Meeting Again - Part II

Posted on Tue 13th Nov, 2012 @ 11:51pm by Commander Brian Windsong & Colonel Horatio Drake

2,194 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: http://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/3
Location: Deck 27: Ashton's Quarters
Timeline: Current

AND NOW THE CONTINUATION...

"So, what made you join the Diplomatic Corps then?" He asked. The usual question was, 'what made you join Starfleet'. Nine times out of ten, it was one of only a handful of answers. Generally people have, more or less, the same reasons for joining an organisation like Starfleet. The career path they choose tends to lend more about the actual person.

"Well my family played a major role in Akadia joining the Federation. it took some fenagling to get all sides together. We had an ambassador that did all the heavy lifting, but I played a role behing the xcenes working with our Rulind Council.

Bringing everyone together is just something I enjoy. I've always been good at it. Even when I was little other kids would come to me to help them solve their disputes. What about you sir, why did you decide to go into Command?"

Ashton let out an involuntary laugh; to say the question was vexed was putting it lightly.

"I didn't want to get into command" He thought about what he just said, realising it wasn't quite accurate. "Well... I did want to command... I wanted nothing more... but when it was offered to me, I didn't want it".

He frowned to himself, realising that he was probably making no sense whatsoever - he thought it was best to start from the beginning.

"I joined Starfleet to go into Marine Intelligence... I soon realised that this career choice was extremely lacking in peace time with most of the work being done by Fleet Intelligence. I soon moved onto become a Weapons Expert and was attached to an Infantry Detachment. However for the majority of my career I've been in the tactical departments on starships".

With the end of the Dominion War, Starfleet realised that there were scarcely enough officers to cover all the positions, through the weakened Federation. The boundaries between Starfleet and Marine personnel crumbled and it soon became common place for Marines to occupy Head of Department positions throughout Starfleet.

"It was only after I lost Patrick that I also lost interest in Starfleet and no longer wanted to move into command". Again, he was essentially lying... he hadn't just lost interest in Starfleet, he had developed a hatred and despise for the organisation; one that burned brighter than a star, sometimes. He hoped Brian wouldn't push him as to why he came back to Starfleet... he hoped he would just make a presumption and it was stay at that.

"Taking Protector wasn't really an option for me if I wanted to come back into the service". He smiled and took another rather large sip of his wine, which was beginning to taste nicer by the minute.

"About Patrick sir, how are you dealing with that? Have you buried the ghosts yet?"

The unexpected question provoked him to finish the remnants of his second glass of wine. There was, perhaps, one more glass left in the bottle but he left that for Brian. Instead he leaned over to the table behind him and grabbed his scotch and twelve ounce tumbler. Pouring himself a large measure he tried to answer the question.

"This is how I deal with it, Commander. Not the most ideal solution, but the best for me. You see" he paused, taking a sip "I've always been an excellent Marine but never very good at life. Meeting Patrick all those years ago was a fluke... a quirk of fate... it should never have happened. He threw himself into our relationship, but I was too busy being a Marine to throw myself into anything else".

He necked the scotch in the glass... a burning sensation his his mouth, neck and chest respectively. His knew his limits and knew that his tolerance to the alcohol was a lot higher now than it used to be, but could still feel it starting to take effect.

"Honestly, Commander... what have I got to show for it? I've got a number and a rank... one of thousands. If I ceased to exist, another would quickly take myself. Like the fucking Borg. The one thing that made me complete... the one thing that gave me a purpose... I made suffer, so I could play the part of being a number... of being a small clog in a huge machine.

I must say, despite what happened to you being disgusting, I do envy you in a sense that you've got someone to blame... you've got someone to go after to get retribution and revenge. I haven't... I've only got myself to blame for what happened".

He paused and poured himself another glass... he tilted the bottle towards Brian to offer him some of the amber liquid.

"Sure, I have someone to blame and yeah maybe that makes it a little bit easier, but we really are alot alike, you and I. We both have ourselves to blame or more accurately we are both blaiming ourselves for things that are beyond our control. You couldn't have changed things, couldn't have saved him if you had done anything different.

We both lost someone close to us, someone that was better than us. Was my relatonship with Morgan better than yours with Patick maybe, but both men poured more into the relationship than either of us, but they weren't perfect, we all have our flaws.

You've dealt with your pain by drinking, I've deal with mine by sleeping with any good looking consensual adult that comes my way. I can tell you're not tired of the drinking, but I am tired of all the meaningless sex."

Ashton was going to put up an argument about how if he had gone on his shore leave when he was meant to then Patrick would have had no reason to get on that shuttle. But, it seemed somewhat futile with the current sway of the conversation.

"Is it too soon for you to start looking for another relationship then?" He put the scotch bottle on the table, in case Brian changed his mind.

"It's been five years ColoneL," said Brian before finishing the final glass of wine and contemplated whether getting drunk around a good looking man was really such a good idea. "I don't know if I've buried my ghosts or not. But it is time that I find someone I can love, not just fuck."

