Sudden and forbidden love.

 

 

Captain Calhoun was furious. The Katarans had arrested some of his crew for reasons that seemed ridiculous to him. But to avoid further complications, he had suspended shore leave for all of his people. Another thing he didn’t like. “Calhoun to all senior officers. Report to the conference room at once.” He had decided, that he needed to discuss this with his fellow officers, because this incident could very well end up nastily.

At the meeting, they decided to go dirtside, and this time Calhoun would personally take contact to the kataran authorities. “Shakar, Eric, I want you to come too. Some of the people are yours Eric.”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll tell Sharon to look after the workshop while I’m gone.

“Good. Any Questions? ….. Dismissed!”

They all went to get themselves ready. McKeon slapped his combadge. “McKeon to Riker”. No response. “Lieutenant McKeon to lieutenant Sharon Riker. Please respond”. No answer. “Computer, please locate lieutenant Sharon Riker” McKeon said, now a little annoyed. “Lieutenant Riker is in her quarters”. Now very annoyed, McKeon took a turbo lift to Sharon’s quarters. He pressed the admittance key. No answer. Now quite pissed, he overrode the door lock, and got inside.

On the table lay Sharon’s communicator. McKeon was now very angry. How could she do this!!!!

“McKeon to the captain”.

“Go ahead.”

“Sir…..I have a problem with Sharon”

“A problem? Please elaborate. Is she ill or something?”

“No she’s…..missing…..but her combadge…is not”.

“WHAT!!!”

“Well, I….”

“Eric, listen to me. You and Shakar  will go dirtside with tricorders and find her. And you are authorized to rip that bi…I mean to punish her in a suitable way. I’ll take some of the others with me.”

“Aye, Sir!” McKeon said.

 

Eric and Shakar had first tried to scan for her from space. But there was no luck. Now, they were hustling through the city, scanning for the life signs of Sharon. When they didn’t find any, they decided to take a maglev train into the inner part of the planet. The train, fortunately, had well trimmed intertia compensators, because none of them felt a thing when the train rushed from the station, and disappeared into a hole in the ground. When they got out, an astonishing sight met them. Inside the planet, which they know knew was nothing but a shell, rested a miniature sun. There were fields, forests, parks, lakes and cities. Shakar mumbled something about getting going, and Eric let himself be led away.

They arrived at a beach, where people appeared to vacation. There were all sorts of aliens, enjoying the sand and the water, and the various cocktails that the kataran servant drones served. Marchktor pointed at the lake. “The signal is pointing that way. She must have taken a boat or something.”

“Uh…okay, I suppose we should try to reach her…”

“You’re damn right we are! Let’s rent a boat!” Eric looked at Shakar, who appeared to have risen in anger, as they got closer to Riker.

They found someone renting the strangest boats McKeon had ever seen. They looked something between a small whale and a large surf board, and they had no controls! This buggered McKeon a bit, but they were told to just tell the boat where to go. It was a living, bioengineered creature, just like many other strange beings of burden they had seen their kataran hosts utilize. It took a bit getting used to, but soon they were making a good speed, sailing the way the tricorder led them. McKeon almost felt like the ancient nautical sailors of exploration, who sailed into the horizon, headed for the unknown, and equipped only with a compass to find their way safely.

After a while, they saw a boat much like their own, floating in the water. On it were Sharon and one of the katarans. Sharon had stripped down to a quite revealing bikini. They seemed to enjoy each other’s company, and apparently Sharon looked very unworried about life. McKeon started to feel his own anger build up. Here they were, lost in alien space, and Sharon did this!

They reached the other boat, and Sharon and the kataran looked up from their little nautical picnic. “Hi, guys, what are you doing…” Sharon started.

“What do you think you are doing!!!!” Shakar immediately snarled. “You are a senior officer, and then you just run away like a schoolgirl in love; even though the captain have cancelled all shoreleave!!!”

“Sharon, we’ve been looking everywere for you!” Eric said. “We were all worried about you; why did you sneak away like that. It can be dangerous!”

“Aw, c’mon guys….” Sharon tried.

“Just get your ass on this boat NOW!! That’s an order!!!” Shakar yelled.

“Now, listen here….” The kataran started in Sharons defense.

“YOU just stay out of this!” Shakar snarled at the baffled kataran. “This is none of your damn business, so just shut your damn mouth! Riker! Move, damn you!”

Sharon was clearly intimidated by the angry klingon, and in a few seconds, she had taken her uniform and herself onto the other boat.

