Sometimes You Do Need to Ask Permission First (backpost)
Posted on Tue Aug 18th, 2026 @ 12:27am by Crewman Erika Yang & Crewman Apprentice T'Vel & Lieutenant Rala
1,732 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Die Hard: Chimera Edition (side posts)
Location: Deck 11; Cargo Bay 2 and Quartermaster's Office
Timeline: Shortly before arrival at Orgrann
Tags: Rala,Erika,Erika's writing
Sometimes You Do Need to Ask Permission First
The ship was due to arrive for its baryon sweep the next day, and there was work to do ahead of it.
For sickbay, anything not urgently required was to be catalogued, crated, and put in a cargo bay until the sweep was over. This would be rather tedious work, and the last crate could only leave after they were minutes away from beaming away, lest someone injure themself while still on board. So naturally the job was given to Erika.
She didn't mind it. Her mind could wander while she catalogued. She could take story notes on another tab of her PADD as another idea came to her. And T'Vel was helping her with the cargo bay side of things. It was always nice to spend a bit of one-on-one time with her.
They were entering the data for the latest crate into the cargo storage manifest when the cargo bay door opened and a familiar person entered. T'Vel's superior officer and Erika's old swimming partner from the beach planet.
Erika tapped T'Vel on the shoulder so she'd notice the new arrival. Both stopped what they were doing to acknowledge Rala's arrival. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant," T'Vel said.
"Good afternoon, Lieutenant," echoed Erika. "We're almost done in here. Just two crates left, and then the final one tomorrow morning."
“As you were,” Rala said, nodding and gesturing for them to continue. She wasn't going to be a stickler for rank protocol when she didn't have to be. “I was just passing by and figured I’d peek in and see how things were going. Is there anything you two need from elsewhere, while I’m here?”
“I believe we are fine for now, Lieutenant,” T’Vel answered for them.
“Wait!” Erika interrupted. “Actually there is one thing. Do you have a minute?” She turned to T’Vel. “Are you alright if I take five?” T’Vel nodded and Erika looked back to Rala. “Can we talk a sec?”
“Of course,” Rala said, curious. “Here, or would you prefer some privacy?”
"Uh, actually yes," Erika answered. "Privacy might be best. Is there an office on this deck we can use?"
Rala hmmm’d as she consulted her imperfect but steadily improving mental map of the ship, then stepped back into the corridor. “Something close, at least,” she said, gesturing for Erika to follow and leading her on a short walk to a room with a small desk and a handful of neatly organized supply crates. “Quartermaster’s,” she said, stepping inside and bringing up the lights. “Already off the ship, along with anything that can’t handle the baryon sweep.”
When they got to the office, Erika leaned against a chair and let out a breath. "So listen. Fulvia told me that everyone at the slumber party saw some of my writing..."
One of Rala’s eyebrows rose slightly. “’Saw’ might be overstating things a bit. Kally got a look at one bit. The rest of us only got Fulvia’s very general description, and Kally’s reaction, which was...shall we say, ‘complimentary’. The subject kind of got...forcibly changed before anyone else got a look, and we never got back to it.” A thought passed behind her eyes. “I hadn’t really thought of it since, but I’ll admit, I’m somewhat curious.” She returned her attention to Erika. “Why do you ask?”
"Well..." Erika hesitated a moment. "I'll come out with it. I'm wondering if I can write a story or two involving you. From our few interactions, especially on the beach, and from what Fulvia has shared—which hasn't been much—I think you're really cool. And I think I could write a really fun, and really hot if I'm being honest, story. But we're not that close, so I don't want to presume. I'd like your permission please."
Rala blinked at her, somewhat taken aback. She settled back against the Quartermaster’s desk to think. After a moment, she nodded. “Okay. Conditionally.”
Not having fully anticipated the fairly fast positive response, Erika quietly let out a breath and smiled. “Of course, name it.”
“Nobody sees anything involving me before I do,” Rala said. “Any such work stays private and encrypted until and unless I say otherwise.”
“That’s all perfectly fair,” Erika agreed. “You see it first. You give final word on who else might see it. Even my editor friend won’t see it. Encrypted and off the main server.”
Rala nodded again. “Then yes, you may include me in your writing.”