Drake hesitated for a moment, before continuing. "Do you remember in the Academy... in the second year we were told to start looking at possible postings... did we want to be based on a facility, a station, a ship... that sort of thing. Everyone had their dream posting in mind... the majority of people knew that they wouldn't be able to start their career on a Sovereign Class... that they'd have to work up to that sort of capital ship... but that's still what they had in mind. It was a goal to attain".

He played with the scotch in the glass, swirling it around and seeing the crystalline glass underneath.

"Well... for me, Patrick was that Sovereign Class. Something that I never thought I'd get, but somehow managed it. After a posting like that... anything else can never be as good. That's how I feel anyway. I just don't think another relationship is possible for me... and even if it was, what's the point... because I'll never get that Sovereign Class again".

Using analogies seemed to help him talk about things... that and the scotch.

"Oh, believe me, I know what you are talking about. Morgan was special to me as well. He was my Sovereign class, my ancestral home, and the President of the Ruling Council all rolled into one." He paused and laid a hand out towards Ashton's shoulder, brushing his cheek instead.

"But sir, there are other ships out there. Yes true they may not all be Sovereign ships, but there are other ships out there. I've heard the Defiant class can hit Warp 10.1 in a pinch. And here perhaps is a better analogy. Just look at the Enterprise. What are they up to on her now? Each one has a different crew and different missions, different accomplishments, but they are all good ships."

Ashton froze at Brian's touch... no one had touched him since Patrick. He suddenly felt immensely uncomfortable. What the Hell was he doing anyway? This was only the third time he had met the Diplomatic Officer and he was telling him so many personal things. He had to change the subject, quickly. He quickly poured another scotch and walked towards the replicator for ice.

"Anyway, how's the Diplomatic Department shaping up?"

Brian felt Ashton pull away, both phsyecall and emotionally. It was like dealing with a skittish mare, the man was still dealing with issues and probably would be for a very long time.

"Sir, I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you. Maybe Akdaians like to touch too much. As far as my department its going fine, although I could use a good assistant."

"No, you didn't offend me Brian... it's just... I can't..." He trailed off... everything he wanted to say would either sound disingenuous or probably come out wrong. He decided to rapidly change the subject.

"Good, I'm glad things are going well. Indeed, I can imagine how an Assistant might be useful! We are still suffering a lot of staff shortages at the moment... unfortunately, departments like Diplomatic, are near the bottom of the list. Is there no one internally you could have as Acting?"

Brian could sense, even without his ability, that Ashton was still holding back, that he wanted to pen up but just wasn't able to so he didn't push it.

"I think I can find someone sir. I'll look around and let you know"

Then his resolve not to push things broke down a little, "Are you sure you're all right, I mean really all right?"

He spun the ice in his glass round so quickly that any faster would have it out of the glass and onto the floor. A rather generous sip soon stopped the annoying habit. He could feel the alcohol starting to really take effect now and knew this liaison had to come to an end soon. Not so much for the appropriateness of it, but more the fact that he no longer enjoying being drunk in others company.

"Not really, Commander" He kept up the formalities, only because he didn't know this particular person well enough to be on first name basis quite yet. "I should never have come back to Starfleet. I convinced myself that it would act as a support for me... in reality I was relying on a posting that allowed me solidarity. Even something dangerous. They're not reasons to be in the service. I don't enjoy the responsibility of even a team under my command... let alone an entire station. I didn't know what I thought this posting was going to be... but I was wrong."

"Well sir," Brian replied thinking it wise not to confront the Captain further, "I don't have a lot of respect for some of the politicans that are in charge now, but one thing I do know is that politicans like to cover their asses and they wouldn't send you someplace where you would make them look bad, even some out of the way run down dumps like the Protector.

But I think I better be going sir, I am meeting with Samantha O'Dell a bit later."

Two things suddenly occurred to Drake at that point. The first was that a part of what Brian was saying had to be right. Someone, somewhere had to have at least a little bit of faith in him to give in this posting. As run down and out of the way that Protector is, it was still a Stardock class starbase and came with a lot of power. Still, who was this person? Was it his Uncle?

The second was an emotion that he shrugged off as quickly as it came. It almost felt like a streak of jealousy... the fact that he was leaving Drake and going to see another. True he had willed this encounter to be over... but now that it was, it was almost as if he didn't want it to be. What a strange sense to feel... he certainly couldn't make any logic out of it.

"Indeed" Drake stood and cleared his throat "Thank you for coming by, Commander".

"It was my pleasure sir," Brian responded. His shields were up and he probably would not have been able to read the stray thought anyway. "Anytime Colonel. My door is always open to you."

Brian wasn't quite sure why he had expressed himself that way, afterall he wasn't a counselor and he had come to see the CO not the other way around. Still the words were out there and Brian couldn't have taken them back if he had wanted to, which he realized, he did not.

OFF:

A joint post by
Colonel Ashton Drake
CO, Protector

Lt.Commander Brian Windsong
Chief Diplomatic Officer, Protector

 

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