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River of Forgetfulness #25 - 26 Who's a flirt, then ?<On> <Holodecks, SB47> Hannah smiled as she checked the numbers on the Holodeck doors. Having told her best friend and sorted out things with her boyf...fiancee, and checking in with her department to ensure everything was running smoothly, there really was one more person she needed to talk to before she went public. Computer said she'd find that person in here. She tapped in the code to open the door of Holodeck Two. To find a sort of dojo, inside - the same one that Kristiana and Kathleen had spoken in, earlier - and Kristiana wielding a Katana, and being deadly with it. Wearing camoflage cargo-pants and a tight, form-fitting black t-shirt. Her moves were almost like a dance - practised, fierce, fast, determined and purposeful. Dodging an attack, retaliating with deadly precision, her opponent - a shortsword wielding masked hologram - was felled when Kristiana sliced his gut open. The hologram collapsed and vanished, and almost instantly his replacement materialised - an equally masked, faceless opponent, wielding a Naginata. Hannah just stepped back and watched, amazed at the woman's skill and deadly grace. Kristiana was focused, intent on the job at hand. Her opponent stepped back and half twisted, thrusting his Naginata forward, aiming to jab at Kristiana's flank with the razorsharp blade. Petrova countered by sidestepping - just barely - and knocking the Naginata aside with her own blade - quickly turning it in her hand and thrusting the hilt into the masked face of her opponent - staggering him. "Computer, freeze program !" she spoke, freezing her opponent mid-stagger. Hannah burst into applause. "Very impressive." She complimented her friend. Kristiana nodded, sheething her Katana in it's scabbard, on her back. She bowed, politely, to Hannah. "Domo Arigato." she spoke, in heavily accented japanese. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant ? Keep in mind that I'm off-duty .." Hannah bowed awkwardly, unsure of the right form. "Oh, no it's ok - I didn't come on Station Business." "Personal, then ? Alright, Hannah .." she spoke as she sat down, cross-legged, on the sparring mat. "Computer, remove opponent. Remove weapons." Hannah followed suit as the weapons and opponents disappeared. "How're you holding up?" She asked, concerned. "When we spoke this morning, you seemed a little...distracted." "Better, better .. Excersizing helps." The russian nodded. "The .. thrill of the fight, slicing into opponents, defeating them. It keeps me sharp." Hannah nodded. "So I see. You want to spar a little? Not with swords...I never learnt those, but my hand-to-hand skills are still pretty good, I reckon." "Maybe another time." Kris nodded. "Right now I'm not sure I can handle fighting a real person .. Especially a friend. Now, what can I do for you ?" Hannah shrugged. "Whatever." She smiled. "Guess the easiest way to start is to show you this." She put out her hand, showing off the ring on the fourth finger. Kris blinked a bit, and reached for Hannah's hand, to take it in hers .. She tilted her head a bit, smiling. ".. Yes, those are very nice fingers. Slender .. Unscarred .." she joked. "Kris!" Hannah said, in exasperation. "Just kidding, just kidding." She grinned, and moved to hug Hannah. "That's awesome ! Congratulations, hon !" Then smiling again. "But what would Jesse say ?" "Thank you." Hannah smiled. "But I guess more surprising is why he asked me today..." "Well, let's hear it." Though Kristiana had a good idea, by the way Hannah said it. "Well...I'm pregnant." Hannah said. Surprisingly enough, it was easier the third time. "Another reason for congratulations." Kris smiled, resting a hand on Hannah's. "I take it Jesse approved when you told him the news ?" "Yeah, eventually." Hannah grinned. "First he had to nearly have a heart-attack, but then he approved." "Well, you'll have to forgive him the shock." Kristiana nodded. "He IS a guy, after all." she winked. "So, how are you feeling about all this ? Pregnant, getting married .. It's all a big change." "Tell me about it." Hannah said. "The craziest thing of all