Clearing The Air

Posted on Sun Jan 22nd, 2023 @ 10:04am by Lieutenant Michael Amato & Lieutenant Thraxina

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: A Fool’s Errand
Location: Aft Crew Lounge
Timeline: M1 MD12 (2268.27.05) 1600

The starfield streaked passed the large windows of the aft crew lounge which was located at the base of the neck between the primary and secondary hulls. It was fairly deserted for a weekday afternoon, but Dr. Amato was looking for Lieutenant Thraxina and Toby had said she usually hung out here or in Rec Room 1. He had a few hours before his shift in sickbay, but he like Dr. Kitchner were on call 24/7. He saw the young gorgeous woman in one of the sitting areas closest to the windows. He walked over and said, "Good evening, lieutenant," he said, "Do you mind if I join you for a few minutes?"

The young woman had been looking out of the window and turned languidly to look up to see to whom she was speaking. In answer to his question she gave a non-committal smile and a shrug and gestured to the other chair at her small table.

"I like to sit here and look out at the stars; they're so beautiful" she sighed turning again to the square of transparent metal. Her reflection in the surface highlighted the fact that her face was completely symmetrical.

"It is a nice place," Mike agreed as he sat down, "The Captain usually holds court over there." He pointed to the other end of the room, "I wish the ship had more windows like these, it would feel a lot less cramped and claustrophobic.

Thraxina smiled to herself. True, the Federation Starships, although bigger by far than the Ardanan corvettes she had cut her teeth on, were designed in a functional, blocky way that made one feel one was living inside an enormous computer. Ardanan ships, designed in the rarified atmosphere of Stratos City, and build by the Trogs down below in the planetary shipyards, were things of beauty inside and out, with a strange illusion of internal spaciousness.

In contrast, she had once led a boarding party of Trog sentinels onto a marauding D7. Ha! Now that really was living inside a sardine can. But this was not what the doctor had come to talk of.

"Did you want to ask me something?" was all she said, turning from the view of the vast galaxy to meet the sleepy green-eyed gaze of the medico who looked almost as young as his boyfriend.

"I wanted to clear the air between us since there seems to be some tension between us concerning our mutual friend," Mike responded.

The brunette shrugged wordlessly and indicated, with open hands, the lack of anything between her and the physician, physically or metaphorically.

"At least that's what he tells me." Frankly he had never spoken to Thraxina off duty and even then their interactions were very limited. The most time they had spent together was her physical the doctor had conducted a few days earlier.

"Doctor... Mike... Toby's imagining things" she informed him confidently. "Why should there be any tension between us? My relationship with him is purely intellectual and yours is... well, chiefly emotional and physical, I presume?" she guessed.

"Is he?" Mike asked, "Apparently, you exploded at him in the mess hall at the very idea of us getting married one day. And your relationship seems to be emotional as well. A friendship sure, but maybe more."

"Exploded?!" Thraxina queried "I was surprised, yes, when I put two and two together and realised whom exactly Toby was seeing... I mean, it's one thing to randomly fall in love during a tour of duty with someone you're serving with, there's no helping that, but for a senior officer to sneak his much more junior lover on board at the beginning of a tour has a slightly different ring to it doesn't it?"

She sat back in her chair and tried to bring it back to what Amato had asked about her feeling toward Deinstag.

"So yes, I was surprised, and maybe a little worried about what might happen to Toby if it got out: but apart from that, I couldn't care less what you two get up to. Can't help wondering what his room-mate thinks of it though!" she pondered. "As for our relationship, Toby and I... well, we..."

She stopped and looked seriously at Mike. "How much do you know about my people?"

"Not much," Mike responded. He suppressed his expression of annoyance, "And... We were both at the academy. He was a junior and I was a med student. Neither of us were commissioned. Starfleet commissions you much higher as a doctor than when you just do the four years. We are only three years apart," he corrected, "And... I didn't sneak anyone aboard. The Captain picked me once I graduated since he needed another doctor and then I put in a good word since I know Toby wanted an assignment like this."

"All right, no need to get your stethoscope in a twist." Thraxina replied to this diatribe. "It's not me you need to clarify all this to: I don't care, remember? It's Dame Rumour - all those people whispering in the corner that any praise and success he achieves is because he has special friends in high places."

She bit her lip about the Doctor himself possibly being the subject of such conjecture: the scuttlebutt around the boat was that Doc Amato had decked the ship's whacko psychiatrist and gotten away with it due to his connections with the Captain.

She shrugged and looked out of the window again.

"If Toby's worried that we don't get on, we should show him there's nothing to worry about. We could all get together for a sort of... what do you Earthers call it? A 'double date'?"

The young doctor was taken slightly aback at the suggestion, "Ah.. sure," he said, "That would be fine. I'm trying to put Toby at ease... And I suppose I need someone to explain the situation to. Toby trusts you so that's something."

"Well, you don't need to explain anything, just show him how well we two get along. It's a date! As soon as we make Starbase 10, you can pull a few strings and we'll all go for a nice romantic meal for three. Or is it four, a double date? And should i bring a man? Or a woman? Or someone like Lieutenant Dora?" she asked.

Mike nodded and smiled, "I suppose you could bring anyone you want to," he responded, "I'm sure there's somewhere halfway decent on the Starbase. Toby and I are planning on being off ship for as long as we can."

"Mmm, someone Toby feels happy with. Maybe not Doctor Meddows, eh?" she pointed out, redundantly "He gets on well with Vox and Larant..." without realising it, the two of them had perhaps descended into something worse than fighting over the brilliant young man, they had started co-mothering him.

"I would have figured you'd have found someone aboard to ask on a date," Mike responded, "A lot of hot guys." His bored expression melted into a smirk, "Of course I got the hottest one." Somehow the conversation had changed from tension to "girl talk."

Thraxina tipped her pretty head thoughtfully at that.

"It's more than just an attractive body though, isn't it? We Stratos City dwellers seek beauty in all things, including a mate. That includes beauty of form, beauty of intellect, and beauty of spirit. I'm afraid that on this vessel, I have had to do the job piecemeal. Toby provides the level of intellectual beauty I require; there are more than enough attractive bodies around - have you seen some of those Security men? But beauty of spirit: that is something else... when I find that, I shall have my dinner date for Starbase 10."

The doctor nodded, "I understand. It is rare to find it all in one package," he agreed, "We are set to pick up some new officers once we reach Starbase 10, perhaps the one you are looking for will be among them."

Thraxina just laughed. "Ha! I doubt it!"

He leaned back in the chair, "I'm glad we had this conversation," he said.

"Me too." she smiled.

 

RSS Feed