Zandy and Shay

Posted on Wed Mar 18, 2020 @ 1:28pm by Civilian Aleczandra Naqiis-Ryan & Commander Amia Telamon M.D.

2,932 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Things Past
Location: Holosuite 4
Timeline: MD-2

Shay was trying to impress Zandy, but it was difficult. She was a very resourceful young lady, and she had very little reason to need a boyfriend to find things to entertain her. She was a challenge, that was for sure, but Shay had to keep her interested in himself, so he worked on a plan. He made a call to a hire company on the promenade, and then one to Zandy to invite her over. Now, how to word this to make it sound inviting without giving away the surprise? he wondered, running his fingers distractedly through his full-cut, blonde, luxuriant hair.

“A request has been made for Miss Aleczandra Ryan to attend a celebratory event in Holosuite 4 has been received.” The computer bleeped out the message as if it were just an ordinary communication that had arrived in the everyday round that came in each day. It did not say who was making the request, but it did add a curious rider. “The event will commence at 11:00 hours, and formal attire will not be required, as a fancy dress theme of early airplane pilots of circa 1930s is in place,” the digital voice droned on before stopping to wait for an acceptance or refusal to be given for it to relay back to the anonymous sender.

Aleczandra looked up from her padd of schoolwork as the voice spoke. She had been trying to keep Shay at arm’s length since their night of passion. She told herself she’d just needed to get laid to get over Teena. He meant nothing. A convenient, warm body. She should tell him to just piss off. So she’d ignored a lot of his invitations since then. But she found she kind of liked him, and the times they had hung out were fun. Still, she shouldn’t encourage him.

Zandra considered the invitation. Who was it from? Shay hadn’t bothered her for at least a week, if not more. Maybe he’d finally gotten the clue by four. So who could this be? Only one way to find out, and she wasn’t doing anything today. Her homework was already done.

“Tell whomever it is, I’ll be there,” Aleczandra told the computer. She tossed her padd aside and went over to her closet. “Now what to wear?” she mused.

* * * * * * *

Holosuite Four:

In the meantime, Shay had his work cut out as he set up the holosuite program. It wasn't hard to fill in the skeleton template on the main monitor, and before long he had collected the replicated ancient flying suit from the Promenade hire company and kitted out with an odd, fake leather cap with loose straps that would, he knew, have been intended to be fixed beneath his chin. The costume also included some primitive eye protection rounds on a base form of elasticated, rubbery strap that went around the cap and were intended to be worn over the eyes to keep them from being bombarded by debris or insects or general air pressure. He was astounded at how restrictive and clumsy they were, and couldn't help but wonder how pilots of this age could have been able to see to fly. His only understanding of it all was an imagination of how impossible it would have been without them, but, seriously?

He donned all the appropriate clothing and laced boots according to his research into the era and the advice he got from the hire rep. They had both got involved with a costume for Zandy too, which Shay estimated her size for, collecting together the flying cap, goggles, and gloves, on the assumption that at least if she hadn't gone for getting a costume of her own, he could at least offer her the fun basics.

Shay added a holographic public to cheer them on to the program, and had it mount huge red, white, and blue striped full bow dropped ribbon banners all across the high part of the walls and adorning the fake sky above the ancient replica plane he'd managed to also program in.

He also had it set out strange looking, thin fake-wood tables that would fold down, covered with plain linen sheets to mimic tablecloths of the era, and covered those in turn with period foods, equally bizarre and strange to his customary expectations of public celebratory buffet fare.

There was even a replicated metal urn heating water to make Terran tea in the ancient way, in a large, brown pot, shaped out of ceramic with cups with saucers -- what was that about? -- and replicated cow's milk in a jug that was also porcelain, but white glazed, but with no form of coolant whatsoever. How were these people even alive in those days with such primitive methods of attempting to poison themselves, so commonplace and accepted? he wondered vaguely, as he had put this together from archives dug out by the computer on his request.

It had been important to pipe in some traditional music, but that also meant more holographic figures with huge, loud, off-key instruments, blaring out in a very enthusiastic, but misguided, sense of unfounded excitement, and a bizarre kind of enjoyment and fun. Shay shrugged. People would be people, whatever era you set them in. It was odd, but had to be lived with. Being Human was something that offered the oddest mix of pride and embarrassment all at once.

Shay checked the time and concluded it was getting close to her intended arrival so he positioned himself near the door where a screen was placed, behind which Zandy could be asked to change into her costume before she got too good a look at the whole scenario that he had set out.

