Intelligent or Not, Here I Come!
Posted on Tue May 15th, 2018 @ 6:12am by Chloe de la Vega
Edited on on Thu May 31st, 2018 @ 9:21pm
2,045 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Enemy Within
Location: After 11, Deck 11
Timeline: MD004 0100 hrs
Tags: SD 71378.0100
It had been a normally busy night up to a point, crewmen had shifts to attend to in the morning, and the buzz around the ships was obviously The Badlands. Chloe had found herself sitting in a booth by the window lost in the wisps of the plasma storms form and dissipate. Sipping her drink she had began to feel the 'alone' feeling she felt being apart from family but still the steel in her reminded her of why she left.
Her abusive relationship with her father had reached a point of no return when he hit her in front of her family, as they had no idea it had been going on for years. All the bruises, cuts, and scrapes never questioned and believed to be Chloe's result of drunk nights but in truth that's why she drank so much. Her father truly was a disgusting man, although she'd never shared that with anyone, only the bottom of a glass.
She sat holding her small glass, finishing it 10 minutes previous, looking out the window, lost.
Joran had gotten another strong whiskey refill and was making his way back to the seats in the lounge, his striking eyes glancing over to the woman that had tended bar to his crew a short while earlier. She certainly was beautiful, though, he was certain that it didn't hurt in her line of work. She seemed so far away as she peered out the windows. He silently walked up to her from the front. He learned long ago not to startle women from behind. "Would you like some company, Miss.....?"
Chloe sighed, not looking round to see who was talking to her as she was in a bit of a down mood. People rarely saw her show that kind of emotion as she kept her cards close to her chest. "Depends if have a refill for this?" she said shaking her empty glass. "Can take what you want from the bar if you bring me back something..."
Joran nodded as he wheeled around to return to the bar, swinging around the back and to the shelf. His eyes scanned all the various bottles with different liquids and labels before settling on a particular one that was extremely potent. Those were usually the best ones for such troubled situations. He returned to her, uncorking the glass bottle and pouring the clear liquid into her offered cup. "Absolut vodka for the lady, if she so pleases."
Chloe let out a weak smile, he seemed genuine enough, maybe the first genuine person she had met in a while. It would remain to be seen if he was that way though, most men saw her and saw one thing because of how she looked and acted. "Thank you, mister?"
He saw the solemn look in her eyes and wanted to lighten the mood at least a smidge. He had studied Earth cinema history as an elected class during the academy and just couldn't resist the setup line by curling one eyebrow and said, "Bond... James Bond. And you are?"
She chuckled a little, "You would choose one of my favourite old movie characters." she giggled thinking about Daniel Craig... "de la Vega, Chloe de la Vega." she said curtsying in his presence. He made her smile, and that was a rare thing.
He pursed his lips in what friends would say was a close approximation of a smile. He gestured toward the other chairs near her. "Might I join you, Miss de la Vega?"
"Sure, and call me Chloe. No-one in here is ever that formal with me, some even call me other names." she mused. "Although you still haven't told me your real name?"
He smirked and intoned mysteriously, "Thal... Joran Thal. A pleasure to meet you, Chloe." He took a seat opposite her and took a sip of his drink. "Why the long face on someone so gorgeous?"
She blushed slightly but had heard that line so many times before. It was not lost on her that she was attractive, most men didn't let her forget it but he seemed genuine in his comment so she answered in kind, "Thinking about the past Mr Thal. Never ends up in a smile." she replied.
It had been a while since he'd talked to a woman and it didn't seem as though his current efforts were working on getting her to open up. He sipped his drink before inquiring, "You're absolutely right about that, Chloe." He offered a pursed-lip smile while tragic horrors flashed through his mind of death and loss and the new life inside his body. "However, we can't always live in the past. It's the present that can be changed, so long as we seek what we desire."
"And what is it you desire handsome?" she asked.
Joran offered a quick smirk as he thought about it briefly. He gave her a simple shrug and took another gulp. "I used to believe that I knew that answer. Now... not so much."
Chloe nodded as if she felt a similar kind of feeling. "I distance myself from true desire as much as possible..." she started remembering the Bolian she had left in their bed a few days earlier. "Alcohol...", she held up her glass in front of her face, "always helps." She took a large sip and felt a tear roll down her face. Her pain was ever present, but tended to dull after a few shots. "But Joran, you are here, with me, so for now I would consider my desires for this moment sated." she offered a smile at the older gentleman.
