: MD 02 23:00
Tags: monthly challenge
3385 words - 6.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Noelle watched the small group break up and smiled as she saw the one who had been pointed out as the chief engineer at the bar alone. She had not followed them from the replicator to the bar but it was easy to see after all the hard work where they would end up. She moved through the bar until she stood pretty much next to him and smiled a little as the barman as he automatically went to her instead of the off worlder. “What are you having?” She offered.

Burnie had recognized her. How could he not? He'd been curious about her, even a little fascinated, ever since hearing about the bomb incident. "Talarian whiskey, straight." He smiled. "Can I buy you one? As a thank you for using your cred as a local to get me mine."

Noelle was stunning and it was easy to see that her previous life was still a major factor in her life despite her time away from Aradana. Blonde, well-groomed hair surrounded her. Whilst soft skin handsomely complimented her eyes and mouth and left an intriguing memory of her fortunate looks. She doesn't overly look out of place due to the dark colour of her dress. "Doesn't that defeat the whole point of things?" The woman wondered as she nodded at the barman looked at her to check that she was getting the man that. "My usual please Joshua," Noelle said politely to the human before he disappeared off to get the drinks.

"Well, thank you then," Burnie replied, nodding appreciation. "I'm Michael, by the way, but my friends call me Burnie."

"And you know exactly who I am," Noelle commented on looking around properly as they waited. "Leiddem or Reuben would have told you I am sure by now but I am Noelle." She was overly familiar with both men that she had no shame in name dropping

She clearly wasn't too worried about what he might have heard. Burnie felt a bit of sympathy for that - there were a certain number of people in Starfleet, and possibly a few other places, who seemed to think he was some sort of psycho pyromaniac. And while he didn't necessarily object to pyromaniac - he did love a good fire - the assumption that that meant he was somehow unstable just plain blind prejudice.

He took the drink that had appeared before him and lifted slightly toward her. "Pleased to meet you, Noelle. They did mention something about a crazy lady who bombed a cargo hold," he chuckled and flashed a grin. "But I've been called a mad bomber before myself, so I'm not going to hold that against you."

Noelle smiled and moved to sit down on the stood next to him as her glass appeared next to her. It was a black liquid that when she sipped left a black strain of her lips for a moment before disappearing. "I was pretty crazy back then. It was nearly four year ago." She shrugged.

Someone else might say four years wasn't so long, but four years ago Burnie had been a decorated Starfleet officer working with a research team to mitigate a temporal anomaly... "Time changes everyone," he remarked, taking a pull of his drink. "But I guess you must have changed a lot since you're here working with the guy you planted a bomb to avoid marrying."

Noelle found herself smiling just a little before she stood a little straighter. "Liem was never the issue. Have you seen him? He is gorgeous and funny. He would have been a good husband hopefully if I wanted to be a pawn in the game." She said simply. The man had been the only good thing about potential marriage, she just did not like being used as a pawn in a power play for her father to seem like something he could never hope to achieve.

"I guess I didn't hear the whole story," Burnie replied, ducking his head. The attractive woman you were talking to in a bar saying how gorgeous and wonderful her ex was ...well, it was not exactly in the top ten of how you might want or imagine that conversation would go. "So are you two together then, but just not married to avoid the politics?"

"Oh goodness no." Noelle let out a quick laugh almost snorting into the liquid she was sipping from. "Liem is married to someone else. Has been for two years I think. I am here because he is the only person who would vouch for me in our species. My father have the incident on Reuben's ship made me person no grate on the Ardana. I can never go back to Stratos or anything. I would give a lot to even see the mining museum right now."

"I'm sorry," Burnie said sympathetically. Liha might not talk about it much, he sensed how much it pained her that she couldn't go back home, or really even to one of the little breakaway states fragmented off from the former Romulan Empire. "I've never been there, but always heard it was lovely. Still, there are a lot of places in the universe. Have you ever thought of just heading off to somewhere not aligned with Ardana?"

"Everywhere is now thanks to Zenite." She shrugged. It did not matter much, it was just frustrating, She should not have done it the way she could but she was headstrong and gotten in with a crowd that did not believe in Federation values. It had been an excellent way to prove herself and they had been good to her but it did make her wonder sometimes what her life could be like if she had just gone and spoken to Rueben.

"Aligned isn't the same as controlled by," Burnie offered encouragingly. "I doubt half the Federation worlds out there would have any idea of your history." He took another pull of his drink. "At least, that's been my experience."

"Why risk it all when I am content here. Though I was surprised to see your Captain and the ship here." She mused thoughtfully. It was a long way off the beaten track for the group to be just there by chance, it was like someone was forcingg them back together.

"As long as you're happy," he said, inclining his head to her slightly. "As for us, we're here for the same reason we go most places - a contract to deliver cargo." There was no need to bring up any of questions or dubious discoveries about that cargo.

