Swallowing My Pride / Repairing the Damage

Posted on Thu 29th Aug, 2019 @ 4:36pm by Captain Andrus Grax & Commander Mikaela Locke

1,069 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Deck 27: Andrus Grax' Quarters
Timeline: MD-06: 1953 hours

The strains of late twenty-second century earth jazz, specifically, a band called 'The Enterprise' (ostensibly named after the famous NX-class cruiser of the same name), echoed around the living quarters occupied by Andrus Grax.

He had had a pretty demanding few days since arriving on the station and had taken the rare opportunity to retire to his quarters early and get some downtime. He had changed out of his uniform, and was now wearing a black, loose-cut, long-sleeve shirt with a v-neck and matching black pants which the casual observer may have described as 'pyjamas' - although he would have disagreed with them, referring instead to the outfit as 'lounging attire'. Between the music, his bare feet and his naturally gentle gait, his movements were inaudible as he crossed the main living area, returning from the replicator with a hot chicken curry. He sat down on the plush couch, placing his plate on the coffee table and reflected once again on how ridiculously spacious - almost palatial - he found his quarters on the Starbase, having been used to a such a tiny living space aboard the Defiant-class Falcon for the last six years. He closed his eyes, resolving to enjoy the fact that, for the first time in years, he actually had a little bit of space to himself, then slowly opened them again. Leaning forward, he scooped up a forkful of rice and curry and raised it to his mouth...

...and then the door chime sounded.

"You've got to be kidding me..." he muttered to himself, replacing his still loaded fork on the side of his plate. "Computer, pause playback," he said, louder this time, and music immediately stopped. He stood, sighted and called "Come in," as tolerantly as he could manage.

The door slid open and Mikaela Locke took a step across the threshold.

"Mikaela," he said, with a little less warmth than he had intended, "Come in."

Mikaela took a further step into the room and immediately noticed the untouched plate of food on the coffee table. "I'm sorry," she said, already preparing to take a step back, "I'm interrupting, I can come back..."

As much as Grax would have loved for her to leave him in peace to eat his dinner, he could tell from both her expression and her general demeanour that she was probably wanting to talk about the events of the previous evening, and that she already felt somewhat contrite. Surmising that delaying that conversation for the sake of a few minutes peace and quiet wouldn't do either of them any good at all, he took a couple of steps towards her.

"No, no," he said quickly, stopping a couple of paces in front of her, "It's fine. Although," he turned and indicated towards the table, as if she hadn't already noticed, "I am just about to eat. Would you like to join me?"

"Only if you're sure," Mikaela said cautiously, "I don't want to be any trouble."

"It's a replicator, Mikaela," Grax said with a hint of a smile, "How much trouble can it be?"

Mikaela smiled back, recalling that Paul had said almost exactly those words to her three days ago, shortly before they...

"Vegan curry be okay?" Grax called from the replicator alcove, interrupting her train of thought.

"Um... yes... please. That's great," she managed to say, slightly embarrassed that thoughts of Graves had distracted her.

They sat down and ate in silence for a few moments. Eventually, Mikaela spoke again. "Look," she said, "About yesterday... I'm sorry for overreacting. Jason's career moves are none of my business really but..." she paused, trying to ensure she articulated what she wanted to say properly. "I guess I would have just appreciated a heads-up before the paperwork landed on my desk. But that's my issue, not yours, so... I'm sorry." she concluded, quickly spooning another mouthful of her curry into her mouth.

"It's okay," Grax said, "You're right. I should have told you before. I guess I assumed that I would get to you before you read the request, but there's no real reason why that would be the case. I don't really have an excuse apart from the fact that the last few days have been so manic that my feet have barely touched the ground."

"I know, right?" Mikaela said, visibly relaxing slightly, "What's that about?"

“I’ve obviously arrived at the right time?” he said with a mischievous smile.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d guess that everything is kicking of because you’ve arrived,” she retorted, her expression equally mischievous.

They continued to eat in silence for a few more moments before Mikaela looked up again. “We’re good, right?” she asked.

Grax looked back, his fork midway to his mouth. He lowered it again and focused on Mikaela. “Of course,” he said, “We’re always good.”

“I’m glad,” Mikaela nodded, “Your friendship means a lot to me.”

Grax smiled, “Likewise,” he said simply. He spooned the last mouthful of curry into his mouth and stood to his feet, gathering up his plate as he did so. “Do you still play chess?” he asked, his demeanour suddenly brighter.

Mikaela laughed a little, “It’s been a really, really long time,” she said.

“Excellent!” Grax said brightly, “Perhaps I’ll have a chance,” and with that he deposited his plate in the replicator alcove and then disappeared into his bed chamber, returning a few moments later with a three-dimensional chess board and a box of pieces.

Mikaela quickly scraped the last of her curry from the plate and moved it off the coffee table to make space for the multi-layered board. Grax extended his hand to take the plate and passed the box of pieces down to her.

“Set ‘em up,” he called back, as he took her plate over to the replicator, recycled it, and then ordered two whiskey and cokes.

“You expect me to play and drink?” Mikaela asked, laughing, as she put the final pieces in place.

“Like I said,” Grax replied with a broad smile, “Perhaps I’ll have a chance, then.”

Mikaela smiled, sat back, moved her first white pawn and took a sip from the glass Grax had just handed her, and they played, talked, drank and laughed long into the night.

 

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