He waited, suddenly nervous, and inexplicably anxious about every detail, and many more that he hadn't had time to add in to perfect the imagery. Now he was within sight of the main event he was worried he might not have done enough to pull it all off.

Since the invitation had specified this would be a themed event, and it sounded like clothing might be provided, Aleczandra had opted for simple, wearing cut off shorts and a white tank top, showing off the blotchy spotting of the Trill side of her heritage going down her neck and legs, ending in sensible tennis shoes. The doors swished open, and she found herself screened off from the rest of the holosetting.

“What the hell?” Zandra wondered. She spotted a table and full length mirror nearby, with some clothes laid out on the table. “Huh.” With a shrug, Zandy pulled off her top and wriggled out of her shorts to pull on the trousers and loose white blouse, over which she put the jacket. She wasn’t sure what to do with the odd cap and goggles, so she shoved them into the pockets before pulling on the boots and walking out from behind the screen into the surprising aerodrome, with the band and the stands filled with people.

“What in the world…” Zandra looked around in amazement.

"Do you like it?" Shay couldn't contain his enthusiasm. He was anxious she should be impressed.

“I...well, yeah,” Aleczandra said. “This must have taken a lot of work to write,” she said, amazed, though she was aware that there were holosuite packages out there for purchase, obviously. She walked over to him and smile. “I’ve been ignoring you,” she admitted, meeting his eyes.

Shay met hers in return, but he didn't have an accusing or blaming expression in his own eyes. He just looked his usual confident, laid-back, cocky self. Perhaps cocky was a little bit of a harsh description, but then again, it was the impression he gave most people. This was, even if he wasn't showing it, much more important than he was letting on. Not only did he actually really like this girl, but he had his original agenda to stick to, no matter what he felt. Two most crucial reasons to make sure this would get Zandy's attention back to himself.

"I expect you're just trying to get my attention by giving me a hard time?" he said, not in a hostile tone, nor with a hostile look in his eyes, but as if it didn't matter because it hadn't worked. Of course it had, but who was going to get him to admit that? He was the son of a woman whose life had been stolen from her and 'that bloody doctor' was going to pay, but if Shay could bag himself some time with the delicious Zandy on the way, so much the better. His smile was totally charming, and the way he took her hand and kissed it was simply irresistible, or so he hoped.

Zandy smiled. “Sure,” she said. They didn’t know each other well enough to be completely honest, that he’d been a rebound and she didn’t want to get involved. But...his persistence and charm were hard to resist, and hell, that night they’d spent together had been pretty amazing.

“So all this?” Aleczandra asked, gesturing to the airfield around them. “It’s pretty impressive.” She allowed herself to step a little closer to Shay as she took it all in.

"Not as impressive as the lovely lady I created it for," Shay replied with a winning smile. His white, perfectly shaped teeth and strong jawline, deep fiery and fascinating eyes giving off an air of mystery as they sparkled in response to the way she attracted him. He held out his arm for her to take and set off across the hanger to show her the planes at a closer range. "Would my lady like some champagne? Only the best, of course!" His grin was cheeky.

“Love some,” Aleczandra said with a smile. “I love champagne.” She took the glass from him and sipped it. “This is the good stuff,” she said, amazed, as they approached the planes. She didn’t know much about such things, though she could fly a shuttle. She figured this would be way different to fly.

Shay didn't know a lot about champagne, but he'd got the computer to recommend something in response to his request for a good vintage. He did however know a fair bit about spacecraft, having been an apprentice fighter pilot once, not so long ago, before that woman wrecked his whole life.

He took Zandy to the monitor by the buffet that was laid out like a picnic on a red and white checked tablecloth over a trestle-type table. He offered her some canapes that looked tasty and showed her the short tutorial as they delicately nibbled on the fare and sipped their champagne, watching the basics on what to do with one of these impressive pieces of ancient flying inventions. They watched in silence, taking in all the complicated details until it came to its conclusion and left them with the echoing hum of the program running, but with nothing happening for a few moments.

Shay let his guest take in what she'd just seen for a moment and then held up his champagne flute in a toast, chinking it softly against hers. "Here's to you, the sexiest woman pilot ever to fly the skies!" he grinned, winking at her, his eyes sparkling.

Alexandra watched the instruction lesson as she sipped her champagne and nibbled on the appetizers. They were pretty good. The machines looked a lot more...physical to fly, not like tapping buttons on an LCARS. It was a little...concerning, but it was the holodeck, so safeties would be on. It wasn’t like she would be able to smash the thing into the ground.