is that, I don't even know how it's possible - the doctor said that I conceived at some point in the last two days..." ".. That .. means .. That it happened while you were Juliet, and Jesse was Romeo .." Kristiana frowned a bit, her mind wondering about the dynamics of that. ".. Take some advice from a friend - keep a sharp eye on the baby's development, have very regular doctor check-ups. There's no telling What can happen." "Yeah." Hannah said, nodding. "Do you...do you think I'll be a good mother, Kris?" "I think you'll be the absolute best mother you can be." Kristiana replied, nodding encouragingly. "It's a learning process. You'll do just fine, hon." "Thanks Kris...I just..." Hannah sighed. "I just worry about my past, y'know? At the age of sixteen, I was flirting with eighty-year-old men to get them to do what my Dad wanted...And then there's the million different ways my head is messed up. The whole thing with Sulan...and then the thing at the party with you and Rylaar...that's not normal, is it? And then the dreams...I think maybe the dreams scare me most of all. They reveal this side to me that terrifies me..." "But what, in the end, is just dreams." Kristiana replied. "You'll do fine, I'm sure of it." Hannah nodded. "I guess...I guess I'm afraid I won't know when to stop, y'know?" She said. "I mean, is it still OK for a mother to play the teasy-flirty-whatever it is game that we play?" "Why wouldn't it be ?" Kris shrugged a bit. "I see no reason why that wouldn't be appropriate. As long as you can keep it separated from how you raise your baby." Hannah smiled. "Now there's the trick. I wonder if my kids will beat yours at it as conclusively as I'm beating you?" The old twinkle in her eye was starting to return. "You're beating me, then ?" Kristiana smiled sweetly. "That's news to me .. Tell me more about those dreams of yours ?" She guessed. Hannah flushed. "Well, they might have involved you." Kris chuckled a bit. "That doesn't sound like you've beaten me at anything, greenhorn." she grinned, then smiled. "But .. It's ok. I'm not gonna tell anyone about this." "Thanks." Hannah said. "And judging by your reaction to my outfit this morning, I'm at least keeping pace with you." She stuck out her tongue, childishly. ".. An old woman's follies." Kristiana shook her head a bit. "Maybe if you'd been there twenty years ago, as you are now .. But, no. That's all behind me." "Doesn't stop you enjoying the view, though does it, Commander?" Hannah smiled, back to her old self again. "'specially the view from behind." She laughed. "That's where I'm gonna beat ya." Kristiana smiled, nodding. "True, true .. But I've got bigger breasts - and I wonder if yours are gonna be as firm as mine are, when you reach My age." "Oh please." Hannah laughed. "You should have seen the look in your eyes when I walked onto your bridge in that tank-top. Your eyes were nowhere near my face. "True. But I don't need to show off my body to get you thinking about me, do I .." Kris spoke, raising an eyebrow, smiling sweetly. "Touche." Hannah said, getting up to leave. "But I'm willing to bet if I dropped my pants on the way to the door and just kept going, you wouldn't be able to get the image of my sweet little cheeks rubbing together off your mind for the better part of the next two weeks." "Nor anyone else on this base .." Kristiana spoke, rising to her feet again. "Computer, load program Naglfar." as Hannah exited. The dojo vanishing, replaced by a rock-stage, with a BlackMetal band assembled there, and a vacant seat behind the drum-kit. Kristiana sat down on the drum stool, grabbing the sticks, being in a mood to beat out some fierce blastbeats now, like she always liked to do after excersizing combat skills. Hannah laughed, and blew her a kiss. "See you around, Kris." She left, feeling much happier than when she had arrived. <Off> Lt Cmdr Kristiana Petrova Executive Officer Starbase 47 'Ronin' & Lieutenant Hannah O'Driscoll Chief Strategic Operations Officer Starbase 47 'Ronin' "I don't see any conflict between a happy and healthy relationship with my fiancee and a flirting contest with the XO"
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