Forging Friendships

Posted on Sun Feb 22nd, 2015 @ 4:56am by Lieutenant Yui Hirasawa & 1st Lieutenant Leroy Mangalia

1,660 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Deadly Diplomacy
Location: Leeroy's Quarters

Yui had gotten off shift about an hour ago. In that time she had changed out of her uniform into something more casual. She wore a light pink tank top which was slightly cropped, her belly button peeking out of the bottom accompanied by some dark blue baggy jeans. She also wore a white zipped up hoodie which she left unzipped for now.

She wandered down to Leroy's quarters. He had promised a drink with her, plus she thought he was rather cute. Reaching out she tapped the doorbell, she hoped that he wasn't busy making anything.

The door slid open, a hammering sound coming from the direction of the forge, along with an angry hiss sound. Smiling, he came to the door in a leather smock, but with no shirt under it. "Come on in," he said looking at her dress. "More surprises await you."

Yui wandered over. "I just put on something casual" she said. "What'cha doin'?" she asked curiously. It was strange seeing him once again working on handcrafting metal.

"Well, you made a mention of being Japanese," he said smiling as he picked up a bottle of Saki and handing it to her. Reaching into the water barrel he pulled out the now finished sword blade. All he had to do was sharpen and hone it, then polish it. "I figured you could help design the tsuba and help wrap the grip for your sword."

"My sword?" Yui asked as she held the bottle of Saki. It was vintage from the Shinga prefecture from 2268.

"Sure, not like I need another dangerous weapon to hang on my walls," he said smiling. "Cups are behind you, I also have a bottle of Chateu de Picard in there as well."

Yui couldn't help but blush. She had never had a gift like a sword before. She grabbed two of the wine glasses and poured out two glasses of Saki. She put one down on the anvil next to Leroy and then slumped down into a chair nearby.
"So, can I ask why you chose to be a fighter pilot?" she asked.

"I like to fly. My father used to take me when he would shuttle people across earth and to Mars, and I fell in love with it. He also helped me build an old World War Two Zero and Mustang, which I think he took to Osaka when he and my mother moved there." Smiling he began to file away the scortch marks and burrs in the blade. "What made you want to fly a space ship?"

"The same" Yui said. "I like the thrill of flying, plus I was better at it than anything else. Some people call me a little bit of an airhead" she explained with a smile.

"Now that's just disrespectful," he said laying the file down. Pouring himself another glass of Saki he picked up twin bars of iron. "Ready for something easier than tritanium?"

"Can do" Yui said with a smile. "Whats easier?"

"Bronze actually, but the forge is too hot. You'll scortch and melt the metal. You want to soften it, not turn it into goo. Unless your casting something of course." Placing the iron bars in the forge he raked coals over them. "Give them a few minutes, and what is it you'd like to make?"

"I'm not sure" Yui said. "What do you think suits me?" she asked curiously.

"Well we could make you a pair of knives with the two bars, or I can add a couple more and you can make a cast of something." Smiling he picked up the thirty pounder, handing it to her, then stood behind her, pulling one of the bars out. "Knives are always good to have, and we can make a set out of steel or tritanium if you'd like to carry them."

"Ok then" Yui replied. She was curious, this would be her first hand held weapon. Although it would look good on the wall in her quarters. "We'll make them" she said.

Placing his hand on hers, he helped lift the hammer, then bring it down with a resounding blow. Tapping the anvil again their joined hands started molding the metal bar into a blade, before he put it back in the fire. "Much much easier," he said against her ear.

Yui was amazed at how she was doing this. She had no idea that she would one day get to craft with metal. She nodded to the comment about it being easier.
"So, do you always show girls how to craft?" she asked curiously.

Leroy took a step back, then to the side as he picked up the katana blade and started polishing it again. "No," he said softly. "Your actually the first person I've ever shown my forge too. Besides family of course..." Taking the file to the cutting edge he began to hone it to the micrometer like he had been taught.

"I see" Yui said. She stepped back as she watched him work. Forging weapons was one of the skills that humans didn't often have especially since the invention of the replicator.
"Where did you learn all this?" she asked curiously. "Its been hundreds of years since humans used weapons like this".

"I began working for a friend of my father's after my eye surgery. He needed help with the horse shoes he made, and wanted to know why they always shattered. I wanted to learn a useful trade thinking that the Federation would have no use for a worthless cripple. By the time I was ten others started searching me out to help with their work, I can see micro-fractures you see." Setting the blade aside he heard his alarm go off, saying that the work the captain wanted to have done. "so I started reading, and working with blacksmiths that would allow me to learn the trade. I brought it with me when I join the Federation and just continue to read and learn as I go."

"Oh I see" Yui replied. She knew that he had robotic eyes, that much was evident. However she didn't know that he could see microfractures or such things like that. "I was once told that I would never get into Starfleet. I'm not too good with numbers. If you ask me what the square root of eight is, I won't know where to start. But I can fly, thats my biggest asset. I'm still a little bit of a airhead but I'm working on that" she explained hoping that it would make him feel a little better about his past.

"Would you like to learn more, and help me craft a piece that I've been commissioned for? Or you can always return to your room," Leroy said picking up the blade and setting it in a rack. "Or you can design your tsuba for this blade here..." He didn't want her to leave but he did need to start on the Commodores project. "Sorry the Commodore asked me to make something for a Marine here on the boat." Smiling he moved the iron to the side of the forge so it would cool naturally, sliding in five more pieces of tritanium. "I have to make two gun barrels, a two slides, two grips, a golden saber handle, and a blade, along with the intricate workings of the pistols."

"He does commissions?" Yui thought to herself. "How about if you pass me a pad and pencil I'll do the design while I watch you work. I won't get in the way, plus..." she stopped to think about how to phrase what she wanted to say. "... its nice to watch a man work hard..." she said turning bright red.

Smiling he grabbed a leather coat that was only sleeves, then picked up his heaviest hammer. Taking one piece of tritanium, he elbowed a padd over for her to draw on. Lifting his hand, the hammer slammed home on the hard metal, showering him in sparks as he started to mold and meangthen the blade. "In the cabinet behind you there's a brick of gold plated platinum, a saber handle mold and a large crucible," he said as he slid the slightly lengthening bar back into the fire.

Hitting a toggle a lathe came up which he set another piece on as he pulled out the blade again. Turning the lathe on, he began pounding the metal as hard as he could. Stopping for a second he grabbed his glass of Saki, drained it, then went back to work.

Yui began to design the tsuba for the blade. She was sketching away happily, also the glass of Saki was becoming more and more empty by the minute.

Leroy forgot that his date was even here as he started working, switching out blocks on the lathe, and even making a decent curve and length of a blade. Stopping to stretch his back, he looked behind him and almost laughed.

An hour or so later, Yui had fallen asleep. The sound of Leeroy pounding metal was like a lullaby and had slowly sent her to sleep. She snoozed, her head resting on the back of the chair happily, still holding the design in her hand.

Smiling, he pulled the padd out of her hand and gently laid it down. Scooping her up like a bride he carefully carried her to his bed, laying her down and covering her just as carefully. Shutting down his tools he shut off his lights, slipped a dagger and a sheath onto his left arm for a cross drawn, and sat down in a chair facing the door to nod off. The forge stayed hot enough to where the metal they had both been working on would stay pliable, but it wouldn't scorch or damage the metal at all.

Posting by

Lieutenant Yui Hirasawa
Chief Flight Control Officer

Master Sergeant Leroy Mangalia
Squadron Leader

 

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