Elbows Deep in Engineering

Tal'Ara chuckled, "A fan girl, are you? Yes, the very same. We only met briefly, but he was very kind. Not as arrogant as the typical Vulcan... perhaps that was the human side of him showing."

"He's my idol!" T'Pren exclaimed enthusiastically, trying not to take offense at being called 'fan' or 'girl'. "I used to spend hours as a child running around with an old busted scanner strapped to my chest, pretending to be him. Sometimes my dad would even be Kirk for me. I've studied everything he's ever written and everything written about him. If ever there were a spokesperson for half-breeds, he is it."

She was flushed just talking about him. "Did he speak to you? What did he say? What did you say to him?"

"We mostly talked politics. His movement was gaining a bit of steam with the Romulan underground, and he was looking for a senator to publicly endorse the idea of unification. And because of my father, I have a lot of ties with the senate. Unfortunately, it isn't exactly a popular idea with the Romulan upper circles. But I, for one, support it. I was fortunate enough that my father taught me about Surak. I feel a lot could be gained by reuniting our cultures."

"He did mention a humours anecdote about one time he performed a Vulcan Mind Meld with a humpback whale," she added, lightly.

T'Pren sat heavily down on the floor next to Tal'Ara to listen with rapt, jealous attention to her tale. She let her head drop back against the wall with a thunk and let out an envious, audible sigh. "I would give just about anything to meet him. You're so lucky."

"Well, there is still time to meet him. He is alive, after all. I actually think he is still on Romulus. If relations between our governments continue to improve, maybe one day we can take a little trip there, and I can introduce you... it's a long shot, but I still have plenty of favors with various senators I can call in," she winked.

Where T'Pren had been enthusiastic and jealous before, now she was looked a constantly fluctuating mixture of shocked, flattered, grateful, and bewildered.

"You would really do that for me?" the half-Vulcan asked incredulously.

"Sure, why not," Tal'Ara replied casually.

She could practically taste T'Pren's excitement.

"But only as long as you behave," she teased.

T'Pren grinned broadly, practically squirming at the idea of meeting Spock.

"For the promise of Spock," she assured the other woman in a way that was completely innocent on her part, "you could train me to do tricks."

Particularly happy now, she popped back up to her feet and turned her back to Tal'Ara again to do more work with the irregular chip. While the computer ran numbers, she pulled down her hair and put it back up, more tightly this time, with her ears fully exposed.

Tal'Ara grinned when T'Pren put her ears back.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said.

She got back to scanning the chips on the grid.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?"

With her back to Tal'Ara still, T'Pren saved herself some embarrassment when she opened her mouth to say 'of course' at first and then reconsidered.

"Mmhmm," she decided instead, digging back into her work.

"Do you like me?" she paused. "I know the Captain doesn't - and I understand why. I'm a Romulan ex-spy. We were enemies not too long ago. There are decades of mistrust between our societies. He has every right to be cautious and not trust me. And I know I can come off as a bit cold. Harsh, even. But that is only because I have built my entire life on false relationships. In a way, this assignment is a chance... a chance for me to start fresh. Live honestly for a change."

That was not at all a question T'Pren was expecting and her brow furrowed in surprise and compassion, so that when she turned back to look at Tal'Ara, it was with amiable concern.

"I don't really know you," she pointed out earnestly but not unkindly. "Frankly, I'm not even sure if you like me. Maybe because of my Vulcan side or..." She made a face and shook her head. "Or maybe because you're used to people preparing to stab you in the back. Sometimes it seems like you think I'm insulting you, but I can assure you I have yet to speak a word against you."

She sat on the edge of the console and thought her way through what she wanted to say next. "You perplex me, certainly. And you make me feel off-balance sometimes." The half-Vulcan pursed her lips as she considered their relationship. "I'm really enjoying this, though."

Finally, she gave Tal'Ara a helpless smile. "So, yes, I suppose I do like you."

Tal'Ara smiled broadly at this.

"I like you too," she said. "And I am enjoying this as well. You are right. It is comforting."

She brushed her bangs to the side a bit.

"Thank you for being honest with me. I will do my best to not make you feel... unbalanced," she said with an innocent chuckle.

T'Pren laughed when her word choice was tossed back at her, and she turned her back on Tal'Ara again with an affable grin.

"You're not the first person to think I mean things I don't," she admitted as she flipped through data on the console. "Sometimes I think I've missed a huge portion of my social and conversational development thanks to the Obsidian Order. The Academy was a very steep learning curve in people not always saying what they mean. Or things going over my head that everyone else seemed to get."