Zandy smiled at Shay and clinked his glass in return. “Flattery will get you everywhere,” she teased the handsome young man. She shouldn’t encourage him, but she was...having fun hanging out with him. And the night they’d spent together had been amazing. Was she ready to start something more...serious again, after Teena? “Shall we try and kill ourselves in one of these death machines?” she asked, laughing.

"I shall amaze you with piloting skills of unsurpassable brilliance." Shay laughed, but then grinned and added, "And I shall teach you the little tricks, my sweet little apprentice!" He helped her into the cockpit of the replica ancient flying machine with its propeller and awkward looking wings with disproportionate, long, thin-strutted wheels and green and beige camouflage paint in an unconvincing pattern. The little pilot's cockpit was tiny, awkward to get into, and cramped, and the passenger seat behind was not much better.

Shay checked that the safeties were on, a little bit unconvinced himself that this odd looking dinosaur of a plane could do anything but fall into pieces when even sat inside, let alone flown, but he had triple checked the program specs and he had to have faith, or this would all have been for nothing.

"Would my lady like to be the pilot or passenger? Or should we take out one each and race?" he asked with a flourish of a bow, clearly exaggerated, and in his usual style of overkill, but with the huge, white toothed grin flashing and his charm sparkling in his eyes to show he was being complementary and not meaning anything by it other than an extension of his attempt to impress her.

Aleczandra eyed the cockpit. “Well, since I don’t know how to fly this, maybe you should just let me observe for a bit,” she said. “We can come back for the other later.” She slid into the passenger seat. It was going to be very cozy.

"Well, if you insist." Shay pretended to be reluctant, but that was exactly what he had hoped she'd say. He hopped into the pilot's seat at the front and was well aware of the quickness of his passenger's breathing.

Perfect, he thought to himself and made preparations for take off, just as if they were in a real plane and not a holodeck replica. He was at pains to do all that was possible to impress her, and with his odd animal skin helmet and goggles in place, he called back to her what he was doing, which was great until the got to the part when the engines were started and the roar drowned out his narrative.

The plane juddered forward, wobbled down the runway, and buzzed up into the air with a creakiness that made it sound impossible that it could actually lift off. But it did.

Aleczandra leaned forward to put her chin on Shay’s shoulder, her soft curves pressed into his back as she watched what he was doing for her own try at it. “Oh!” she exclaimed into his ear when the plane’s engine roared to life, and as they ran down the runway, her heart pounded more, and when they finally lifted off, she wrapped her arms around him to hold on as the wind blew in her face, pulling her rainbow hair behind her. This thing was literally matchsticks and canvas! How did it even fly?

Shay loved to feel Zandy's chin on his shoulder and then, even better, her arms around him. He grinned, although he knew she couldn't see his face from behind him. "You okay?" he called out to her, the buffeting wind snatching his words away and making it difficult for even his own ears to hear. He persevered. "How are you doing?" he tried, hoping she would hear enough to understand generally what he was trying to convey.

“Great!” Zandy yelled in Shay’s ear. “This is amazing!” Indeed, there was something much more visceral about this as opposed to piloting a shuttle. Primitive, basic, physical. It got her blood pumping, and she pressed closer to Shay. “I think I’m kind of turned on!” she told him.

"Well, we'll have to check out and see if that's for real once we get back," he shouted back against the buffeting, his grin now Cheshire Cat wide.

Yes! he thought, satisfied with himself, but he managed to control his fist from pumping into the air with success. She had enjoyed it and was excited, even turned on, by the adventure. This was the best he had hoped for when planning to try to impress her.

Aleczandra chuckled. Men. So easy! She pressed her lips to his ear briefly and held on tight, her hand drifting lower curiously between Shay’s legs as they flew. This was amazing!

It shouldn't have been so easy for Zandy to predict Shay, as he was a psychology student and was being taught all about these kinds of interactions, but, well, it was always said that love is blind (and also that males' blood drains from their brains to other places when they are aroused). However, Shay had originally got close to Zandy with an agenda, so he did have a part of him that was more triumphant about this going well than just an ordinary relationship. He just enjoyed her company, and if it was work as well as play, then so much the better. He enjoyed her flirtation and boldness, and felt better than he had for some time. He made the date last as long as he could, thoroughly pleased with the whole day.

FIN

Shay Conane
Civilian Psychology Student

Aleczandra Ryan
Civilian student

 

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