“When you get home, Riker, I’m gonna make sure you’ll be cleaning plasma manifolds with your tongue” Shakar fumed. He continued to yell at her all the way to the shore, telling her how worthless she were and how much he were gone bust her ass. Eric almost felt sorry for her. She had sneaked away on an unauthorized trip dirtside, but still….. He wasn’t sure what, but something wasn’t like it used to be. Normally, he would have told Shakar to back off, and then he would have done the yelling himself. Normally, no-one else but him were allowed to yell at or punish his people.

Normally, he would not have felt so strange inside by seeing Sharon with a boyfriend. He had met several of her previous lovers, and he had always been happy for her. But not this time. Because this time, there was nothing “normal” about things. As the boat reached the shore, and Shakar debated with the owner whether or not they should get a refund because they hadn’t used all their time with the boat, Eric started thinking. He let his memory rewind to the moment when they found Sharon. What he thought. What he felt.

As they left the beach, he found out what was so strange inside him. He was jealous. He was jealous because deep inside, Sharon meant more to him than the friendship they’d shared at the academy. 

They arrived at the spaceport, were two security people and a shuttle waited for them. McKeon took the controls, as Marchtor continued his lessons all the way to the ship. Riker just sat there, silently listening to the red-hot fury of the klingon security chief. “…and the safety of people like you are the responsibility of people like me! And I can’t do my job if everyone disobey the captain’s orders and just walk off on a whim without combadges and without authorization. This is so much against StarFleet regs, and it is such a bad example being set by a senior officer like yourself! Do you understand this, Riker?!?! Do you?!?! If we can’t trust you….” McKeon  shut the rest of the conversation out. He almost felt like telling the klingon to ease off a bit, but he didn’t. Part of him thought she deserved it, because it was wrong and because they had been worried about her. Another part of him felt, that she had been punished enough. But both parts agreed, that Sharon wasn’t just his old academy friend anymore, and could never be. As the shuttle took off, he saw his life pass before him. How one ten year old Eric McKeon arrived at the academy. How he came to the Quad, and how he met one nine and a hald year old Sharon Riker, niece of Commander Riker from the USS Enterprise. He remembered how they quickly became best friends. How they had worked together to finish one of their Quad projects one late evening just before they had to submit it. He remembered all the fun, all the sorrow. The good and the hard times. As they approached the docking bay on Independence, he once again saw her on that boat. He remembered how he had held back his breath. How his heart had almost seemed to stop inside him. How the pain and the anger and the jealousy had suddenly welled up inside him.

When they came back, Riker were taken to the captain, and were ordered to do some extra shifts in engineering. McKeon was glad, that he didn’t chose to demote her, because he didn’t think engineering would be the same without Sharon at his side. He was astonished, how much he actually cared for her, now that the little incident on the planet had happened.

 

Sharon was working in engineering. Her ears still rang from the yelling that had been done at her. First by lieutenant Marktor, then by the captain. But at least he didn’t throw her in the brig or something. She felt really stupid, running off like this. As if she was still a thirteen-year-old school girl. And I must have pissed Eric off as well, she thought. Normally, McKeon would have insisted, that he would do the yelling, and then he would personally rip whoever had made an offense’s head off. She wanted to talk to him, but the captain and Shakar had told him to report to the holodeck, for reasons yet unknown. She thought, that she would probably be working on fixing whatever went wrong in there during the night shift, where she would normally sleep. Oh, how I have messed things up. If I could just talk to Eric. To apologize to him. Some friend I am…

 

Later that day in engineering, when he started his watch (and Sharon started her extra, at the captain’s specific orders), McKeon was a little confused. He knew he had to pull her aside. To tell her…..but he didn’t know how to. He didn’t know how to tell one of his best friends, that he liked her. He went into his office. He took a deep breath, just like his old martial arts instructor had taught him, and let everything go for a moment. Then he opened the door, and called for her. “Sharon, please step into my office.” “Yes, Sir” she said.

When the door had closed, he looked at her. “Sharon….there is something I need to talk to you about. Yesterday….”

“I…I’m so sorry. I really feel bad about what I did…” she said, staring at the floor.

“No…Sharon…um…that was not what I wanted to say to you. I think Shakar and the captain told you enough. I don’t want to step on you any more. Sharon….” he hesitated. She looked up at him, as he stood, biting his lip while seatching for words.

“What is it, Eric?” she said. He could hear a bit of concern in her beautiful melodic voice.

“Sharon…when I saw you with that kataran yesterday I…I got angry somehow…I mean, it’s not like me…you know…we’ve always been just friends, and…” he looked away, but snapped back to her, when she touched his arm.

“Eric, why don’t you just say it?”

