Spending on a Relationship
Posted on Fri 5th Mar, 2021 @ 9:38pm by Elizabeth Anderson M.D. & Lieutenant Damion Ildaran
1,212 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Business Not At All As Usual
Location: Damion Ildaran's quarters
Timeline: MD-3, 1700 hours
Damion stepped out of the meeting with Andrus Grax and sighed. He had asked for an evening to think over Special Agent Pantoufle's invitation for him to become a liaison officer with the new Starbase 109 branch of Starfleet CIS.
Grax had laid out the pros and cons in a clear, methodical manner. Yes, leaving Intelligence would delay his career advancement in that department, giving him an extended time in service without necessarily moving him up in grade. However, having SCIS experience would broaden his scope for possible advancement. It would give him time to decide if he wanted to remain in Starfleet with a chance to return to Intelligence work at a later date, or if he might want to resign his commission to become an SCIS Special Agent himself. At the very least, it would give him exposure to what Special Agents did so that he could make a more informed decision when the time came. He already had Department Head experience; this might make more opportunities available.
The truth was, he didn't want to make such a decision without discussing it with Elizabeth first--even if she was likely to say pretty much the same things that Grax had.
He called her office and left a text message, as Elizabeth was seeing a patient: Can you come for dinner at my place tonight at 1700? What food? I have news to tell you.
When Elizabeth's client left, she picked up the mysterious message Damion had left. "News, huh? No clue as to whether it's good or bad, worrisome or reassuring. But it's news." She smiled and shook her head, sending back her own text.
=^=What if I stop by Jade's place and bring steaks and baked potatoes, and you make a salad?=^= Checking the time, there was more than enough to do that and get to Damion's on time. She'd wait to see what he said before she ordered, though. He might have something else in mind. She cleared her desk top as she waited to hear from him.
Damion replied almost immediately. Steak from Jade's? You spoil me! A salad it is, and I'll arrange for dessert. See you at 1700.
Elizabeth sent an order to Orchids & Jazz, planning to do a quick pick-up on her way to Damion's ... though it wouldn't be that quick, with travel time between the various locations. Still, she had the time, if she didn't let herself stay and chat with Jade or Serena!
He left work at 1600 hours, unusually early for him, and went home to straighten the place up and make the salad. At 1630, dessert was delivered, which Damian put in the refrigerator. By 1700 he had set the table, made the salad, and changed into civvies. He directed the computer to play some classical guitar music from Earth on low volume and made a pot of tea.
Only about five minutes early, Anderson arrived with the take-out boxes and her curiosity bubbling. She rang his chime and, when the door opened, entered. "Hello, you terrible tease," she said, setting her food on his table. "You've left me for hours wondering what kind of news, and what the news is about. So you better fess up pretty fast, buddy." She grinned at him as he came toward her.
Damion laughed and hugged her. "That food smells delicious! Suddenly, I feel starved. And honestly, the news is not all that earth-shattering. It's an opportunity that I've been offered, and I'm debating whether to take it. I wanted to talk it over with you first. I'd like to tell Captain Grax my decision tomorrow."
He helped her remove the steaks and baked potatoes from the delivery cartons and then put the salad and dressing on the table. "What would you like to drink?"
"Just water is fine, a little cold. Grax had an offer for you? And you're considering it?" Elizabeth asked, adding eating utensils to each place. "That sort of makes me ... uneasy."
That was interesting and unexpected. "Grax wasn't the one making the offer; he and I just discussed it. Why would you feel uneasy if he had made the offer?" Damion put three ice cubes into a tumbler, filled it with water, and set it at Elizabeth's place. Then he poured himself tea from the pot and added beet sugar. He glanced about the kitchen. "I think that's everything. Shall we sit?"
Elizabeth took her place across from Damion, trying to decide what to tell him. She had access to databases Damion didn't, and she didn't know if it was a good idea to share what wasn't normally available to him. She tried not to see things that would affect him or his job, but sometimes she couldn't help it.
Stalling a little, she asked a question back, "What do you know about your boss? About his background?"
Damion eyed her, wondering how much he could or should tell of the little that Grax had confided to him. "Not squeaky clean," he said at last. "I have the impression that much of his early life was similar to mine, and that he had to leave home by--unconventional means. I also gather that he and I were recruited for similar reasons--that we were both used to rougher lives than the typical Academy cadet, so we were able to be placed in assignments where the typical Starfleet cadet would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Beyond that I either don't know, or don't feel I ought to share."
Eating quietly for a few moments, Anderson finally said, "That's sort of where I am. I'm aware of much of his background, and it doesn't give me confidence in his future. I don't know him at all, personally. He may be a fine person. I simply am a bit uneasy to think that he's offering you something. So tell me, what did he offer?"
"Again, Grax didn't offer me anything," Damion said. "Special Agent Pantoufle of Starfleet Criminal Investigation Service made me an offer. She would like for me to become a liaison officer between SCIS and the Intelligence Department. If that happens, I will work under SCIS's organizational structure and will move offices, but I'll still be officially a Starfleet officer and will be paid by Starfleet. I got the impression that she'd like to convince me to resign my commission and become a Special Agent myself, if she could. I told Grax I'm not willing to go that far yet. I like the work I do. With the Alegari case out of our hands now, I was somewhat looking forward to getting back to normal Intelligence work."
Swallowing her food, Elizabeth said, "Then it seems like you have an answer. Unless there's more to it than that? What would you be doing for this Agent Pantoufle? Wait," she put down her fork and clutched the napkin in her lap. "Do you actually want this opportunity, and you're looking for a reason to say yes?"
Damion smiled at her. "I can never hide anything from you."
Anderson laughed, "I do have certain advantages."
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