A thoughtful expression crossed Joran's face as he contemplated what she said. To avoid feeling awkward at not being exactly sure how to respond to that, he held up his glass. "You're absolutely right. Alcohol can help ease pain. Trust me, I know." He offered a grin and took a big gulp and felt the burn go down his throat. "Do you want to talk about it? If not, that's fine too. I can bring up a few distracting topics. It's a skill I've used for myself several times."
She smiled at the offer, it seemed sincere if not a bit forced out of awkwardness, it was still nice all the same. "I'll take any distracting topic you have... not quite in the giving out all my secrets to men I've just met." She mused, "Although, oddly you are the only one I've admitted that too in a lot time... so Joran, distract me honey!"
He thought for a brief second and said, "Um... Okay. Have you ever been to Varnix Twelve? They have the most stunning sunsets in the galaxy, bar none. Their atmosphere has several key properties that shift the light into reds and blues and greens unlike anywhere else."
"Wow," she began, "that sounds beautiful." Even the thought of the sunset did indeed distract her, trying to force her mind to conceive the different colours than a sunset could emit. "You must have been some amazing places?" she half asked.
"I've been to a few but I'm sure you've been to a few yourself?" He sipped his drink and kept his eyes on hers as he waited eagerly. "I bet you've been to the far ends of the galaxy."
She felt his eyes burn into her, which she didn't seem to mind. This was a strange feeling like she was actually connecting with someone and she didn't usually. "Only in my mind, this is my first time off Earth actually. Left home," she lied a little, running away always sounded so desperate, "found I had a knack for making others happy, getting them drunk and found myself here. On a ship, far away from 'home'." she said, her last word tinted with a little fear and anger.
His eyes rose faintly at the revelation that she had never left Earth before. "Wow, so this is your very first time on a starship?" He sat back and thought about that for a moment. He remembered his first time going faster than light. It was on a small passenger shuttle going from Earth to Alpha Centauri. "How do you find the experience so far? It must be a nice way to escape the past..." His eyes slid to the side to watch the stars as he let that sink in.
Escape? How did he know she had escaped home? Did he know of was it just something he said as a passing comment? She tried to hide her reaction of fear as her eyes opened with surprise and worry but realising he was just making conversation... not that it helped her heart rate any.
"Ehm yeah, it's been nice I suppose. Got my own place to call my own which is nice, never really had that before... something that's mine." she replied looking around the room at what she had designed for the ship. "Still though, nothing beats the real sun on your face and the smell of the oceans to make you feel somewhat alive." she added. Back home she had lived near the ocean, Spain was a great place to live and she missed it dearly.
Joran pondered his own upbringing on Trill, the sights and the sounds of vacations conjuring up the past but... not his past. It was Laree's past. Though, all of her was a past now. "My fiance grew up around the western edge of the main continent. She really loved the beach, minus the sand." He set his drink down and let out a contented sigh as he stared into the unknown. "Sometimes we forget ourselves out here, don't we? Forget where we come from..." He blinked before looking back at her. "Well, at least you have a place to call your own now."
"Yeah." she started, "I do... just as long as my dad stays out of it." she muttered the latter half under her breath. If her dad knew she was here you could guarantee he would pull her out of there so fast it would be After What? Not so much After 11.
"So you have a fiance? Does she still stay on Trill?" she asked almost disappointed to hear it.
"I... well..." He took a breath before gathering his thoughts. "I was involved with someone very special. She died..." He pointed to his abdomen. "Her memories are inside me now. So in a way, she is always with me. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not..."
She felt like an idiot, a heartless monster. Here she was disappointed that someone else may have been around that she totally missed his feelings. She took his hands and gave them a gentle squeeze, "I am so sorry Joran." Her face began to flush, her cheeks pinking up. "I didn't mean to bring it up..."
He gave her a gentle smile. "How can you be allowed to beat yourself up for something you didn't know?" He studied her face more closely, trying to find the real source of her discomfort. "Life goes on, doesn't it? We move forward and keep living."
"I suppose you're right." she replied with a smirk. Chloe removed her hands from his and twirled her stirrer in her drink. "Forward is the only place I need to go."
There was a ring of a bell that signified they would be closing soon, time had definitely not stood still. She wondered if she should ask him back to her quarters for a nightcap, talk with a bit more intimacy but she wasn't sure if he felt the same way...
Joran heard the chime as well and slowly rose to his feet. He pursed his lips briefly before saying, "And you will get there. Be patient with yourself. Thanks for having a drink with me, Chloe." With that, he turned and stepped casually out of the room, curious thoughts about her trailing behind him.
A Joint Post By
Warrant Officer Joran Thal
Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pioneer
Chloe de la Vega
After 11 Owner, USS Pioneer
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