“Ok…well..um…Sharon…I really like you…a lot. Uh, as in more than just a friend and…” he blushed, terrified that she would laugh or even slap his face for saying what he did. Bu she did not.

“Eric…I kinda like you too”. She drew herself close to him, and kissed him. He pulled back, eyes wide. “Isn’t that what you wanted, Eric?” she said with a shy smile. Oh, how he loved that smile. Those eyes. Those full red lips of hers. He didn’t know what to say. Yes, that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, how she suddenly was the light in his life. But all he got out was “Uh…yea…um yes it was…” Sharon smiled and kissed him again. At first it felt a little unnatural, to kiss one of his best friends from his childhood. It was like kissing your own sister. But all of a sudden, it felt just right. Eric didn’t know for how long they stood there, kissing and holding each other. He felt a chill through his body, as she took his hand, and guided it to her breasts. “Uh, Eric…I want you so much. I’ve wanted you for so long…but I never dared tell you.”

“I want you too, honey” he said. With shaking and eager fingers, he started to open her uniform. They turned around, so she had her back next to his desk. As he slid off the upper part of her uniform, she pulled him with her down on the desk. She taught him how to please her, how to caress her breasts.  In the beginning, he felt a little clumsy, but Sharon helped him relax.

 

The scene changes to a view from outside the ship. You see the kataran planet below, and some small shuttles and suited people working on Independence.

 

McKeon was almost scarlet in his face when he left his office. They had agreed, that she should leave first, and then he would follow a few minutes after. He went to check one of the consoles, and to check on the progress of his people outside. One of his techs came up beside him. “Everything all right, Sir?” the young bajoran asked. “Yeah…um…yes..sure” McKeon said, turning a darker shade of red. “You look a little overstressed, Sir, if I may say so….”

“Um…yeah, I suppose so. You know me, I can’t stand when everything is not right with my engines” he smiled, looking sheepish.

“Sure…well, I’ll go check on the team working on the port nacelle, then.” The bajoran walked away. Was he hiding a smile? McKeon thought for a split second about calling him back. But that might only make things worse.

 

The next few days Eric and Sharon stole as much time to each other as was at all possible. They hoped none would suspect a thing. They tried to be careful not to show their feelings in public. But it was hard. Sharon had to work extra shifts, so the only time off she had was when she were supposed to eat or sleep. And after captain Calhoun had informed them about the ship’s AI, they got even less time together, as Eric had to work with their new and sophisticated computer. All they had really had together apart from stealing a kiss in a Jeffries tube or in Eric’s office, was one evening in the mess hall when everyone else had left. And that didn’t turn out quite right either. They had been talking for a while, and just when they had fought themselves free of their mutual shyness about the change in their relationship, Shakar and some of his people had entered. They were off duty, and that were to be celebrated. Sharon had left immediately, and Eric had left soon after. He kept thinking, if he had done things right. He wanted to talk to her, to ensure, that he had done the right thing by starting a relationship with his own second in command and best friend.

 

Eric was in his quarters, adjusting his uniform before starting his shift. He was trying to concentrate about his upcoming work. But it was hard not to let his mind wander, when…

"Eric, why don't you ask Sharon out tonight?" Indy said.
"I don't know.....it's all so new to me....I'm not even sure I did the right thing when I kissed her in my office...I mean she'd also been my friend...and she's my junior officer and all...."
"Nonsense! Just let ze nice computer take care of everything...I have created a nice Caribbean restaurant in pleasant surroundings on the holodeck. I have booked time for you and Sharon - and 'forgot' to enter the holotime on anyone's account -...and I have some very nice local food in my replicator databanks. I even programmed the local replicators for making some wine and red roses....all you have to do is ask her out...."
"Thanks, Indy. You're a real pal. I'll ask her.....hope she doesn't have other things..."
"She don't. I peeked into her calendar."
"You...did?"
"Yep. But if you don't tell, I won't either" Indy chuckled.
"Allright. But promise me you won't interfere, right?"
"Sure. You are my friend...and I kinda like Sharon too. You two were made for each other. Go get her. Seduce her. I can't wait to play the wedding hymn tadadadaaah....dadadadaaaaaah...."
"Indy!" McKeon said, a little ashamed.
"Just kidding...No go have fun. And don't forget to enter all the juicy details into your personal log!"
"Indy!!!!" McKeon snapped and spun around.
"Sorry. Just kidding."

McKeon shook his head and smiled. He left the room, for the first time in the last few days feeling Just Right. He longed for the upcoming evening. He longed for his Sharon, the oldest friend he had, to whom he had just given his heart….