“Quick question though,” Erika added. “What’re you into? Am I writing you with masc types? Femmes? Any? Wouldn’t want to write a story to then have you read it and be like ‘it’s well written but I’m actually only into so-and-so’.”
Rala chuckled. “I’m a little surprised my preferences aren’t more well-known,” she said. “But to clarify, I’m mainly attracted to femininity. Not exclusively,” she said, making a cautionary gesture, “but the more masculine someone is, the more they’ve usually got an uphill battle for me. I’m not ruling out exceptions, but I’ve yet to meet any. No, it’s the feminine side of the spectrum that tends to draw my eye.”
Erika nodded. She would take notes later.
Rala looked away, debating her next words, then glanced sideways back to Erika. “This...you may hear something of this from others, but it stays between us until then and to any extent more than what you hear elsewhere; but...” she let out a small breath and continued, “...I had crushes on both Captain Skyie and Doctor Kellerman for most of the time I’ve been on board, although it did take me a while to realize it.”
“You say ‘had’,” Erika observed.
“Things there have...changed, for me, recently,” Rala said, a faint smile on her face and the barest hint of wistfulness in the set of her ears; “but I still consider them very close friends and part of my kinatra—best translation, ‘chosen family’, although that still doesn’t fully encompass what it means.”
“So does that mean writing you with either of them is verboten?” Erika asked. “Or fine, in the Chosen Family context?”
Rala waved a hand. “No, no, I wouldn’t presume to limit an artist’s creativity. I...suppose I brought it up as an example of where my interests lie. All the other species out here in the galaxy are so physically different from Draakri,” she mused, “and yet when one looks beneath the surface, there’s a surprising amount of similarity—especially with some people, including those two. The juxtaposition of traits both familiar and unfamiliar, I think, is what attracted me to them before anyone else.” She gave Erika the barest hint of a smirk and continued, “And I didn’t say nothing ever happened there, or that I'd never had fantasies about anyone else.” Her expression turned more neutral again. “Besides, isn’t ‘what if?’ part of the point of things like this? I’m less concerned with what you write than I am with who sees it, at least for now.”
“Sounds good,” Erika said, nodding. “And as for ‘physically different,’ I’ve been reading up on Draakri biology. Not for this—well, not just for this—but to be more help in sickbay. I have a basic sense of how it all works. If I get it wrong I’ll ask you to tell me please. I strive for accuracy.” She shrugged. “Doctor Kellerman says I do alright. She told me I underestimated Commander Espersen though,” she added with a laugh.
“I'll take her word for it,” Rala said, “having neither read any of your work nor...gotten intimate with the Commander...although I have seen him undressed. And...aroused.” Her imagination readily provided her once again with the image of Espersen on the beach after the teasing that she'd contributed to, and subsequently apologized for.
“I’m sorry I missed that!” Erika said with a smile and giggle. “I don’t think the Doctor and the Commander have been together either. But to see them interact… I think it’s just a matter of time.”
One of Rala’s eyebrows rose by a centimeter or so. “I seem to recall hearing that you’d written something to that effect,” she said, smirking.
“Something?” Erika asked, mirth in her eyes. “That pair’s dynamic is my muse. Hearing the way they talk to each other… they usually do it in private but not always, and I hear the tension. There’s a ‘just fuck already’ energy and I’m here for it. I’ve got a collection of Espellerman fics, some realistic, some just out there. All the tropes. ‘We’ve both been sent to the same conference but there aren’t enough bedrooms,’ ‘the turbolift is broken down’, oh and there’s a good slow burn ‘I need a pretend boyfriend’ story that I keep adding to. It’s too much fun.”
Rala couldn’t hide the amusement from her face. “Okay, now you’ve got me very curious,” she said. “Give me an example of your work to read; dealer’s choice. Send it to the terminal in my quarters, then get back to work. We don’t want to hold up this baryon sweep.”
“Absolutely,” Erika replied, nodding. There was time for fun and there was time for work. The former had ended and the latter needed to resume. “I’ll send you something when the work is done. T’Vel might need help and if she doesn’t I’ll be needed in sickbay. See you later, Rala”
“That's not quite what I—” Rala started, but Erika was already out the door and heard back to the cargo bay. I meant, send me something first, she thought, smirking, but guess I can't fault her work ethic. She turned out the lights and closed up the Quartermaster’s office, returning to her rounds.
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