She held the chip back out for Tal'Ara to take. "Will you plug this back in for me please?"

"I think I understand how you feel to a degree. I didn't have much time for real relationships while I was in the Tal Shiar - save a few- so it is hard for me to interact with people on a certain level. Hence why I can come off kinda... well... you know," she laughed.

Tal'Ara grabbed the chip from T'Pren's hand, delicately passing her fingers on her soft skin for a brief instance.

"Sure," she said, fitting the chip back into place.

Usually when T'Pren is expecting a touch, she can brace for the impact of the other person's thoughts or feelings, but this time she simply wasn't paying attention. She froze in place, eyes staring straight ahead for just the briefest of moments, and then blushed a pretty mint green before turning carefully back around to continue her work at the console. Because she also needed the time to figure out if she'd just been kissed.

It took her a bit to collect herself and to pretend that everything was totally 100% normal, yup, no Vulcan kisses here. And only then did she return to the conversation like nothing happened. "May I ask...how long were you in the Tal Shiar?"

The half-Vulcan made her way back to her own panel, preparing to flop onto her back but taking a moment to study the Romulan. "I didn't realize there was even such thing as a former agent of the Tal Shiar."

Tal'Ara smiled courteously at T'Pren, "Of course. I was in the Romulan Military Academy, when I was recruited by the Tal Shiar in my early 20s. I served the Romulan Empire as an undercover agent for about... 15 years? Then I transitioned to more hands-off role... military strategy. Ugh. Was never a fan of it, but alas, espionage is a young persons game. My ties with the Tal Shiar officially severed when the Federation-Romulan Peace Coalition determined that I would be the ideal candidate for the exchange program. So, about a year or so ago, I was officially enlisted in Starfleet, had a crash course of training on Starfleet protocol, and here I am today."

She exhaled.

"And no, there isn't really. I am probably the first person to leave the Tal Shiar not in a body bag," she said, darkly.

Tal'Ara's answer was full of information, so T'Pren didn't go back to work on her grid quite yet and instead sat up and watched the Romulan as she spoke.

When she was done, the half-Vulcan, with a softness and gentle curiosity in her voice, asked, "Is there dishonor in that? To leave the Tal Shiar and still live? Or are your people supportive of this assignment?"

Tal'Ara laughed out loud, "Oh no. We aren't Klingons, after all."

"No, there is no shame in it at all," she said more seriously, "I live to serve my people, and building a peace in the Alpha Quadrant, especially after the devastating losses during the Dominion War, is the best thing for our people right now."

Tal'Ara sighed.

"I will say that sometimes I miss the days when my life was in true danger. My early days. But, as I said, my recent work in the Tal Shiar was less than exciting. Strategy. Paperwork. Bureaucracy. So, I'm excited for this new adventure. It will be a welcome change."

As Tal'Ara spoke, T'Pren finally tucked herself back up under her panel to run scans on each of her chips, listening as she worked. She wondered darkly if Tal'Ara had ever had a hand in the Tal Shiar versions of what was done to her, the pet projects that only the unchecked covert branches of government seem to be able to stomach.

"I hope it won't be too welcome a change," she said finally, a little quietly. "I'd like to resolve as much of the Cardassian/Bajoran conflict as we can with diplomacy. The same with any restless Klingon factions. I don't think any of us can handle another war."

"Agreed," Tal'Ara said firmly.

She got back to work.

"What was your part in the war?"

"Laboratory experiment," T'Pren replied grimly, glaring up at the grid. "Obsidian Order test subject." She paused and then added, a little more lightly, "At least until the Obsidian Order was practically destroyed. I spent the first year after that on a station near the Cardassian border being tested to make sure I wasn't a Dominion or Cardassian weapon of some kind and applying for Starfleet Academy. I spent the rest of the war getting fast-tracked through in case they ran out of officers."

Tal'Ara didn't say anything for a while.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," she said, softly.

"It's hardly the worst thing to happen in the galaxy in the last twenty years," T'Pren replied a little gruffly, dismissing the sentiment to protect herself.

She was quiet too for a while after that before adding, "But thank you for saying so."

The half-Vulcan pulled an irregular chip and climbed out from under her panel to recalibrate on the main console. "Anyway, they weren't unkind. I was a means to an end."

Tal'Ara frowned sympathetically.

She went back to work, but thought she should lighten the mood.

"So... what is the deal with you and Captain Rai?" she asked with a playful grin.