"The bread and butter of cargo delivery. How are the ship and its crew?" She asked interested. Gregnol could have easily turned her over to the authorities for what she had done to the ship but he had literally been this force of ultimate calm and almost disappointment for lack of a better term. He had been scarier as than her family when she thought back to twenty year old her.

"Fine, especially since you helped us get our evacuation corridor repairs," Burnie replied with a smile. "I'm relatively new there, so I don't know who all was around when you were, other than the Captain of course. He and his wife seem happy, and she's certainly a good engineer. And you probably knew Eden since she's one of the 'long term' crew. Has she always been ...a little odd? I mean, she adopted a big hairy spider from our last stop and treats it like it's a cuddly little kitten." He grimaced, giving a slightly exaggerated cringe.

"Your repairs are nothing. I caused more damage. Gregnol is married?" Now that pipped her interest. He had always been the brooding type in her opinion, silently longing for something that was just not there. "He was certainly not that when I saw him last. He kept making eyes at an Engineer is that her? Stunning? Brown hair? I want to say she was Betazoid?" Noelle could not have been sure on that.

"That's her." Burnie nodded. "I don't know how long they've been married, but they certainly seemed like an established couple when I first met them."

"I do not think I met an Eden and certainly not someone who likes spiders." Noelle hated them and they existed across the universe. She had yet to go anywhere, where they had not developed in some form or another.

"Well, she must not have been there yet then, because I doubt anyone could miss her. Spider lovers." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'm not sure who else you would or wouldn't know... is there anyone else you want to know about?"

“I am sure I would know her indeed. She sounds like a character.” She grinned after him. “So what about you? How did you end up with them?” She wondered interested as she realised he had only been talking about her.

"Funny story there," Burnie said, picking up his drink with a sly grin. "We met in bar fight."

“It is a good start to a plot.” Noelle grinned not evening surprised. “Who started it?”

"Well..." he tipped his head side to side, "...the bar was watering down the drinks, so technically you could say they started it. But it was my Romulan comrade who got irate about it, jumped the bar and started pouring out proper drinks." He chuckled, shaking his head. "The Captain's wife joined her, and the Captain and I wound up trying in vain to keep things from getting out of hand. In the end, we ducked out the back way together just as local security showed up."

The woman bit her lip for a moment trying to keep the laughter inside but it was impossible. She broken down and started laughing as she imagined it. “Sounds like you have had much fun getting to where you are now.” She said finally once the laughter subsided. How could anyone not laugh whilst telling that?

Burnie laughed too. He'd told the story enough that he usually only chuckled at the memory, but Noelle's laugh was infectious. "At the time, I thought we were gonna killed..." he laughed. "Or Liha was going to kill someone else, because, you know, Romulan tempers." He brought his hands up, splaying fingers in a head exploding mime. "But it all worked out. And it has been fun. Some frustrations keeping an old ship running, but mostly it's been a pleasure to be back on a starship, even one that mostly ferries cargo."

"It is funnier after the event and the memories are all you have," Noelle assures grinning still. Time healed most things. "She is an old thing but it is amazing how she had been kept out of a museum." Noelle had respect for Gregnol and the crew for that more than anything else. "When I was onboard I used to draw the ship. Does she still have the weird figure head on?"

"Oh yes." Burnie nodded. "It seemed strange to me at first, and honestly i think it annoys Gregnol, but it's such a part of the ship - gives her extra character, you know. But if you drew the ship, you must be an artist. Is that a hobby or related to your work here?"

"I was an artist but now I am an assistant for the architectural department in Equinox so it is more a hobby now but I used to quite well known back on Ardana." It was a big change to her but she found the work she did now actually felt more fulfilling than just being a kept woman.

Beautiful, knew how to handle explosives and an artist. Burnie smiled. "I wish I could see your work. I don't have any talent myself, but I grew up around art."

"I am sure you search my name from any networked console and my art will come up. I used to be displayed in a lot of hotel it Stratos City. It was how I was able to repay my debt to your crew," She admitted seeing his smile. "Not much else I can do to say I am sorry for how I reacted to a situation."

"It's all in the past, and at least as far as this member of the crew is concerned, your contribution to fixing our evac corridor more than makes up for it." He tilted the last of his drink toward her before swallowing it. "I bet Gregnol will feel the same. He particularly liked that part of the ship."

"Not the way that Lieddem stares at me." She could not blame the man if she was honest. She did not expect forgiveness in all honesty. "Really? He actually has a soft spot for something?" The was interesting news, she mused as she down the last of her drink.

"Eh, security types. They never stop being suspicious." Burnie shrugged. As far he was concerned, she was all right. More than all right in fact. "And yes, Gregnol does - bit of an odd thing to have a soft spot for, especially since he's not the sentimental type about much else, but then I have a soft spot for photon torpedos and plasma grenades, so who am I judge?" he laughed.

Noelle laughed a little at his love for things that blew up and shook her head. If he had been on SS Mary Rose when she had decided to go big with her protest she might not have done it. "Yeah, you really cannot judge him." She confirmed before hitting her lip a little. "Would you like another drink or maybe go for a walk?"

Burnie smiled. "A walk sounds wonderful. I haven't really seen much beyond the foundry."

"Come on then." She announced standing up from the stood always offering a hand for a second before she stopped herself and just smiled.

Slipping off the stool, Burnie offered his arm. He didn't want to be presumptuous, but it seemed the polite thing to do. "Lead on."

Noelle smiled and wrapped her hand around his arm. She was silent as she led him outside into the night. It was a clear night despite how close to the foundry and pit entrance they were. "It will be nice and quiet around now. The bar is the only place busy at this time of day. Miners work hard and play even harder."

"I'll bet. I was trapped down in a tunnel once, and I definitely had a few drinks afterward," Burnie remarked. He looked around as they strolled. "It is nice here now, peaceful, and little enough light that you can really see the stars." He smiled, looking up at the night sky.

"A lot of the power is turned off overnight apart from..." She pointed to one of the biggest building that was lit up in the semi-darkness - Equinox Industries. "They still use enough for the infrastructure to be stretch most of the time despite stuff being off at night."

Burnie looked at the single lit building, puzzled. "Surprising for a mining outfit," he commented. "Do they work late shift for business and admin in the building to reduce power draw during the day?"

"No idea apart from what Kirkby and Maasar let slip," Noelle admitted with a shrug. It was not her place to get involved. "I just allocate the off worlders to mining teams nine till five." She mused seeing his puzzled expression.

Huh. He might have ask Maasar when he came for his tour of the ship. But he filed the questions away; curiosity about the local business really wasn't the main thing on his mind right now. "What's your favorite place to go off hours?"

"Old town bridge." The woman said with a moment's hesitation. It wasn't really old compared to most other parts of the colony or other bridge around the universe but it crossed the only real source of water outside of replicators that was clean or tainted by the mining operations. "Come on I will show you." She smiled and led him to the old town bridge.

Burnie followed along happily. Liha would probably have chided him for not being more cautious, but Noelle was local and certainly knew the colony well enough to know what paths were safe after dark. Besides, how long had it been since he'd gotten to stroll with an attractive woman in the moonlight? "It really is charming spot," he said, running a hand along the bridge railing. "How old is this? It seems well-made."

"Only about ten years or so. They used to have an old wooden rickety thing that was forever requiring maintenance and just causing more work than was needed. It looks older right. Massar modified it when he came here as it did not feel old." Noelle laughed a little at the old Engineer. He was a treasure and why he was out this far was a mystery.

Burnie laughed in turn. "He's something else - something good. I knew he had an appreciation for aesthetics by how clean and smooth our parts were, but I never would have pegged him for being sentimental as well."

"Takes a brave man to be like that." The Ardanian mused pulling her hand away from his arm to lean against the railings properly. "So Michael what made you come for a walk then?"

"A chance to really see more of the colony," he looked down at her - her hair shimmering almost like a soft halo in the moons light, the light and shadows throwing the curves and planes of her face into perfect contrast. Maasar was not the only engineer with an appreciation of beauty. He smiled. "...and you."

"It is pretty away from the holograms and seediness of that area. The old town is mostly homes." Noelle told him before shaking her head at him. "Nothing to see around me not anymore." She whispered looking below at the murky water.

"It's a pretty area," Burnie agreed. He leaned against the railing just beside her, glancing over almost shyly. "But I wouldn't say there's nothing to see around you - just seeing you would be worth the whole trip."

Noelle turned and looked at the man a little and smiled a little. "It has been a very long time since someone has attempted to flirt with me like that." She admitted stroking a finger along his cheek gently. "You are very brave or very silly."

"I find it hard to believe no one's tried flirting with you - a beautiful woman, here with these miners. All I can think is that they know how far out of their league you are." He smiled softly, moving slightly closer at her touch. "Out of my league too, honestly, but if not brave, I am maybe crazy enough to try anyway."

“I might be crazy enough myself to let you.” She assured him thinking on the nights that she spent on her own because being one of the few single women on the colony. “You intrigue me.” She admitted with a small blush.

His smiled broadened. "I think that's the nicest thing anyone's said to me in a while," he admitted, lightly putting a hand over the one she had on the railing. "And the feeling's mutual."

"Want to carry on our walk then to my place?" She wondered biting her lip wondering if the intrigue went that far or if it was just a fleeting thought. She did not invite men back to her place at all, she normally if at all went to there's so she could leave when she wanted.

Burnie's breath caught, just for a moment. The part of his mind that couldn't help automatically calculating probabilities had set that one at extremely low. It was nice to be wrong sometimes. He smiled and offered an arm again. "I'd love to."

The woman put her hand on his arm before trailing her fingers to his. "Come on." She tempted leading him across the bridge and the edge of the buildings. Whatever this was a spark of it would be fun either way.

OFF::

Michael Burnstein
Chief Engineer
SS Mary Rose

Nollel Livaam
Adminstator
Equinox Indrusty
(PNPC Equinox IndustriesGregnol)